Megan Clendenan is an award-winning children’s book author. Her books include Cities: How Humans Live Together (Children’s Book Council 2024 Librarian’s Favorite), Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment (2023 Green Earth Book Award Winner), and Design Like Nature: Biomimicry for a Healthy Planet (co-authored with Kim Ryall Woolcock, 2021 Blueberry Honor recipient) and she has more books on the way! Megan lives with her family near Vancouver, BC. Visit Megan’s website to learn more.
1. Did you have a favorite teacher when you were a child? What made them so special?
My favorite teacher was my high school English Literature teacher. He was special because while he enthusiastically taught us all the books and material in the curriculum, he also often went off on tangents to tell us about the books he loved and why. Those tangents, and the joy of reading and learning that they imparted, inspired my own love of reading. His positive energy is something I remember very clearly today!
2. What do you feel you’ve gained from being a part of the children’s writing community?
Being part of the kidlit writing community is absolutely crucial to my career as an author. I love that my writer friends understand the nuances of the publishing industry, and I rely on them to help me weather rejections. We support each other through setbacks, help each other with critiques, and share the joy of writing for children. I’m grateful to all the writers organizations I belong to, they each offer a little something different and they each have enhanced my writing and connected me to other writers – shout out to Inked Voices, 12x12 and SCBWI!
3. What are some of the best and hardest parts of creating books for kids?
Best parts: I love writing non-fiction books for kids because it means I get to constantly learn about new topics. I choose subjects that I’m curious and intrigued by, and that I think middle-grade readers will also find interesting. I also love sharing my books with readers!
Hardest parts: There’s so much waiting involved in this industry. I find that hard because there’s nothing you can do to make things happen faster. So I try to focus on what I can control, which is creating quality work. And rejections are part of being a children’s author – but they still sting.
4. Where did you get the idea for What Do We Eat? What was your inspiration?
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there were times when I found empty shelves at my local grocery store. I began to wonder: how difficult would it be to survive without going to the grocery store? That led me to more questions. How did people in difficult situations in history manage to eat? What about people exploring the world? Escaping from injustices? Stranded far from home? Curiosity led me to research, and I discovered that human ingenuity and cooperation has gone a long way to help people survive and thrive through war, harsh geography, adventure, and injustices. This book is the result of all those wonderings.
5. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book?
The hardest part of writing this book was the sheer volume of research that was needed. I wanted to give readers a range of examples, but that meant a LOT of research for me. I started with online and print sources, seeking primary sources where possible. I also interviewed lots of people, from academic experts to sustainability food activists, to people who live/had lived in the countries I feature in the book. While it was a time-consuming component of writing the book, it was also incredibly enjoyable to speak with so many people.
6. Was this the book that landed you your agent? If so, what was that process like?
This book was the one that landed me an agent! I’m represented by Stacey Kondla at The Rights Factory. In 2021 I sent out a batch of about 14 queries to agents with this book as the proposal. One of those queries was to Stacey, and right from the start, she was enthusiastic about my work. After a lovely phone call, I ended up signing
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