Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Laura Lavoie (Cousins! A Big Family Story)!
Meet the Author: Laura Lavoie
Laura Lavoie writes humorous, pun-filled picture books, including Vampire Vacation and Monster Baker. She can also tap dance, tell terribly cheesy jokes, and bake a mean chocolate chip cookie. When she isn’t reading or writing, Laura can usually be found in the kitchen cooking up something delicious, or playing outside—gardening, hiking, kayaking, or hanging around in trees. Laura resides in upstate New York with her husband, daughters, two cats, one dog, and several sagging bookshelves.
About the Book: Cousins! A Big Family Story
A bright, funny, and feel-good picture book about how families come together and celebrate their differences, perfect for fans of Shh! We Have a Plan! and The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I started writing Cousins! after participating in an idea generation exercise. The prompt was to open the camera roll on your phone, go to a specific picture, and try to come up with a story idea. The picture was of my dad holding my older daughter, who was about one-and-half at the time. She looked so small compared to him that it made me think of a grizzly bear… as in, what if one of your relatives was a grizzly bear?
That morphed into a story about bears who are cousins, which then became a story about human cousins, so this book has been on quite a journey from start to finish!
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
I really wanted to write a story that would resonate with anyone from a big extended family. I talked to a lot of people about spending time with their cousins and what kinds of things their kids do when they play with cousins. A few things kept coming up: big family dinners with a kids’ table, cousin sleepovers, and playing games, so all of that’s in the book.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Probably spooky books and Halloween-themed books. For whatever reason, I just gravitate toward them.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
Humor, for one thing. I’m a firm believer that a great way to get kids to fall in love with reading is to make books fun.
Another thing that I think about a lot when I’m writing is the magic of childhood, whether that’s believing in magical creatures, getting scared for fun, or just experiencing things on a different level physically because you’re small. When you have a huge imagination and can squeeze into hidey-holes, it’s like a whole different world.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
Something with chocolate–ice cream, cookies, pudding cups… anything like that!
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
I started reading a lot of middle grade a few years ago and really fell in love with books at that level, so I decided to try my hand at writing them. My first middle grade novel, a spooky mystery called The Thirteen Doors of Black House, just came out last month. It’s a great read for anyone who likes a stormy summer ghost story.
I’d also really like to get a chapter book series published. Readers in that age range are so much fun!
YABC: What daily thing do you see that brings you joy?
Well, my kids certainly bring me a lot of joy. But aside from their smiling faces, I love to be outside in nature. Birds, trees, rivers, seeing all of those beautiful things brings me a lot of joy, too.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
Lighthouse Ladies, a picture book written by Kris Coronado and illustrated by Islenia Mil, came out on the same day as Cousins! and it’s brilliant. It tells the fascinating story of four real-life lady lighthouse keepers.
I’m also obsessed with a picture book that’s coming out in July called Best Buds, written by a good friend of mine, Becky Scharnhorst, and illustrated by Jiaru Jiang. Just trust me on this–you need to buy it.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space or routine?
I have a home office that I write in. It’s painted a moody blue that I love and my husband built me a big shelf that’s filled with all my favorite children’s books.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
My next book is a picture book called Breathe, Bunny, Breathe, and it’s coming out next summer. It’s a story about a little bunny with big feelings–and a big temper–so it’s social-emotional learning mixed with my typical punny humor. Mike Boldt is illustrating, which I’m super excited about. I love his work. I’ve seen sketches for the book and they’re so much fun!
Title: Cousins! A Big Family Story
Author: Laura Lavoie
Illustrator: Luisa Leal
Release Date: 05/27/2025
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press
Genre: Picture Book Fiction
Age Range: 3-6
