TRUNK GOES THUNK!

I’m delighted to welcome my friend, critique partner, and Kids Book Crew teammate Heather Morris to the blog. Her debut picture book Trunk Goes Thunk! beautifully illustrated by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne, will be published by Gnome Road Publishing on October 8th, 2024 and I can’t wait.

I’ve been lucky to read an advance reader copy of this book and it’s adorable, so I’m thrilled to have this conversation with Heather about her debut picture book and her journey.

A bit about Trunk Goes Thunk!

Whoosh! Crash! Thunk! Follow along as the LOUD sounds of a falling tree signal the transformation of a QUIET area of the forest into a flourishing center of activity. This lyrical nonfiction story uses word opposites such as small and large, dark and light, high and low, and fast and slow to introduce young readers to the natural recycling of fallen timber into log bridges. From bears, porcupines and raccoons to eagles, mice and deer, a host of forest animals repurpose a fallen tree, connecting two sides of a stream together throughout the seasons.

***

Now on to our interview:

M. Heather, welcome! I’m so glad to have you as a guest on the blog to talk about your book. Can you tell us where did you get the idea for this story? Why a book of opposites? How did you select the opposites to include in the book? Why the setting of a forest?

H. I really love the “story behind the story” of this sweet book! One of my family’s favorite museums is the Cook Museum of Natural History in North Alabama. One of the rooms in the museum is modeled after a temperate forest and displays the flora and fauna that can be found in that biome. As I browsed through this section, my attention was captured by a video playing on a loop. The footage was from a wildlife camera set up to capture one angle – a fallen tree trunk spanning a large creek. I was captivated by the variety of animals who used this “bridge” throughout the year. I kept thinking about the idea of a fallen tree as a log bridge for months after that visit. I found the original video (on YouTube as “The Log”) and watched it over and over.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice all the opposites in the video – light/dark, cold/warm, wet/dry, over/under, heavy/light. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fallen tree, the animals, the opposites. I began jotting ideas in the little notebook that I carry around with me everywhere. After chewing on these ideas for a month or two, I felt ready to write a rough draft.

***

M. That’s so interesting! Your experience shows that inspiration is really everywhere around us if we pay attention. Did your background as a scientist play any role in the writing of this book?

H. Yes! I’ve always loved science and writing, and never knew what to do with these two, seemingly competing, interests when I was a kid. So, in college, I set my love of creative writing “on a shelf” and pursued biology head-long. I love the laboratory! It requires so much creativity in experimental design along with precision. I went on to get my Master’s in Molecular Microbiology and got to write a ton of scientific journal articles, proposals, and patent applications, which “scratched the writing itch” for a little while. For Trunk Goes Thunk!, the concept of opposites is very important in science. Actually, taking accurate measurements of how hot, how cold, how heavy, how light, etc. is critical. It was fun to layer an early STEM concept into this picture book manuscript!

***

M. How special that you got to combine your love for science and writing in this particular book. Was there a particular scene that you loved writing most? How about the illustrations? Do you have any favorites?

H. The line “Day by day, pawprint by pawprint, the tumbled tree is transformed into…a bridge.” Ahhh, that line was most satisfying to write. And it didn’t change that much from first to final draft. As far as the illustrations go, the spread with the otters (“Hot summer sunning and cold winter wandering”) is MOST definitely my favorite!! I adore otters and Chantelle and Burgen Thorne’s otters are THE CUTEST!!!

***

M. I honestly find it hard to choose just ONE favorite animal in that book. They are all super cute! Just take a look, friends!

M. Heather, I noticed that there are educational resources for this book on the publisher’s website. Can you elaborate a bit about that?

H. Yes! Gnome Road Publishing provides free educator resource guides for EVERY one of their
picture books. You can find them on their website – www.gnomeroadpublishing.com. These guides include targeted activities for educators, whether public, private, or home-school to use to enhance the concepts covered in each picture book. Free coloring pages, word puzzles, and other activities are provided as well as instructions for how to incorporate them into broad lessons. For example, one of the sections of the Trunk Goes Thunk! Resource Guide is all about temperate forests.

***

M. That’s wonderful! Now, please tell us what message are you hoping readers will take away from this story?

H. I hope this book fills kids and their caregivers with a sense of the wonder, awe, and majesty of the natural world, as well as the amazing ways that nature recycles all kinds of things (in this case, a fallen tree). I also hope that the theme of “togetherness” shines through and leaves readers with a heart-warming, satisfying feeling that makes them want to read about trunks going THUNK! over and over again!

***

M. Finally, can you share what comes next for you, Heather? Are you working on anything new right now?

H. I am SOOO excited to announce that I just signed with my literary agent, Kristen Terrette, of Martin Literary Management!! Her enthusiasm for all of my writing – both my picture books and my middle grade novels – has been overwhelming, and her kindness mixed with business saavy is an outstanding combination. We are planning to submit a few of my picture book manuscripts first while I finish revisions to my latest middle grade novel. Before I signed with Kristen, I also sold another picture book manuscript that’s not announced yet (but I CANNOT WAIT for y’all to hear about this book! It’s so great!).

***

Heather!!! I’m so happy to hear about your new book, new agent and all those wonderful projects. Congratulations! I wish you the best with every single one of them, and of course I can’t wait to see Trunk Goes Thunk! on the shelves soon. Cheers, friend! 🎉

***

HEATHER’S BIO

Heather C. Morris is the grateful author of multiple books and stories full of science, wonder, and imagination for kids of all ages. She lives with her husband and their three children and three animals in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where they love to swim, play board games, and hike. Trunk Goes Thunk! is her debut picture book. Visit her online at heathercmorris.com.

Instagram: @morr_writing

Twitter/X: @morrwriting.

Thanks for reading!

M

P.S. Remember you can subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the pink button. Thanks!

📸 Cover photo by Ian Turnell.