It started with the title.
“Towed by Toad.”
I’m sure it popped into my head while discussing trucks with my son. I carried it there for a while before writing it down. Some ideas have a stickiness and just won’t let go once they’ve taken hold. The homonyms together made me laugh and suggested a jumping off point for a story—a toad drives a tow truck.
I made a list of vehicular trouble that would require a tow and started brainstorming names for animal motorists. But Toad driving around and helping other animal motorists isn’t much of story.
He would need some help along the way, too.
Asking for help can be difficult, especially when you’re used to being the helper. This gave me a direction to work towards as I finished my first draft.
Themes were developed further in subsequent drafts—I added scenes where Toad skips breakfast1 and skips lunch in his eagerness to help others. He doesn’t stop until he breaks down.
A funny thing about writing is how revealing it ends up being. What you write is informed by where you are or what you’re going through or what you’ve been through. You think you’re writing a funny animal / truck book and suddenly you’re making a book about burnout and self-care.
I know what it is like to get so caught up in taking care of someone else that you forget to take care of yourself (especially in the new parent haze of the infant / toddler days). It is easy to burn yourself out. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others.
Everybody needs help sometimes. Even the helpers.
There is still time to pre-order your copy from your favorite bookstore! Towed by Toad will be in stores September 9, 2024.
Toad at the Strand
The Strand will be including Towed by Toad in their September Little Reader subscription box. The first 50 subscribers will get a signed copy!
Caldecott & Co. continued
As I was reading Caldecott & Co. by Maurice Sendak, I began revisiting a few of the classic children’s books he discusses. Just a few quick thoughts:
I was fascinated to read that Beatrix Potter kept a diary written in code. Cracking the code was incredibly difficult due to her “nearly indecipherable handwriting and unorthodox spelling.”
In my memory, Beatrix Potter’s illustrations are super detailed, but her line can be surprisingly simple at times. Check out Mr. McGregor here:
This sentence from The Story of Babar the Little Elephant is so silly it made me laugh! “Luckily, a very rich Old Lady who has always been fond of little elephants understands right away that he is longing for a fine suit.”
Link Round up
10 New Picture Books for the Vehicle-Obsessed Child via Nerdy Book Club
If you missed SLJ’s PictureBookPalooza, the virtual event will remain available for access through October 25, 2024. We had a great chat in the “Where the Rubber Meets the Road” panel! Register here to watch the archives.
TOAD reviews! A starred review from SLJ and a glowing review from Kirkus
Every Monday Mabel is now available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller!
Thanks for reading!
Jashar
The breakfast scene takes place before the title page—I’d been itching to do a “cold open” since reading Bear Island by Matthew Cordell!
I saw the Beatrix Potter watercolor exhibition that passed through NYC and yeah, she had incredible range! I never liked her much as a kid (her humor was far too subtle for me) but as an adult I'm in complete awe of her talent.
Also, can't wait to read Towed by Toad—definitely an A+ title if I ever heard one!