Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Laurel Goodluck (Too Much: My Great Big Native Family)!
Meet the Author: Laurel Goodluck
Laurel Goodluck writes picture books with modern Native themes that reflect Native children’s cultural experiences and everyday life, showing they have a unique and powerful perspective. Her books include Forever Cousins, Rock Your Mocs, She Persisted: Deb Haaland, and Too Much. Laurel was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, coming from an intertribal background of Mandan and Hidatsa from the prairies of North Dakota and Tsimshian from a rainforest in Alaska. She received a BA in psychology and an MA in community counseling and family studies from the University of New Mexico. Laurel began writing by crafting a curriculum for community advocacy involving Native teen leadership and later for children newly diagnosed with mental health challenges. Laurel lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her Navajo husband, where they raised two children who are also bent on storytelling. Follow her on @LaurieGoodluck on Instagram.
About the Book: Too Much: My Great Big Native Family
A little boy wants a chance to shine on his own but discovers that being apart from his large and lively Native family isn’t necessarily better in this heartwarming and humorous picture book.
When Russell gets a part in the school play, he lights up like a shining star—and he can’t wait to tell his big, boisterous Native family the exciting news. But catching their attention when they all get together feels impossible; no matter where they go, they seem to be too noisy, too many, and just too much!
Russell decides to keep his big debut to himself and fly solo for once…but being alone may not be the answer. After all, there’s no such thing as too much love, and when he needs them most, his great big family knows how to be just enough.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Growing up in a first-generation urban Native family inspired the idea for this book. My parents preserved our Mandan, Hidatsa (Mom), and Tsimshian (Dad) tribal traditions of involving the extended family in raising my sister and me. Almost every weekend, my grandmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins gathered at our homes, parks, or the San Jose Indian Center. I’d have endless fun and adventures with my big Native family, but at times, there were the challenges of being heard—the usual big family stuff.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love the main character, Russell, who is trying desperately to tell his grandma and family that he just got a part in the school play. I based Russell on my cousin’s grandson from Mandan, North Dakota, on the Fort Berthold reservation. Russell is smart, accomplished and fits right into the big family dynamics of going with the flow until he can’t anymore. Russell’s emotions are heightened through the “too much” similes of the roaming bison herd, the swirling and crashing sea, racing cars trying to catch the middle lane, and deep dark space.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the picture book?
The similes came first. I kept listening to Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” when I first started this story. The emotion in Nina’s song was infused in the lyrics, such as birds flying high, sun in the sky, and breeze drifting on by, you know how I feel. These similes captured the new dawn and new day amongst the turmoil outside. These song lyrics inspired the emotion I wanted Russell to express as he traveled through the story trying to get his voice heard and finally realizing his family always sees him shine and there is never too much love.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I’m so proud that Russell and his family are portrayed living modern lives in all the scenes while simultaneously expressing the cultural value of the big Native family. This contemporary depiction of Native people is new in children’s literature, as most Native books for children were historical up until a few years ago. So, Russell’s family is viewed at a restaurant, visiting an aquarium, a movie theater, and a school play where Russell plays an astronaut. Just think, Native children can imagine themselves as an astronaut! Further, Native children can be proud of being their whole selves, and all children can see that Native people are still here and share many similarities.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I am in love with the cover. The book was illustrated by Bridget George, Anishinaabe Nation of Kettle, and Stony Point in Ontario, Canada. She brings a whimsical sensibility, characters as cute as a button, and a color selection that automatically draws you in. Just look at the cover with Russell, the main character, in his space outfit surrounded by his great big Native family. One can’t help but love this family before you even open the book.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I love everything, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. She is a fellow New Mexican author and has a slew of award-winning and masterful children’s non-fiction. She is my go-to when I study creative non-fiction structures. I love her latest picture book, Small Shoes, Great Strides, beautifully illustrated by Alex Bostic (Carolrhoda Books, 2023). Vaunda brings to life unknown American history, and this new book follows this needed voice. In Small Shoes, we learn about three courageous black first-graders who integrated into their New Orleans school ten minutes before Ruby Bridges entered her school. Don’t miss it as it needs all our attention.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m working with publishers on my following books. Fierce Aunties is illustrated by Steph Littlebird, who is from Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes (Simon Kids @Simon&Schuster) and Yáadilá! (Good Grief), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson, who is Diné (Heartdrum @HarperCollins). It’s exciting when an email pops up with preliminary sketches, color sketches, jacket cover, end pages, etc. It is a magical and busy time.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
I hope all children see the fun and value of a large extended family, especially if they are from one. I also hope the adults, whether educators or parents, read the author’s note to understand how this large extended family cultural value is still prominent in most Native families and how it is rooted in tribal traditions. I based the book’s inspiration on my family tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, Tsimshian, and Navajo.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Great question. I have superhero capes that I weave into school presentations. The capes highlight my picture book’s Native cultural values with a theme and beautiful Native art. I remind the children these cultural superpowers are something they can always rely on and are in their arsenal of strategies when making decisions or solving problems. I think this reinforces that all children can be comfortable being their whole selves, especially their beautiful cultures.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Yes, most definitely. The first organization I found when I decided to write for children was, We Need Diverse Books (WNDB). They sang my song as we shared the same mission: every child deserves to see themselves in books. But my question was how would I get to the end goal of a published picture book. They were there for me in the form of mentorship. I applied and was selected to be mentored by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorrell in 2019. This experience was a game-changer. I now have four books published and three more rolling out. I’m also thrilled to serve as a WNDB mentor this year.
Title: Too Much: My Great Big Native Family
Author: Laurel Goodluck
Illustrator: Bridget George
Release Date: 1/23/24
Publisher: S&S Books for Young Readers
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction
Age Range: 4-8 years old
