Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth
Written by L. E. CarmichaelIllustrated by Byron EggenschwilerKids Can Press48 pp.Ages 7-112023
Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing the author and illustrator of Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth, Lindsey (L.E.) Carmichael and Byron Eggenschwiler. Here is my interview with these Lane Anderson Award winners.
Helen Kubiw: Congratulations to both of you on the Lane Anderson award. It’s a generous award and one that would surely be appreciated by any writer. As a writer of non-fiction, do you feel like non-fiction is often given less attention, from awards to lists of best-sellers, than fiction?
L. E. Carmichael: Thank you so much! To be honest, I’m still a little stunned.
When I tell people I write children’s nonfiction, they ALWAYS say “Oh, like textbooks?”. Nope, definitely not! But I think this response reflects a widespread notion that nonfiction is less artistic, or less interesting, or somehow less important than fiction. Which is absolutely not the case. In fact, research shows that many kids prefer nonfiction to fiction, and will even choose books above their reading level if they’re interest in the topic. When adults push kids towards fiction, kids get the message that the fact-based books they enjoy aren’t “real,” or don’t “count” as reading. And they may stop reading altogether.
That’s why awards like the Lane Anderson are so important. They not only encourage children’s book creators, they validate nonfiction in the eyes of adults, increasing the chance those adults will offer nonfiction to children.
Byron Eggenschwiler: Thanks! This really is a gracious award and a wonderful surprise to receive.
I am not educated enough on the topic to really say one way or the other, fiction can be more flashy but both deserve a spotlight. Oddly I seem to have had a little more recognition within the non fiction space.
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HK: For many writers, writing is an opportunity to connect their personal experiences with the reader. What personal connections do you have with the topic of your book? How were you able to include those in your book?
L. E. Carmichael: When I was in sixth grade, my family moved to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. In summer, I got to experience the midnight sun, and in winter, I got to experience air so cold, your nostrils freeze shut to keep it out! I did NOT enjoy that last part, but I fell in love with the beauty of the landscape and the amazing animals that live there. When I grew up, I got a PhD in the genetics of northern wolves and arctic foxes.
Polar focuses on wildlife, so my human experiences don’t appear on the page. But my expertise came in handy during the research phase, and I hope that my passion for the topic shines through every sentence.
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HK: All this year’s finalists for the Lane Anderson focus on topics that have been tackled in other books. How do you decide on a topic knowing that other books on the same topic have already been published?
L. E. Carmichael: It takes two to five years to write and publish a nonfiction book, so the most important thing is to choose a topic I’m completely obsessed with. Without that enthusiasm, I’ll never make it over the finish line!
But I do read as many published children’s books on my topic as I can. That helps me figure out what’s been done a million times, and, more importantly, what hasn’t been done yet. I want my book to offer something new—a new format, a new perspective, or the newest scientific discoveries.
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HK: Lindsey, you are the only finalist author who exclusively writes science books. Do you ever have a hankering for taking up the fiction writing pen? If so, how would you find a way to blend in your passion for science?
L. E. Carmichael: Funny you should mention… I co-wrote a middle grade fantasy novel with friend-and-fellow-science-writer, Helaine Becker, which is out on submission as we speak! And in January, I started an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College, with the goal of learning how to write a novel all by myself.
I’ll never stop writing nonfiction—I’m too curious to quit!—but I’m passionate about fiction that’s inspired by folklore. Fairy tales, urban legends, supernatural creatures, you name it, I love it. Science and folklore sound like a weird combo, I know, but they’re not: they’re two ways that humans make meaning and access wonder. After all, the more we know about the natural world, the more enchanted it appears.
And no matter what I’m writing, it’s going to be grounded in research. Information informs everything I do.
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HK: Byron, you have illustrated for both fiction and nonfiction. Is the collaboration process with the author different for both?
Byron Eggenschwiler: In my experience, the process is pretty similar. I typically work directly with the editor and designer and don’t actually deal with the author at all. The publisher might pass along comments the author has at certain points but for the most part that’s all the interaction I have with the author. It seems almost strange, but I think that way they can bring our visions together and see what works and doesn’t from an outside point of view. Speaking for myself, artists can sometimes be fragile emotional creatures about our work so it’s nice to have that separation for the process. The main thing with non fiction as an illustration is I hope the author catches any inaccuracies with the animals behaviour or environment.
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HK: When illustrating Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth, were there any challenges with ensuring realistic depictions to support the text?
Byron Eggenschwiler: Keeping things accurate is always a bit of a challenge because you have to do a lot of digging to find reference for certain details. Something like the snow prints of a paw or what kind of leaves in a nest. I want to make sure to do the animals and their environment justice and capture what makes them unique but also want them to fit properly on the page and perform how I want them too in an interesting way. I tend to look at images and then go off and draw a bit from my head and then go back and try to find the reference for the details. In some cases you need to take a few artistic licences to make things work out. A big challenge with this book, for me, was making sure to keep the image flowing around the text and headlines and finding that balance of supporting the text without overpowering the image.
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HK: Like all writing, non-fiction can become formulaic, by organizing text with features like information boxes, a glossary, an index, etc. How do you ensure that your book stays fresh and unique?
L. E. Carmichael: Interesting! I hadn’t thought about the glossary and index as being part of a formula, because to me they’re essential tools for navigating a nonfiction text.
As for the body of the book, I let the topic determine the structure. It’s a process of figuring out which pieces of information readers need, and when, and that’s different for every book.
Byron Eggenschwiler: I don’t have any specific methods but for me it’s really about how do I keep it interesting for myself. The aim is, if I can do that for myself, then hopefully others will enjoy it too. For this particular book I was drawn to Lindsey's concept of how these two ends of the Earth were tied together across the same spread. It was a fun challenge for me to find a way to connect those two worlds and have them almost make up one continuous image.
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HK: When you write a book of non-fiction for young people, Lindsey, the audience is clear from the reading level and formatting. But, when you write, do you also need to focus on the teacher or parent who might want the book for educational purposes, and how would you do so?
L. E. Carmichael: My first priority is always engaging the young reader, but I do check curriculum guidelines in Canada and the USA, to get a sense for when kids are learning about my topic in school. That helps me focus in on the right age range for the book, which helps me figure out which concepts readers will be familiar with and which concepts will need more explanation. My editor, Katie Scott, is excellent at identifying content or word choices that are too advanced for my target audience!
I don’t write to curriculum (that’s textbook territory), but I do want my books to be resources for parents and educators—in the classroom or outside it. Children’s nonfiction is a powerful teaching tool, but there’s nothing more powerful than kids and their grown-ups connecting through a shared interest.
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HK: I'd like to ask you both about your next project. Lindsey, is your next book slated to be another book of non-fiction and if so, what topics are you considering? And Byron, what project are you working on now? Also, as an illustrator, have you been tempted to become the author and illustrator of a story?
L. E. Carmichael: My next book is nonfiction, but it’s not science—it’s a women’s history project. I can’t share too many details yet, but I cannot wait for this one to hit bookstore shelves. Ask me more in 2026!
Byron Eggenschwiler: I have recently wrapped up two books that will be out this year, Unnaturally Blue by Dorson Plourde that is about a young girl who enjoys swimming but suddenly finds herself a little overwhelmed and goes on a journey to understand her strange new blue feelings. I also have a holiday themed book called The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise by Riel Nason coming out for the holidays.
Writing
and illustrating a story is something I would love to do one day. I
have a lot of half-baked ideas floating around and I hope to commit some
time to developing them into something special. It would be nice to
explore that side of the process. I also really enjoy being able to work
with an author's story and having that jumping off point.
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What a fabulous interview! I learned a lot about the process of writing, particularly non-fiction, but also about how an author and an illustrator contribute to produce an extraordinary piece of literature for young people.
Great thanks to Lindsey Carmichael and Byron Eggenschwiler
for agreeing to this interview and for their insightful answers to my questions.
Thanks also go to
Winston Stitwell, Coordinator at the Lane Anderson Award,
for bringing this non-fiction award for young readers to my attention
and for facilitating this interview,
as did Bianca Rodrigues, Marketing & Publicity Coordinator at Kids Can Press.
