Connecting Kids across Continents
An interview with
Cristina Kessler

Q: What did you do before you became a children's author?

CK: I joined the Peace Corps less than a year after graduating from college. I volunteered for five years (1973-1978) in three countries: Honduras, Kenya, and the Seychelles. I met my husband, Joe, as a fellow Peace Corps volunteer. After finishing our service with the Peace Corps, we took a three-and-a-half year trip that started in the Seychelles. We carried down the Nile to Sudan, crossed the Caribbean on a fifty-five-foot trimaran, and traveled from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and back. We spent five months on an uninhabited island in the Galapagos, tagging turtles for the Darwin Research Station. We also went to Antarctica for three-and-a-half weeks with the Chilean navy.

When we finished the trip, Joe joined CARE, an organization dedicated to fighting poverty. I bought a portable typewriter, a subscription to Writer's Digest, and a copy of Writer's Market. We moved to Sierra Leone where I set out to follow my life-long dream of becoming a writer. The first manuscript I ever wrote, "Sorie and His Sling," was bought by Highlights magazine and has been reprinted numerous times for standardized reading tests throughout the United States.

Q: What first got you interested in children's books?

CK: I was an avid reader as a kid while recovering from a serious car accident. I read everything I got my hands on, including an entire encyclopedia set called Lands and People. I wrote my first kid's book at the age of ten and was encouraged by my friends to keep at it.

Q: How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

CK: I wrote my first book for kids in 1991, which was first published in 1995 by Philomel. One Night: A Story from the Desert, is set in Niger and is about how a Tuareg boy earns his turban. It's my favorite book of the eight I have written, and now it is only available in the UK, published by Puffin UK, under the title Muhamad's Desert Night. I love the voice, the gentleness of the text, the gorgeous illustrations by Ian Schoenherr, and the connection I developed with Muhamad, a real Tuareg boy on whom I based the story.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

CK: My favorite book and author as a kid was Anne of Green Gables by L. H. Montgomery. My favorite authors now are Andre Brink, Barbara Kingsolver, and Judy Blume.

Q: Why do you write books for kids?

CK: I write books for kids because I don't think they read enough. People always ask me why I don't make videos of the exotic places and stories I write about, and I always say it's because kids need to read more. Also, as a kid I couldn't find enough books set in foreign cultures, and I always swore that one day I would write them! I hope to create a curiosity about the world with my books. In today's world, connecting kids across continents and oceans seems more important than ever before. By introducing kids from other cultures through my books and slide shows I hope to promote tolerance and acceptance of different lifestyles, religions, or ways of life at an early age. My books can take kids to foreign lands long before they have passports.

Q: Where do you get ideas for books?

CK: All my book ideas come from real experiences and places I've seen firsthand. When I live someplace, I like to observe for at least a year to see what appeals to me. Three of my books are based on real events, but fictionalized. All the King's Animals is nonfiction. All my books contain details provided by entries from my journals to help bring the story alive.

Q: Why do you write about Africa?

CK: I love Africa, and I write to celebrate Africa in general, as well as the various cultures that are facing the challenge of change today. I hope to create a permanent record of those cultures. For example, my first book, One Night-A Story from the Desert, is about how a young Tuareg boy earns his turban in Niger. It's also about the gentle side of Islam, which is rarely recognized by the American press. It's about respect for nature and feeling wealthy when you own nothing. These days it's important for kids to know that not every Muslim is a terrorist. They see that Muhamad is scared to spend a night alone in the desert, just like they would be. The realization of shared values, fears, and fun at a young age creates a bond that will serve children well later in life. The cultural diversity in American classrooms never ceases to amaze me, and I am happy to see that my books often provide the opportunity for kids of different cultures to share their background with their fellow students for the first time.

Q: What are you working on now?

CK: Right now I am working on my newest young-adult novel, called Trouble in Timbuktu. This is an interesting project because I find my setting is as a much a character as the main characters, Sidi and Echo. It's definitely a challenge to write about Africa while living in the Caribbean, but fortunately I have detailed journals from my four trips to Timbuktu that help me bring the place alive on the page.

Q: What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

CK: The tips I always give future writers during our special lunch sessions are simple: READ, READ, READ; be a sponge; and keep a journal. I encourage them to use all five senses to soak in the details of wherever they are and to write their observations down in a journal. You never know when you'll use that material again, if ever, but by keeping a journal you get used to writing regularly. And most importantly, I tell future writers to have fun while they research, write, and rewrite.

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