Author Showcase
Interview sponsored* by Bryson’s Books
The Children’s Book Review | February 12, 2018
The Children’s Book Review: In The Day I Went to Space, a young boy embarks on a fantastic adventure at bedtime. How did you come up with the ingenious premise for The Day I Went to Space?
Bryson Reaume: At the time my son, Lane was really into this show called Miles from Tomorrowland, it’s about a space family and their adventures. This would lead to us having wild conversations of all the things that would happen to us if we blasted off into space one day, and so – TDIWTS was born.
The training that the characters undergo is quite extensive—are they training to become ambassadors of some sort?
Absolutely! Becoming a Space Cadet is not an easy task and it comes with many serious responsibilities. It’s not just about great adventures but understanding the unknown, keeping an open mind and being an ambassador for the entire human race! Once you’ve become a Space Cadet it’s your job to show the rest of the universe that we are a kind, loving, intelligent species at our core.
The lessons of acceptance and getting to know one another are timely. Were you influenced by any real-life events when coming up with the premise of the story?
Nowadays it’s hard not to be influenced by outside sources and events. As humanity continually struggles to right past wrongs and usher in a new age of acceptance and tolerance this seemed like a fun way to help my little ones start to grasp the idea. If you can be friends with aliens, then you can be friends with everyone!
Readers never learn the name of the main character—is there a reason why?
The thought was to allow the reader to be that person. I’m not sure I conveyed that properly but I love the idea of kids putting themselves in that spaceship and thinking the story is actually about them!
Is he modeled after anyone in particular?
Right now, a lot of my characters are modeled after my five-year-old son Lane and my two-year-old daughter Emerson.
The main character’s best friend, Kim, greets him when he arrives at the space training center. Can you tell us anything more about their friendship?
Kim is the main character’s wild, strong, intelligent, fearless female bestie. She usually is getting him into trouble by climbing too high up trees, running too fast down hills, laughing too hard at jokes and generally pushing him to live the best life possible with no regrets. Kim is bound for greatness so it just makes sense that she’s already there when the character arrives.
The drawings of the aliens are all interesting and a little weird—can you tell us how much input you had into the illustrations?
Outside of selecting the actual artist, not much. We like to find artists whose work we love and then let them do their thing. I believe art comes in all forms and as you can see on the shelves of any kids bookstore, there are some extremely talented artists out there. I try to respect that the world they’re creating is their art and to let it be what it is. If the art doesn’t make sense with the story we will suggest changes, but we really try to rely on the artists to turn these stories into something more.
What do you imagine alien soup tastes like?
Easy – like Campbells Vegetable Soup mixed with Mac & Cheese. Delicious.
Now that our main character and his friends have received their training, what do you think will happen next?
They’ll keep their eyes to the stars being the best that they can be. And on that fateful day when we do get some Alien visitors, they’ll be standing by to show the world what Space Cadets can do.
Can we expect any sequels to this story?
I’ve got a lot of fun stories in the queue but this is definitely one of my favorites. If people love it as much as we do, I’ll definitely be sending the cadets on another mission!
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Written by Bryson Reaume
Illustrated by Natasa Kostovska
Publisher’s Synopsis: “Have you ever been to outer space? Well, it’s a very beautiful place.”
What if you went to sleep one night and realized your bed had turned into a spaceship? Follow the adventures of a young boy who flies off to space, becomes a space cadet and explores the galaxy with old friends and new aliens. Join us as we find out what happened on The Day I Went to Space!
Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Bryson’s Books | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0999108604
Available Here:
About the Author
Bryson Reaume
I started off as an amazing baby then quickly morphed into a wild toddler, funny adolescent, awkward teen, fast-food worker, laundromat attendant, hip-hop rapper, oil change specialist, ditch digger, awkward adult, army medic, airplane pilot, construction worker, business owner, socially conscious entrepreneur, internal monologue comedian, son, brother, husband, father and now… children’s book author. Who would’ve thought?
For more information, visit: https://brysonsbooks.com/collections/books
About the Illustrator
Natasa Kostovska
Once upon a time I graduated as an art historian. My passion for drawing turned me into a cartoonist and caricature artist for a humor and satire magazine but I was always drawn to creating illustrations for children. It is the most amazing job and a rare privilege to always be in the magical world of fairy-tales and stories. The greatest joy for me is when I manage to successfully convey that magic to the children.
The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This interview was sponsored* by Bryson’s Books, the publisher of ‘The Day I Went to Space,’ by Bryson Reaume. Discover more great writing and illustrating artists in our Showcase.