Author Chat with Eleanor Davis (A Very Good Parade), Plus Giveaway~ US ONLY!

YABC:  What inspired you to write this book?

It was 2014 and I had just gone to KBK (Kids Book Kegger), Carson Ellis’s picture-book get-together in Portland, Oregon. I was staying in an old school bus that had been cheaply converted into a poor-quality but photogenic Air BnB. I was filled with inspiration from hanging out with so many other amazing authors and artists; I wanted it to be very fun but also very, very simple. I wanted to show real kids doing something cool in a real-feeling city. I also wanted to show how sometimes being bossy is a good thing! I made a bunch of notes and then put them away and didn’t look at them again for 10 years!

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

I feel pretty happy with all the scenes! I really like when the kids are walking home at night. I was nervous about that scene and it always feels good when a picture you’re nervous about comes out well. I also still really like the high point in the book, when Miguel finally blows his horn – BAROOMPA!

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

I was worried about the book being visually boring, because it’s always the same shot – identical planimetric compositions. But I learned that because the background is always changing (and because the book isn’t very long) I could make it stay interesting the whole time. Sometimes it’s okay to keep it simple.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

I worked hard on the cover and it looked pretty bad. Then I made a bunch of small tweaks and suddenly it looked good! I love it when that happens, it always makes me think “I’m a real professional.” Giving Miguel that red balloon to hold really pulled the composition together. It bugs my kid (7) that Miguel doesn’t have the same balloon in the book. But kids being bugged by inaccurate book covers is a classic feature of childhood.

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book? 
Anyone can make something that’s really cool!

YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?

I had Game Changer from Dropout on in the background while I was working, especially when I was slogging through the final two-month push to get all the art done in time.

YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?

This isn’t an office supply, but I often use an online body doubling app called Focus Mate. It pairs you with a stranger working somewhere else in the world. For some reason it really helps me get over working blocks to have someone else working “beside” me! (Also I am not tempted to chat because I don’t know them).

YABC: What kind of animal would your main character be and why?

A lion cub!

YABC: If you could collaborate with any other writer in history, who would it be?

I am a big fan of Viginia Wolfe but she doesn’t seem like she would be easy to collaborate with. It would be wild to get to illustrate a book by Margaret Wise Brown!

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

Transferring feelings effectively

YABC: What new release book are you looking forward to in 2026?

I just ordered a copy of Mr Wolf’s Class – The New Student, by Aron Nels Steinke. My kid loves that series, and I do too.

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

I am working on another children’s picture book with Abrams, called Zully’s Best Hideout! I think folks are going to love it! Please keep an eye out in 2028!