Chelsea Clinton gears up for Phoenix visit
Chelsea Clinton’s latest book, “Don’t Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe,” explores facts about 12 endangered species and teaches kids how to protect the animals and their homes.
Before her book tour stops in Phoenix on Monday, April 15, the best-selling author – not to mention daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former secretary of State Hillary Clinton – shares her thoughts via email on animals, family and the importance of reading.
Question: Why did you decide to write a book on endangered species?
Answer: All animals play a crucial part in the health of our planet, and it’s devastating to think that even one species – like African elephants or rhinos – could be extinct in our or our children’s lifetimes. I know that so many kids feel similarly passionate about animals and are determined to work to save animals from extinction. I’ve known young people, even our youngest readers, can have a positive impact in areas they’re passionate about because I’ve seen it and been fortunate enough to share those stories in previous books. I kept hearing from kids how much they cared about animals so I decided to write “Don’t Let Them Disappear” about some of the species I heard from kids they’re most concerned about and what we can do to ensure they’re around well beyond all our lifetimes.
Q: How did you choose which specific animals to feature?
A: There are tens of thousands of endangered animals and plants around the world and I wish I could have written a 16,000-page picture book to feature them all! All of these animals are ones
that I care deeply about and I heard from kids they care about too. Some of them are species I’ve cared about for as long as I can remember, including elephants. As a kid, even in Little Rock, Arkansas, I wanted to do whatever I could to help save elephants and am so sad we didn’t succeed in a sustainable way then.
I hope that this book helps inform and inspire kids – not only introducing them to fun new facts about the twelve species featured, but also help inspire them to take a real interest in conservation and what we all can do to help ensure these animals don’t disappear.
Q: Has writing this book stood out to you in some way that differs from your previous books?
A: Each one is different and unique to me. With picture books, I always enjoy the process of working with illustrators to bring these stories to life. This was the first time I have worked with the wonderful Gianna Marino who did a beautiful job representing the 12 animals featured that are so deserving of our attention.
Q: Which animal is your favorite? A: It was already a challenge to narrow it down to 12 – it’s impossible to pick just one! But I did love learning some new facts in the process – like that giraffes can kill a lion in just one kick. And, if I really had to choose, I would say elephants.
Q: Does anyone in your life serve as inspiration to your work?
A: My kids are my biggest inspiration. And thinking about the type of world I want them to grow up in and the active and responsible citizens I hope they become drives everything I do – through my writing, teaching, and work with the Clinton Foundation. I want to ensure I’ve done everything possible in my small way to make the world a healthier, safer, and more equitable place for them and their generation.
Q: What’s the importance of reading with your kids? Or taking them to the zoo?
A: I believe the stories we share with our children are critically important – to spark their imaginations and fuel their dreams. That includes what they read in children’s books and the experiences they have in educational spaces like zoos. We also know that talking and reading with our kids has an enormous impact on their early language and literacy development – especially during the earliest years of their life. So not only are these stories and activities fostering their imaginations and passions, they are quite literally building their brains and setting them up for success later in life.
Q: Do you have any memories of reading with your parents? What was your favorite book as a child?
A: So many of my earliest and most vivid memories from childhood involve reading. From my mom reading “Goodnight Moon” to me early in life to a few years later trying to reading every female detective and mystery I could get my hands on (something I still do) — Jacqueline Winspear’s “Maisie Dobbs,” Alexander McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe and Isabel Dalhousie, Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy, and so many more I have shared with my mom and grandmother when she was alive either as recommendations or in our informal book club.
It would be impossible to pick just one from childhood or today, but I was a huge fan of “A Wrinkle in Time” — I loved sharing Meg’s adventures with my parents — and I have many treasured memories of reading countless Beverly Cleary books with my mom. Reading continues to be such a big part of my life and I’m thrilled to be passing along that love to my children.
Q: Have you read the book to your kids? What’s your favorite story to read to them?
A: I have! And am so thankful that they enjoyed it and love hearing their reactions. Right now Charlotte loves sharks so whale sharks are her favorite spread, and Aidan told me last week that his new favorite animal is a tiger.
Beyond this book, we read to our kids every night, and it’s such a blessing to be able to see them get excited about books – that’s what is important to me, ensuring that they are being read to in the way that is engaging, encourages a love of reading and fosters their curiosity about the world. We want to figure out what kind of stories and characters they resonate with by exposing them to lots of good stories. In our house we love anything by Mo Willems – we couldn’t imagine bedtime without the Pigeon or Elephant and Piggie. We’ve also read “The Paper Bag Princess” more times than I can count!