The gorgeous cover illustration is what first drew me to this book. What kept me is the story and its theme of kindness. Today, author Marcy Campbell and illustrator Corinna Luyken have joined me on the blog to share some personal stories from childhood in relation to the story, then I will share a story from my own childhood and six reasons to read this boo (and keep it and share it).
Author Interview
featuring Marcy Campbell
If we turned back the clock to visit your childhood self, how would little you introduce yourself?
“Hi, I’m Marcy.” (though I would have said ‘Mousey’ because I couldn’t pronounce my R’s). “I love school, especially English class, and I love animals!” Then, I would have proceeded to name and describe every pet on our farm, including the dozen or more barn cats.
Between Adrian and Chloe, which character would little you relate with more? Why?
I definitely would have related to both of them. I shared some of Chloe’s self-righteousness. I was a rule-follower as a kid, and it bothered me if other kids were breaking the rules. I wasn’t as empathetic as I could have been. Like Adrian, however, I had a big imagination. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as brave as Adrian in terms of being willing to share my creative side. Creativity was not something that was encouraged in my home, and I was made to feel “different.” At school, we were definitely expected to color inside the lines, both literally and metaphorically! I wish I could go back to “little me” and say to not be afraid to show your creative side, and to not be quick to judgement!
What was your creative outlet as a child? Your daydreams?
I spent much of my after-school hours alone (my siblings are quite a bit older, and we lived out in the country without nearby friends) dreaming up stories, usually telling them to my dogs! I made up stories all the time, sometimes writing them down, but often not. I used to lie on my back and look at clouds a lot and daydreamed about what I saw there. I did crafty things, too. I remember learning about how marionettes work by making a flamingo out of some scraps of cardboard and rope.
Did you ever stretch the truth as a child?
I don’t remember any specific lies, though I’m sure there must have been some! There were definitely some “lies of omission,” however. I remember doing a cartwheel in the family room, which was not allowed, and knocking the glass globe off the light fixture, breaking it. I was miraculously able to super glue it back together, so I didn’t tell anybody. My mom didn’t notice for almost a year, when she did her spring cleaning.
Tell us about something you felt was unjust as a child and what you did about it.
Living on a working dairy farm as I did, I had to face what I considered to be the injustice of sending animals to the slaughterhouse. I had a real fondness for Fern in “Charlotte’s Web,” not surprisingly! I had a very strong bond with a lot of our cattle, spent lots of time hanging out with them, brushing them, feeding them, following them around the pasture. I tried to explain to my dad that we should just keep them all throughout their old age, but I’m afraid my arguments didn’t go anywhere. Shortly after leaving home, I became a vegetarian.
Illustrator Interview
featuring Corinna Luyken
If we turned back the clock to visit your childhood self, how would little you introduce yourself?
I was a bit of a chatterbox, so I’d probably have said something like “Hi, I’m Corinna…I love gymnastics, boogie boarding, and coffee ice cream. I love to draw and paint and read. I love cats, gorillas, dolphins, killer whales, and orangutans. And I have an iguana!”
Between Adrian and Chloe, which character would little you relate with more? Why?
I would have related to both of them, but especially Adrian. Not because I was like him as a kid, but because he would have reminded me of two kids that I knew. A lot of kids at school weren’t very nice to them, and I have strong memories of telling my mom about these two boys and how they were treated, and then of my mom asking me to imagine what their life must be like at home. When I was even younger, there were a few boys that were bullying me at school, and she asked me the same question. What do you think their life is like at home for them to act that way? She taught me to look at people differently, to be kind.
A few years later, I remember one of those boys saying that I was one of the only kids at school that was nice to him. It kind of shocked me, and then it made me really sad. I’ve never forgotten that feeling of surprise mixed with guilt, because deep inside I knew that I could have been even kinder.
What was your creative outlet as a child? Your daydreams?
I always loved to draw, paint and write (mostly poems). When I was older, after school, I would watch Bob Ross on public television and paint.
Did you ever stretch the truth as a child?
I’m sure I must have, at least a little. Though there would have been some truth to any lie I told. I was an honest kid and people lying and doing things they weren’t supposed to (even on TV) made me incredibly uncomfortable. I couldn’t stand to watch most sitcom television for that reason.
But there was one time that I got in a fight with a boy. He had cut in front of a friend who was in line for tetherball. I told him not to and he got mad and we ended up in a fight (my first and last.) I remember that he was swinging me around in a big circle (I was small) and I was holding onto his shirt and it ripped. Later, in the principal’s office, they asked who had started the fight, and I lied. I said that he had, and because he was a boy who got into trouble and I was a good student, they believed me. In a way, he did start it, by cutting (that’s the stretching the truth part) but I knew deep inside that I was the one who had pushed him first. I remember that we were in the principal’s office together, and I couldn’t look him in the eye. I also remember that he was crying. He kept saying over and over that his brand new shirt was ripped and his mom was going to be SO mad.
The imbalance and injustice of the situation was pretty clear to me, even then. He didn’t seem to care much about being in the principal’s office, but he was so upset about his mom and the new shirt. My mom and I didn’t have a lot of money, but I knew his family had even less, in part because he wore the same clothes over and over. And he didn’t have many friends. Later all the kids laughed and joked about how I had beat him up (which wasn’t even true)… but I felt sick to my stomach because of the lie and how clear it was that this kid’s life at home was so different than mine.
Tell us about something you felt was unjust as a child and what you did about it.
That boy cutting in front of my friend in line was unjust! And so I spoke up. But because of the ensuing fight and lie, I became aware of an even bigger injustice. One that has to do with the home, the family, and the opportunities that each of us are born into. I think the only thing you can do once you realize how fortunate you are to have grown up in a home filled with love, to have felt supported and safe…is to be kind.
Illustrator Bio
Corinna Luyken lives with her husband and daughter in Olympia, WA. She is the author of The Book of Mistakes— an idea that would be nothing without her many, many mistakes.
You can find her at her Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Rudolph is NOT female: My Personal Story
I was able to relate with both Adrian’s creativity and Chloe’s self-righteousness. In particular, Chloe made me think about my childhood self. While I had an imagination and loved to create stories about anything and everything as a child, I saw the world in black and white, and it was this kind of thinking that got me sent to the principal’s office in kindergarten.
This is how the story goes…
One day, Little Crystal and her friends were goofing around the playground. A friends came up with the idea of playing make-believe. Little Crystal loved playing make-believe, so she quickly agreed. She decided to create her own character. Another friend wanted to be Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. Except, to Little Crystal’s horror, her friend didn’t just want to be Rudolph; she wanted to be a female Rudolph!
That sounds great, right? Yay for female empowerment!
The problem was that Little Crystal was madly in love with fictional animals. She devoured animal stories by the dozen. And she hated the idea of her beloved Rudolph changing in any way. Most of all, the change felt like a lie, and that bothered her. After all, Rudolph was NOT female!
Little Crystal gave good reasons why her friend couldn’t play a female Rudolph. Her friend could be Vixen if she wanted to be a female reindeer. Even better, she could be her own made-up, better reindeer. But Rudolph was NOT female.
No matter what Little Crystal said, her friend wouldn’t budge. She was going to be a female Rudolph.
Little Crystal was angry. It like a volcano was erupting within her. She made a motion to push her friend. She got within an inch of her friend…she thought about how good it would feel to bridge that last space between them, but her arms wouldn’t go through with the thought.
Rudolph was definitely NOT female, but it was also not right to hurt someone when she was angry. She began to feel bad for fighting with her friend. She even thought about apologizing—for almost hitting her friend, but not for defending Rudolph.
Her friend didn’t feel the same way. Her friend knocked her into the ground. So Little Crystal pushed back. They tumbled through the grass, trying to get the better of each other, until Little Crystal couldn’t remember why they were fighting.
Then the whistle blew. The recess monitor had seen them.
…
In the end, the recess monitor decided that I had made the first move and thereby at fault. I was sent to time out, where I refused to stay seated—because it was my friend who had pushed me first. It wasn’t fair to me that I be made to suffer alone when my friend made contact first. So the recess monitor forced me to the principal’s office. (I say forced because she had to carry me kicking and punching off the playground. Only after we left the playground did I demand to be allowed the dignity of walking to the principal’s office on my own two feet.)
In a children’s book, Little Crystal would have realized the error of her ways, she would make up with her friend, and they would play make-believe together. Little Crystal might have even acted the part of a female Balto or a female White Fang. (Though I would much rather invent my own female hero role than intrude upon the classics. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.)
I won’t bore you with all the details of the visit to the principal’s office, but it was the day that I learned the unfairness of the adult world. The principal accepted the recess monitor’s report without asking me for my side of the story. Not even my mother asked me what happened, at least not until we had a more private conversation at home. Even then, I had to insist that my mom listen to my story before she heard me out.
Oh, how self-righteous I was.
Sure, maybe the adult world wasn’t all that fair, but I could have given grace to the other girl. Maybe her way of paying homage to her favorite reindeer was to be him. Maybe she didn’t believe she could play the role of a male reindeer, so she had to make Rudolph female. I’ll never know because I didn’t ask that day. (And because I moved two years later, before we were old enough to exchange contact information and stay in touch.)
Fun fact that I learned while refreshing myself on the names of all of Santa’s reindeer: according to science, Santa’s reindeer are actually all female! So maybe my friend was actually on to something.
My Thoughts on the Book
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse is wonderful book about showing kindness.
Following are six reasons to read it, keep it, share it.
- The illustrations are gorgeous.
- You can play “Where’s Waldo?” with the horses hiding in the negative space of the illustrations at Adrian’s house.
- Chloe’s mother provides an exemplary parent role model (in providing Chloe with the opportunity to learn kindness).
- This book validates children like Adrian who have big imaginations.
- In the end, we see a budding friendship between Chloe and Adrian – teaching us that we can learn to love others when we open ourselves to seeing the world from another perspective.
- It portrays children from different social classes.
Would I buy it?
Yes, I would most definitely buy this book for a child or someone who loves picture books!
Chat with Me
What are some of your favorite picture books and what did you learn from them? Tell me a time when you learned to show kindness. Or, like me, didn’t show kindness but could have. What did you learn from this experience?
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
This sounds cute! I loved all the childhood stories. Luckily I was allowed to do cartwheels in the family room since it was pretty big and I was a gymnast lol. And ha, I had no idea that scientifically speaking Santa’s reindeer would be female! It does look like your friend was onto something 😛
Crystal says
Adrian Simcox is a really cute read. I enjoyed reading the author’s childhood stories as well. It was an interesting surprise to learn about the reindeer! (There goes my childhood… 😂) That’s fun how you were allowed to do cartwheels in the family room. My mom would have stopped me out of fear that I’d crash into something and hurt myself!
Ash says
This book looks stunning. I bet my son would like it. Picture books are huge with us right now, because he’s at that age that he loves them.
Crystal says
It’s fantastic. I hope your son enjoys this book, Ash!
Sophia Rose says
I am a sucker for a well-illustrated book with a strong theme running through the plot. This sounds like a good one for classrooms and families.
Crystal says
Same here. I love children’s books with beautiful illustrations and a good theme to share with younger readers. I will definitely bring this into classrooms and family events to read with children.
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the interviews. It is always fun to learn a little about the authors and illustrators behind the book.
Crystal says
I agree. It’s fun to learn more about the minds behind the book, and I had a lot of fun with the interviews!