Brooklyn native Laura Numeroff is the author of more than two dozen children’s books, including the beloved “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” series. Her books have been translated and sold in countries all over the world. Here, she talks about her new book, “The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza,” growing up in Brooklyn, and her passion for children’s literacy.
Your latest book, “The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza,” is about a love of reading. What inspired you to write it?
It’s actually the second in a series about four little girls, and each of the girls has her own favorite thing to do—one of them is a reader, like I was. I wanted to write a book about a little girl who loves to read and actually gets her little friends, who don’t, to enjoy reading.
Your books “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie,” “If You Give A Pig A Pancake” and the like have become staples of many children’s libraries. Where did your inspiration come from?
The inspiration came when I was antsy on a long, boring car trip. I came up with this vision in my head of a mouse nibbling on a cookie. I actually had the whole idea in my head by the time we got to where we were going, which has never happened to me before. Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened to me since!
Where in Brooklyn did you grow up, and what did you enjoy about your childhood there?
I grew up about ten minutes from Sheepshead Bay in Flatbush, and I am so proud to have grown up in a borough that was so ethnically mixed. We used to roller skate in the street. My parents would take me into Manhattan to do all kinds of wonderful things, like go to all the great museums, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown. For me it was a great place to grow up.
Tell me about First Book, the program you’ve partnered with to promote children’s literacy.
First Book is a non-profit that gives brand-new books to kids that would never have otherwise had them. They told me a story about a little boy who received a book from the program and said, “When do I have to give it back?” They’re just about to donate their 6 millionth book.
Recently, First Book teamed up with the mattress manufacturer Sleepy’s to launch the reading campaign Sleepy’s Bedtime Stories. What’s that all about?
It’s really important for parents to read to their children for 20 minutes each night. Studies have shown that doing so not only creates a wonderful bond between parents and children, but it also increases intelligence in school. Parents could go online and promise to read to their child, and then Sleepy’s donated money to First Book. So it was a win-win situation.
One last question: Have you, in fact, ever given a mouse a cookie?
Yes! It was in my house. I’m an animal lover, I wasn’t afraid of it. I didn’t have much in the house; I just had cookies, so I crumbled one!
