As promised from my August post, here is the interview and background of author Kathy J. Perry’s book I read, Whispers Across the Prairie.
What’s It About?
On the wide prairie, friendship begins in silence.
On the wide Missouri prairie, ten-year-old Emeline O’Connor knows how to listen-to the wind moving through tall grass, to the rhythm of farm life, to the steady comfort of her family’s love.
But when a new neighbor boy arrives-one who does not speak and seems to live by different rules of sound and silence-Emeline realizes there are many kinds of listening she has yet to learn.
As she navigates chores, friendships, and misunderstandings, Emeline must decide whether she is brave enough to slow down, pay attention, and truly see someone who communicates in ways unfamiliar to her. With patience, kindness, and a growing understanding of the world beyond her own experiences, she begins to discover that some of the most important conversations happen without words at all.
Whispers Across the Prairie is a tender historical novel about empathy, friendship, and learning to listen with the heart.
My Review:
Emeline befriends a neighbor boy close to her age, and it changes how she looks at the world. Her new friend is deaf.
Whispers Across the Prairie is a beautifully written book and would be an excellent book for read-aloud sessions at home and in classrooms.
1) First of all, tell us more about your story, “Whispers Across the Prairie.”
Oddly enough, Whispers Across the Prairie is the third book of—and the prequel to—the Emeline series where a twelve-year-old orphaned girl has multiple adventures as she makes her way through life until she’s about 17. In this book, Emeline is ten in this one and living with her parents on their farm in Kearney, Missouri in 1887.
It’s turned out to be the “hinge book” between Emeline’s stories and Charlie’s stories. I’m currently writing two more books from Charlie’s point of view.
2) What inspired you to write this story?
A long time ago, I used to be captivated by a woman at church who sat in the back and used ASL to translate the pastor’s message to a deaf man. I never thought I’d write about it, but I’ve always been interested in helping people. That’s why I became a teacher.
3) What research did you have to do to make this story?
We’re fortunate to have the Kansas School for the Deaf right here in our city. It’s only about 45 minutes to an hour from my home, depending on traffic. It started with their library, but I’ve met with Molly Rothwell, Early Childhood/Elementary Principal, several times. She’s introduced me to three young students who have been beta readers for Whispers Across the Prairie and have agreed to do the same for the upcoming books, as well. And she arranged for a Zoom meeting between herself and one of the alumni, David Wilcox, who knows a great deal about the early years at the school.
4) What’s to come?
Writing from Charlie’s point of view has been very different. From the start, he has little to no language or connection with people, but he does connect well with animals. I decided to call this next book Connection. It is divided into three sections: When I Was Eight, When I Was Nine & Ten, and When I Was Eleven & Twelve. The very beginning of the books says this:
My name is Charles Sawyer.
I was eight years old when this story began.
I am eighteen now. I have told these memories with signs, and my friend Oliver has helped me put them into words.
The next book will be the next four years of his life. That title will be Purpose. People who read these books will have a true understanding of what it feels like to be part of the Deaf community, to find one’s place, and successfully function with independence.
Possibly even more challenging is the audiobook versions of these. I’ve selected a narrator that has an uncanny ability to bring these stories to life—even without different character voices, and so forth. His name is Elliot Schiff.
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Thank you so much Kathy for taking time out of your busy schedule to tell us more about your book. I’m looking for more to come.
If you have any questions for Kathy and her book, please leave them in the comment section below.
Thank you and as always,
Happy Reading!
Rosie
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