Book Giveaway: MOLES PRESENT THE NATURAL TOLLS OF DIGGING HOLES by Springer Badger

Springer Badger has written and illustrated their debut picture book, MOLES PRESENT THE NATURAL TOLLS OF DIGGING HOLES, and published by Page Street Kids. It is available now in bookstores. PSK has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner living in the United States.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. So, thanks for helping Springer.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Like busy moles, we humans dig an awful lot of holes to get things done, in the ground, in our oceans, and even in our bathrooms! We dig holes in sandboxes to play games with friends, on ancient sites to discover awesome treasure and fossils, and on farms to plant the food we eat. Unfortunately, we also dig holes that aren’t so wholesome―holes that rip apart the ground, spill dangerous chemicals, and permanently damage the earth. Going on this way means digging nature into a deeper hole, but used correctly, our shovels and machines might be able to help our planet instead of destroy it.

In whimsical rhyme and delightfully strange illustrations, these moles unearth the good and bad excitement happening beneath our feet, exposing our huge environmental impact and urging us to put our harmful ways back under construction.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Book Journey:
My book started as a simple idea of moles digging holes, and different reasons we dig in the earth. I had a lot of fun thinking of all the many holes out there and reasons to dig, some good, some bad. The way we shape the earth really does shape our society, and vice versa. For the ending I wanted to put a positive spin on it, so having the environmental message fit perfectly with the overall idea.

When Page Street Kids came along and asked if I could emphasize the environmental message even more I was, of course, thrilled. With all the destruction our world is faced with now, like climate change, it’s more important than ever to be environmentally responsible. As a first time author I didn’t know what to expect and was happy that Page Street Kids shared my feeling on the subject. So I pushed the message in the book more, even taking a couple jabs at fossil fuel companies.

 

While working on this book, it made me aware of a somewhat philosophy on holes. A hole is something that is both there, and not there, at the same time. It’s a real tangible thing, but also the absence of something. And a hole can only be defined by the matter that surrounds it, it’s not just empty space. In this way a hole is both positive and negative space. I like how well that fits with the
idea of “responsibility,” because our actions and can be positive or negative. And to me it’s about intent, and more importantly the consequences, as to whether or not it’s a positive or negative action.

So it’s up to us to decide which outcome we want. For the artwork I wanted a side-view cut-away design, like looking at an ant farm. This way the reader becomes an outside observer, rather than being fully immersed. It gives that perspective of “take a step back and examine these actions, and what can we learn?” With this type of page design, it was also pretty cool when I looked at references for oil and fracking rigs, because many of the drawings are also designed this way (possibly for engineering students?). There’s that same side-view cut-away layout.

They were drawings that were clearly meant to inform and educate, and show what is going on underneath in places we don’t normally see. Though I think my intent may differ a little bit from theirs. Another thing I wanted with my illustrations was a lot of different textures. When I think about dirt and rocks I get a very textural feeling. It also helped to break up the monotony of that side-view layout. So, though the overall design is the same, the textures really help to give a sense of scene change. This shows that the story isn’t just happening in one place, it’s happening everywhere, just like the destruction of the planet.

SPRINGER’S BIO:

Springer Badger favored a simple, clean art style for this book to make the busy spreads easy for readers to Understand. They earned a BFA in Illustration from the University of Central Missouri and are currently finishing an MFA in Children’s book Writing and Illustrating at Hollin University.

My name is Springer Badger. I am an Illustrauthor, so I write and illustrate my own books. I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. I currently live in Massachusetts with two furballs that keep eating all my catnip.

Springer, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I enjoyed the your whimsical rhyme and that along with your delightful illustrations mad me smile and laugh. It got me thinking about all the holes that run through planet Earth and how we need to think about how we treat our planet. Good Luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy