Introduction by Liz Yanoff: Mr. Farrell, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed about your NYSRA Charlotte Award nominated book Stargazer’s Alphabet. With the weather turning warm and so many opportunities for those of us in NY to be outside, we’re turning our heads skyward and making connections to all of those stars you connect us to in this book. Mrs. Moose and Mrs. Tricozzi’s students had questions for you about your research and writing for this book.
Mrs. Moose’s Fourth Grade asks John Farrell about Stargazer’s Alphabet
How did you learn so much about the stars and the zodiac? I’ve learned about the sky in many different ways. I took an astronomy class in college. It was one of my favorite classes even though I was not a science major. I have read many books about the night sky. I have a collection of over 20 astronomy books that I refer too. I also painted the ceiling of our house with glow in the dark paint. It shows many of the constellations you can see in the night sky.
Why did you make this an alphabet book? The book actually came from a song of the same name. The song starts out with two sets of voices singing together. One group is singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The other group is singing “The Alphabet Song.” Try it, they share the same melody, which incidentally, was composed by Wolgang Amadeus Mozart when he was only 6 years old, or so I’ve been told.
How did you find things to go with each letter? Because I’ve studied the stars and planets for years and have all those books I was able to look in the index of my favorite books if I didn’t have an idea of my own. But actually I did have ideas for all the letters except “X”
What is your favorite planet? Constellation? Comet? Favorite planet? That’s easy Earth! Constellation? I have several favorites including Orion (the Hunter, even though I don’t hunt), Delphinus (the Dolphin) Cassiopeia (the Queen who looks like a “W”) and Sagittarius (it looks like a Tea Pot) Favorite Comet? Swift-Tuttle
Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration? Because I love the night sky. I was inspired by a homemade book my children and I started to write about 10 years ago. We called it “The Midsummer Night’s Sky” We drew constellations and then made up stories like earlier people did.
Where and how did you get the pictures? The art designer and editor took care of choosing the photos. I was able to suggest what I would like and instruct them how to do diagrams. I sent in some drawings myself to guide them but I am not a talented artist so my drawings were only used as references.
If you could add to your book, what would you add? I would add some more charts and diagrams that show you in more detail how to find the constellations.
How long did it take for you to write this book? How long did it take to do the research? The main text was based on the song and that was written in a few days. The research was done over years and the fact boxes took many months to complete working with a science editor.
PS: Our teacher’s favorite place in the whole world is PEI!
Tell your teacher to come and visit me if she is ever there in early August. We have a big party at our house with 50-60 friends. There is lots of music, food, a bonfire and stargazing. We call it Perpolupa which is an acronym for “Perseied Pot Luck Party.” Every year around August 10-12 there are amazing meteor showers called “The Perseids.” We sometimes stay up most of the night watching shooting stars. In 1992 we counted over 100 shooting stars in one hour.
Mrs. Tricozzi’s 4th grade class for Stargazer’s Alphabet by John Farrell.
What made you want to write a book about space? Because I love the night sky. I was inspired by a homemade book my children and I started to write about 10 years ago. We called it “The Midsummer Night’s Sky” We drew constellations and then made up stories like earlier people did.
What was the purpose of this book? To encourage families to go outdoors together at night and look at the stars and planets and get to know some of them.
Did someone persuade you to write about our universe? No one persuaded me. In fact I had to persuade the publisher that this would make a good book. They weren’t sure at first but they really helped me a lot once we decided to do it.
What is your favorite planet? EARTH
If you could choose any planet to visit, which one would it be? If I could go to another planet it would be Mars because it is the most like the Earth, even though it isn’t really “like” the Earth.
Mr. Farrell, what is your zodiac sign? LIBRA, Oct 5 is my birthday
As a kid did you have dreams about visiting the planets? No. I dreamed about being a professional athlete. I played basketball and football and loved sports.
Did you go into outer space and get the pictures yourself? No. I didn’t but I sure would love to. I fly in airplanes quite often and I never get tired of how amazing the earth looks from the sky. I can only imagine how wonderful it looks from outer space. Actually the incredible photos show us but I’d love to see it for myself.
Have you ever visited space before? No but I have seen some really cool planetarium shows and an IMAX movie about travel in space.
How do you know so much about the Earth? Thanks for the compliment. I actually don’t know nearly as much as I would like to but my interest is great because I think the Earth is the most incredible place there is.
Liz Yanoff: Thank you! I wondered what was next for you as a singer, songwriter, performer, and children’s book author.
Some friends and I have started a not for profit arts in education project called “Bridges of Peace and Hope.” I spend a lot of my time working on the project. I travel to many countries each year to sing and write songs with boys and girls. I was in Spain, Hungary, Brussels, Ukraine and Romania this spring and I am going to Africa for three weeks in October. There are some videos on “You Tube” about Bridges of Peace and Hope and there is also a web site with information about the project, or you can visit my web site www.johnfarrell.net if you would like to learn more about what I am doing.
John Farrell, May 29, 2009
