Ode to the BGHB Committee:

Oh BGHB Committee,
You pored through piles, far and wide,
then saw our Ode and peeked inside—
bloody knees, a missing treat,
boring chores, and cheet-cheet-cheet.
Your thoughtful readers, skilled and sage,
related to its every page.
We thank you for this fine award;
it’s all that we’d been working toward—
for real-life kids and their bad days,
to feel redeemed in all the ways.

One night, as I tucked in my five-year-old daughter, we heard the cheet-cheet-cheet of a cricket. She was immediately annoyed. “I can’t sleep — can we get it outside?” With every cheet-cheet-cheet, we looked up, down, and all around and could not figure out where this cricket was cheeting from! My daughter was out-of-her-mind frustrated — her eyes dizzy like spinning wheels, her cheeks flushed, her fists clenched. “WHERE ARE YOU, CRICKET?”

Those moments that seem to us so minor or inconsequential, for a child, can feel MONUMENTAL. And their feelings can feel monumental too. I wanted to honor those emotions in an authentic, heartfelt, yet humorous way. I started to investigate what sorts of daily challenges children are up against: getting dressed, eating soggy cereal, being rushed around or dragged to the store. Then I remembered my own grievances as a kid: line-cutters (the injustice!), when my mom forgot to pack dessert in my lunch, or having the hiccups!

We never did find the pesky insect. But at one point, my daughter said to the cricket, “I’ll just name you Gerty, and we will be friends.” It made us both laugh. I love how she decided to confront it directly. I think it was empowering and healing for her.

Children have a built-in inequality of power in this world, so in this story, I wanted our child to be able to speak directly and honestly to the moments that annoyed them. I also believe there is often something weirdly wonderful about the hard things we face. That’s how the Ode structure came to be.

I owe a massive ode to my editor, Taylor Norman, for believing in this dramatic darling and who connected with this story from her kid-self — respecting the very real emotions and supporting their reality. I want to ode to my agent, Jen Rofé, for always being a champion for me and my work. I’d like to ode to Hyewon Yum for being the most incredible partner on this book and bringing it all to life. And, of course, an ode to Chronicle for all they do to make incredible books.

For any and all of you experiencing a bad day, just remember…

I’m so annoyed, but not destroyed.

[Read Horn Book reviews of the 2024 BGHB Picture Book winners.]

From the January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. For more on the 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, click on the tag BGHB24.