Sheri Radford’s “Penelope” Series has received numerous awards including the B.C. Chocolate Lilly Book Award and the gold Just for Mom Foundation “Mom’s Choice” Award (2005). Sheri graduated from the University of Victoria in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing. Currently, she lives with her husband and two cats in Vancouver. A freelance writer, she is also the editor of WHERE Vancouver.
The books in the “Penelope” series have been nominated for several awards. Which one has meant the most to you?
All of the awards chosen by children mean the most to me. I love to win
awards chosen by adults, too (who doesn’t like to win awards?), but adults
sometimes choose “good for you” books, which can be the literary
equivalent of cod liver oil and Brussels sprouts. Kids only choose the books that they enjoy reading and rereading, which is the highest praise a children’s book can receive.
What inspired you to begin the Penelope series?
My brother and sister were born when I was in high school, which meant I
spent a lot of time babysitting them and reading bedtime stories. Many of
the books were so badly written that I’d actually hide them, just so I
wouldn’t have to read them again. One day, after hiding yet another book,
it occurred to me that I could write something better. All I needed was an
idea. My brother and sister were around three and four years old at the
time, and they had just taught themselves to burp on command, which they
thought was the funniest thing in the world. My mother was mortified, but
I had found my story idea: what would happen if a little girl’s burps grew
bigger and bigger and bigger? What chaos would result? That idea became my first book, Penelope and the Humongous Burp. My brother and sister loved this story, so I started to write more stories about rambunctious,
precocious Penelope.
What would you say has been your own most preposterous birthday experience?
As a child, all of my birthdays were delightfully preposterous. I never invited any elephants, but I did invite as many girls as my mother would allow for sleepover parties. We always stayed up until the wee hours of the night, giggling, eating birthday cake, reading horoscopes, and daring each other to do increasingly silly things. I dare not share any of the silly things we did for fear of inspiring even greater midnight silliness in children today.
Is there any other children’s author who you consider to be a major influence on your own work?
I’ve always loved the stories of Robert Munsch, and more than one reviewer
has compared my books to his. One of my most treasured possessions is a
fan letter I received–from Robert Munsch himself! I always show it to
kids when I do school and library visits, and they always gasp when they
see it. To kids (and to me), Robert Munsch is like a rock star crossed
with royalty with a touch of movie star thrown in.
What do you like most about being a children’s author?
I get paid to daydream. I get paid to make up silly stories. I get paid to
visit classrooms to talk to kids about books and writing. The only way my
job could possibly be any better is if it came with daily rations of
chocolate.
