San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
“Beloved and the Pepper Tree” is a children’s story for everyone
In ‘Beloved and the Pepper Tree,’ Carlsbad author Ann Gonzales seeks to normalize change for children
In her new children’s book “Beloved and the Pepper Tree,” Carlsbad author Ann Gonzales chose to incorporate several themes. “One theme is facing resistance and letting go,” said the first-time author. “Children and adults face change all the time. It’s important to learn that life constantly changes and we develop skills to cope.”
Beloved, a young girl, and the Pepper Tree are best friends. She loves the Pepper Tree’s shade and its branches for climbing. When her mom informs her they are moving, Beloved is heartbroken. The Pepper Tree has one last parting gift to help Beloved cope when everything changes.
“Another theme is moving away,” continued Gonzales. “The Pepper Tree teaches Beloved if she stays, it’s like a tree growing in a clay pot. She can live in a pot, but she won’t thrive. The Pepper Tree eventually helps Beloved find a way to carry her in her heart. Many children face moving at some point in their childhood, and some children move frequently. I received an email from a military mom whose daughter used ‘Beloved and the Pepper Tree’ to help her move overseas. This little girl read the book daily for two weeks before moving. On her last day, she shared the book with her class and gave each classmate a packet of seeds to remember her by. She felt involved in the move, not just impacted by it.”
Besides being an author, Gonzales is an expressive arts facilitator and conducts workshops throughout Southern California. She lives with her bossy cat, Ziggy. She’ll be at Warwick’s today from 2 to 4 p.m.
Q:
Why is change hard for Beloved?
A:
Beloved loves her friend the tree and doesn’t want to leave it. She uses the tree as a backdrop for most of her imagined activities. Like many of us, she’s found a comfortable routine and she doesn’t want to change, so she resists. The wise tree gently encourages Beloved to embrace moving forward. We know it works out well because on the last page we see her planting seeds — seedlings really — with new friends in her new home. Adults who read her story relate to this as well.
Q:
How did this story evolve?
A:
“Beloved and the Pepper Tree” was written in India. I was on a spiritual quest and was staying in an ashram in a little town called Thirumalaikodi. One evening my group had an audience with a holy man, and I received a blessing. The next morning I sat up in bed, grabbed my journal, and the story came spilling out in one sitting. It felt more like I was channeling the story rather than writing it. “Beloved and the Pepper Tree” was a complete surprise, and it has had a huge impact on my life.
Q:
Why is your character named Beloved?
A:
My spiritual teacher was on the same trip to India as me. Her pet name for her students was Beloved. I didn’t like it much at first, but over time I grew to love how the word embodied my teacher’s tender love and delight in her students. There was something maternal about her use of the word. Beloved seemed a perfect name for a precious child going through a difficult time. And really, Beloved represents all children as they, or we, are all precious.
Q:
Why did you choose a pepper tree?
A:
That’s one of the biographical elements of the story. There was a pepper tree that grew at the bottom of our driveway at my childhood home. I loved this tree. We moved away, and I was very sad to leave it. Ironically we moved to an avocado farm with hundreds of trees, but that one pepper tree stayed in my heart.
Q:
Who is your illustrator, Manu Montoya, and why did you want to work with her?
A:
I had a strong vision of how I wanted the book to look. I sent lots of sample pictures to my editor, but I didn’t like the illustrations she was sending back. Finally, we used an agency and found Manu Montoya in Barcelona, Spain. Manu truly understood my vision of Beloved and the look and feel I wanted for the book. She added so much to the story. For example, one of the pictures shows Beloved making an angry, despairing face as the tree tells her she must move on. I just love that picture because I think a child would truly have that reaction to something she doesn’t want to hear.
Q:
Please talk about Beloved’s Neighborhood Club.
A:
Beloved’s Neighborhood Club is a free virtual club that parents, educators or other adults can help their children join. There, they will find activities that deepen their experiences with the book and its characters in fun and educational ways. Kids can create puppets and puppet shows, have a treasure hunt and more. They can send us photos of their adventures, and we will post them on our website.
Q:
What have you learned in the process of publishing your book?
A:
Publishing the book was the easier part. I had such a clear vision of the book and was lucky enough to find a publisher who really understood the story. We worked very well together once we had the illustrator in place. Becoming visible has been a big stretch for me. Speaking in public and being interviewed are not in my comfort zone, but I’m getting better every day.
Q:
What’s your professional background besides being an author? What’s Easel Does It?
A:
I am an expressive arts facilitator, which means I use various modalities to support emotional healing for people suffering the effects of trauma, stress and grief. Many people fear they aren’t artistic enough to create art, but we don’t need any special skills to express emotions through art, movement, drumming, etc. It’s kind of an awakening. I love helping people find a voice for their pain when words fail them. Easel Does It is the workshop division of Ann Gonzales Art.
“Beloved seemed a perfect name for a precious child going through a difficult time. And really, Beloved represents all children as they, or we, are all precious.”