At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Vikki VanSickle!
About the Author:
VIKKI VANSICKLE is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for children including The Lightning Circle, Words That Start With B; Summer Days, Starry Nights; the award-winning The Winnowing; and picture books How to Decorate a Christmas Tree, If I Had a Gryphon; Teddy Bear of the Year; and Anonymouse. Vikki started her career as an independent bookseller and worked in children’s publishing for twelve years. In addition to writing, she curates and presents regular book segments for CTV Your Morning. Currently, she lives and writes in Toronto.
Q&A with Vikki VanSickle:
Your book, Into the Goblin Market, is a tribute to Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’ and classic fairy-tale villains. Can you share what inspired you to create this homage and how you approached reimagining such a beloved poem for a contemporary audience?
Sometimes, as a writing exercise, I will look at a genre or trend and determine what my interpretation of it would be. I really like fractured fairytales, so one day I started brainstorming what fairytales I would like to fracture or interpret, and I thought of Christina Rossetti’s poem, which was one of my favorites from university. It’s so lush and visual, stars two female characters, and there is no prince/romantic hero figure, all things that really appeal to me. I didn’t know of any picture book versions, so I thought I would write my own. As I was writing I liked the idea of turning the generic goblins into villains from fairytales and classic children’s stories, adding yet another fairytale layer for sharp-eyed readers.
Into the Goblin Market emphasizes themes of courage, intelligence, and resilience. How did you weave these themes into the narrative, and why do you think they are important for young readers today?
I think there are many ways to be brave and many kinds of intelligence. While Millie may not be classically brave, it is her knowledge of fairytales and book smarts that allows her to rescue her sister. Mina never gives up protecting and trying to warn her sister even when she is trapped in a not-so-human form. They are both heroes in their own way, which hopefully encourages readers to consider their own aptitudes and preferences as strengths, even if they are less traditional.
Into the Goblin Market features familiar fairy-tale villains and the intriguing Goblin Market. How did you balance the darker elements of these tales with the enchanting and beautiful aspects of your story to create a captivating experience for children?
I don’t think of Into the Goblin Market as particularly dark, probably because fairytales were never introduced to me as something dark or scary, they were just fairytales. One of the most consistent hallmarks of fairytales is that good triumphs over evil. I think there are enough markers of a fairytale in the opening of Into the Goblin Market that readers, on some level, believe that good will prevail, despite the scarier moments. I also think it is these tense moments that make the reward that much more satisfying. With greater stakes comes a greater reward.
For The Lightning Circle, what inspired you to write a coming-of-age novel set at a summer camp?
The Lightning Circle is inspired by own experiences as a counselor at a girls’ summer camp. Lots of books set at camp are full of pranks, humor, and romance, but very few captured the transformative magic that I personally experienced and wanted to celebrate. I wanted to capture the feeling of how a summer can transform you, especially at the crucial moment of picking yourself up after a heartbreak. I also wanted to demonstrate that you can heal a heart through friendship, personal reflection and growth instead of the more common trope of meeting another romantic interest who makes you forget about the one who broke your heart.
How did you decide to tell Nora’s story through verse? Can you describe the process of blending poetry with visual elements in The Lightning Circle?
Camp feels like a series of moments, or small realizations. To me, it made more sense to tell the story in a series of very intimate, very specific poems, which invite the reader to sit and live in that moment, than it did to write in prose, which is all about forward momentum. Nora herself is very reflective, which suits poetry better than prose.
Because Nora is an artist, her reflections also come in the form of sketches of daily life. For the most part, I didn’t indicate what images Laura K. Watson, the illustrator, should create. Instead, I let her read the book and decide what she thought Nora would draw in her sketchbook. The only image I really wanted to see was the image on page 120, of two girls holding hands in front of a campfire. The metaphor of the lightning circle—how holding hands/connection can dissipate a shock (literal or otherwise)-is central to the book (so much so that it became the title!), so I wanted to see a visual representation of that.
Books by Vikki VanSickle:
Into the Goblin Market
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Jensine Eckwall
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735268562 | Tundra Books
Millie loves her quiet life on the farm, but Mina longs for adventure. When the Goblin Market comes to town, Millie knows it’s a bad idea. They’ve been told stories their whole lives about the dangers of the Goblin Market. But Mina just can’t resist . . . When Mina doesn’t come back, it’s Millie’s turn to brave the market to bring her home. She will use all her smarts and all her courage to try to outwit the goblins and save her sister . . . but will it be enough? This gorgeous and intriguing tribute to both “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti and classic fairy-tale villains is also a story about the bond between sisters and a celebration of courage, intelligence and resilience.
The Lightning Circle
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Laura K. Watson
224 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774882498 | Tundra Books
After having her heart broken, seventeen-year-old Nora Nichols decides to escape her hometown and take a summer job as an arts and crafts counsellor at an all-girls’ camp in the mountains of West Virginia. There, she meets girls and women from all walks of life with their own heartaches and triumphs. Immersed in this new camp experience, trying to form bonds with her fellow counselors while learning to be a trusted adviser for her campers, Nora distracts herself from her feelings, even during the intimate conversations around the nightly campfires. But when a letter from home comes bearing unexpected news, Nora finds inner strength in her devastation with the healing power of female friendship. Presented as Nora’s camp journal, including Nora’s sketches of camp life, scraps of letters, and spare poems, The Lightning Circle is an intimate coming-of-age portrait.
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Miki Sato
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735268586 | Tundra Books
A little girl shares the steps for the perfect tree trimming – a holiday picture book for fans of Pick a Pine Tree and The Little Christmas Tree. In this charming Christmas tale, readers will follow along with the main character as she shares all the things that go into decorating a tree:
Lights
Ornaments
Popcorn
Hot chocolate
Taffy the cat
Memories
And, most importantly, family!
With stunning three-dimensional art by Miki Sato and a delightful story by wordsmith Vikki VanSickle, including a twist ending, this book will quickly become a Christmas tree decorating tradition of its own.
Anonymouse
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Anna Pirolli
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263949 | Tundra Books
Art for the birds.
Art for the ants.
Art for the dogs, cats and raccoons.
Art to make them laugh, make them think, make them feel at home.
But who is creating it?
Only Anonymouse knows for sure . . .
This clever tale mixes street art, animals and gorgeous illustrations to create a meditation on how art can uplift any creature’s spirit – human or animal – when it speaks directly to them. Every page of Anna Pirolli’s stunning artwork is its own masterpiece with its bold pops of color and sly humor, elevating Vikki VanSickle’s subtle but evocative text.
Teddy Bear of the Year
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Sydney Hanson
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263925 | Tundra Books
Ollie is a regular bear with a regular job. He listens to his girl’s stories about her days, he snuggles her to sleep and he is there waiting when she gets home from school. Just your typical teddy bear stuff. So when he is whisked away to the annual teddy bears’ picnic, he feels insignificant compared to the other bears who do daring and daunting things: sleepovers, hospital stays-even a night in the lost and found! Ollie feels even more small and unimportant but he soon learns that it’s not just the big things that matter, it’s the little things too.
If I Had a Gryphon
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774880913 | Tundra Books
Sam just got a hamster for a pet. But the hamster is kind of boring . . . he just eats and sleeps and gets his shavings wet. Inspired by her book of mythological creatures, Sam longs for a more exciting pet. But she soon realizes that taking care of these magical beasts might not be as wonderful as she thought. Sasquatches are messy, unicorns are shy, hippogriffs scare the dogs at the dog park, and having a fire extinguisher handy at all times makes dragons seem like an awful lot of work. In the end, Sam realizes that her hamster is a pretty sweet and safe pet . . . or is he? If I Had a Gryphon is a raucous rhyming read-aloud about fantastical beasts in everyday situations – and the increasingly beleaguered heroine who has to deal with them.
