Happy World Turtle Day! It’s the perfect day to welcome Jana Locke, a picture book author and self-proclaimed passionate public servant, to Frog on a Blog to share her book Vote for Turtle. It might be a presidential election year, but Jana’s adorable book features something a whole lot more fun, especially for kids: voting for state symbols (and, of course, turtles). Vote for Turtle is a great first introduction to civic participation, democracy, and politics, as well as to how kids can make a difference by raising awareness of things that are important to them. Let’s hear more from Jana!

Congratulations on the publication of your timely picture book Vote for Turtle! Tell us about the story and what inspired it.

JL: Thank you, Lauri! I am really honored to be here. I loved reading your past reviews and interviews, and I created a long to-read list based on your featured authors and books.

Vote for Turtle is a story about a shy student named Ella who loves turtles more than anything. While her class is learning about the different symbols of their state, Ella notices that her state doesn’t have a state reptile. Normally content to stay quiet in class, Ella is drawn out of her shell (ha ha) as she advocates for her beloved turtle, first, among her classmates, and then, ultimately, at the state capitol. Vote for Turtle is a picture book about civic engagement and kids making a difference. I hope that the story shows that young people have the power and ability to influence elected officials and participate in democracy, even if they can’t vote yet.

This book is inspired by and based on true stories of kids creating state symbols in many states. All states have symbols, from flags to flowers and mottos to minerals, that represent their natural, cultural, and social heritage. Students across the country have been responsible for proposing and passing laws to create new state symbols in multiple states, and my story is a fictional account of their efforts. When I was doing research for this story, I found many compelling examples of groups of kids seeing the need for a new symbol, speaking up, and successfully initiating and passing a bill through the legislature. I thought the creation of a new symbol was a really tangible, accessible, and powerful way of teaching kids about the lawmaking process through a picture book. It took me many years and many drafts to figure out how to tell the story in a succinct but meaningful way, and I hope I accomplished that! My goal is to write books that befriend kids for life and inspire them to impact the world around them.

Why do you feel it’s important for kids to learn about democracy and the process of creating laws?

JL: Civics is really about co-creating the world we live in; it’s about a shared investment in protecting the social fabric that binds us together. Theodore Roosevelt said, “The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” Like anything, being a civically engaged citizen takes exposure and practice. Paying attention to current events, knowing who your local representatives are, and voting are all habits to develop. If kids (and adults for that matter) understand that they can make a difference, they are more likely to participate in democratic processes. I think it is sometimes easy for everyone, kids and adults, to feel like we are powerless to affect anything around us, that our vote or our voice doesn’t matter, and to sort of opt out as a result. I hope this book shows that we can all make a difference if we take the time to participate in the process.

Where can readers go to learn more about their own state’s symbols?

JL: There are a lot of great resources for this, but the most comprehensive one I’ve found is a website I’ve included in the back matter of my book called statesymbolsusa.org. Each state’s government also usually has a site that lists the symbols. There are some standard symbols that every state has, like a flag and a flower, but what I find really interesting is what unique symbols states choose. For example, Alaska’s state fossil is a wooly mammoth, California’s state fabric is denim, Maryland’s state sport is jousting, and Mississippi’s state toy is a teddy bear! As far as I know, each of these items was created by law, and school children or specific groups of citizens are often behind the efforts to pass these types of laws. Some have very interesting stories about how they came to be. I’m from Colorado, so the illustrator showcased some Colorado symbols to show what Ella’s class was studying in the book.

How was Summer Morrison chosen to illustrate Vote for Turtle, and were the two of you able to collaborate at all on the art for your book?

JL: I love Summer’s art; it is so inviting and engaging. Summer was one of a few illustrators that my publisher offered, and we met a couple of times via Zoom during the process. I tried to leave a lot of room for the illustrator in the manuscript and to not be overly prescriptive of the pictures. It was amazing to me how Summer caught on to certain parts of the text and was able to enhance the words with her drawings. She added layers to the story through the illustrations, like showing Ella, the main character, wearing a hoodie as a way for her to hide, kind of like wearing a shell. As Ella gathers courage, her hood drops. I thought this was a beautiful way to show a character trait without adding to the story’s word count.

Can you share an interesting fact about turtles?

JL: I really love turtles! This is part of my collection of little turtles that my dad started many years ago and that I inherited and have continued to add to over the years.

They are fascinating creatures, in my view. My favorite fact about turtles is that they are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are nearly universal creatures, which is rare.

Turtles are known for being pretty stoic, and are not what you think of as cuddly. But, I had a recent experience that has me researching whether turtles show affection. My family and I were at Sea World last month and we were watching the giant tortoises. Two were parked right in front of us, and one was off to the side a bit. The one on the side slowly lifted its head and set out very purposefully but very slowly toward its friends. This was a tortoise on a mission! It took a minute or two, but this tortoise crossed the 15 feet to the others. My daughter and I were wondering what it was going to do – was it going to collide with the others? Was it being aggressive? It stopped directly perpendicular to another tortoise, and very slowly put its head right against the other. It was very sweet and made me wonder if even the hardest shelled creatures have soft feelings.

Vote for Turtle received a Firebird Book Award. Congratulations! Please tell us a little about that achievement!

JL: Thank you! I was very honored to receive this award. As an independently published author, I am thankful for awards like this that highlight the work of small presses that might not otherwise be recognized. I love that the entry fees for this award go to supporting people, including children, who are experiencing homelessness, and the children’s books, once reviewed and scored, are distributed at shelters. So I was delighted to win, and also delighted to help support a great cause.