Madeline Kaplan holds a B.A. in English literature and an M.B.A. from Baruch College. She has published various business articles, but her three grandchildren inspired the writing of Planet Earth Gets Well, her first children’s book. She lives with her husband in New York and Connecticut. Visit Madeline online at http://www.planetearthgetswell.com

 

PageOneLit.com: WHERE DID YOU GROW UP AND WAS READING AND WRITING A PART OF YOUR LIFE? WHO WERE YOUR EARLIEST INFLUENCES AND WHY?

Madeline Kaplan: I grew up in New York City and reading and writing were always a part of my life. In childhood, reading took me to interesting imaginary worlds (Nancy Drew was a favorite) where I could try on fictitional identities and see how they might feel in real life. I wrote little poems and short stories and was always fascinated with the way words fit together to express a thought. My mother saved those stores for years and I was touched by the value she placed in them.

My earliest influences were my English teachers in HIgh School who encouraged me to express myself with the written word. Their faith in me provided an enormous psychic boost in my desire to keep on writing. I majored in English Literature in College and enjoyed reading the classics. A favorite was Milton's "Paradise Lost".

PageOneLit.com:WHY DO YOU WRITE?

Madeline Kaplan: I write because it is the best way for me to get in touch with who I really am. The urge to write is often a surprise -- even to me! I don't always know in advance what I will be writing about but it happens nonetheless. It is a "second voice", one that resonates more fully and hopefully conveys a deeper message about something that is important to me.

I was inspired to write "Planet Earth Gets Well" by my grandchildren. When I thought about the world we'd be leaving behind I felt I had to do something to bring awareness to young children so that they could pick up the mantle and act responsibly about the natural world. Much has been written on environmental awareness for the current generation but it will be future generations who will need to be born into a sense of eco-awareness. Children as young as 4 can be taught to turn off a light to save on energy, hence, "Planet Earth Gets Well" was born.

PageOneLit.com: WHAT MAKES PLANET EARTH GETS WELL DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CHILDREN'S BOOKS?

Madeline Kaplan: "Planet Earth Gets Well" is different from other children's books because unlike other children's books, it is not "make believe". It deals with an important and timely topic in a way that children can understand. The humanization of Planet Earth makes the concept of the earth as a "living breathing thing" readily understandable to early readers. They can easily relate to having the sniffles or running a fever and they can appreciate how good it is to have a caring mother tend to THEM when THEY aren't feeling well. That is what I tried to convey in "Planet Earth Gets Well".

PageOneLit.com: PLANET EARTH GETS WELL IS BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED.....

Madeline Kaplan: The illustrator (Tailefer Long) and I never actually met. I viewed samples of her work online, along with that of other illustrators and was immediately drawn to her colorful and stylized technique. I knew that Planet Earth had to be thought of as a childhood friend, someone readers would care about and identify with. Tailefer understood immediately what I was trying to achieve and we went through several iterations of the Planet Earth character before settling on the current rendering. We knew that once the main character had been achieved the rest of the illustrations would fall into place. I am grateful for the synergy that Tailefer and I developed. It was an extremely rewarding creative collaboration.

PageOneLit.com: WHAT HAS BEEN SOME RECENT FEEDBACK......

Madeline Kaplan: The feedback thus far has been wonderful. People are so concerned about the environment and virtually everyone is "going green". Young environmentally aware parents are grateful to have something to give to their children that gets the process started for them. I am amazed at a generation of infants that are being "born green" with eco-friendly nursery furniture, clothing and toys. Parents and grandparents are grateful for the opportunity to raise their children and grandchildren to be eco-aware.

Madeline Kaplan: I have done one book signing so far and hope to do more in the near future. One person asked me to sign a book to a baby who has not yet been born. He asked me to autograph the book to "the soon to be born green baby". I thought that was a telling marker of how early people want to begin educating their young about this important topic.

ANY CHANCE OF "PLANET EARTH GETS WELL" BEING A SERIES?

PageOneLit.com:  Madeline Kaplan: I am hoping to make Planet Earth Gets Well a series and am currently working on a second manuscript. The plot is still in the development stage but I can let you in on a secret that there is a dog named "Eco" who knows how to recycle!

PageOneLit.com: DO YOU OR HAVE YOU WRITTEN OUTSIDE THE CHILDREN'S GENRE?

Madeline Kaplan: I have had magazine articles published but this is my first book. I chose the children's genre because young minds are so open to new ideas and so interested in learning about the world they inhabit. I am forced to get back to a sense of wonder and all things new when writing for children and that is a real joy for me.

PageOneLit.com: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE.....

Madeline Kaplan: I am hoping to do my part (however small) in the enormous quest to heal the planet. If I can make even a small difference in the way the next generation thinks about the environment and teach them to treat it with care and not take it for granted then I will have achieved what I set out to do in writing "Planet Earth Gets Well".

PageOneLit.com: WHAT'S NEXT?

Madeline Kaplan: I hope to pursue the "Planet Earth Gets Well" series and would love to see a children's television show based on these characters. We've had purple dinasaurs, blue cookie monsters and yellow birds, so why not a healthy green planet to tune into and "love"?

PageOneLit.com: WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

Madeline Kaplan: I am an avid reader and often read fiction and non fiction simultaneously. The last book I read was Barbara Walters' memoir "Audition". I have always been fascinated with biographies because I am intrigued by how other people chart the course of their lives and meet the challenges that life bestows on them. Inevitably, I am awed by the sense that the human experience is virtually the same for all of us.
 

PageOneLit.com: DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES?

Madeline Kaplan: I am passionate about dance and can be found in the dance studio whenever I am not writing. I compete in ballroom dance when time permits. Argentine Tango is a personal favorite! The joy of movement helps with my writing because writing is an internal process, often frustrating and demanding, and the physicality of dance is in opposition to that. So it is a kind of "yin and yang" that provides me with the balance that I need.

Of course, reading remains one of my favorite hobbies. I derive great inspiration from writers who can touch me to the core. There is no better way to learn the many ways in which words can connect to the soul than to read the work of a great writer. A good book is food for my soul and you will rarely see me without one.