Doing the Write Thing: Linda Locke
Like any parent out there, children’s book author Linda Locke has her fair share of adorable encounters with her child – so much so that she turned her own parenting experiences into the Jack is Curious book series.
In these books, Linda turned questions posed by her inquisitive son into engaging stories revolving around little Jack and his Mama.
In the first three books, little Jack wants to know "will I grow old?", "why do people cry when they're happy?" and "can I hit back at a bully?"—and his Mama has to find ingenious ways to answer these questions.
Linda creates a sense of familiarity and relatability – a shared experience – among parents who have faced the challenges of helping their child understand the world around them.
The fourth book in the series, Do Farts Make Old People Go Faster? is no different, as Linda tackles another head-scratcher her son asked when he was still a little boy.
In this story, Jack observes a few of the elderly making some strange, loud noises which give them a boost in their steps! Perplexed, Jack makes it his mission to find out (with the help of his Mama, of course) the answer to his burning question: Do farts really make old people go faster?
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Do Farts Make Old People Go Faster? is such a cute title. Is this the weirdest question that Jack has asked you?
I would say it was one of the weirdest questions Jack has asked me and created all kinds of hilarious images in my mind! He has asked me deeper questions, including one which is captured in the Jack is Curious book, Why Do People Cry When They Are Happy?
If you could travel back in time to be with Baby Jack again, what would you do differently?
If I could travel back in time to Jack as a baby? I would have spent even more quality time with him and not let the pressure of work emails tear me away.
Writing four books definitely is no mean feat! What sort of challenges did you face?
Creating the stories around the questions Jack asked me as a young boy was a delicious trip down memory lane. Finding the context to express the questions came surprisingly naturally and easily. The more challenging part was balancing the written narrative with the visual one.
While all the Jack is Curious stories have some sort of lesson that Jack learns, what would be the biggest lesson you've learnt writing all these books?
Writing these books reminded me of how precious those early years are and the magical way kids see the world and express their thoughts and ideas.
Get the Jack Is Curious book series here (titles available separately)