Meet Valerie Bolling | Author/Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valerie Bolling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Connecticut in an extended family where one of my great-aunts read to me often, and my grandmother taught me how to write. I loved books and writing and learning. In first grade I learned how to read on my own and progressed from writing words to writing sentences; I especially liked writing rhyming sentences, exploring my knowledge of the phonics lesson of the day.

As an elementary student, I began to write stories that I entered in writing contests and won. I continued to submit my writing to contests and literary magazines throughout my educational career, including college. As a teacher, I encouraged my students to tell their stories and write poems, which we submitted to contests and literary publications. I experienced immense joy and pride when my students were recognized with awards for their writing. What made me most pleased though was seeing how excited and proud they were of themselves. I believe that the greatest gift I gave my students was inspiring them to be confident, competent writers.

The fact that I have always been a writer and was an educator for 30 years led me to where I am today: a published author. Most of the books I’ve written are for young children (picture, books, early readers, and board books), but I’ve also written a book (Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom) for teachers to help them guide their students to become better writers.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Thanks for being fans of my work. I’d be happy to share more about my publication journey.

Becoming a published author isn’t easy. It can be quite a process and journey. My first book, Let’s Dance!, was published in 2020. I didn’t have an agent at the time, but later that year, I signed with my agent extraordinaire, James McGowan of BookEnds Literary Agency. We have sold 13 books together. So, in this case, 13 is a lucky number.

One of the biggest challenges and lessons that I’ve learned throughout this journey is that patience is essential. Things rarely move quickly in the publishing industry. In fact, once a publisher acquires a picture book, it usually takes two – three years to publish it – and sometimes it can take even longer.
Managing expectations is another important lesson. Just because you have a multiple book deal, it doesn’t mean you’ll have another one. Even if your book is selling well, it doesn’t mean the publisher is necessarily going to acquire another book that you’ve written. One more lesson that a lot of authors discover later on is that they are responsible for marketing and promoting their books. Yes, most publishers will do some of this for you, but you have to be invested in this process as well.

What I want people to know about my brand is that I write so that children will feel seen and heard, valued and validated. On my website, I say that “I want all children to feel at home in a book” and “to celebrate the diverse world in which we live,” and that’s true. My books are about things that children enjoy, like dancing (Let’s Dance!), playing games outside (Ride, Roll Run: Time for Fun!), listening to music (Bing, Bop, Bam: Time to Jam!), creating art (Rainbow Days series), and learning a new skill, such as riding a bike or swimming (Together We Ride and Together We Swim). I’ve also written books about important figures in history that children should know (I See Color and A Flea for Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change), and I want to encourage children to stand up for what’s right and to know that they can make a difference. Most of all, when I speak to students, I encourage them to read, write, question, and think. And, of course, I hope some of them will write and/or illustrate stories of their own.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My city is a wonderful place to live. We have parks, woods, and beaches, so depending upon which friend is visiting, we’d likely spend time in one or more of those places. We have diverse cuisine in my city, so there are many choices for good restaurants. My favorites are Mexican and Thai. There’s also an Ethiopian restaurant that I enjoy.

Since I live less than an hour from New York City, if someone were coming to visit me for a week, I’m sure we would spend a day or more there. My husband is happy to drive into the city; however, it’s easy to take an express train and be there in about 50 minutes. As you probably know, New York City offers so many options of things to do. Would the person want to see a Broadway show, visit museums, walk around Central Park, or do something else?

Regardless of what we choose to do and where we choose to eat, I’m sure we would have a wonderful time!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s not just one person or group that I want to shout out. I would like to give gratitude to teachers, librarians, independent bookstore owners, and anyone else who loves books and supports authors and illustrators. I’m also grateful for those who read books whether they’ve purchased them or checked them out from a library.

Being surrounded by a plethora of diverse books is such a treasure, so I appreciate everyone who makes this possible. Children and adults need to have access to all types of books, which is why book banning is divisive and harmful.

Website: https://valeriebolling.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/valerie-bolling-223a92271

Twitter: https://twitter.com/valerie_bolling

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor

Blue Sky: valeriebolling.bsky.social