BACKYARD STEW

Today I’m happy to welcome my dear friend and critique partner, Heather Morris, to the blog as we celebrate the recent release of her second picture book BACKYARD STEW, which made it to the USA Today Bestseller List for release week! YAY! Congratulations, Heather!

Illustrated by talented artist Deborah Schreiber and published by Gnome Road Publishing on September 15th, 2026; BACKYARD STEW is a fun, colorful, unique, and interactive book that will surely get kids excited about the outdoors.

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A bit about BACKYARD STEW:

It can happen anywhere…and before you know it, you are BORED! But being bored is the BEST place to start in this fun, interactive adventure that encourages kids to explore the natural world and find ingredients for their very own Backyard Stew. As they tap the tops of wild strawberries, wiggle wild onions out of the ground, and rub every dandelion, young readers will delight in making this tried and true “recipe” over and over again. Especially when they discover the secret ingredient!

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Now on to our interview:

M. Heather, I’m so excited that we get to chat about your new book. I love it! For starters, can you share what inspired you to write this story?

H. I love telling the story behind this story! 😊 I walk my dog pretty much every day. Throughout the fall, winter, and spring, I always take a mid-morning “brain break” from whatever I’m working on, and we roam the neighborhood. I talk to my dog about my project, about characters, about plot problems, or I brainstorm ideas. One day, we were on our walk, and we passed under a gorgeous ginkgo tree. It was fall, so the leaves were a perfect gold. It made me think, “Hmmm…ginkgo. I think you can make tea out of ginkgo leaves. I wonder what else I could eat around here!” Then I thought of all these plants that I had in my own backyard – wild strawberries, honeysuckle vines, wild onions, and more. It made me wonder, “what if some kids got together and made a ‘stew’ that included many of these things?” You know, like making mud pies. But they DIDN’T EAT IT!!!

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M. That is such a good “story behind the story” story, hehe. As your friend, I know you love nature and outdoors, but can share with my readers why ? 

H. I do think it is ironic that I write so many stories that involve being outdoors. When I was younger, it felt like my mom was constantly bugging me to go outside. I remember thinking it was too hot, too cold, too humid, there were too many bugs. But now, as an adult, so many of my favorite childhood memories involve exploring the outdoors. My neighborhood friends and I played “Oregon Trail” with an old Radio Flyer wagon. We rode our bikes to the creek and fed the fish or to a nearby school and played on the playground. I grew up riding horses, water skiing, and gardening with my grandfather. As I’ve grown older, the woods and hills have been where I go to relax, unwind, think, and reflect. In my answer to your first question, I told you that I have to take “brain breaks” and get outside. I love to take a notebook and spread a blanket under a tree and write first drafts of projects. Or read books for “research”! I suppose all of this is why I studied biology. It’s also probably why I find it easy as a writer to describe outdoor settings and to drop my characters into imaginative activities outdoors.

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M. Growing up in a city, I didn’t spend many time outdoors, but now I completely understand and value the benefits of spending time in nature. By the way, I think your story is so relevant nowadays, can you share your thoughts about this.

H. Today’s kids have so many entertainment options. But most involve screens and being physically isolated. I have three kids of my own, and as they grew up, I found myself echoing my own mom: “Go outside!” Part of that was because I needed to get outside also – to throw a ball, find pictures in the clouds, or ride a bike. I long for today’s kids to have memories of their own childhoods that involve the outdoors. Those are the memories that will probably stick with them. Maybe more than playing hours of games on a tablet? I have a sneaky suspicion that they’ll remember playing crazy games with friends, getting in a little trouble (which feels so very bad and dangerous as a kid), watching birds and butterflies and bugs. Added bonus: It’s hard to feel anxious and lonely when you’re surrounded by plants and animals growing and living their lives…and when you’re hanging out with friends.

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M. I completely agree that screens are taking over so much of our kids’ time and lives that families need to make it a priority to spend more time outside so they can make different types of memories and relationships. On another note, I love that your book is very interactive. Did you plan on that from the start or was it something that came out later in the process?

H. At first, this manuscript was more about foraging and finding items that you can actually eat when you stepped out your back door. But as I revised, I felt uncomfortable encouraging kids to EAT anything without adult supervision. Plus, the manuscript felt very flat, like a list of things to find. It wasn’t very fun or engaging. Then I read an interview with Vicky Fang about her book, The Boo Crew Needs You, and she talked about adding interactive elements to that text. Plus Tap the Magic Tree  has always been one of my favorite picture books. Both of these things made me wonder if adding something interactive would spice up my early Backyard Stew manuscript. I made a list of possible ways for the reader to interact with the book and played around with incorporating those elements. And it worked! 

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M. Yes! It worked perfectly! It seems the interactive element was a key ingredient in your own manuscript stew. Did you use any mentor texts as you worked on this story?

H. Oh, yes! Mentor texts are HUGE for me. I’ve mentioned a few already, but I’ll list the main ones: Tap the Magic Tree, Press Here, The Boo Crew Needs You, and one of my absolute favorites, The Hike by Alison Farrell.

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M. Thanks for sharing your experience with mentor texts, I always find interesting when authors talk about this in their creative process. Now, regarding illustrations, can you tell us how was it for you to meet the characters created by Deborah?

H. I’ll never forget opening the file containing the thumbnails that she had put together for each spread. They were only rough sketches, but it didn’t matter, I understood immediately that she GOT it. That Deborah understood what I had been trying to do and the feeling I was trying to capture in the text, and she’d taken those and translated them into pictures. Then I started crying happy tears. 😊 I did get a chance to speak into the illustrator selection process. I had included very spare art notes, but I envisioned a (hopefully) full-page spread that was only a dandelion with seeds blowing away in the wind and the word “POOF”. My editor agreed, so we focused on illustrators who could capture that image and the vibrancy of nature. I was SO excited when Deborah said yes.

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M. I can see why Deborah was the perfect teammate for this book. I’m so happy for you! Personally, I love that there’s a sidekick for your main character. Can you please share more about it?

H. I love the raccoon also! He is entirely Deborah’s invention, and he is perfect! I would never have thought to include an animal sidekick, but his expressions on some of the spreads are priceless. Deborah also had the brilliant, artistic vision to make the colors muted at the beginning of the book when our main character is bored. Then the colors explode in vibrancy that splashes across the page in the spreads when she goes outside and begins collecting ingredients. I loved that as well!

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M. YES! I love finding animal sidekicks, they are always the cutest and make me smile. It was a great addition and I’m sure readers will also love him. And I hadn’t thought about the colors getting more vibrant as the story progressed, that’s really a great addition to the book too! Heather, what would you like readers to take away from this story?

H. GO OUTSIDE! Ha! …but seriously, adults and  kids, turn off the screens and go outside. Throw a ball together, go on a family bike ride, and of course, stir up your own pot of backyard stew.

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M. I hear you, the message is quite clear in this book and I’m sure it will come across and many kids will love making their own stew recipes. Heather, since this your second picture, how was working on this book different to your debut’s experience?

H. The writing and submission process was very similar to Trunk Goes Thunk , but the publication process was more familiar. Everything was new with my debut book: the contracts and deadlines and building contacts at bookstores and author visits and the whole business of being an author. Working on Backyard Stew felt more familiar and free, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this beautiful book with the world.

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M. I’m sure many writers feel the same way after having experienced their debut. I’m glad this second time you felt more at ease. Finally, are there any new projects that you’re currently working on that you can share?

H. YES! My third picture book with Gnome Road, Dribble, Shoot, Swish: A Basketball Story, releases on March 2, 2027! It’s coming up quick. Readers are going to be diving into the sights and sounds and the community found at basketball gyms as they cheer on CJ and his team. My agent and I have a middle grade novel out on submission as well. I’m so excited about this manuscript! It tells the story of a ten-year-old girl who finds a very old letter tucked inside a worn-down piano. The letter leads her on a journey to uncover secrets that end up helping her restore the piano and heal her family. And it’s told from the point of view of BOTH the girl and the piano!

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Congratulations on your third picture book! WOW! It will be here really soon! And readers, as Heather’s critique partner, I can tell you that the piano story is absolutely lovely and I can’t wait for it to find a home soon so it can get out in the world. It’s such a heartwarming book.

Good luck with all your projects, Heather. I’m always happy to cheer you on!

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HEATHER’S BIO

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Heather C. Morris is the author of multiple books for kids, including the picture books, Trunk Goes Thunk! A Woodland Tale of Opposites and Backyard Stew, a ghost story in the Haunted States of America Anthology, and the upcoming picture book, Dribble, Shoot, Swish (2027). She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and has written seven titles for the educational market. Find out more about her and her books at heathercmorris.com.

SOCIALS:

Instagram: @morr_writing

Facebook: Heather C. Morris Author

Thanks for reading!

M

Cover photo by Dawid Zawila.