In partnership with The Chldren’s Book Review and Purple Butterfly Press I have interviewed author Antoinette Truglio Martin about her picture book Famous Seaweed Soup.
Be sure to check out the special giveaway at the end of the interview for your chance to win a classroom set of Famous Seaweed Soup.
Written by Antoinette Truglio Martin
Illustrated by Penny Weber
Ages 5+ | 32 Pages
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press | ISBN-13: 9781955119405
Publisher’s Book Summary: Beach days are the best days and Sara loves everything about the beach. Her favorite part is making her Famous Seaweed Soup. Collecting all the ingredients is a tough job but Sara thinks she’s up to the task!
Can she make it all by herself or will a busy family foil her recipe?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Antoinette Truglio Martin is a retired speech therapist and special ed teacher, who now enjoys life as an author and nonny. She finds wonder in children’s play and captures the magic with her stories. Antoinette lives in her hometown, Sayville, New York, where she writes and plays on the Long Island seashore with her beach-loving family and friends.
For more information, visit: https://antoinettetrugliomartin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AntoinetteTruglioMartin2017/
https://www.instagram.com/storiesserved/
Interview with Author Antoinette Truglio Martin
Tynea: What inspired you to write Famous Seaweed Soup?
Antoinette: I wrote the first draft of Famous Seaweed Soup while watching my little girl play on the beach. She had a great imagination and loved to build seaweed castles and cook seaweed soup. It was quite famous in our beachy circles. I loved watching her play, listening to her self-dialogues, and going along with her game. Sara happily ushered her little sisters and cousins to the fine art of Famous Seaweed Soup. The story was easy to write, but it took a lot of time, trial and error to craft into an endearing story. I think it was Sara who identified the connection between making her soup by herself and the Little Red Hen book we read together. I adapted the fable and eventually crafted a story worthy for children to love.
Tynea: What do you love most about the beach?
Antoinette: The beach—where the earth meets the sea is my grounding place. No matter how hard the wind blows, how angry the surf, I find peace at the beach. The serenity of a lapping shore, a quiet breeze filling a sail releases worries. A lung-full of salt air resets a rough day. There is no better sight than a moonrise over a still ocean and a painted sunset sky over my bay. Also, the beach is the best playground any kid of any age can want—just saying.
Tynea: What is your favorite childhood vacation memory?
Antoinette: My family did not go on vacation in the American sense of the word. There were no road trips to historic or playful destinations. Instead, my dad and uncles kept a few boats in some semblance of working order from mid-spring into the autumn’s first frost. We were on the bay. We camped in boats and on beaches, fished from rocky shores, and rode through the bay to ocean inlets to catch the “big game”. My family was always in the company of my cousins’ families or friends’ families. I never felt I missed anything. We had plenty of adventure and discovery to hold our interest and cultivate family bonds and wonderful memories.
Tynea: Before retiring, you were a speech therapist and special education teacher. How has that background helped you write books for children?
Antoinette: Because of my training and experiences, I take the developmental levels of my audience into serious consideration. I am tuned into how I write the language and how the text can be read aloud. The book design and illustrations help convey the meaning and tone of the book, but it is the text content that tells the story in a compelling and relatable manner. I fret over the word choices, syntax, pace and rhythm. The tale may play out in my head beautifully, but finding the right words in the right order keeps me in a pile of crumpled papers. It is important to regard how a young child may process the content of each sentence and what kind of inferences he/she may make.
Tynea: What do you love most about writing?
Antoinette: I am not a chatty or a witty person. I would like to be, but it is not my nature. I need rehearsals. Writing gives me practice. I can write quirky creative observations, practice my stand, and craft witty comebacks. My journals are full of complaints, lists, and solutions. I can rage, argue, and blame without sputtering. There are also pages of simple observations like the way the cat naps, meandering rambles, or descriptions of a child’s laugh. When I need to communicate my disappointments or awe, my words are ready.
I also escape by writing. Scenes and adventures play out in the safety of my pages. I can confront bullies, pal with heroes, and give voice to the players that spring from my imagination.
ENTER HERE for the chance to win a 30-book classroom set of Famous Seaweed Soup!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A 30-book classroom set of Famous Seaweed Soup
Five (5) winners receive:
A paperback copy of Famous Seaweed Soup
Heart to Heart 