Sandra V. Feder: The Importance of Play
KidLit Craft is back with another Snack-Sized Author Interview. In this series, we ask authors five quick questions that give us insight into their craft and process. Today we’re talking with author Sandra V. Feder.
Last fall, Sandra invited me to be a part of the book launch for Shy Me, a delicious picture book, and a delightful experience! I loved being in conversation with Sandra about writing concept books, reaching young readers, and engaging with emotions kids and adults alike experience. Sandra is a thoughtful writer who is always engaging with other writers, as well as her readers! –Anne-Marie
Welcome, Sandra!
Question 1: What's your writing superpower?
I love the idea of having a writing superpower! Something that comes naturally to me is honoring the emotional intelligence of children. In my stories, I like to tackle issues that I know can be challenging for a child, like fear of the dark or getting angry, and to do it in a way that feels respectful of their big feelings. That means thinking about what might be underlying those feelings and what might help.
Question 2: What’s an element of craft you explored in your latest project and what tips can you share with other authors for growing in their use of that particular element?
In my most recent picture book, Shy Me, I continue the first-person point of view that I used in prior books in my Emotions and Me series.
I started writing these in first person because I wanted to really zero in on how the child was feeling in words that felt authentic to the young age of the reader. But it’s challenging! First-person means that I’m talking about deep feelings—anger, peacefulness, shyness, loneliness—using the vocabulary of, at most, a six-year-old.
All of these books have a turn–a moment of change–where the child decides to try something to address these feelings or to better accept them. Those moments of reflection and realization also must stay firmly within the vocabulary of a young child.
Sometimes I wonder why I put that constraint on myself, except that when I get it right, it really does feel like I am speaking to the child in a direct and meaningful way.
For others wanting to try a first-person voice for picture books, I recommend reading your work aloud over and over. It’s so easy to slip in a word that sounds too old without realizing it, but usually your ear will catch it. Another tip that helped me was to really listen when I was around young kids. They may use simple language, but their ideas are often quite profound.
Question 3: If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new author?
I would tell myself to focus on learning as much as I could from as many different writers and editors as possible. It was by being open to feedback on my work that I first got published. I had submitted what I thought was a picture book to an editor and she said, “I think it wants to be a chapter book.” I had no experience writing chapter books, so I went to the library, checked out a huge stack, read and analyzed, and then wrote. That landed me a three-book deal.
And, equally important, play! Try your hand at many different types of stories and formats. I don't think I would have come up with a unique format for my emotions books if I hadn't already done early chapter books and picture books. I think feeling confident in those genres allowed me to be more creative.
Question 4: What inspires you as a writer?
The absolute wonder of creativity! It’s incredible that we can conjure new worlds, characters, voices, and plots. And the sparks are constantly being lit in brains all over our planet. I went to the Bologna Book Fair for the first time last spring and was awed by the sheer number of people thinking about and creating books for children.
Question 5: What’s one book you think every kidlit author should read?
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino with pictures by Isabelle Malenfant. This delightful story celebrates a creative boy who loves outer space, painting, singing, and wearing the tangerine dress in his classroom’s dress-up area. This beautiful, groundbreaking story is about love and acceptance. Since it first came out, I reread it every time I want to be re-inspired about the almost magical ability of picture books to reflect the fullness of humanity and to gently remind us how to be better humans.
Bonus Question: What can fans look forward to next?
Lonely Me, the fourth book in my Emotions and Me series, will be out fall of 2026. Given that there's an epidemic of loneliness in our country, I'm looking forward to sharing this story with children and hoping that it leads to good conversations between children and parents or caregivers about acknowledging lonely feelings and noticing that others may feel lonely, too.
Sandra V. Feder is the author of seven acclaimed and beloved books, including four picture books and three early chapter books. Companion books Angry Me and Peaceful Me, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, have received starred reviews and will be translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish. Bitter and Sweet, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker, was a two-time PJ Library selection and was chosen by the New York City Board of Education for inclusion in its Mosaic Diversity Program. The Moon Inside, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro, has been translated into multiple languages. Sandra is also the author of the early chapter books Daisy’s Perfect Word, Daisy’s Defining Day, and Daisy’s Big Night, illustrated by Susan Mitchell.
Sandra earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, she’s busy practicing her roundhouse kicks (she’s a black belt in taekwondo), sampling the darkest chocolate she can find (she has a sweet tooth), and painting the beautiful Northern California landscape (where she lives with her husband).
You can find her at her website www.sandravfeder.com and on Instagram @sandravfeder
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