The Origin of Maggie

Maggie and the Magnifying Glass was a story that I dreamed up one lazy day during a snowstorm. We had no power, which meant my family and I were completely disconnected from external distractions. As each verse came to me, I jotted it down and read it to my boys. I remember their eyes lighting up and the curious looks they had as they wondered where this story was coming from.

I enjoyed iterating through various prototypes of this book. I tested Maggie’s story with many, many children and schools. The feedback I received was carefully considered as I tailored the story to align with what kept the interest and excitement of the children. Montana and I worked to ensure the illustrations flowed in a way that allows the children to learn the story and tell it in their own way.

This has been a fun and exciting project and I hope it brings smiles to the faces of families as they read about Maggie’s adventures.

The Inspiration Behind the Story

If I had to consider what may have created this character in my mind, there are a couple of connections I can link to Maggie. First, is her connection to nature and her desire to look closely at things with her magnifying glass. I am definitely an outdoor enthusiast. I love to hike outside and take photographs of the artistic beauty I find in nature. Many of my photos are taken at strange angles and often zoomed up close to see the fine details. I would imagine that my inspiration for Maggie’s love of exploring nature comes from my own deep connection to this type of activity. Second, when I was writing this story I could see Maggie in my head. I knew she was a young girl with curly, strawberry-blonde hair. I knew she was in rain boots with a dress and I knew she carried a crossbody bag where she collected things and carried her magnifying glass. When I saw Maggie in my head I saw my friend’s daughter Samantha. She was the inspiration behind Maggie’s look. As I wrote the book, I could see what Maggie was doing on every page. I sketched each scene down with a pencil so I wouldn’t lose sight of it.

The Making of a Book

This story was written in 2016 and filed away in my email once I typed it up. I would go and look at it from time to time. I shared it with a few people and got some feedback. But there was no big push or spark to do something with it at the time. It was a dreamy thought that I quickly filed away. In 2022, a colleague of mine was reviewing a blog I was crafting. In that blog, I mentioned that I have a children’s story that I dream of one day making into a book. She looked at me and said, “You should do it”. That was the start of testing the story, updating the story, and testing again and again until it felt just right. That was about an 8-month process. Now, it feels right. It’s time to share!