“The Strangest Fish” by Katherine Arden

In her first picture book The strangest fish (Astra Young Readers, September) Award-winning fantasy author Katherine Arden (the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces Quartet series) is about a girl who wins a mysteriously powerful fish at the fair. PW spoke to Arden about writing for very young readers and how her dog Moose inspires her work.

The strangest fish is your picture book debut. Why did you want to write a picture book?

As a writer, it’s important to me to take unstructured time each day to open my notebook and play with new ideas. I usually do this before I start working on my main project. It’s a satisfying and hassle-free way to start the day, and of course it gives me a bank of ideas that I can draw on or discard. The strangest fish started in one of those notebooks. I had a playful idea about a girl and a magical fish, and when I started working on it, it quickly turned into a little story. That doesn’t always happen with my notebook ideas. It also had a distinctive tone. I don’t try to force a particular tone or style on my notebook ideas, but in this case, I could tell pretty quickly that this was a story for very young children. I also thought it would look great with illustrations. So I typed up my handwritten text, edited it a bit, and, rather hesitantly, gave it to my agent. He agreed that it was indeed a picture book, and I guess the rest is history.

You are a bestselling author who has written both adult fantasy and middle grade books. What was the writing process like? The strangest fish—by selecting the 4–Age group 8 – compare it to writing these other books?

It is really hard to compare writing a picture book with writing a novel. For one thing, a picture book is many times shorter. It is almost like a short story, and each word carries more weight than it does when you have less than a thousand of them. Also, writing a picture book requires working with an illustrator, which was a new and wonderful experience for me. Zahra Marwan, who created the beautiful watercolors in The strangest fishis so talented. And of course, the illustrator is a true collaborator, as the author’s text is the basis for the illustrations, but the illustrations influence the editing and layout of the text. It’s a process of give and take that I found really interesting. I loved seeing my text come alive in pictures, and honestly, I think the illustrator works more and harder than the author on a picture book and is just as, if not more, important to the success of the book.

The strangest fish has a quirky character that will appeal to readers of all ages, including your loyal fan base. Ultimately, do you see the book as being for both children and adults? Why?

The strangest fish was definitely written for young children. But if I know anything about very young readers, it’s that they ask about their favorite books about a million times, and I really hope that my text doesn’t completely test an adult’s patience, even with repetition. I wrote this book to bring joy to anyone who picks it up, and I hope it does.

How does it work The strangest fish Talk about the transformative power of unconditional love and why is this message so important today?

In The strangest fishmy main character Daisy loves her fish dearly, although at the beginning she is not even sure if she want him. But she has him and decides to love and care for him anyway. The power of generosity and kindness without any expectation of anything in return is a common motif in fairy tales. Think of “The Frog Princess” to give just one example. I think people have always understood the importance of teaching children generosity and kindness through storytelling and the important role kindness plays in creating healthy families and communities. I feel like with The strangest fishIn this sense, I am currently at the end of a long tradition of storytelling.

The book is full of wonderful magical elements. What do you like about using magic to connect with readers?

I have always loved the magic in stories. Fairy tales and wonder stories fascinated me as a small child and then as a young reader. I hope that The strangest fish speaks to other kids like me who love magic and dream that maybe, just maybe, like Daisy, they will find a water dragon as their best friend.

Did you discover something about yourself through writing this book?

I discovered that I was able to write a complete story in under 1,000 words. I had never done that before and it was very satisfying.

You have a dog named Moose. Did your relationship with your dog inspire this unique fish story?

Moose is my plot hound mix and he inspires every story I write. He is my constant writing buddy and when I’m lacking inspiration I stop what I’m doing and pet him or take him for a walk. It works every time. That’s the magic of loving the creatures in our lives. I guess I’m like Daisy in that way.