By Isabella, Staff Writer

 

Ever wonder what went on in the mind of Judi Barrett, author of the famous children's picture book, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"? Wonder no more; our amazing Staff Writer and Interviewer, Isabella, gets the inside scoop on this delicious read and it's author from none other than Ms. Barrett, herself!

AK: How long did it take for you to write “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”?
JB: It took about a year, on and off.


AK: What inspired you to write this story?
JB: My love of food and silliness. And, I thought of the sentence, "Henry walked outside and got hit in the head with a meatball." The rest is history


AK: How did you come up with the title?
JB: I tried to combine food words and weather forecast phrases and I liked that one a lot!


AK: Is there a message in the story that you would like to get across to the readers?
JB: Just pure enjoyment and the absurdity of food falling from the sky.


AK: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
JB: I always loved writing but it didn't occur to me that I wanted to do it professionally until I graduated from college.


AK: Who helped you start your writing career and how did you get your first book published?
JB: No one helped me start, I just liked to write. After I finished "Old MacDonald had an Apartment House" it was brought to Atheneum (they were the third publisher it was shown to) and they bought it.


AK: Do you have any suggestions for aspiring kid writers?
JB: Write down every one of your thoughts and ideas in a notebook!


AK: Did you have a favorite author when you were growing up?
JB: A.A. Milne of "Winnie the Pooh" fame


AK: Did you ever imagine that your book would be made into a movie?
JB: Heavens no. But I hoped it would. And what a wonderful thing that is has been! It's a dream come true.

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