Today we are very excited to share an interview with authors Daniel Brewer and Paul Paolilli!
Read on to learn more about the authors, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Authors: Daniel Brewer and Paul Paolilli
Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer are an uncle-nephew writing team who have collaborated on numerous creative projects over the years with a focus on vibrant, accessible poetry for young readers. Their first picture book, Silver Seeds, received the International Reading Association’s award for Best Children’s Book by first-time authors.
A love of poetry began early for the authors with a long-standing family tradition of creating rhyming poems to celebrate special occasions. Both have dabbled in other creative pursuits, including music, drawing, painting, and woodworking. For more than twenty years they have worked together on such diverse projects as writing a movie script, short stories, and a novel, yet poetry and poetic language remains their passion. They live in sunny Southern California.
About the Book: Pondering: A Story of Cinquains
This lyrically written and gorgeously illustrated ode to ponds is crafted in a uniquely American poetic form called American cinquain.
In this glorious celebration of nature, three girls walk an old trail in search of a hidden pond, marveling at treasures they discover along the way—darting dragonflies, croaking bullfrogs, fluttering sycamore leaves, and more. Written in a unique poetic form called American cinquain, the story seamlessly weaves together an invitation to readers to immerse themselves in nature, while also bringing attention to this endangered ecosystem. The info-packed pages at the end of the book include an overview of the pond ecosystem and the current threat to it, as well as an exploration of the cinquain form.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
We love poetry…the sound and images it can evoke. Our first two picture books, Silver Seeds and Nightlights, focused on poetry in specific forms to inspire kids to learn to be poets themselves. For Pondering, we used Adelaide Crapsey’s American cinquain to provide teachers a model for her form. We also chose to highlight a pond to bring awareness of environmental stewardship, and the preservation of endangered ecosystems.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
That’s a tough question because Dao Linh, our illustrator, worked magic on every page. The story we told unfolds so seamlessly in her beautiful depictions of the kids and the pond. That said, perhaps our favorite page is when the three girls find their own pond gifts. Linh captures the scene with a beautiful closeup of each gift, and the intention of our poem – to treasure ponds and live with curiosity– radiates off the page.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Welcome wonder wherever we go. Tuck it in our pocket. Eventually these souvenirs show up in our writing.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
We want readers to feel how nature can bring out the best in us – joy, laughter, curiosity, and peace. We also highlighted the cinquan form as a means for kids to share their thoughts and feelings. Reading and writing poetry opens the heart, the mind, and imagination.
YABC: What are your favorite themes or tropes?
Nature, poetry, and the flexibility of language. If we can pull all these together 50 percent of the time, it’s a good batting average.
YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?
Not an office supply per se, but each of us approaches the writing process differently.
Paul is “old school“ using pen and paper to flesh out ideas, scratch out, erase, and doodle. Plus, he can work anywhere: a garden, the park, and on a walk around the block. Dan is “state of the art” all the way. If his face isn’t lit by a computer screen, no work is getting done.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Collaboration! Before working together, writing was often a private endeavor. Once collaborating, we had to discover how to push and pull on each other’s strengths and abilities. The best way we can describe this is through metaphor. Dan is a rain shower – pouring out ideas until a puddle forms. Paul is a hammer – pounding on geodes to see what’s inside.
YABC: How do you cope with criticism from editors or the public?
We have received hundreds and hundreds of rejections and polite criticism over the years, and then out of the blue an editor falls in love with one of our manuscripts, so we just don’t think about it anymore. We have found that when one door closes, another one opens.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Next year we will release our fourth book called Thursday is Thor’s Day. It’s about the Norse gods and goddesses who give us the names for our days of the week.
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
A book is more than its authors. Collaboration started with the two of us but it didn’t end there. It continued far beyond our submission. From the start, WorthyKids’ hands-on approach and the entire Worthy team kept us part of the process. Our editor, Peggy Schaefer, has been wonderful guiding this book to completion. Two guys got really lucky!
Title: Pondering: A Story of Cinquains
Author: Daniel Brewer, Paul Paolilli
Illustrator: Dao Thuy Linh
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Publisher: WorthyKids
ISBN-13: 9781546008668
Genre: Poetry, Science and Environment
Age Range: 4 to 8; Grades P to 3
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*be sure to include complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
Ten (10) winners will receive a copy of Pondering: A Story of Cinquains (Daniel Brewer and Paul Paolilli) ~US Only!
This sounds like a wonderful book, love the cute cover!