Writer finds passion for non-fiction kids' books
How did you choose your career? Was it a childhood dream, a conscious choice, or maybe just happenstance?
Sally Walker always knew she wanted to be a writer. Her parents were readers themselves and took Walker and her sister to the local library several times a week. But in high school, the career counselor advised against writing as a career. So Walker followed other interests in college, obtaining degrees in geology and archaeology, but the interest in writing and books was still there.
As a wife and mother, Walker found part-time employment in a bookshop. "I was hired as the Children's Book Buyer. Eventually, we expanded into school book fairs."
The childhood dream to be a writer found release in 1990 when Walker wrote her first non-fiction book for children.
"I saw an advertisement in a writers' magazine from Lerner Publishing. They wanted someone to write children's books about earth science topics. I contacted them and they suggested I write about glaciers.
"I followed up and in less than 18 months I was a published author."
Walker has continued to write and has produced an impressive 54 books in the last 17 years.
I asked her secret. "I block out time and sometimes work from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. for a week or two. Since I'm often writing about science, my books involve experiments. For example, for 'Secrets of a Civil War Submarine,' I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with jars of water, trying to explain the principle of buoyancy. It's difficult to explain complex topics simply in a few words. It can take five or six hours to compose a single paragraph. It's not easy, but it's what I know and love."
Walker is obviously very good at her work. In 2006, her book, "Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Huntley," received the prestigious Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. The award is given annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished informational book for children published during the preceding year.
In addition to writing, Walker is also a sought-after speaker about children's books.
"My specialty is book-talking non-fiction for children to librarians and teachers," she said. "I got into it when I worked for the bookshop. A teacher asked me to bring a collection of books to her school and talk about them to other teachers. I do this several times a year. The sessions go really fast -- I can cover about 40 books in an hour. I've read the books and analyzed them, and I know what other books are available on the same topic. I view it as my opportunity to inform teachers and librarians about new non-fiction books. They, in turn, will tell children about them.
"Fiction doesn't appeal to everyone," Walker continued. "I've seen young boys, for example, who thought they didn't like books until they found books on sharks, dinosaurs, space or cars. While there are very simple books written on these topics for young children, parents can also use any book with good pictures. The most important element in hooking children on books is choosing a topic they like. The second most important part is the interaction between the child and the adult who shares the book with them. A love of reading, an increased vocabulary, a larger view of the world and even success in school follow naturally."
Listen to my unedited conversation with Walker this week on my podcast; tune in by going to www.sarahlong.org/podcast.