by TLC Nielsen
April 2017
I met a very interesting person and her fictional sidekick
Robin Bird a year or two ago (time flies when you’re having fun!) Rosemarie
Pagano writes in a scientific mix of facts and faith, which is fascinating. She
writes articles for education magazines such as Schoolhouse Teachers and Molly
Green, while maintaining her Robin Bird Explorer website and working to boot.
Welcome, Rosemarie!
Q) When did your sidekick Robin come into existence?
A) Robin
Bird was hatched around 10 years ago. I
was sitting outside on my deck watching the birds. They’ve always fascinated me. I grew up with canaries and parakeets and my mom’s
enthusiasm for birds and wildlife was infectious. We always took time to stop and watch the
birds.
A robin
pulled a worm out of the ground. I had
seen that happen many times. I loved the way they tilt their heads before
pouncing on the worm. This, I learned
recently, was not because they could hear the worms. Worms aren’t particularly noisy, but the
robin feels their vibrations as they move through the soil.
This
sparked an idea. I got out my blue gel
pen and graph paper (yes, I am quirky about my writing tools) and started to
write. Robyn Byrd. I got fancy with the spelling and gave her
some characteristics. She had siblings
and they all lived in a treehouse. Hey,
a story was hatching!
Q) So how did Robin develop to where she is now?
A) My
first super rough draft was about Robin Bird (I changed the spelling to be more
SEO friendly) and her bird sisters Jay and Wren. Their parents left the nest long ago and flew
to live in Florida. Robin was quiet and
studied worms. She was an oddball
because, instead of eating worms, she collected them and kept them in a worm
bin, as pets.
Wren
was a tiny, nonstop talker who wore tweed suits. She was a busybody who chirped into
everyone’s business. Jay was a loud and
bossy Blue Jay who coached a girl birds volleyball team. Imagine birds playing volleyball! Anything goes in the super rough draft. Jay had a bright blue Mohawk and blew a
whistle at everyone.
The
Bird sisters lived in a giant treehouse in the quiet town of Roundtree. This treehouse was the largest in North
America. Wow. The neighbors were people. Again, anything goes in a super rough
draft. They didn’t like the mess and the
noise the Bird sisters made and complained constantly about them. Jay swept her peanut shells off the treehouse
porch every day and they’d land on Mrs. Parson’s picnic table. Wren’s constant chirping and chattering, plus
Jay’s whistle blowing, forced the neighbors to close their windows. Sleeping in past sunrise was impossible on
the weekends with birds as neighbors.
Because
this was a nice story, drama came in the form of flooding rain. The neighbors,
who lived in houses, panicked and looked for higher ground. Roundtree was as flat as a stepped-on
pancake. The Bird sisters looked down
from their high perch in the treehouse and the neighbors looked up at them as
the water rose up to their knobby knees.
The
Bird sisters huddled and Wren’s chirping became a whisper. Jay blew her whistle and Robin quickly
dropped the rope ladder. Wren set the
table and got busy making ants on a log for a snack. The neighbors stopped complaining about their
wet feet and climbed up the shaky rope ladder.
Mrs. Parsons had the hardest time when her big, wet (size 11) feet kept
getting stuck in the rungs.
Twelve
neighbors fit comfortably in the giant treehouse and munched the ants on a
log. They waited until the flooding
stopped and appreciated the hospitality and kindness of the Bird sisters.
Q) Why did you choose Robin and science as your writerly
focus?
A) I
have a biology degree and experience working in medical microbiology. I don’t like worms. But, as I researched vermicomposting, I
became fascinated with the incredible work they do. They really are tiny tillers and rock star
composters.
I put
this story in the drawer for another year.
Who wants to read about talking birds?
No one. I focused on other topics
and enrolled in a fiction course through the Institute of Children’s
Literature. Robin Bird came out of the
drawer and I made her into a girl. She
wore brown corduroy shorts, a bright orange T-shirt and carried a doctor’s bag
filled with worm collecting tools. She called herself the “Worm Whisperer” and set up a Wormatorium
in her basement. She had parents and two
older siblings, Jay and Wren. No one understood
Robin and no one had the worm love. It
was a boring story that screeched to a halt.
I didn’t give up.
 |
| Robin Bird |
I went
to several writers’ conferences to seek expert advice. One editor suggested I change Robin to a
boy. Another suggested my secondary
character, Wallace, take over. Each
suggestion left me more confused and frustrated. So I put the whole pile of pages, drawings,
worm notes, and research back into a larger drawer and stepped away,
again. I knew it wasn’t the end of Robin
Bird. She had so much to say. I just didn’t know how to let her tell her
story.
Q) What unexpected things have happened to you along the
way?
A) I
met a wonderful editor and teacher through the Illinois chapter of SCBWI
(Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators) and set up an appointment
for a critique. Editor Esther Hershenhorn’s reaction to my story was an
unexpected surprise. She asked about my biology/ microbiology
background. I’ll never forget what she said that day, “Rosemarie, I strongly
recommend you use Robin Bird to teach science.”
Wow,
that was my light bulb moment! I love
science and I love Robin Bird, but to put them together was a major
breakthrough. Ideas started to
flow. I started to “see” Robin Bird as a
curious explorer enthusiastically teaching cool science subjects. I will always be thankful to Esther for
opening a can of worms!
Q) What’s next for you on your writing journey?
A) What
an incredible journey I have had with Robin Bird! I am so grateful for the Lord ordering each
and every step of this journey. It isn’t
over. I am grateful for the opportunity
to share science and nature with young explorers. Another part of the journey is to create more
online Bible study courses. I am currently
working on Psalm 104.
 |
| Rosemarie Pagano |
Interested in finding out more about Robin Bird and Rosemarie?
You read this first on the Extraordinary Ordinary Blog
