Do you remember the first palindrome phrase you ever learned? One that always impressed me when I was a child was Able was I ere I saw Elba. I couldn’t have told you a thing about Napoleon aside from the fact that he was exiled on the island of Elba, but I was fascinated by the way a palindrome could tell a story. Fast forward a few decades, and there I was, trying to use palindromes to tell a story myself. Like many stories, Was It a Cat I Saw? started with “I wonder.” One night, I was lying in bed (the drowsy space between waking and dreaming is my favorite for brainstorming), and the name Hannah crossed my mind. How fun that it’s a palindrome, I thought. I wonder how a kid named Hannah could live a palindrome-filled life. I wonder … how many words are reversible Step one: palindrome research! From simple words like “wow” and “toot” to longer phrases like “goldenrod-adorned log,” there were so many incredible and reversible words to choose from! It was important to me to maintain a sense of cohesion between the choices. Still, it’s fun to imagine what turns the story might have taken with a different set of palindromes! What adventure might have led Hannah to say phrases like No Stetson or Drat! Such custard! along the way? I wonder … how to start over Early drafts of Was It a Cat I Saw? were shaped around an unconventional structural gimmick. And it wasn’t working. The palindromes felt forced, the language was stilted to make it fit the structure, and one pirate-based plot point was refusing to work the way I needed. When I’m not writing picture books, I edit them, and I was breaking one of my biggest “rules”: don’t let the structure compromise the story. It was clear that I needed a new approach. Once I decided that Hannah would speak only in palindromes, everything fell into place. The final touch was a nod to my original idea of a palindrome-like structure. I mapped out the story so that Hannah’s quest through town follows a forwards-and-backwards path, giving a sense of symmetry to the narrative. Hannah’s new friend enlists her help finding his lost cat. From Was It a Cat I Saw? (Laura Bontje and Emma Lidia Squillari; Amicus Ink 2024). I wonder … who I’m supposed to be
When I wrote my first picture book draft, I envisioned myself as the author of lyrical, reflective books—books like my upcoming 2025 release, When the Air Sang. But Hannah’s love of palindromes kept tickling my imagination, so I took a “side quest” to explore this quirky, wordplay-filled story. In the midst of querying agents, Was It a Cat I Saw? jumped the queue and got an offer of publication via #PBPitch from Amicus Ink. And I’m so glad it did—not only because my dream of becoming an author came true, but because it reminded me that the restrictions on my writing style were ones I had created. I do write lyrical, reflective books. I also love quirky books and witty wordplay. Our language feels limitless, so I’m not going to limit myself to one idea of who I should be as an author. Back to the beginning A palindrome goes forwards and backwards. When I wrote Was It a Cat I Saw, I reached backwards through time to bring forward one other palindrome phrase that delighted my younger self. I love how it fits into the end of the story, tying the kids’ experiences together. It’s not Able was I ere I saw Elba. It’s not A man. A plan. A canal. Panama. What is it? Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out! Laura Bontje (she/her) is a freelance fiction editor who specializes in children’s literature. Her palindrome-packed debut picture book, Was It a Cat I Saw? (illustrated by Emma Lidia Squillari), was released on March 12, 2024, from Amicus Ink. In 2025, she’ll introduce children to the magic of cicadas with her second picture book, When the Air Sang (Annick Press; illustrated by Sarah Whang). Laura grew up in Calgary and now lives in London, Ontario, with her husband and two young kids. Learn more at laurabontje.com or @LauraBontjeBooks Comments are closed.
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