Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

I was so surprised to learn about author Teresa Robeson’s experience creating DISGUSTOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF GROSS because it’s the opposite of the usual way authors, illustrators, and publishers work together. And what a great idea to share this collaborative process for use in the classroom to practice communication, creative thinking, and working in partnerships!

GIVEAWAY! For a chance to win a copy of DISGUSTOLOGY, just leave a comment after the post!

Congratulations to Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner, winner of NOT EXTINCT from Darcy Pattison!

Creative Collaboration
by Teresa Robeson

Nearly every writer will tell you that writing is a lonely and solidarity pursuit. But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if writing was a playdate, a lesson in cooperation, a social engagement of give and take?

In the publishing world, authors and illustrators don’t usually get to work closely together, unless they’re the same person. But occasionally, we actually do! After recently participating in such a collaboration, it occurred to me that it can similarly be a fun and productive exercise in the classroom. This is what I want to share with you today using my middle grade nonfiction book, DISGUSTOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF GROSS, as an example. 

With all the other books I’ve written, I came up with the ideas, either through a challenge like Tara Lazar’s Storystorm or through something I read, watched, listened to, or experienced. But DISGUSTOLOGY was a whole different animal (or plant, or fungus, or insect). Anna-Maria Jung, an illustrator based in Austria, came up with the concept which the editor liked enough to acquire. 

Once the project was signed, they set about looking for an author. That’s where I came in.

I read the proposal and could see all kinds of potential for something riotously revolting that would be a hit for middle graders. So I jumped on the project and we were off. 

While Anna-Maria and I still officially had to communicate through the publishing team of editor and art director, we bounced ideas back and forth about many things, such as what she might want to see in the book and what I didn’t think was the most scientifically solid item to include.

I learned a lot from this project, and now I hope my literary adventure will provide you with a fun learning experience for your student.  

Collabor-make a Book

1. Talk about different picture books, illustrated middle grade books, and graphic novels. Depending on the age of the class, you may not want to include books above their grade level. Provide examples for kids to borrow to get a feel of the kinds of book they might want to create. 
2. Have the class as a whole brainstorm a list of ideas to be posted on the board. (You could read through some of the posts at Tara Lazar’s Storystorm site if you need any help in this area.) 
3. Next, have the kids choose a couple of the ideas posted that they would be excited to work on.
4. Pair the ones who chose the same idea (that’s why they should pick more than one that they like; it makes matching easier). 
5. Have them decide which of the pair will be the writer and who will be the illustrator. If they can’t decide, there are some ways around that:
   • They can take turns being each. Person A can write first while Person B illustrates, and then reverse roles. This would end up creating 2 books which would be very interesting to compare in the end. Or
   • They can each write/draw a different scene within the same story, alternating back and forth, much like the “Pass the Story” or “progressive storytelling” games.

Emphasize that there needs to be a lot of conversation to get their ideas and concepts across to the other person. This is a great, low-stakes practice honing communication skills that is so essential in everyday life. 

For the Disgustology book, because everyone is located so far from each other, we put the detailed outline that we worked off in a Google doc for all to access and give input on. But students don’t have to create a detail outline (nor a document in the cloud) given that they can converse directly and in person. 

I hope that, if you try this, it will turn out to be a fun project that works both the imagination and cooperation skills, as well as ending up with products that the kids can be proud of. And if you do try it, please let me know via my Contact Form! I’d be delighted to feature the work on my website’s blog.

Here’s a link to the Youtube video of the book preview.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of DISGUSTOLOGY! (US addresses only, please. Winner announced 8/1/25.)

And if you enjoy a book, please support authors and illustrators by leaving online reviews. 😍