Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

One of the great changes in nonfiction for kids is that, unlike the old days with a standard, sterile, informational text format, now we see all kinds of engaging nonfiction, including informational fiction, creative nonfiction, and narratives. Creative approaches broaden understanding by allowing kids to see a familiar topic in new ways, as well as serving as a “fresh” take with a better chance of finding an interested publisher.  Here’s how Suzanne Lipshaw found a new way to share the supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park. 

Congrats to Kim Larson, winner of Jami Gigot’s THE WORLD IN OUR BACKYARD!

Making Your Book Stand Out in a Crowded Market

by Suzanne Lipshaw

In 2012, my family and I visited Yellowstone National Park. Journeying through the park, we were in awe of the spurting geysers, gurgling mud pots, and colorful hot springs. The teacher in me knew my students would be in awe of Yellowstone too.

That school year when my students entered my resource room, they entered a room decorated like Yellowstone National Park. As part of a new teaching strategy, I immersed my students (struggling readers) all year in books, videos, and projects revolving around the park, significantly increasing student engagement, motivation, and learning.

Wanting to continue to spread the wonder of Yellowstone, I decided to showcase my passion in my next picture book. But there were a myriad of picture books about Yellowstone. How was I going to make my manuscript stand out?

I had to find an angle. But was there a slant that hadn’t been used by another author? I brainstormed. Perhaps I could focus on one awesome feature of Yellowstone, instead of the whole park. Nope. I wanted to share it all.

I asked myself questions about what I learned at the park. One stood out. What triggered my desire to share Yellowstone with my students? The answer was easy. It was the volcano hidden below Yellowstone—the impetus for the park’s incredible ecosystem.

Could I make the volcano the “main character”? I brainstormed some more. Hmmm, the super volcano is often referred to as a sleeping giant. This angle could work. I love a good metaphor! I searched online hoping no other author had thought of it. No go! A wonderful book was just published taking that slant. Now what?

 During my research, I learned that the Yellowstone volcano was different from other volcanoes. I spent some time thinking about this. I could focus on these differences. Nah! That would be too broad.

What if I focused on only one difference? I did some research. There are more than 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, but there are only 20 supervolcanoes. And wouldn’t you know it, Yellowstone is not only one of the twenty, it is the fourth largest supervolcano in the world!

The word super stuck with me. Super important. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Super powerful.  Superhero! What if I keep my metaphor idea but change the sleeping giant to a superhero! I searched online again and lo and behold there were no other books published that compared the Yellowstone Supervolcano to a superhero. I had found my angle!

Let the writing begin!

      Beneath Yellowstone National Park simmers a superhero.

      It’s powers?

      Sparking intense heat and creating wondrous water displays!

I liked where this was going. But if I was going to take the superhero angle, I needed to add some comic book styling to the text. I thought back to when I watched Adam West’s Batman as a kid. I loved the sound words that popped up on the screen during Batman and Robin’s battles – BAM! BONK! POW! SPLAT! I tried this technique on the next few lines.

Geysers gushing water hundreds of feet into the air…WHOOSH!

Mud pots spouting and spewing boiling bubbles…BLOOP! GLOOP!

That was going to work for the amazing hydrothermal features. But next I needed to employ that technique into the text about the plants, animals, and microorganisms the supervolcano positively affected.

The supervolcano is the architect of an ice-free runway for swans to take flight in winter. SWISSH!

And the engineer of a fishing hole for birds to plunge into for food. PLUNK!

Fortunately, the publisher Science, Naturally took the comic book stylings to the next level by hiring Brie Schmida to do the illustrations. Brie was tasked with combining Yellowstone’s spectacular landscapes with comic panels highlighting different facets of the park. Her illustrations brought both Yellowstone and the comic connection to life.

Finally, I extended the superhero metaphor to the backmatter where I introduce readers to The Yellowstone League of Superheroes—park rangers, members of the National Park Service, scientists, and the reader!

            The League of Superheroes is recruiting you!

To preserve Yellowstone, we all must become stewards and protectors of the park. You can start by taking the Yellowstone Pledge…

My hope is The Super Volcano: A Hidden Hero Below Yellowstone National Park continues my mission that started in 2012 with my students—to engage, motivate, educate, and create readers. And, to inspire stewards to care for and protect not only Yellowstone National Park but all the spectacular national parks around our country.

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