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1) Jill, first of all tell us a bit about your self and your background.

I am a Rhinelander, Wisconsin native now living in Chicago. I received my BFA from The Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1998 and have been practicing design ever since.

2) What got you interested in writing children's books?

To be honest, I never thought I would write a children's book. My whole adventure started when I identified the need for a quick summary of my hometown mascot's lore.

The more I moved around the Midwest and West the more I ran into people who were seriously perplexed by the Hodag. Even more, my nieces who were being raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin would go 'Up North' where depictions of this razor toothed, grinning, green beast leered down from signage, and snarled upward from lawn sculptures, and they didn't like it.

My siblings and I, having been raised as Hodags (as local's will refer to themselves), never thought twice about the Hodag and like most locals, we love our ferocious fuzzy beast BUT the need for a friendly fellow for the kids was desperately missing. I wanted my nieces and any other children passing through the Northwoods to be enchanted by this Wisconsin legend, not intimidated, and that is why I created my characters and started writing my books. I wanted to impart as much of the child friendly folklore as I could while still capturing the spirit of the Hodag myth.

3) Now, I am not from your part of this great country, but what exactly is a hodag?

The Hodag is known almost exclusively as lumberjack lore in the Northern Midwest, although the Hodag is also well known to cave explorers across the U.S. The Hodag is known to have horns like a bull, tail spikes like that of a dinosaur, claws and sharp teeth akin to a lion, and is covered from head to tip of tail in green fur.

One lumber scout in particular brought the legend of the Hodag to life in the Northwoods region of Rhinelander, WI by telling tall tales of encounters, organizing hunting parties and ultimately capturing one. The creature captured was later found to be an elaborate mixed media sculpture rigged to move when its puppeteer deemed it necessary in the dark recesses of a viewing tent.

While some might conclude the allure of the creature would have dissipated when this version of the lore was outed as a hoax, the Hodag was actually reborn. Adopted as the town mascot of Rhinelander, WI and the face of a popular country music festival in the area, the hodag has graduated to a symbol, standing for many things.

4) What are some of the lessons that you are trying to get across in your books?

My first book, Tales From The Trees, is an introduction to the Hodag and meant to open up a child's mind and spark their imagination.

This quick tale is a boiled down summary of the legend and goes something like this:
a) Hodags are rare and funny looking.
b) People look for Hodags because they are rare and funny looking.
c) Hodags are really good at hiding because people are looking for them, and being green helps.
d) Because they are so rare and so good at hiding no one actually knows what one really looks like.
e) Because no one really knows what one looks like you can imagine your own Hodag and what it might possibly be up to.

My second book, A Monster Misunderstanding, introduces more Hodag lore and explores how a Hodag became friends with a bulldog. By the very nature of a friendship forged between two distinctly different creatures that had to conquer monster misunderstandings, this book becomes a tool for tolerance and understanding. Both of the main characters, Happy and Buddy, must overcome preconceived notions and assumptions to find out that taking the time to get to know someone, no matter how different they are from you, can make for some of the best friendships.

5) Tell us about some of the characters we will encounter in your books?

Because Hodags are both folklore and mythical creature I intersperse the Happy the Hodag book series typical array of forest animal cast with some feature creatures such as big foot and Babe the blue ox to aid in understanding the Hodag lore roots. (Although maybe folks down south aren't that familiar with the Paul Bunyan story? He is said to have created the Grand Canyon by lazily dragging his ax on his trek northward.)

6) Some of your stories are actually poems- or at least the story rhymes- is this intentional?

The stories weren't written as poetry but I did intentionally write them in a rhyming cadence which, I suppose, is in fact prose (but probably not successful poetry).

7) It seems to me that kids relate real well to poetry as opposed to "regular writing". What has been your experience in this regard? 

A lot of parents and teachers I've talked to agree that a rhyming story is more fun to read and more engaging for children. Parents have also noted that books that rhyme are far less tedious to read to their toddlers for the 20^th or 30^th time, and that there are a lot of parents out there that now know the Happy the Hodag tales by heart because of it.

I've personally always enjoyed stories that rhymed, I think they are fun to read aloud and they're a great way to introduce a larger vocabulary in a way that directly demonstrates the meaning of the words. I have an Aunt who teaches English as a second language and she has been using A Monster Misunderstanding to help her adult students differentiate between 'loose' and 'louse', something that they had been having a difficult time with.

8) Do you have a web site where people can learn more about these characters?

www.HappyTheHodag.com

9) What question have I neglected to ask?

These are some previously asked questions that I have responded to in other venues.

1) Please provide a brief description of each book that you have written.

Tales From The Trees is a rhyming introduction to the Hodag legend starring Happy the Hodag and Buddy the Bulldog. Don't be scared, this is one hodag tale sure to delight your children and leave you wondering if it isn't time for a little outdoor adventure.

Another book I have written is A Monster Misunderstanding (When Happy Met Buddy). This is a story of how two very different animals become friends after a monster misunderstanding.

Happy & Buddy remind us all that being different isn't bad and not everything you hear is true, it's best to make your own decisions by getting the story from the source, that's how you make monster size friendships that can last you a lifetime!

2) What do you hope parents and children can learn from your books?

Tales From The Trees is about the hodag lore but far more importantly, it's about opening your mind and using your imagination.

A Monster Misunderstanding further expands on the hodag lore (exposing a strange little secret) and explores how two creatures that were unknown to each other become friends. By nature of the subject the story has become a great tool for teaching tolerance and understanding. Another point teachers enjoy is the demonstration of listening and analytical skills.

Published June 12, 2008