Interview With Hawk Gates About His Debut Children’s Book, "Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike"

I’m excited to announce that the following interview is the closest I have ever gotten to being on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.  (Or with Dave Davies.  I wouldn’t complain if I had to talk to Dave Davies.  I’d be a little disappointed not to talk to Terry, but I would talk to Dave.  No problem!  No bitterness at all.)  

Anyway, this interview is the closest thing to Fresh Air that I’ve experienced.  Technically, it’s me interviewing myself. But it’s better than not being interviewed at all!  

While you’re reading each interview question, please imagine that it’s Terry Gross talking.  That’s the ideal way to do it.  (Don’t imagine Dave Davies.  Forget about Dave.  He’s an outstanding journalist, but when you go on Fresh Air, you want to talk to Terry.)

Here is the interview:

Hawk Gates, welcome.  Thank you for coming on the show. 

Thanks for having me.  It’s an honor to be here.

Congratulations on your new book.  What is it called?

It’s called Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike and it’s illustrated by Karen Sanchez.

What made you want to write a children’s book? 

I started writing children’s stories when I was 22.  I was working as a teacher’s assistant in the 4 year-olds classroom at a day care center.  In my free time after work, I would write stories and draw illustrations.  The teacher I worked with would let me read them to the class.

What kind of stories did you write back then?

I would write stories that aligned with what the class was studying at the time.  I had one about a bear who flew on a rocket ship through the solar system and learned about all the planets.  

Another one, called The Happy Teeth Train, was about dental hygiene.  The main character was a train.  Each car was a tooth.  The Happy Teeth Train went on a journey to the dentist’s office and was attacked along the way by junk food bandits and other adversaries.

Did everything work out okay in the end for The Happy Teeth Train?

Yes and no.  The dentist thoroughly cleaned the teeth.  The Dental Floss Dragons helped out, as well.  Sadly, Baby Tooth fell off the tracks during the trip and was never seen or heard from again.

Do you think Baby Tooth’s demise was a bit too scary for a 4 year-old?

No.  I think kids can handle scary elements in stories.  Look at The Three Pigs, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel.  Characters in those stories face danger and sometimes they’re eaten or killed.  Even in Curious George, George is constantly going from one dangerous situation to the next. 

In The Happy Teeth Train, the death of Baby Tooth is sad, but it’s not too graphic for kids.  And it teaches them that their baby teeth will fall out.  

Do you still have those old stories?

I can’t find any of the illustrations.  I have been able to find a couple of the stories written down in old notebooks, though.

When did you write your new book, Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike?

I started working on it back in 2014, when I was teaching 4th grade.  One of my students’ big writing assignments was called a personal narrative.  It was supposed to be a story about something interesting that happened to them.  

My wife had just given birth to our first child, our son Matthias.  I was enjoying spending time with him.  It caused me to reminisce about spending time with my dad when I was growing up.  One memorable moment was when he took me to K-Mart and bought me my first bike.  It was a little BMX bike called the “MITY Challenger.”  I loved it.  I felt so lucky to get a brand new bike. 

I decided to turn that memory into my own personal narrative. After revising and adding a few fictional elements, that story became Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike.  

Why do you say “big boy bike” instead of just “bike?”

In my experience, little kids always want to learn how to be “big.”  They don’t want to be called little.  When my sister Deb was about four, my mom told her to get her “little butt over here.”  She objected vehemently.  She insisted she had a “big butt.”  That’s just one example.  

Now that I have a five year-old and a two year-old, I’ve noticed that they’re very motivated to do things that “big boys” do, whether it’s using the potty, finishing their dinner, putting their own shoes on, or just about anything.  Being a big boy is very important.

Why do you say “brand new” in the title?

It helps with the alliteration.  More importantly, though, for kids there is always the issue of hand-me-downs.  Hand-me-downs are useful and they’re everywhere when you’re a kid.  

If you get something brand new, that’s a big deal. When I got the MITY Challenger, I was so excited.  Normally, I received hand-me-downs from my older brother Joel.  

Did the MITY Challenger ever become a hand-me-down?

Yes.  My brother Jef and my sister Deb both eventually rode it.

You say you added fictional elements to the story.  How much of Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike is true and how much is fiction?

Johnny is an invented character, but he’s based on me.  His family’s house and yard are very similar to where I grew up.  There’s the yellow house, the long blacktop driveway, the basketball hoop, the red barn in front, the apple tree out back, and the neighbor’s horse corral.

Like Johnny’s dad, my dad wore a mustache when I was a kid.  Nevertheless, the book’s illustrator, Karen Sanchez, drew Johnny’s dad to resemble her own dad, which I thought was a nice touch.  

Karen Sanchez modeled the book’s setting after your childhood home?

Yes.  It made sense to do that because the story has so many elements from my life.

How did she know how to draw the setting accurately?  

I wrote out some descriptions for her and I also sent her a few rough sketches of what the house and yard looked like.  Ms. Sanchez took it from there.  Thanks to her, we ended up with 44 beautiful, full color illustrations that bring the story to life.

It is also thanks to her that Johnny is a bilingual book. Each page has text in English and Spanish. Ms. Sanchez did the translation herself.

Are there any scary parts in Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike?

Ominous, perhaps, but not too scary.  The book is about Johnny spending time with his dad and also about how exciting it can be to use your imagination.  

While Johnny’s out on his very first bike ride down the driveway, his mind wanders off into a fantasy that is mostly fun and exciting, but it’s tinged with an ominous tone, at times.  In the end, it all works out just fine for Johnny.  

Does it end in the typical children’s book way, with Johnny getting tucked into bed and drifting off to sleep?

Johnny does not go “night-night” (as my two year-old calls it) at the end.  I think too many children’s books end with the characters going night-night.

How does the book end?

You’ll have to order a copy and find out for yourself.  It costs $12.99 and you can order it right here.

I certainly will.  Again, congratulations on the book.  Will we be seeing more children’s books from you in the future?

It’s possible that at some point, Ms. Sanchez and I will tell the story of when Johnny sleeps in a brand new big boy bed. Perhaps he’ll have a big boy birthday party, or meet his brand new baby sister.  Those stories are all waiting to be written. 

In the meantime, don’t forget to order your very own copy of Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike today.  Thank you!

My guest today has been Hawk Gates. His new book, illustrated by Karen Sanchez, is titled Johnny’s Brand New Big Boy Bike.  Thank you for joining us.

Thank you for having me. It’s an honor to be on the show, Terry. I hope to be back again soon. I’ll even talk to Dave Davies next time, if you want. It’s great to be here. Thanks again!