More than Mushrooms: an author interview!

 Just a quick reminder that it's Pi Day (3.14) - and that Pie are round; cake are square. Now on to the wonderful book for today!

Fungi Are... More Than Mushrooms

by Alisha Gabriel; illus. by Vivien Sárkány 

36 pages; ages 4-8

Tielmour Press, 2025 

theme: nature, observation, fungi

Fungi are travelers.

Most people, when they think about fungi, think about the mushrooms on their pizza, or popping up in their lawn after a week of rain. But fungi are so much more. They recycle nutrients. They come in an amazing assortment of colors and shapes and sizes. And they don’t stay in one place! Sure, you’re not going to see a mushroom uproot itself and saunter over to the woodpile – but they do send their spores out into the world. And their hyphae are always spreading, spreading, spreading under our feet. In fact, its those hyphae that help hold the world together, author Alisha Gabriel points out.

What I like about this book: I like the structure: a main point followed by three specific examples. I like the layered text: simple concepts in large font with explanatory text below the illustrations. I like the soft feel to the illustrations. And I really like that there are a bunch of non-fungi things included in the illustrations – and a scavenger hunt-type list at the back challenging readers to find those items.

Full disclosure: Alisha and I co-authored a book for middle-grade readers called Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More (Chicago Review Press, 2022), and we are critique partners, so I’ve watched her new book grow from spore to fruiting body. 

Still, I had a few questions…

Me: What inspired this book?

Alisha: Do you remember the first walk we took when we met at Highlights? I must have stopped a dozen times to take photos of mushrooms. Even way back then, I knew I wanted to write a picture book about fungi. 

Me: Yeah – that was back in 2013 maybe? I remember some very cool fungi.

Alisha: Then almost a dozen years passed before you and I co-authored the award-winning Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More. When that book came out, I started giving presentations at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals. The age of my audience varied from 2 to 92, but Funky Fungi is aimed at middle grade readers. As I adjusted my presentation on the fly, I explored ways to share the information with a younger audience. I realized that I still wanted to write a picture book about fungi. Since there were already several beautiful picture books about fungi available, I knew that it would require a unique approach to capture an agent or editor’s attention. 

Me: How did you come to the structure and categories? (fungi are travelers, fungi are homes…)

Alisha: In late May and early June 2023, I jotted some notes in my journal about writing an expository picture book about fungi. I also read many, many books on a variety of topics, keeping a close eye on structure. Some of my journal entries from this time frame included whole sentences, but there were lists and lists of words. Nouns. Adjectives. Synonyms. There were late night scrawls that meandered diagonally across the page. One that stood out was, “Fungi become homes to animals and insects. They soften, cradle, and protect.” 

After exploring and contemplating different directions the text might take, I came back to that snippet. With a bit of tweaking, it became Fungi are homes. They soften, cradle, and protect. I had landed on my first layer text structure; a statement and three specific examples. The second layer would become a short explanation with a specific type of fungi. The writing went incredibly fast, from idea to final draft in one month. That was unusual for me, but I had been immersed in fungi research since 2020, so perhaps these ideas had been marinating and were ready to come together.

Me: I think letting ideas marinate helps them become more robust. Now that your book is out (well, as of tomorrow) what do you hope kids (and maybe adults) take away from reading it?

Alisha: I hope they understand that fungi are an incredibly important part of our world. Mushrooms have been popping up on everything from clothing, art, and interior design for a few years now, and it’s exciting that they’re having a renaissance in our culture. However, there’s more to fungi than the mushrooms we see, and I hope people will also continue learning about the less noticeable fungal relatives. 

Me: You’re published with Tielmour Press, in Canada. Can you share a bit about working with them? 

Alisha: It has been a wonderful experience working with Tielmour Press! They’re still a fairly new publisher, but have several books in the pipeline. Although some people might hold out for an offer from a BIG 5 publisher, there are certainly advantages to working with smaller companies. Everyone at Tielmour Press replies to emails quickly, each book receives individualized attention, and the company has a strong environmental vision. 

Me: The illustrations are so soft and inviting. Did you get to meet Vivien Sárkány ?

Alisha: Yes, her work is amazing! We’ve never spoken, but she did a remarkable job bringing the book to life. It was important to me that the fungi in the book resemble the real thing, and if the text mentioned a type of fungi, that it should be used on the page. She did this, and much, much more! I’d love to work with her again. Her signature style is gorgeous.

Me: I know you have another book under contract, and I can’t wait to see it. 

Alisha: I do have another nonfiction picture book under contract, but it hasn’t been announced yet. I can’t give specifics, but I can say that it’s nature-themed, on a completely different topic, and also uses a layered, expository style. Thank you so much for inviting me over to your blog to talk about Fungi are… More Than Mushrooms! 

You can find out more about Alisha and her books at her website alishagabriel.com

Beyond the Books:

Use mushrooms to make stamp art. Here’s how.

Yeast makes bread rise, but can it blow up a balloon? Try this easy experiment – you could experiment with recycling empty water bottles instead of the squeeze bottles. I remember doing this one waaay back in elementary school. Here's how.

Another fun yeast experiment is to make elephant toothpaste. You’ll need 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, yeast, a recycled water bottle, and a drop of dish soap. Here’s how.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the author.