I just had an adventure that could have come straight out of a book. In fact, it sort of did! It got me thinking about how much children’s books can bring us joy.

Do you know the opening page to Goldfish on Vacation, my completely true made-up story about one summer in New York? It says:

“Sometimes it’s hard being a child in the summer in the city. All your friends leave and there’s no one to play with. You dream of escaping the steamy heat, too. But instead here you are in an apartment. Going round and round in circles.”

Well I was stuck in MY apartment, escaping the heat and watching the Olympics, when there was a knock at my door.

My neighbor Peter told me there was something happening at Hamilton Fountain, and I should come see at once. He happened to be walking by and saw a family taking pictures and admiring the fountain and pointing to nearby buildings, and he wondered if it had something to do  with my book.

And sure enough – it did! They were visiting NYC from Asheville, North Carolina and top of their list to see?  Hamilton Fountain from my book, Goldfish on Vacation.

I walked up to them and introduced myself as the writer of the very book they were holding! They all almost lost their minds.

We looked at the fountain and the buildings and took lovely photos – and the best part? The children are writers and illustrators, too!

Olivia (13) is a writer. And she especially loves to write poetry. Her dad asked me about how I came to write. I told him I always loved to write as a child. He asked what made the jump to publication. I told him that didn’t really happen until much much later. But the most important thing you can do is write. Keep writing. The most important thing isn’t an agent or a publisher—but writing the best book you can write. 

And so for Olivia—I told her to  just keep writing. When Olivia told me  she wants to be a writer  I said, “But you  already are a writer—because a writer is someone who writes.” (Note: the crucial difference—I didn’t say a writer is someone who is published.)

So for any writers out there—just keep going! Keep showing up! Keep writing! Read everything! And one day —who knows? — maybe I’ll be the one traveling quite a long way to visit the place (or fountain) your book is based on.

(Here are more of my tips for aspiring writers.)

Elizabeth (10) is an illustrator. So how exciting! A picture book is a story told in two languages: word and image. So there they are, the two key creators of a picture book—authors of words and images—right there in the same family!

Lincoln (11) is a fantastic reader. A really passionate one. Of all the things a story needs, what is the most essential thing that a story absolutely  needs to come alive? A reader. He told me about reading My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and how it inspired him to build a gigahut — just like Sam Gribley did in that book. I loved hearing how this family not only reads books but experiences them and makes them come alive — like they did by building a hut and visiting Hamilton Fountain.

Michael (14) is an incredible sportsman. And right now, what am I reading? Nothing! Because Olympics. Nonstop. All the time. And also how sophisticated and mature and wise he is to still love picture books and be just as excited as his younger siblings about them—excited enough to come to meet up at the fountain. Some people think you graduate from picture books. But they are (respectfully) wrong. You never, ever grow out of picture books. I certainly haven’t. Not the best picture books. You grow with them. And into them. And they fill your heart up with joy.

And who doesn’t need more joy?

On the hottest day in NYC, when we were getting all kinds of heat alerts and directed to cooling centers and given scary warnings about staying indoors, a picture book brought us all together. And filled our hearts with joy.

And this concludes this serendipitous summer adventure with this beautiful, inspiring family — truly one of my favourite gifts my Goldfish book has given me.

Oh dear. My feet don’t touch the ground… like the littlest of the little kids!

PS: Thanks to Read-Aloud Revival for featuring Goldfish on Vacation — which is how this lovely family heard about my book!