Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author David Ezra Stein (Beaky Barnes: Egg on the Loose)!
Read on to learn more about him, his book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: David Ezra Stein
Award-winning children’s author and illustrator David Ezra Stein (he/him) was born in Brooklyn, New York. His works include Interrupting Chicken, Leaves, Monster Hug!, Tad and Dad, Pouch!, and Ol’ Mama Squirrel. In addition to winning the Ezra Jack Keats award in 2008 and a Caldecott Honor in 2011, Stein’s books have been named to several major book lists, such as Publishers Weekly‘s Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Reviews‘ Editor’s Choice, and School Library Journal‘s Best Book. He lives in Kew Gardens, New York, with wife, Miriam, and their son, Sam.
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook
About the Book: Beaky Barnes: Egg on the Loose
Caldecott Honor winner David Ezra Stein takes readers on a slapstick journey in his debut graphic novel series, featuring Beaky Barnes, a no-nonsense chicken who’s determined to save her desirable egg. But with a hungry inspector, a desperate chef, and an entrepreneurial woman on her tail, Beaky has to use every tool in her chicken coop to make her grand escape.
All the inspector wanted was an egg to go in his sandwich, so he heads to the cafe. The problem? The town is entirely out of eggs, and the local chef is panicked. Luckily, he spots a lovely duo having lunch: a woman and a chicken named Beaky Barnes. It’s his lucky day. But when the woman and Beaky have a fight over an offensive business arrangement (chicken-pulled coach service, anyone?), chaos ensues. With a chicken on the run, and an inspector and woman in hot pursuit, three stories emerge with hilarious results!
With laugh-out-loud madcap comedy on every page, David Ezra Stein’s (Caldecott Honor winner of Interrupting Chicken) signature humor is on full display in this debut graphic novel!
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
BEAKY BARNES: EGG ON THE LOOSE started out as a series of very short skits or plays I wrote called “Man, Woman, Chicken”. In them, I wanted to deal with pure dialogue and action, and work with essential stock characters. They were never performed, but led to more and more scenes with these characters, that culminated in a novel. Some of the original scenes ended up in the final book. For example, when the Inspector tells the Inventor that her chicken is on his bicycle. The novel is an homage to all sorts of comedy, slapstick, and comics I grew up with.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
It’s got to be Beaky, because she is smart, resourceful, and she is the one who has to figure out how to save her egg.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
In this case, the novel itself grew out of a series of funny scenes and characters that I simultaneously drew and wrote. I let the characters tell me what they wanted to do, and wove it all together!
Then I realized that Beaky should be the main character, and the title became eponymous.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I am proud of the scene where the Inspector corners Beaky in the secret hideout, because it’s a flurry of action that resolves the problems, and no one comes out feeling hurt. Everyone is pretty happy at the end.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
I’ve learned that I write best when I am drawing and writing simultaneously, because I think in terms of action sequences—perfect for comics. It’s easier for me to edit text when the art is already carrying some of the load.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
The next BEAKY BARNES will be out in Fall ’23. It’s about a Beaky and a devious duck, and I’m really excited about it. Also, I am working on a new book in my Interrupting Chicken series for 2024.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Generating wacky ideas.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
The World Food Programme. I want kids all over the world to have enough to eat.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Follow the fun. What brings a sparkle to your eye. What subject or feeling is exciting or intriguing to you. Then work like heck to find the true essence of a project. I sometimes write 20 or 30 versions of a picture book before I find the “right” one. The way that feels best. I find that I get to know the work and what it wants to be as I revise it.
Title: BEAKY BARNES: EGG ON THE LOOSE
Author: David Ezra Stein
Illustrator: David Ezra Stein
Release Date: January 3, 2023
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
ISBN-10: 0593094761
ISBN-13: 9780593094761
Genre: Graphic Novel
Age Range: 6-9
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Beaky Barnes: Egg on the Loose (David Ezra Stein) ~US Only
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
Beaky Barnes is such a great name for a main character. With a chicken as the main character, the synopsis sounds like a lot of chaos will soon follow.
Readers at my school love Interrupting Chicken–I’m sure this will be a big hit, too!
This book looks great, I think my twins would love it!
Looks really cute
The cover is really cute and the book sounds hilarious.
I love the cover