Anna Crowley Redding is the author of several nonfiction books for children, including Rescuing the Declaration of Independence, Google It: A History of Google, Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World, and Islandport's own Chowder Rules: The True Story of an Epic Food Fight. In her first career as an Emmy-award winning investigative television reporter, anchor, and journalist, she learned the power of asking the right questions. As the recipient of multiple Edward R. Murrow awards and recognized by the Associated Press for her reporting, Crowley Redding now focuses her stealthy detective skills on digging up great stories for young readers—which, as it turns out, is her true passion.
How was the picture book writing process different from writing for older children?
Writing for younger children allows me to play with alliterative language and rhythm to really play up the action the illustrator will bring to life.
What common threads run through all your books? Are there many similarities?
All of my books are ultimately about daring people, whether boldly saving a favorite food, trying to colonize Mars, saving the Declaration of Independence, or organizing the Internet. Each of these books are about passion and giving a goal everything you have!
You’re team “no tomato.” What other four “teams” are you a passionate member of? (For example, dog vs. cat, Red Sox vs. Yankees, etc.)
I am not a passionate sports fan however, I’m firmly team New England which means I cheer for New England sports teams!
How did you originally learn of this wacky story from history?
I read nonstop, news articles, newsletters, papers . . . and this story was featured in a history newsletter about New England. I completely freaked out when I read about Cleveland and what he did. I even loved the way he talked about this food fight. I knew I had to write his story and that this chowder hero should not be a footnote to history for one more minute!
If you could eat chowder made by any famous chef, who would you hire?
Honestly, we have so many talented chefs in Maine. We are spoiled that way. It would be too hard to choose.
Which food do you wish you could make illegal?
Tripe. I had it twice in Italy and I thought I would die.