OMC: What do you think the message is that kids will get from "Little Skink's Tail"?

JH: The story encourages children to be comfortable with themselves as they are. But this message came about completely on its own as the story unfolded. I didn't plan it or have this message in mind at all. But I'm very happy and proud that this message of diversity became part of the story.

I think kids reading or hearing "Little Skink's Tail" will most of all have fun. Kids find it very humorous seeing Little Skink in a squirrel's or an owl's tail. They also are very concerned about Little Skink and how things will turn out for her after she loses her tail. At the same time, kids will learn a bit of science. They¹ll learn about where and how skinks live, who lives with them, and what skinks do to defend themselves.

OMC: What do you think makes a good book for kids? How do writers find something that will resonate with young readers?

JH: I think a children's book has to be first of all a good story. Kids have to want to read or hear a picture book over and over again. I think in many ways I'm still a kid at heart. So I hope that what I find captivating and exciting, kids will find captivating and exciting, too. We have four grown children and four grandchildren, so I have a well of "kid" inspiration to draw from, including my own childhood on a farm in mid-Michigan. And now, I have the added inspiration of all the kids coming to hear me read "Little Skink's Tail"!

OMC: Do you have an all-time favorite children's book?

JH: Many of my favorite children's books are the ones that I read over and over again with my children. I suspect they are favorites not only for the stories but for the wonderful memories associated with them. A few of them are: "Harry the Dirty Dog," "Horton Hatches the Egg," "The Monster at the End of This Book," "Elihu the Musical Gnu" and the Beatrix Potter stories. Some recent favorites are "Kitten's First Full Moon," "Cardinal and Sunflower" and "Freedom Riders."

OMC: Do you think people are reading to children like they ought to?

JH: It is so important for adults to read to children. It¹s important for the kids because reading opens so many worlds to them and helps them to become good readers. Children who can read well have a great advantage in school and throughout their lives. But reading is also important for the caregivers. A child and a caregiver enjoying a story together is one of the best bonding experiences ever. I don't know if caregivers are reading less today, but I think if caregivers enjoy reading to children, they'll have plenty of eager children crowding around to listen.

OMC: Can you tell us what you're working on next?

JH: I have a picture book biography, "Seven Miles to Freedom, the Robert Smalls Story." for ages 7 to 12 coming out this spring from Lee & Low Books. It's the story of a slave who was the pilot of a Confederate gunboat in Charleston Harbor during the Civil War. As the pilot, he learned the secret signals for passing the forts in the harbor. Then early one morning he and the crew picked up their families and sneaked the boat out to the Union fleet that had set up a blockade outside the harbor. For the rest of the Civil War, Robert Smalls worked as a civilian pilot for the Union and later served five terms in Congress.

I also have another picture book, "Bewitching the Chickadees," published by Windstorm Creative, coming out in 2008, which my daughter Laura Halfmann is illustrating. It's her first time illustrating a book, and we're both extremely excited.