I’m fascinated by the weird and unusual animals that populate our planet. He kept my students and me mesmerized with stories of giant clams, tube worms as tall as a humans and black smokers spewing toxic chemicals. I asked if he would be willing to visit my classroom to share pictures and stories of his work as a pilot. Michelle: When I was teaching 4 th grade, I met a former Alvin Pilot through a friend. What was it that first sparked that fascination? What fanned the flame and kept it stoked as you pushed onward in your research (as it sounds like there was a ton of it) and continued to persevere with your manuscript? Me: The ALVIN is a fascinating subject to study and you’re obviously passionate about it. Without Nicole Wong’s gorgeous illustrations, the book does not fully make sense- readers would have no idea what Alvin or the deep ocean animals look like.
While Flying Deep is a non-fiction picture book, the same applies. A true picture book requires both to work. Michelle: I love the interplay between art and text. Me: What draws you to writing picture books? The book has received a starred review in Kirkus, as well as being listed by The Washington Post as one of the Best New Books for Children!
It shows the reader exactly what it is like to be inside of the ALVIN, what wonderful creatures of the deeps sea explorers might find, and the story doesn’t bore the reader for even a second of it! THAT takes talent my friends! And it has already started to get recognition for that. “Flying Deep” is her debut picture book and the culmination of a dream that took years of work. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter. She hopes readers will be inspired to explore their worlds. She has trekked to places such as Machu Picchu in Peru and the Sahara Desert in Morocco. She has lived in the Philippines, where she first observed colorful fish in their native environment, and in Ireland, where she and her family hiked “The Burren,” an otherworldly landscape made of limestone. She has been exploring natural places since she was a child growing up on a farm in Southeastern, Massachusetts.
That is how I got to know her before her debut picture book was released at the end of May. Today’s author, Michelle Cusolito, has been a part of the picture book community for quite a while. Today’s picture book is one I’ve been waiting to share with you and it is well worth the wait! It is creative non-fiction told in an incredible second person point of view that helps the reader to dive into the text and participate right along with the deep-sea submersible ALVIN.
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