Best Dog Books is thrilled to have Emma Smith join us. She is a children’s librarian and the author of 13 books for children. She specializes in narrative nonfiction picture books. Her first children’s book, Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West, won Bank Street College’s Cook Prize. Emma lives with her husband, their two kids, one cat, and one dog in San Francisco, California.
Who is your key dog character and what kind of dog is he/she? Tell us a little more about him/her.
Odin is a real Great Pyrenees who lives in Sonoma County, California. This breed of dog is very remarkable and considered the most dedicated of all guardian dogs. Although they are gentle and make great pets, their primary goal in life is to keep vulnerable animals safe from predators. Amazingly, they require almost no training to do this—it’s all instinct!
Tell us about ODIN, DOG HERO OF THE FIRES. What’s it about?
This picture book tells the true story of a dog who survived the devastating 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California. When the wildfire threatened the Hendel family’s ranch, they had to flee in the middle of the night. Odin, who was guarding the family’s flock of eight pet goats, absolutely refused to budge. The family had no choice but to leave, in tears, sure they would never see Odin or their goats again. When they returned days later, their home was gone but Odin and the goats had survived, singed but alive. (Several orphaned baby deer had also joined the group for protection.)
I was thrilled at these words from School Library Journal: “A heartwarming tale of survival against all odds. Highly recommended for all school libraries, especially where dog books are in high demand.”
What inspired you to write this story?
I live near Sonoma and went through this scary time along with thousands of other people. I was glued to the TV, and when I saw something about Odin on the news, I immediately knew the dramatic story had the makings of a picture book. It felt good to find some hope and joy in what was otherwise a tragic situation.
What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?
As is the case in many of my narrative nonfiction books, it’s always a challenge to try to get inside the mind of an animal character without over-anthropomorphizing. I wanted the book to be nonfiction, so I couldn’t have Odin talk, or even think or feel too much like a human. I also had to do some guesswork to figure out what exactly he did and where he took the goats to keep them safe. Luckily, his owner, Roland Tembo Hendel, was able to put clues together and determine Odin’s actions. My job was to dramatize them—without veering into fiction territory.
In addition, I had to be careful not to make the wildfire scenes too scary for young readers!
What other books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?
My first picture book was about a real-life wolf, OR7 (Journey: Based on The True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West).
Also out this year is a nonfiction story about the albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences (Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator). Writing about animals is a great way to talk about bigger topics with kids.
I’m very excited about my November 2020 release—The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share. This historical picture book tells the comical story of how in the 1800s the United States and Britain almost went to war when a farmer on a small Washington State island shot someone else’s pig.
And I managed to work my own dog, a golden retriever named Piper, into a chapter book that came out in 2019! (Escaping the Fire, the first of the Gavin McNally’s Year Off series from ABDO.)
What else would you like us to know about you or your story?
I’m really excited about an upcoming project—a picture book biography of Robert McCloskey. It focuses specifically on the making of Make Way for Ducklings, but people might also know him as the author-illustrator of books like Blueberries for Sal. (He was a dog lover, too! Penny the English setter was a character in One Morning in Maine.)
Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?
There were so many, but one that featured dogs was Lassie, Come Home. I loved that book and read it multiple times! I couldn’t get over how faithful Lassie was, and the depiction of her voyage home was the definition of a nail-biter! Now that I think of it, it may have taught me a lot about writing a compelling story, before I even knew I wanted to be a writer! (The Incredible Journey was another favorite, with similar characteristics.)
Where can readers go to find out more information about you and/or your books?
You can find more information about my books and myself (including a picture of my dog!) at www.emmabsmith.com. I’m on Twitter at @emmablandsmith and Instagram at @emmasmithsf.
Readers can also feel free to email me directly: emmasmithsf@yahoo.com.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Annemarie!
For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.
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