An Interview With Sally Garland
We are thrilled to share with you this wonderful interview about Heave Ho by Sally Garland with Love Reading 4 Kids.
The full interview can be found here, but here are some of the best snippets:
“There’s a reason why playgrounds exist. It’s not just for fun (though there’s plenty of that), it’s because climbing, jumping, swinging…these simple activities universally help young children reset thoughts and emotions that are out of sync, in ways words often can’t. That is, until they fall off a swing or climbing frame—and we have yet another big feeling!
In Heave Ho, I wanted to gently open up conversations about big feelings and why some young children might seem to be acting out or behaving differently in a way that is relatable to children or even helps a child to find ways to process their own big feelings. “
” I try to meet children in their own world as an equal, allowing them to interpret the story and form their own thoughts and opinions. Childhood offers so few places that are truly your own—but stories, imagination and play can be among them. “
“The books I particularly loved when I was older were AA Milnes’s Winnie the Pooh stories. I’m not sure what drew me to them as a child, but I reread The House at Pooh Corner recently while writing Heave Ho. It struck me how it is not necessarily just about different personalities all trying to get along but rather a group of characters thinking about the world in their own individual ways and could be easily viewed through the lens of neurodivergence, even if AA Milne did not intend to write it that way.
“Owl,” said Rabbit shortly, “you and I have brains. The others have fluff.”
Rabbit thinks having “brain” makes him better but in truth, the “fluff” he dismisses holds the woods and community together. I love how Milne shows and endears different kinds of thinking and characteristics but doesn’t tell or pathologize. These are all characters who, despite perhaps their more annoying traits, are incredibly human and likeable.”
Do grab yourself a copy soon, it really is a brilliant read!
Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency focuses on picture and early chapter books. Based in London and New York City, we have a team of literary agents specializing in children’s books and young fiction. Our goal is to create engaging stories for young readers.
