Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
What inspired you to write your book? / Where did the idea for your book come from?
Jane Blondie: The main character for my book came to me through working as a K-6 Drama and Dance Teacher at a public elementary school. It was here that I developed the character “Charlie” through a marionette puppet. Over two decades of “Puppet Charlie” appearances, he became “famous” in my classes, always bringing students laughter and joy, as he is quirky and ridiculous!
During the lockdown, I created many videos of Charlie and sent them to my students. In each one, Charlie spoke directly to the students. My students loved the “Charlie videos” and through this, the idea of Do Not Turn the Page! was born! I knew I needed to write a story with Charlie as the star and where he talked directly to the reader.
What did you enjoy most about writing? What were some challenges that you faced while writing?
Jane Blondie: I enjoyed creating a story around Charlie’s character. I got to see him in action and figure out how he was going to move throughout the house and yard and get closer to the tub! I enjoyed coming up with ways to get him messier and messier!
It’s challenging to write a picture book with “just the right amount” of text. Sometimes, I wanted to write more, but the story then became too long, with either too much text on a page, or too many pages in the book.
What do you hope your readers will take away from your book?
Jane Blondie: I hope readers will find joy in my book and laugh out loud! It’s a fun story with a lot of energy that I hope will bring smiles to many faces!
How do you come up with the names for your characters?
Jane Blondie: My character is named after my marionette puppet called, “Charlie”.
What books have had the biggest impact on your life? / What books were your favourite to read growing up?
Jane Blondie: As an adult reader, I enjoy reading memoirs and historical fiction. I love to learn about lives in different times and how people have overcome adversities, often people with much different lives than my own.
As a child, I both loved to read, and loved to be read to! My brother and I would take turns picking out books for our mom to read to us at bedtime. I liked Frog and Toad books, The Great Big Enormous Turnip, and Frances the Bear books. I thought fairy tales were fun too!
What’s your writing process look like?
Jane Blondie: My writing process is all about writing and revising! To get to my best work, I need to read my story to my writing mentors and writing friends. Just like a teacher, they give me feedback. I take the feedback and then work to revise my story to make it better. I do this many, many times! The story can change a lot throughout the revision process.
What’s next for you?
Jane Blondie: I love writing stories! I am continuing to write stories about Charlie because he’s a fun character and can easily find himself in lots of predicaments! I am also working on a beginning chapter book about two girls in grade one who love to play sports!
Get your copy of Do Not Turn the Page! at Scholastic Book Clubs today! Also available in French.
Book Clubs
Scholastic Book Clubs helps kids discover the joy of reading. Together, we put can’t-miss books into kids’ hands—at can’t-miss prices, while also giving back to a teacher's classroom!
Visit us online
Book Fairs
Bookjoy or bust! Millions of children have discovered books—and a lifelong love of reading—at a Scholastic Book Fair.
Visit our site