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MEET ROZANNE WILLIAMS
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Rozanne Williams

I grew up in a very small town, Burgettstown, near Pittsburgh, PA. There were lots of kids in the neighborhood--no one had afterschool activities--so year round we played outdoors.  Summers were busy! We hiked, berry-picked, built dams in the creek, and walked downtown for comic books and ice cream. I know I sound like Tom Sawyer, but that’s the way it was.  My two sisters and I received toys only for Christmas, but we were allowed to buy books and art supplies without limits. Most of our time was spent playing make-believe, especially school. I remember one summer, I boxed up a bunch of our pets, (we always had lots of cats, one dog, and several Mallard ducks) displayed them in the backyard and charged admission to the “zoo.” Most of the time, our parents had absolutely no idea what we were doing.   

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

CHARLOTTE’S WEB hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the book that taught me what
reading was all about—the power of a good story, the joy of great writing. I’ve reread the book many, many times and each time I do, I experience it a little differently. Later on, I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME, then on to science fiction, especially books by Ray Bradbury. As a child, I loved to read books of poetry, and I think those books were the ones that influenced most of the writing I do today.

If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

As a child, I only remember writing and illustrating a series of little books for my uncle. He was a fifth grade teacher and I would send him little stories featuring him and his students. The students in my books were always getting in trouble doing really bad stuff, probably the stuff I would never, ever try to do. These stories were a big hit with his class. I didn’t think again about writing until I became a teacher. I would create my own materials, and thought about publishing my ideas. I loved children’s books too, ever since I took a kiddy lit class at Duquesne University, my alma mater. I still have the textbook: CHILDREN AND BOOKS, 3rd edition, by May Hill Arbuthnot. 

So how did you begin your publishing career?

While I was a teacher in Los Angeles, I took a class at UCLA Extension titled “Writing for the Educational Market.” The teacher worked for an educational publisher and as our final project we had to create a resource book for teachers. I wrote a book of reproducible pages that would inspire students to write. She acquired this book for her company and it expanded into a 3 book series. After that, I got to know other educational publishers in SoCal. I worked for about 6 years as an in-editor for Creative Teaching Press. That’s when I started writing books for beginning readers. I’ve been a freelance writer since 1996.

What is unique about the books you write?

Books for beginning readers are usually 8 or 16 pages in length. They contain special characteristics that help kids learn to read and also make kids want to read the books over and over again. These emergent readers contain what we call the 3 r’s and a p: rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and predictability. Also, it’s very important that the illustrations match closely to the text. Along with satisfying stories, rhyming text, and even songs, I like to add funny or surprise endings to my books. That feature, also, makes kids want to reread the books. I think the best thing about my books is the way they empower K-1 kids to see themselves as readers. Sometimes, my books are the very first books they can read on their own! 

Where do you get the ideas for so many books?

I’m interested in what sparks the interests of k-1 kids. In my books you’ll be reading about plenty of cute bugs, silly monsters, pirates, loose teeth and the funny antics of Cat and Dog, two special friends that appear in many of my books. I‘ve written several versions of that iconic first grade story THE LITTLE RED HEN. Characters from Mother Goose and fairy tales pop up on the pages of my books. HOW CAN I GET A PET?, a book that models persuasive writing, was inspired by my daughter Laura’s quest to get a hermit crab. The main character in EMILY SANTOS, STAR OF THE WEEK, was inspired by a real Emily and a letter she wrote when I was substitute teaching in her classroom. Also, I depend on my teacher friends for ideas too. Many of them have written books in several of my series. SEASONS and PILGRIM CHILDREN HAD MANY CHORES were actually illustrated by 1st and 2nd graders. 

What words of advice can you give to young writers who need ideas?

Look around you! No one sees the world just the way you do!