Sheepwrecked! A Wild and Wooly Adventure with Author/Illustrator Ashley Belote

Baa-hoy, Matey! What if sheep could be pirates? Join us on a woolly adventure as we chat with the talented Ashley Belote about her baalarious new picture book, Sheepwrecked. Ashley takes us through her creative journey, sharing stories from her upbringing on a sheep farm in West Virginia that inspired the tale of pirate sheep. Listen to an excerpt and get an insider's look at how she masterfully intertwines narrative and illustration to bring her characters to life.

But that's not all! We'll also touch on the magic of making story time a joyful experience for preschoolers and elementary students. Ashley and I discuss tips for keeping young readers engaged and the pivotal role teachers and librarians play. Plus, we share STEM-strategies for bringing Sheepwrecked to life in our adventure-themed summer camps. Hint: sink and float, building pirate ships, creating patterns, and unplugged coding with treasure maps are all ways to connect with this picture book!

Packed with creative ideas, this episode is a treasure trove for anyone excited about children's literature and interactive learning.

You can find links to all of Ashley's books here.

Listen to the original interview with Ashley Belote here.

Watch this podcast episode on YouTube.

Transcript

00:03 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
If you are baadly in need of a fabulous book to read to your wonderful children, then you need to check out Ashley Belote's brand new book, Sheepwrecked. This book is woolly full of all kinds of puns and it is about as cute as they come. We had Ashley on the podcast about a year ago, and so today we're going to talk about Sheepwrecked. Ashley, welcome to the show. 

00:29 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Oh, thank you so much for having me and I'll give you a big baa-hoy Diane. 

00:37 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I loved every moment of reading this book. It was like what summer is all about, the fun puns. It had a lovely message at the end. What inspired Sheepwrecked? 

00:50 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
So a lot of things that went into the inspiration for this particular story. I actually grew up on a sheep farm in West Virginia, so sheep have always been a really big part of my life and they're so fun and they've got great personalities. So when I was a kid and anytime I would see an animal really, but in particular my sheep I would wonder what they would do if they would be given like a career choice. So, of course, pirates I mean. I think being a pirate would be cool. Being a pirate would be cool. So I would give them like these weird jobs in my imagination and you know, I would do the same thing with any animal that I would see. So when I was working on some new concepts, I'm really, really inspired by the world around me and I was like, oh, we have to do something fun with sheep. And so, yes, pirates was my natural inclination and it just took off from there. 

01:45 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, would you like to read us, maybe a couple of pages from the book? 

01:49 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
I would love to so when you first open the book. These are the book's endpapers, and endpapers are one of my favorite places to illustrate because you can cut. It's kind of like a free-for-all for illustrators. So you'll have to definitely check out my, my island names. I will tell you. One of the names is the Baahamas. 

02:11 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So I love the end pages. I have to say I was hooked. As soon as I was looking at the different island names. I was like this is going to be brilliant. 

02:23 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Yes, I was very excited, so I'll give you a little taste here from the beginning. Baahoy mateys, Captain Hoof and his crew sailed home from hunting lost treasure, today's triumph the golden shears of woolly jones, the scariest sheep of the seven seas. This guy says I heard he ate a wolf. And this guy says I bet those shears are cursed. The captain says arg, there is no curse. We'll be heroes when we bring these shears home. But then splash, smash, crash, sheepwrecked, awesome. 

03:16 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And I noticed throughout this book you've used. There's foreshadowing in the illustrations, for sure. Like when you got to that bit before, but then you've got the giant wave that is sort of looming in the background to sheepwreck them. And then you've got the various boxes where your characters are actually talking to each other. Those contain some of the best puns. How did you decide, because you're both the author and illustrator for this book, how did that work in terms of thinking about where you were going to put the text, who was going to say what, and what role the pictures were going to play in telling the story? 

03:51 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Yes, I love this question because as the author illustrator it's a completely different experience than it is to do one job or the other, and I've been on the illustrator-only side as well. So I've illustrated books that other people have written, and then I've illustrated my own books. And what I like about illustrating my own stories is that I can kind of think about the book as like one big picture versus, you know, kind of bringing my flavor to what somebody else has already created, kind of bringing my flavor to what somebody else has already created. So both are really neat experiences. But with this one in particular I do let the art tell a lot of the story, because this is more of like a an epic journey type of adventure. 

04:38
So when you're writing and illustrating a picture book, you are very constrained by space. Okay, so these books are typically 32 to 40 pages, around the 500 word mark, so that's not a lot of time to tell a story. So for me I will essentially draw the story first and then use the words to fill in what the art can't show. So with this one in particular, like you said, the wave that on that page we just read through I needed it to be like daunting kind of like. You know they're just out in the ocean and they're not paying attention and there's this like epic wave, epic storm happening behind them that the reader sees but the characters don't see. 

05:25
So there's a lot of that kind of relationship that goes into writing and illustrating that I do use throughout the book, but really it's a lot of. That is, you know, kind of spurred on by the fact that we only have so many pages to work with to tell a story and when you think about it, there's so many elements that go into making a good story besides just a beginning, a middle and an end. But even when you're just trying to craft a narrative that does just have a beginning, middle and end, 32 pages is not a lot of space to do that in. So that's why I think the relationship between the art and the text is so important and why it's almost like putting together a puzzle for us on this side. 

06:08 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So  also within that puzzle, you know you're constrained by your 32 pages and you've got to limit your characters as well. So it feels to me like then, each character sort of has to serve an important point in the story, right? Each character sort of has to serve an important point in the story, right? How do you distinguish your different sheep? 

06:27 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Yeah, so there's, this is a huge cast of characters. Actually, this is the first book that's kind of been like a crowd for the main characters versus like one or two main characters, and it's, it's nice. I'm looking at my books there that you have behind you and you know I've got like single main characters or duos. So there are six sheep in sheep wrecked and what I wanted to do was, because this is a larger cast, I wanted to make sure that they it's like having multiple children, you want them each to feel special, you know. So I made sure that they each had an identifiable color and accessory. So obviously they each had an identifiable color and accessory. So, obviously, like Captain Hoof here, he's got a pretty sweet pirate hat, which is awesome, and he's also like the largest one he's the only one that's got like the horns and stuff. And then for each of the rest of the sheep, they've each got an identifying accessory. 

07:21
So this guy has a blue striped bandana this is the one with the eye patch and, of course, piratey accessories. This one, yes, this one down here is an orange striped bandana. This guy has a really cool earring. And then this guy is the yellow polka dot bandana. And so when I was starting to create this cast and you know, thinking about how, because there's so many characters, they can talk back and forth and I use their speech to kind of fill in parts of the story, so kind of like what we were just discussing, you know, I use the sheep in that one spread to give background on Wally Jones and you know, and then each of them can kind of have one of them can be the more fearful one, one of them can be the voice of reason, and that way they're differentiated between physical characteristics and accessories, but also their personality types. 

08:16 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well and that's such a great lesson for kids, as they're thinking about how to craft their own story and their own voice as well is who do you give those characteristics to and which person is sort of serving that role, or, in this case, sheep? Yes, exactly, exactly so. Have you had a chance to take? This is a brand new book. I mean, we're pretty much celebrating Sheepwrecks' book birthday. Have you had a chance to take it on the road? 

08:42 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Yes, I've been very fortunate to have a couple of conferences and events already. Like you said, it's only been out for a couple of weeks. So the week that it came out, I went to the Icon Conference in Minneapolis. It's like an illustrator amazing illustrator conference and I got to sign books there. And then I did an actual book signing in Winston-Salem at Bookmarks NC. It's a great bookstore here and we had a whole pirate party and it was great. We had a sheep craft and we had bubbles and that was fun. And I've actually I had another conference this past week in Naperville called Littapalooza, and it was fun. And I've actually I had another conference this past week in Naperville called Littapalooza and it was amazing. They do always do such a good job, but I've been able to share it with kids and my peers and it's been really well received. So, really well received. So far. 

09:37
It's been so fun and I've been waiting for for this book to be out for a long time because this was actually the second book in a two book deal with Random House. So the first book in the deal was for Witch and Wombat and that came out last year and then Sheepwrecked was this year. So I've been waiting about three years years. I've known that this was coming for about that long and yeah, I developed it several years before that. So it's been kind of a long waiting game and it's the best kind. 

10:09 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Absolutely Well, and you said it's the second in a three book deal. Do we get a sneak peek at what's coming next? 

10:15 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
So it was for two books. It was for Wish and Wombat and Sheepwrecked, but I am working on a new picture book with them, with that same team that is getting ready to be announced really soon. So you'll have to definitely keep watch for that too. 

10:28 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Yes, Excellent, and if people want to keep watch and follow you, where should they go? 

10:34 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
My website it's ashleybelotecom. I'm also on social media. My Instagram @AshleyBeloteIllustration and that's my Facebook as well. And I'm also on social media. And I'm also still on Twitter slash X whatever you want to call @AshleyBelote1. So I do a lot of posting of my events and I also have on my website an event page where you can see where I'm going to be. I've got a lot of really fun sheepish, bookish fun stuff coming up. 

11:03 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
That's fabulous. And so, before we go and I want to remind people that we did a huge interview last year and I want you to go back and check the original Ashley Belote interview on the Adventures in Learning podcast but we're coming into the start of a new school year and I was lucky enough to get to hear you present at the North Carolina Reading Conference last year. Do you have some advice for teachers on how to effectively use picture books in their teaching? 

11:32 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Oh, yes, I do. I love this topic. I could talk about this topic all day. So I'm a former preschool teacher and I loved my time in the classroom when we would get to sit and experience books together. So I always love to try to make story time last as long as possible. So I love it when teachers actually let kids come up and explore, especially for the art part. So when, like, we'll use the end papers, for example. So end papers again are like when you first open up a book, these are the pages that really the story starts here. So as educators sharing books with kids, I always like to use these pages to kind of talk about what we think is coming up next. 

12:18
We do a lot of prediction here and I love doing predictions in books. I think that's one of the best ways to get kids engaged with it is for them to try to guess what comes next before you see it. So you know we talk about all the things that we see. There's like a little boat here and then if you lift the flap you see kind of like the trajectory of the boat. You know we have a shark, we have all these islands, and then up here we have a sign that says danger Bauer. So there's a lot of opportunities there to talk about. Oh, I wonder what that means. Danger, you know, scary, so, and you know it's not just sheepwrecked that this works. 

12:55
Then you can do this in every book and take a look at it and actually use the book and let the kids make inferences, let them decide what they think does come next, and then when you get to those you know, like those climax areas you can talk about okay, this is what's happened, who do we, what do we think is about to happen next, and then let them each, and then they can discuss amongst themselves, which is really lovely. So one kid will say, well, I think that Willie Jones is going to eat the entire pirate crew. It's like, okay, well, raise your hand if you think that that's what's going to happen. And then, you know, somebody else can say well, I think that Willie Jones is really just misunderstood and he's nice. Okay, well, raise your hand if you think that's the case. So, any way to get them involved with the act of reading, I know when I do school visits and I read my books, I always make it like interactive, so I'll have the kids like I've not got to read this in school yet, obviously, since it's summertime, but I've gotten to do a lot of events like I was talking about, and so for the first one where it says bahoy mateys, I'll have the kids shout that back to me. 

13:59
So it's kind of like the SpongeBob one where you like, you're really gung ho and you're, like you know, getting ready to start. So, yeah, I always just make the books interactive, do the predictions and have the kids also tell you what you, what they think the next book in the series could be about, the series could be about, and make them kind of think beyond what they've seen already and really just use a picture book as a platform for a kid's imagination, because that's what they're for. 

14:29 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, and you just hit on something within all of that wonderful goodness about the read aloud and the importance of the read aloud. I was in an airport last week and was sitting at one of those hives doing some work and a dad started talking to me and he's like my daughter doesn't like to read, which broke my heart, and so I was trying to help him troubleshoot ways to model it and realize so much of that begins in the early years and it starts in preschool. It starts with the family being willing to sit down and grab a book and read, but also with preschool teachers and elementary teachers making space for the read aloud as a joyful experience, because you've got to model that in order to build readers. 

15:11 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Oh, I could not agree more. And a lot of the drawback, I think, and a lot of reasons why several kids don't like to read, is because they don't like what they, what the options are for them to read. They don't like the books that they have, and I think that's where librarians and teachers have such a great opportunity, you know, to let them explore in the library, because there's there's a book out there for everybody. Like I totally understand. You know, when you first start to read, you do it in school and you can sometimes equate it with like homework and you know, and you don't think of it as like an enjoyable, like leisure activity or something that's really fun. So I think if we can reframe it as something fun to begin with, then, like you said, we'll hook them when they're in preschool, when they're starting to really interact with books in a big way, and then they'll see it as fun and then they'll see it as a tool more so than like a hindrance or something that they like quote unquote have to do. 

16:07 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And I think that the more books that we can make the better and shout out to libraries because you're absolutely right, books can be accessible and it's all part of using that public library or that school library and recognizing that not every book is good for every child. But there is that book that's out there and you just have to give them the chance to explore and find it. 

16:31 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Exactly, and it's something that everybody kind of has to come to on their own. You know like it's it's wonderful when teachers and librarians make suggestions, because sometimes they will hit the nail on the head and everything, and other times kids just need some more exploration time to find what that is that they're interested in to read about. So it's it's all about the variety and the options and, like you said, the accessibility. So it's all about the variety and the options and, like you said, the accessibility, absolutely so. 

16:58 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Last question for today, I'm going to ask you the same question I like to end with. What brings you joy? 

17:15 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Oh, so for me, the writing and the illustration process is an amazing kind of creative tornado and for me, when I get to share this creative being that I have made and I get to draw with the kids, that is my absolute favorite. So I'll always do a draw along and teach the audience, wherever I am, how to draw a character from the book. And that is probably my favorite aspect of sharing my titles is seeing audiences kids and adults to finding joy in drawing something that came out of my brain. It is the most wonderful kind of surreal special experience and I love when everybody is finished and they're proud of what they've made and they have found joy in art, which is something that I find joy in every day. 

18:04 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I love that and I think that Sheepwrecked can serve as one of those vessels that will help kids to find joy in reading and in art. And I was even thinking with STEM, like as you were talking, I was thinking about how do we build that STEM connection. And this book would pair so beautifully with water studies. You know, with looking at, you could look at density. You know, in salt and salt water, regular water, you could make boats and see, can you float your sheep across the river without wrecking the sheep? I mean, there's so many opportunities for being creative with this book, so thank you, I love that you all should run out and get it. 

18:44 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Yes, oh, I'm actually teaching a preschool summer camp next week and we're doing it's called book camp and we are going to do a sheepwreck day and one of our STEM activities is going to be sink or float with a little boat. So I'm so glad that you brought that up. 

19:01 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Yes, well, you know, you and I are on the same wavelength. I'm doing a library camp this week and I actually was in the whole theme for the libraries this summer is adventures and I thought sheepwreck is perfect for that, so I was going to add sheepwreck into my sink and float and build a boat section. 

19:18 - Ashley Belote (Guest)
Oh, I love that. Thank you so much for incorporating the book. That's a great program. How fun. 

19:25 - Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So thank you so much for sharing the book, and I hope that you have a beautiful day. Thank you, baahoy mateys Baahoy.