Free for You and Me

What made you want to write a picture book about the First Amendment?

I'm glad you asked! I'd often heard kids telling one another "It's a free country!" but I realized they didn't always know what that meant. In fact, I realized a lot of adults aren't entirely sure of some of our constitutional principles. But I thought I'd start with kids, and began playing with the idea of a book to introduce young readers to the Constitution. The challenge was how to boil down those complex concepts in an engaging way. I often experiment with poetry, which can effectively cut to the heart of a feeling or idea. I started writing short poems about the First Amendment, and the book grew from there. I wrote a poem about each of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment (free speech, free press, freedom of religion, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to petition the government) and then added stories and historical background. It was really fun to see the bright, kid-friendly illustrations that Manu Montoya created for this book, and I hope kids and adults enjoy reading this together--and having some interesting discussions about the ideas in the book, and in our Constitution."