I recently had a chance to read Christian Carl's new book series, Land of Lots. The series follows Lovelot, a young girl wandering through space who stumbles on a land in a strange and magical place that introduces her to new friends.
When Lovelot explores Land of Lots, she meets Oomlots, cute animals that each embody different characteristics. Lovelot helps the Oomlots understand life lessons. The illustrations are pretty and fantastical, and the books are easy to read.
I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
Why did you write these books?
To build a bridge of understanding between kids and parents, their imaginations, and emotions. After all, kids are enough to drive you nuts. It’s something you’re never really prepared for as a new parent. One minute you’re like Lovelot, roaming carefree through space without a responsibility in the world, and the next, you’ve got an impetuous, selfish, clingy, loud, impatient, moody, little creature testing your patience day in and day out. It’s not easy, but the books are here to remind parents you gotta love ‘em lots no matter what. And of course I wanted to create a warm, fun, inviting, safe world for parents and their kids to go to, where they could both find a little comfort, unconditional love, and understanding.
What do you hope readers will take away from these books? It’s the same for kids and parents alike: It’s okay to be you, but you can always learn how to be a better you. But even moreso, I wanted children and parents to walk away with a better understanding of how to cope and deal with behavioral issues and simplify what can seem like hard to understand concepts. These are fun, gentle reminders that we have some things to work on.
Why are imaginative and fantasy books so appealing for readers? Familiar themes that people want to read and learn about are almost always more interesting when they are packaged in a world that’s unfamiliar. Fantasy worlds are just far more interesting metaphors for reality and educate and entertain in a way no other genre can.
How can books help teach life lessons? I think it comes down to the basic idea behind children’s books in that they are able to deal with powerful themes, introduce ways of coping with social and behavioral problems, and present hard to understand concepts in ways we can understand. With picture books in particular, images are also really powerful and can make a lasting impression even if the words are forgotten.
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