The family memoir House of Houses is another book for adults in the nonfiction mode that was a great source of pleasure. It’s not a book I ever expected to write, but I come from a very close family, and a lot of my children’s books have family themes. So, House of Houses was a way to spend time thinking about some of the most important voices in my life, which is why I think family stories are so important.
It’s fun to point out that the children’s book, The Rainbow Tulip, actually began in House of Houses. And when I realized this experience that my mom had had in the first grade, being the translator you know, many children around the country are the translator generation. Their families speak one language at home. The child speaks another language at school, and the child becomes that translator. So, my mother was that.
And had I not written House of Houses, I would never have heard that story about the May parade and her experience. And so when I finished House of Houses, I thought, “Well, I’m going to take that story out and do it as a picture book.”
And I may do that with some of the stories about my dad, who was also quite a character. And I think it would give me a lot of pleasure to do some of the books about him.
I’ve also written five poetry collections for adults. Students always say, “Well, which is your favorite form?” And I always say, “Well, poetry’s my favorite form.” It’s probably because it’s the most challenging. In many ways, it’s the most playful of the forms, I think.
