(Spoiler: The books title may provide a hint.)
Imaginatively illustrated by Jody Wheeler, its a sweet, touching addition to the venerable childrens series.
But more than that, it has the feel of a personal work.
Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/REX/Shutterstock; Penguin Random House
I explored every bit of the theater that has left an imprint on me, she says.
But that was the story that stuck.
Its just close to my heart.
Certain characters stay with you, and thats Corduroy.
Im a completely different generation though: I was going to the library at 5, 6 years old.
That was back in the day when you could go by yourself.
[Laughs] I do remember that book.
The smell of the pages.
Certainly, Corduroy was a part of that adventure, a bigger part of my escape.
So what is it about Corduroy?I keep going back to the fact that Lisa was African-American.
It wasnt like she had to be empathized.
That it was trying to make any kind of statement.
She simply was a part of the story.
No matter what story you tell her, she always wants to be a part of it.
She says, Make me the hero mommy.
Put me in the story mommy.
Just put me in the story.
Childrens books leave such an impact, as you say with its impact on your daughter.
How did that inform the way you wrote it?Absolutely.
With Corduroy, I love the fact that hes curious.
Hes not punished for being curious.
I love the fact that hes an inanimate object that comes to life.
But also, the backdrop of the theater which is a magical, sacred place.
The theater is the greatest imagination playground.
Its a place that certainly transformed me.
This was a regurgitation of everything that saved me, in my life.
It was a combination of all of that.
As mysterious as it is, there is a fun in the discovery of it.
Id turn around and go back home and be perfectly fine!
Once it has you in its web, its got you.
And thats why I really wanted to end it with him taking a bow.
Thats what it is.
Theater is a space of belonging.
So taking a bow is the ultimate act of saying, I belong.
Ive been accepted, and Im being seen.
I was exploring my first love of theater while I was writing Corduroy through a bear!
We kept talking about what I remembered.
And thats when your heart starts palpitating.
And then the curtain goes up.
And thats when the set was revealed.
Youd just be in awe of what you saw.
And then the props table: That was a huge thing for me.
And the dressing rooms?Forget it especially on Broadway.
And the smell of the theater.
And of course, the final curtain call, which is always so exciting.
Are people going to stand for you?
How long will the applause last?
Thats what I did while I was writing this book.
Sometimes you forget that stuff.
Sometimes, you need the imagination of a child to come back to life again.
To remember why you fell in love with anything.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
