This week, we’re celebrating Heather’s debut! Heather Ayris Burnell lives and writes on a secluded mountaintop in Washington State. She’s a full-time mom of three and a part-time librarian at North Central Regional Library where she spends most of her hours shelving books in the children’s section and dreaming up new picture book displays. BEDTIME MONSTER is Heather’s first picture book. She’s already dreamed up a great monster/bedtime book display and can’t wait to add her book to it!

Here’s a little bit about BEDTIME MONSTER (Raven Tree Press).

When Paul’s mom tells him it’s time for bed, he doesn’t want to go. He whines. He cries. Paul has a monstrous tantrum. It’s so monstrous that he sprouts a tail, shaggy hair, and sharp claws. Paul turns into a bedtime monster! But, his parents know what to do. They calmly cuddle, rock, and sing to him. Here is a monster you might actually want to snuggle with as bedtime draws near.

BEDTIME MONSTER is the story of a common nighttime occurrence—the bedtime tantrum. Children will perhaps see a tiny bit of themselves in Paul. Parents will empathize with the nighttime struggle to get kids to bed. And everyone will enjoy the humor of Dad’s ‘secret’ reason for understanding his son, the bedtime monster.

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

BEDTIME MONSTER is definitely Rated G. Yes, it’s a story about monsters and anger, but it’s friendly reading for everyone. BEDTIME MONSTER’s illustrator, Bonnie Adamson, did a fabulous job creating Paul. He’s kid-friendly, even when he’s a monster.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

I wrote BEDTIME MONSTER to show kids that it’s okay to get angry, everyone does at one time or another. The important thing is to keep your temper under control and not let things get out of hand.

Name a few examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Children who struggle with bedtime.
• Teachers doing a unit on feelings.
• Kids who like monster stories.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• Paul twitched and quivered and grunted.
• A tail sprouted.
• Sharp claws jabbed from his fingertips.

How can your book be used in the classroom?

A reading of BEDTIME MONSTER can open a discussion about feelings. There are downloadable activities at the Raven Tree Press website that can be used to supplement the reading and discussion. They include discussion questions, a game of “hang monster”, a happy/sad mask craft that includes an optional singing activity, a monster snack, and a coloring sheet. You can find them at: http://www.deltapublishing.com/worksheets.cfm?OPID=4702

The English/Spanish version, BEDTIME MONSTER/¡A DORMIR PEQUEÑO MONSTRUO! could be a used in ESL classes. There is a keyword vocabulary page at the back of the book to jumpstart learning in either language.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak
• LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER by Mo Willems
• I NEED MY MONSTER by Amanda Noll

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

“It’s time for bed,” said Mom.

Paul toppled skyscrapers and crashed cars on his bedroom floor.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Monster Storytime – Reading and monstrous activities for the pre K – 8-year-old crowd.
• Create a Character – A hands on workshop for grades 3 – 6.
• I’ve Written a Book, Now What? – A workshop for beginning writers.

This concludes our interview with our latest author, HEATHER AYRIS BURNELL. We wish her much success with her debut novel BEDTIME MONSTER. To see what Heather is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.heatherayrisburnell.com or her blog at http://frolickingthroughcyberspace.blogspot.com.

About The Author

Heather Ayris Burnell lives and writes on a secluded mountaintop in Washington State. She’s a full-time mom of three and a part-time librarian at North Central Regional Library where she spends most of her hours shelving books in the children’s section and dreaming up new picture book displays.  Read more about Heather Ayris Burnell.

Related posts:

1. BEDTIME MONSTER by Heather Ayris Burnell
2. Author Spotlight: Daniel Kraus, THE MONSTER VARIATIONS (Giveaway Alert Now – 08/24/09)
3. THE MONSTER VARIATIONS by Daniel Kraus
4. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Debra Sartell, TIME FOR BED, BABY TED (GIVEAWAY ALERT NOW – 03/09/10)
5. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Judith Graves, UNDER MY SKIN (GIVEAWAY ALERT NOW – 09/28/10)