A Note from Miss Kate (The Lavender Librarian)
It is hard for me to convey how thrilled I am to be interviewing Loryn Brantz! She’s kind of a big deal. Especially if, like me, your biggest celebrities are authors. And if, like me, you are particularly passionate about the first books children experience. I may be a niche audience.
Board Books
Board books are among my favourite books for children. These are books that are meant to be read and re-read and re-re-read to the very young. These are foundational books. They seem so simple but the purpose of these books is vital: to introduce children to the world around them. What’s more important than that?
Brantz’s books are for babies and yet they speak down to no one. Parents, caregivers, and relatives looking for books to share over Zoom can delight in these hilarious, loving, and insightful books.
Feminist Baby
To say “Feminist Baby” is a good book is a bit of an understatement. It is that rare book that is as vital as it is hilarious. Don’t feel like you need to take my word for it either. Loryn has generously provided free downloadable colouring pages for Feminist baby here. And these images don’t need colour to be hilarious!
It Had To Be You
“It Had To Be You” is a love song to Loryn’s young daughter. The little details in this book are just as lovely as they are practical. Be still my librarian heart. Loryn has beautifully illustrated her book in such a way that babies can actually see it.
High Contrast Books
High contrast books have been a popular theme in books for babies for a while. Still, I’ve hesitated to recommend them to parents. I feel they don’t generally hold up as books because of their lack of story. More of a series of images.
Not so with “It Had To Be You” which is a delightful board book that just happens to be developmentally appropriate for babies! Brantz provides readers with a lush and loving piece that is beautiful and visible to babies while still providing a meaningful text for parents and caregivers.
This book raises the bar for high contrast books. I selfishly hope there will be a larger edition available for StoryTimers.
As a librarian, I like to start off with this question. What author did you grow up with and how do you feel they inspired you?
I was a huge Madeline and Pippi Longstocking fan growing up. To this day I still find Ludwig Bemelman’s illustrations inspiring. I don’t think I consciously knew what inspired me about the books at the time, but in retrospect, I was very drawn to the “girl who does her own thing” themes and simplicity in the writing and art.
Toddlers understand so much more than we think. When I read “Feminist Baby” at storytimes, the children get it! What do you hope that they take away from your books?
They do understand so much! I hope my books create a positive association with feminism and activism from a young age, which they can then use as a foundation to learn about all the different aspects of it as they get older. To be honest, the concept of feminism was introduced to me way too late in life, and I’m hoping other people can avoid some of the pitfalls I did of going through my teens and college years uninformed.
The themes of gender roles and individuallity in “Feminist Baby: He’s a Feminist Too” is so vital these days. Can you tell me what inspired you to create this addition to your series?
It felt like a natural progression. We’re not going to get anywhere if having feminist views is looked at as something gender-specific.
The city art and the words in “It Had To Be You” have such a beautiful vibe. It is not often a board book has the ability to invoke so much emotion. I can see parents reading this book to their children as part of the bedtime ritual. I would love to hear anything you can tell me about this book and your experience creating it.
This book was very much inspired by my own experience in trying to become pregnant and subsequently meeting my baby. I think around the time I thought of it we had just gotten my daughter’s second genetic diagnosis, and meanwhile she was just blowing away all the expectations anyone had for her by taking a step on her own. I was just so in awe of her and the whole experience I wanted to write something about how it felt so meant to be – and so I wrote it! You can also read more about that experience on buzzfeed, here and facebook, here.
I need to mention your web comic! I love how your comic grows with your family and the world surrounding it. Do you envision that in 12 years you will have a feminist teenager in them?
Aw, thank you so much! I hope so!!
I would also like to extend a big Thank You to Stefanie Gagnone (Storytimer Extraordinaire, content team and founder of Library For the Kind) for helping with these amazing questions for Loryn! I was too star struck to ask her much myself!
Great content! Keep up the good work!
The first book that I remember is The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. It’s amazing to think how great an effect Phronsie has had on my life !