by Joseph Wallace

The most fun thing about writing a childrenís book is that you can include anything you want. It doesnít have to be a true story, it doesnít have to be like real life, it doesnít

If you have QuickTime and a fast connection, you can watch Joe talk about being big and noisy!

even have to have people in it. If you decide that your book should feature a talking sloth or a smart bicycle or a brave bacteria, then just go for it! Whatever you say goesóyouíre the boss.

I loved using my imagination to write BIG AND NOISY SIMON. But the book was a special treat for me. Like Simon, I was a big and noisy child, always talking louder than I should and knocking things over by mistake. I always wished I could be a little quieter and a little less bigóor at least less clumsyóbut I was just so excited by life that it was hard to remember to calm down. (Now, as a grown-up, Iím still big and noisy sometimes.)

Also like Simon, I got to visit Africa when I was young. I had adventures there that Iíll never forget. I was chased by a herd of Cape buffalo and threatened by a rhinoceros, came face-to-face with lions in a tree, and saw elephants and crocodiles and gazelles and guineafowl. It was one of the most exciting times of my life, just as it is for Simon. (Check back on this page oftenóIíll be writing about some of my adventures here.)

But not everything in BIG AND NOISY SIMON is true. For example, I never had a little sisteróthough I always wished I did!

Another great thing about writing a childrenís book is watching it develop from being just some words on paper to a finished book. A childrenís book doesnít have that many wordsójust a few hundredóbut every word has to count. Thereís no space to waste. To make sure that every word was right, I wrote and rewrote BIG AND NOISY SIMON about ten times.

I could have drawn the pictures a hundred times, and they still wouldnít have been very good. I just donít draw very well, so the publisher went out and found the wonderful artist Kevin OíMalley to do the illustrations. It was a thrill to watch him take my words and turn them into pictures that are both beautiful and funny. Somehow he read my mind and knew exactly what Simon looked like!

The third great thing about BIG AND NOISY SIMON is getting to share it with readers. I have children of my own, and over the years Iíve probably read them about a million books. I love the idea that other parents in other families will be reading BIG AND NOISY SIMON to their kids.

Thanks! If you want to ask me questions, tell me about your own adventures, or let me know what you think of the book, please email me. Talk to you soon!