Safe Harbor – Judy Bradbury
As soon as I turned the last page in Safe Harbor, I sat down to reach out to Padma. I wanted to feature this beautifully conceived and impeccably crafted novel in verse on Children’s Book Corner. To my delight, Padma answered within minutes. She has been gracious, enthusiastic in our collaboration, and intentional as she answered my questions about the creation of this novel. I’m pleased to share those responses with you here.
Judy Bradbury: Tell us about this project: What seeded its creation? How did you conceive of the story’s arc?
Padma Venkatraman: I was walking along the beach near my home in Rhode Island one day when I came across a seal that was up higher on the beach than is normal. I was about to call the marine mammal hotline when that seal returned to the water. But as it disappeared into the waves, a story appeared in my mind. I saw two kids, an Indian American immigrant and the son of Mexican immigrants trying to save a stranded seal that was nearly strangling in plastic trash.
JB: What inspired connecting the themes of the healing power of music with a seal rescue as threads in the storyline?
PV: I’m so thrilled you picked up on that. I wanted to have something in the story that went beyond science, something that honored the fact that many ancient cultures have had ways to connect with nature and animals that are wholistic approaches. In India we have the phrase “vasudaiva kuttumbakam” which means the whole of creation is one family–-all living beings included in that phrase–and music is Geetha’s way of internalizing that phrase. It’s also a way to honor the idea that ancient cultures (including Indians) were environmentalists before the word was invented!
JB: Two other threads in the story involve school bullies and a mom fighting mental illness. At the back of the book you offer a list of resources for readers seeking help. In the Author’s Note you share your personal experiences with both bullies and mental illness. Tell us how you developed these threads as you wrote this story.
PV: I was bullied by my school mates as a child–and that was hard. Like Geetha I took refuge in writing poetry, music, nature and libraries. It was important to me to show resilience in Geetha. I also wanted to show a kid who was part of the bullying circle at first (like Lemon Curl girl) who is actually shy and nice but who happens to be friends with others who bully. I think it’s inspiring for kids to see someone who is afraid to stand up to their own friends when they’re doing something wrong–and then gets over that fear and does move away from old friends to make new ones, like Lemon Curl girl does in Safe Harbor.
As for mental illness it’s vital to me to show positive portrayals of adults who live with mental illness and manage it successfully and are great adults–like the mom in Safe Harbor. We’re doing a great job of showing kids with mental health issues in books but still have way too many negative portrayals of adults with mental health issues in kidlit. We need to change messaging on that one.
JB: Tell us about a challenge you faced in the creation of Safe Harbor, or provide a memorable (or humorous!) anecdote related to the writing of the book.
PV: I think one challenge that took me by surprise is that Safe Harbor was censored already by a school in Washington state! The school loved it and was planning for it to be their one school one book read, then wrote to me to say they’d done a last-minute switch because they were afraid to use a book that had two protagonists with immigrant backgrounds! They said they feared immigration was too “triggering” ! Imagine that–a school in our nation that wanted to avoid any reference to immigrants or immigration and preemptively chose not to use a book for that reason! That’s one of the reasons I have been a vocal advocate of free speech–and I’m thrilled to share that I’m included in the star-studded anthology Banned Together, put together by Ashley Hope Pérez, an author I greatly admire and respect.
JB: What is one unexpected joy that came from the creation of Safe Harbor?
PV: This book has brought me more fan mail already than any other book – including The Bridge Home! Quite a surprise! I think it’s because it’s very kid-friendly and it’s probably a bit lighter, even though it of course has some very serious topics like climate change and pollution and endangered animals, in addition to the themes you mentioned above, which are woven into the fabric of the story.
JB: I was struck by the poetic beauty of your language throughout the book and the powerful emotions you evoke with such simple language elegantly arranged. One of the most touching poems for me is “Indians Don’t Nod” when Geetha shakes her head to indicate yes to her new friend Miguel’s invitation to visit the library with him. I learned that an Indian shakes their head to mean yes, and of course Geetha is misunderstood as having indicated no. What is one of your favorite poems or scenes in the book? Why?
PV: Yes! I love that scene, too! As you can imagine, when I was fresh off the boat, my head “nods” and “shakes” caused quite a bit of miscommunication! I love every poem, but my favorite one to read aloud and share is probably Safe Spaces, which is about Geetha’s love of public libraries. I always say I became a citizen because I think public libraries are an embodiment of the ideals America aspires to achieve.
JB: What would surprise readers to learn about you or about the writing of Safe Harbor?
PV: Readers are always thrilled to know that I used to be an oceanographer before I became a writer! When I started my graduate program in oceanography, I was the only BIPOC female in my incoming graduate class!
JB: Who do you perceive your target audience to be and why?
PV: My target audience for Safe Harbor is a bit younger than for my previous books – the younger end of middle grade and older elementary kids. I would have loved it as a 7 year old; I think 8-12 is a great age for it but it could run as young as 7 years old if it’s a read-aloud with an adult scaffolding and watching the story unfold together.
JB: What do you hope middle grade readers will take away from Safe Harbor? / What need(s) does this story satisfy?
PV: We all feel so overwhelmed by climate catastrophe and sometimes we don’t see the power we have to change things. Safe Harbor has a really important scene in which the kids discuss not merely small things they can do (like trash pickups) but also large things they can do to help preserve our green earth and our blue oceans (like lobbying and getting involved with politics and changing laws and inventing scientific solutions). That is so important to me–to empower young people. Also, I want them to know it’s not their problem to solve–we older ones are here to help, too. And we need to change our lifestyles and give up some comforts if we care about our environment and the creatures we share our earth with.
JB: How do you see Safe Harbor connecting to curriculum or being used in learning settings?
PV: So many curriculum connections – especially with Earth Day during Poetry Month – and hopefully on for the rest of the year. Scroll through the resources page for Safe Harbor on my website to find a coloring sheet, chatterbox, virtual round the world tour, and connections puzzle created by the awesome librarian Jennifer LaGarde and on DiverseVerse is a “Safe Harbor bingo activity card” and a couple of writing prompts and lesson starters for any teacher or librarian or educator who would like to use Safe Harbor with their students. In addition anyone who likes can listen to an excerpt of me reading aloud from Safe Harbor.
JB: What do you remember about the first book that made an impact on you?
PV: I remember how magical it felt, knowing there was a movie playing in my mind, that I was directing. And realizing when I shut the book that in a way I had gone on a journey through the imagination with an author I’d never seen–who may not even be alive!
JB: What project(s) are you currently working on?
PV: Please send me your blessings because there are lot of things I’m up to! First, I’ve signed on to write the prequel to The Bridge Home with my legendary and longtime editor Nancy Paulsen at Penguin Random House. My first two picture books, Faraway Family and Strong as a Lotus should also be coming out in the next year or so from the Nancy Paulsen Books imprint! In addition, I’m working on my first nonfiction!
