The Backstory: WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING
- Andrew Hacket
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
After a little bit of a break The Backstory is back and ready to dive into a wonderful new text, WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING, written by Rebecca E. Hirsch and illustrated by Sally Soweol Han. Rebecca joins us today to share all about how this story grew from a backyard idea to the amazing, rhyming, engaging text it is today. And be sure to read all the way to the end for your chance to win a signed copy from Rebecca!
AH: Welcome to The Backstory and thank you for joining us and sharing the inspiration behind WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING
First off, please tell us a little bit about your story.
RH: Thanks for having me! WONDER WINGS is a whimsical rhyming book and a guessing game all in one. Each page offers a riddle to help the reader guess which winged friend will be revealed on the next page. This interactive approach invites kids to discover what wings make music, what wings move too fast to see, and what wings carry people all over the world.
AH: This is such an engaging approach! I am sure kids can't wait to turn each page to see if their guesses are right. And in a school setting this structure would be so fun to replicate as a classbook.
AH: What’s the story behind the story? What was your inspiration? Where did the idea come from?
RH: The inspiration came from watching winged creatures in my own yard. I’m an avid gardener, and I love planting gardens for birds and butterflies and bees. Watching these creatures at work one day, I was struck by how different their wings are. A butterfly soars very gently on wings that are big and bright and paper thin. But a hummingbird zips around on wings that beat so quickly, they look like a blur. That fascination with different kinds of wings was the spark for this story.
AH: I bet you it was fun figuring out which other wings to include after that intiail inspiration!
How did you approach going from this seed of an idea to what is now WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING ? Was it something undeniable you had to write immediately or did you need to sit with this idea and let it grow for a while before it found its way to the page?
RH: Once I had the idea to write a book about wings, I immediately started scribbling lists of winged things. Right away, I noticed a similar rhythm in their names: Butterfly. Hummingbird. Honeybee. That rhythm made me wonder if I could write the book in rhyme, maybe as a guessing book with a series of verses where readers would try to guess the winged creature and turn the page to find the answer.
Then I just needed to write the verses. No problem, right? That’s when I had to sit down and see if I could figure out how to write in rhyme, which was new to me. I worked on the verses over several years. I would pick a winged thing, research how the wing worked, and try to write a verse. That’s how I wrote the manuscript, verse by verse. After a whole lot of struggling, I had enough verses to make a book.
AH: Good for you for being brave enough to tackle rhyme. It scares me! But it does seem like the perfect fit for this book, and what a wonderful job you did pulling together each of these verses. I also have to add that Sally's illustrations are magical and just the right complement to your rhymes.
AH: Did WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING undergo any major changes/revisions from the original version? If so, what led you to make these changes?
Yes! There was a ton of revision along the way when I was writing the verses. It took a lot of trial and error to craft riddles that hinted at the creature’s wings without being too easy to guess—or too hard.
Then I had to find a structure for the book as a whole. I tried out a few different structures before I settled on moving from the smallest wing to the biggest.
After the manuscript was accepted, my editor requested just a few tweaks on the verses. She also shuffled a few of the verses around to work better with Sally Soweol Han’s art. (Oops, there went my perfect smallest-to-biggest structure!) My editor also requested that we eliminate one of the verses to create more space for an additional illustration that could spread across two pages.
Finally, I had written fact-heavy sidebars for each verse, explaining how each set of wings worked. My editor requested that we move these to the back matter to allow the age range for the book to stretch a bit younger, and to create more space to feature Sally’s gorgeous art.
AH: Isn't it amazing how even when we think we have perfected every part of our manuscript, the perspectives of others, including our editors, can find ways to elevate our books even further? It is one of the things I love most about writing, seeing how the ideas from each member of the team come together to make magic!
AH: Are there any books/authors that you feel influenced your work?
RH: When I was writing WONDER WINGS, I studied a lot of guessing books to understand how these books worked. The one that helped me understand how to craft verses with built-in page turns was Whose Hands Are These? by Miranda Paul and Luciana Navarro Powell.
I’m also a big fan of Lois Ehlert’s picture book, Waiting for Wings. I love the joyful rhymes and bright illustrations that invite readers to look more closely at some of the marvelous creatures that share our world.
AH: Where do you tend to find your inspiration or your sparks for ideas?
RH: I find a lot of inspiration in my backyard, where I watch birds, bees, and butterflies. In addition, I live in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. I like to wander the woods with a journal, making drawings and jotting down sights, sounds, and ideas.
I’m also inspired by other kidlit creators. I love to bring home bags of picture books from my public library and see what other writers and illustrators are creating. When I find a book I adore—which happens often; there are so many wonderful picture books!—I type the manuscript, study it, and tuck it away as a future mentor text.
AH: There is so much inspiration to be found in both of those places! I love how you take those picture book inspirations a step further and really dig in and analyze them.
Do you have any upcoming projects or news you would like to share with us?
RH: WONDER WINGS is the first book in a new series, Nature Riddles and Rhymes, written by me and illustrated by Sally Soweol Han. Sally and I are now working on the second title in the series, on animal feet. That book comes out from Abrams Kids next spring, and I can’t wait to share it with readers!
AH: That is wonderful! I didn't realize this was a series, though given the format and endless supply of potential topics, I shouldn't be surprised. I can't wait to check out the next in the series and hear about any future additions. Keep them coming because kids are going to love them!
Where can people connect more with you?
RH: They can find me on my website, www.rebeccahirsch.com, and on Instagram @rebeccaehirsch. They can also sign up for my newsletter where I talk about writing for children at https://rebeccaehirsch.substack.com/.
AH: Readers be sure to connect with Rebecca on social media and check out her website so you don't miss any of her exciting publishing news. And while you are at it please consider supporting her books in any way you can.
This could include:
- ordering from your favorite indie
- marking as want to read on Goodreads
-leaving a review
- making a library request
Rebecca, thank you so much for sharing all about WONDER WINGS with us. I loved learning how it came to be.
GIVEAWAY!
Rebecca is happy to offer a signed copy of Wonder Wings (US only) to one winner.
Ways to enter:
1. Comment on social media post about this blog post. Additional entry for tagging friends!
or
2. Leave a comment on this post. Leave a social media tag where I can contact you if you are selected as the winner.
or
3. Post about this interview on social media and tell me in the comments that you did.
Each method earns an extra entry!
ABOUT REBECCA E. HIRSCH
Rebecca E. Hirsch is a scientist-turned-writer and the author of more than ninety books for young readers. She enjoys sharing her love of nature with young readers and igniting their excitement for science and discovery. Her picture books include PLANTS CAN’T SIT STILL (Millbrook, 2016), NIGHT CREATURES (Millbrook, 2021), and RISE TO THE SKY (Millbrook, 2023). She also writes middle grade and young adult nonfiction, and her newest title for older readers is A DEATHLY COMPENDIUM OF POISONOUS PLANTS (Zest Books, 2024). Rebecca lives in Pennsylvania, where she loves to spend time outdoors, watching all the wonderful things with wings.
ABOUT ANDREW HACKET
Andrew Hacket is a writer, second-grade teacher, and father of three. He is also the author of Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea, Curlilocks and the Three Hares, and Hope and the Sea.
His next book, IN THIS CLASSROOM illustrated by Arthur Lin, hits shelves next spring!
Andrew recognizes that being a kid is hard and he writes to create ways for kids to see themselves in stories and characters, to accept and overcome their insecurities, or to escape for just a little while through the power of their imaginations.
