Shaunda Wenger, writing as S.K. Wenger, is an author and awarded science teacher who grew up among the mountains and lakes of New Hampshire and then found another beautiful backdrop in Utah to raise three children with her husband. With both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science and numerous adventures in the outdoors Shaunda loves weaving tidbits of the natural world into her stories and feels extra sparkly when they pivot on humor. Her published works include Chicken Frank, Dinosaur! (Albert Whitman 2021), educational leveled-readers (Benchmark and Richard C. Owen, Publisher), and poems and nonfiction in BabyBug and Cricket magazines. When Shaunda sits down to write, she leans toward creating stories that leave readers wanting to step into the world and follow where their curiosities lead them. Today, we have the chance to chat with Shaunda about her picture book Chicken Frank, Dinosaur!.
• What was your author journey like? What brought you to picture books?
My journey started in 1995 when I was hired to write for another author about my experiences in Rocky Mountain National Park where I had done research for two years as a graduate student. Soon after, I began learning about how to write for children with short-stories and leveled-readers for educational publishers. Then I delved into poetry and saw a few pieces published in Babybug and Cricket magazines. This was followed by a dive into writing humorous MG, which led to partnering with my first agent, but after a while I had to take a few years off to focus on health and other issues. When I returned to writing in 2018, I jumped back into what I had been working on all along since the beginning—picture books. CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR was the third manuscript I wrote that year. By 2020 I was blessed to find a publisher for it.
• Where did the inspiration for your book, CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR! come from?
The idea for Chicken Frank came to me one day when my students and I watched “Building a Dinosaur from a Chicken,” which is a TedTalk video with paleontologist, Jack Horner. He joked about not having to retro-engineer a dinosaur from dormant genes (despite the wishes of all kindergartners), because modern dinosaurs already exist in the form of a chicken. That idea struck me as funny, and Chicken Frank bloomed on the spot in my imagination. I knew I wanted to tell his story.
• What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR?
I hope that readers walk away with an interest in exploring the evolutionary connections between birds and dinosaurs more closely, as well as evolutionary relationships between other types of animals.
• How did you come to write this book, are there any interesting experiences researching or experimenting in it.
The book came together in pieces. First, I had a vague story structure based on a chicken proclaiming he was a dinosaur. But I quickly realized I had no idea how chickens normally act. I didn’t know how any of Frank’s dinosaur-like antics would make him different from his friends/family, so I researched chicken behavior. This research was followed by a deep-dive into the genetic links between birds and dinosaurs—from both the widely accepted data to those that are less supported in the scientific community. The research side of writing turned out to be a lot more involved than I ever imagined it would be. But everything I learned was fascinating! My most eye-opening discovery was that even though alligators seem to be more dinosaur-like than birds with their big teeth and appearance, they are not dinosaurs at all! They evolved BEFORE dinosaurs from a group of reptiles called Archosaurs. Dinosaurs came on the scene, so to speak from the same group, after alligators and crocodiles had already taken shape on the planet.
• What is the most challenging thing you faced while writing or researching CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR?
Deciding which links between dinosaurs and birds should be included, as well as how to deliver the information in a way that kids would understand.
• How was the editorial process? Did you do any revisions?
Oh, my goodness, yes! It was quite involved. The original version of the story was written in 3rd person and followed a traditional story arc. However, the publisher was more interested in a comic-style structure with fast-paced dialogue. Although the main beats of the story are still intact, some of the character-building sequences were no longer needed and one of the steps toward the resolution (a DNA test) now begins the story on page 1. Despite these big changes, it still feels like the same story to me. The theme and obstacles are the same, but it is built around a different format.
• Based on your own experiences, what would you say goes into making a children’s book, including the collaboration process between illustrator and writer?
So much sweat equity! A lot of chair time. A lot of imagination time. A lot of patience and believing in the process. I didn’t collaborate with the illustrator. My editors worked with Jojo Ensslin, so I just trusted in their collective guidance and experience in knowing how to bring it all together.
• What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)? What was your favorite thing about reading when you were younger?
Reading the stories aloud with my mother and brother before bedtime.
• What’s up next for you?
I recently signed with my agent, Stacey Kondla of The Rights Factory, and I can’t wait to see where we go in this literary adventure together.
• What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Never give up. Your next word is always better than your last, because it is blazing a trail toward discovering what awaits around the corner.
CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR! 978-0807511411 Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Amazon
October 1, 2021 by S. K. Wenger and Jojo Ensslin (Albert Whitman)
Book Description: Chicken Frank, Dinosaur! is about a spunky chicken who wants to convince his barnyard friends that he is a dinosaur. Of course, this isn’t an easy feat, because none of them believe him. When a DNA test inspires Frank to hold a reunion with a distant toothy relative, his friends worry that he’ll become a tasty chicken nugget. Instead, the meeting leads to a surprising discovery.
Thank you S. K. Wenger for stopping by and for sharing your inspiring journey!
Find more about S. K. Wenger at https://www.skwenger.com/
