The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Candice Ferris Ransom and Review of Books on Horseback

Candice Ransom is an author who has written picture books, board books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, “tween” fiction, young adult fiction, biographies, and nonfiction.  More than 45 of her books have been translated into 12 languages.

Candice graduated in 2004 with her MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts, followed by an MA in children’s literature at Hollins University.  In 2006, she taught at Spalding University’s graduate program in creative writing.  Since 2008, she’s been a faculty member at Hollins University, teaching in the Children’s Literature Graduate Program.

She is the author of 165 books, including Cher, illustrated by Laura Catrinella (2025), Sleepover Night, illustrated by Ashley Evans (2025), Jaques Pepin, illustrated by Tatsiana Burgaud (2024), Juneberry Blue (2024), Field Day, illustrated by Ashley Evans (2024), Halloween Night, illustrated by Ashley Evans (2024), Graduation Day, illustrated by Ashley Evans (2023), Monsters in a Mess, illustrated by Tyrell Solomon (2022), School Day, illustrated by Ashley Evans (2022), Only Margaret: A Story about Margaret Wise Brown (Incredible Lives for Young Readers (ILYR)), illustrated by Nan Lawson (2021), and Bones in the White House: Thomas Jefferson's Mammoth, illustrated by Jamey Christoph (2020).

Canice’s newest picture book, Books on Horseback: The Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, was released on January 13^th.

Welcome Candice,

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing What is your favorite genre to write?)

I’ve been writing children’s books fulltime for more than 43 years. I’ve published (or will publish, some are in the pipeline) more than 200 books. It sounds like a lot and it is a lot, but amortize that number over 43 years. I’ve never been the kind of writer who thinks about what I’ve written. If you came into my house, you wouldn’t find my books on display. I don’t want to see what I’ve done (I’d probably want to change things!). I put my energy into what I’m working on now or what I might work on in the future.

I have a dedicated office in my house in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I use two desktop computers—one for the internet, the other solely for writing. I work long hours, often every day. I’ve wanted to write children’s books since I was 15 years old. I’m grateful that I’m able to do this job, to make even the smallest difference to children—they are our hope for the future.

It is wonderful to "meet" you. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

That would have to be Vinalhaven Island, off the coast of Maine. I’d been working on a picture book biography about Margaret Wise Brown for 15 years. I couldn’t seem to find my way into the story. The whole thing started when I had been reading Leonard Marcus’s adult biography about Margaret (Awakened by the Moon: Margaret Wise Brown) every night before I went to sleep for eight years. I loved Margaret’s life. As many times as I read Marcus’s biography, I’d learn something new about her. One night, after I’d put the book on my nightstand, I heard a voice in my head, “Tell my story.” It was Margaret. I told her no, but she insisted.

I loved researching Margaret’s life, but I couldn’t figure out how to tell her story. I tried telling it from her dog’s point of view, from the point of view of one of her books, draft after draft after draft. I was ready to give up. Then I was asked to go to Vinalhaven Island to talk about Margaret’s life. She had owned a house there. I accepted the invitation but was done working on Margaret’s story. I was never going to get it right.

On that magical island, I was given a private tour of Margaret’s house. Her ghost (she died in 1952, the year I was born) was everywhere. I felt that in Maine, I’d found the real Margaret.

Back at my rental house overlooking the water, I wrote a brand-new version of Margaret’s story. I finally understood this mercurial writer of books for young children. Six months later my manuscript sold. Two years later, Only Margaret: A Story About Margaret Wise Brown was published by Eerdmans, nineteen years after she had whispered in my ear, “Tell my story.”

Sound like chance to "walk in her footprints" was just what you needed. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Books on Horseback: The Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky?

I’ve always read widely and somewhere I learned about the librarians who rode horses and mules into the Kentucky mountains to bring books to people who had no access to public libraries and could not afford to buy books. I was reminded of those women when my editor mentioned it would make a great picture book. I agreed and began researching in the fall of 2018.

I understood firsthand what it was like to desire books. Growing up, I only had a handful of Little Golden Books, which I cherished. The little library in my elementary school felt like the Library of Congress to me. When I was nine, I got a library card to the new public library and I believed, correctly, I had struck gold. On my very first visit I checked out 22 books!

Books are treasures and this is a great story of getting books to readers. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Books on Horseback? And what was the most fun?

Although my book is historical fiction, I needed to make sure that where my fictional librarian traveled was completely accurate. The story is set in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. I ordered a vintage topographical atlas of eastern Kentucky. Topo maps show terrain as well as towns and, in Depression-era Kentucky, settlements.

Day after day, I squinted through a magnifying glass as I followed streams and mountain contours that would be the route of my main character. Thousandsticks and Possum Bend were actual place names. By studying the topography, I knew the streams she’d cross, where the school was, how difficult it was to get to Possum Bend. That level of research lent authority to the story and made it more real to me. As I wrote, I felt chilly mornings on the trail, tired from urging Boots up yet another steep mountainside, cold feet as Boots splashed across a creek.

I loved tracking down some of the actual books mentioned in my research that librarians carried to people in the hollows. I nearly ordered a copy of Shoes for Sandy, a children’s book from the 30s, from eBay!

That level of research also makes it more real for the readers. It's cool that you found a 1930's book that would have been carried by these librarians! Did you discover anything in your research that you wish you could have included in the main part of the book or the backmatter?

When I research and write historical nonfiction, I’m in whole hog. I learned that the librarians made scrapbooks from Christmas cards, donated books too tattered for circulation, newspapers and magazines.

As someone who likes to create mixed media art, I wanted to make a scrapbook using facsimile photos and periodicals as one of those librarians would. If there was any way to include that in the backmatter, I would have made one. With other deadlines looming, I never made a scrapbook. Also, such a project added to the back matter would have made the book too long.

Oh, that's too bad. It sounds like it would have been lots of fun. Did anything amaze or surprise you when you first saw Massimiliano Di Lauro’s illustrations?

Long before the book came out, I reviewed his rough sketches. It’s often hard to “read” an illustrator’s roughs (which is why I’m not an editor!). My biggest surprise came when I reviewed the nearly finished art. I fell in love with the cover! The rich chestnut of Boots, Marjorie’s horse, the hazy blues of the Appalachian Mountains contrasting with the verdant valleys and hollows, and the determination of my main character and her horse. Do horses have expressions? Absolutely! Just look at the forward set of his ears, the slant of his eyebrows.

Text © Candice Ransom, 2026. Image © Massimiliano Di Lauro, 2026.

I admire Di Lauro’s skill with composition, from the two trees that frame horse and rider on the cover, to vignettes or spot illustrations that convey motion or the passing of time. One double-spread shows the various stops Marjorie makes to deliver books, with a simple map in the background that shows the varied terrain of her route. And I love the way he depicted Boots. Horses are this illustrator’s forte!

Such great illustrations. I agree he does a great job with Boots. Is there anything you want your readers to know or discover about Books on Horseback?

In this country, books are available to anyone who lives near a public library. With the advent of screens taking over our lives, books seem to lose their importance. And yet, I’m heartened when I visit my library, which I do several times a week, and see a young boy with a stack of Percy Jackson books clutched to his chest. Or when I see a young mother sitting on the floor of the children’s room with her toddler, reading aloud a picture book. “What dat?” the child asks, pointing to an illustration, and the mother patiently explains.

It costs nothing to visit the public library. You can walk out with entire worlds in your arms. In the mountains of Kentucky during the Great Depression, books were rare treasures. To me, and I hope to my readers, books are treasures that we can all share. Enjoy your public library. Be grateful we live in a nation where books are free.

What a wonderful reminder of the worlds found at the libraries and the importance of books and stories. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I have three projects waiting for me to get to them. One is a nonfiction picture book—my research materials and binders of printed research fill a two-shelf vintage teacart. I’ve been working on this book idea since 2017, still trying to find the right way into this story. Yes, some books take forever!

I’m also working on a middle grade memoir. This is a story I’ve been trying to tell since 1990. It’s a difficult topic that eludes me but I haven’t given up on it yet. And there’s an autobiographical picture book—different from the memoir—I’ve been trying to pin down for about a year. These personal “from my heart” stories are worked on between contractual projects.

Last question, what is your favorite national park or forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

There are places in this world where you’ve never lived, didn’t grow up there, yet once you’ve been, you realize that place is the home of your heart. For me, it’s the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. I could see the mountains, some eighty miles away, from my elementary school in Fairfax County. I crossed those mountains as a child to visit my mother’s relatives in the Shenandoah Valley. The Blue Ridge Mountains always seemed enchanted to me, endlessly beautiful in their gentle, ancient way.

My late husband took me to Shenandoah National Park when we were going together. We hiked trails up to mountain tops and down to gushing waterfalls. Over the many years we were married, our go-to place was that national park. It was the home of our hearts. It still is mine.

Great picture. Thank you, Candice, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your newest picture book.

To find out more about Candice Ransom, or to contact her:

Website: https://candiceransom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcandiceransom/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candicefransom/

Review of Books on Horseback: The Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky

An engaging tribute, based on true stories of the many women librarians who rode horseback 5,ooo miles a month, crisscrossing Eastern Kentucky, to bring literature and communication to isolated rural communities. A group of dedicated women and an important program that deserves to be remembered.

Books on Horseback: The Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky

Author: Candice Ferris Ransom

Illustrator: Massimiliano Di Lauro

Publisher: Reycraft Books (January 13, 2026)

Ages: 8 -12

Historical Fiction

Themes:

Packhorse librarians, Kentucky, American history, determination, and books.

Synopsis:

Times were hard in the hollows of Kentucky during the Great Depression. People didn't have much - having something to read was a luxury. But thanks to a special program, librarians were able to share books with schools and families all over Eastern Kentucky.

Books on Horseback, an inspiring tale written by acclaimed author Candice Ferris Ransom, introduces young readers to The Pack Horse Library Project. This initiative, instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression, attempted to bring literature and education to some of the most remote parts of the United States.

Desperate for a solution to bring folks out of poverty, packhorse librarians, also known as “Book Ladies”, rode out on horseback to the Appalachian Mountains and rural Kentucky to bring books to read to adults and children. Public libraries in this remote section of Kentucky were rare, if at all in existence. The residents of these areas were not able to travel very far to find a public library, so they were left without any resources.

Illustrator Massimiliano Di Lauro captures the strength and resilience of the Book Lady in this story as she prepares her journey into Eastern Kentucky. The illustrations provide a vividness of what it was like for these women to brave the elements and rough terrain to reach their destination with hopes of salvation for those in need.

Most cities and towns in America today have access to public libraries, but there are still some locations that lack adequate funding or resources to properly educate their communities. Books on Horseback is an important story to share with young readers about the precious value of quality education and how it can affect lives in monumental ways.

Opening Lines:

The morning sun has yet to step over the ridge, but the

Book Lady is ready. Her real name is Marjorie, but everyone

calls her the Book Lady.

She opens the door and clouds drift into her kitchen. Fog,

or no, she can't be late.

What I LOVED about this book:

The lyrical opening text beautifully combines with this image of wispy, fluffy clouds floating into the house. Massimiliano Di Lauro's stylized illustrations playfully use both light (the purple/blue of predawn with just the hint of an orange glow creeping up the hills, rays of light streaming across a trail, the deep evening darkness, and the fury of a storm) and inset pictures to make this historical tribute fun to read.

Text © Candice Ransom, 2026. Image © Massimiliano Di Lauro, 2026.

This is an intriguing start to a historical fiction of a woman known as "The Book Lady." Marjorie is a wonderful encapsulation of the dedication, determination, and drive of the travelling librarians who crisscrossed the Appalachian Mountains and rural Kentucky eighteen miles a day on horseback during the Great Depression to bring contact and literature to isolated families.

In addition to showcasing the historical setting, the struggles of Kentucky mining and logging communities during the Great Depression, and President Franklin Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library program which hired women to be mobile, packhorse librarians, the book honestly explores the struggles Marjorie and the other women endured and the appreciation of the families and communities they helped.

These special women braved stony slopes, steep ravines, wildlife, and surging rivers to make their rounds and provide conversation, books, and magazines to schools and isolated families. It was interesting to learn that the librarians also collected and shared recipes and patterns between the families on their routes. Riding long hours, in all conditions, these women developed a bond with their horses and with the people they helped.

Text © Candice Ransom, 2026. Image © Massimiliano Di Lauro, 2026.

I loved the spread with Majorie caringly tending to her horse, after a long day. And then, because her inventory of donated books didn't have any dog books, showsing her creating a book with magazine pictures about dogs for a very isolated, young "dog-loving boy."

Text © Candice Ransom, 2026. Image © Massimiliano Di Lauro, 2026.

The ending is both exciting and extremely tender. This is a wonderful reminder of the importance of libraries, literature, and especially dedicated librarians. It's an engaging and heartfelt look at a bit of history that many may not know.

Resources:

• go to your own library (or book mobile) and look for books about your favorite animal or topic.

• compare this book with two other historical fiction picture books about the packhorse librarians -Junia, The Book Mule of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, illustrated by David C. Gardner and The Horseback Librarians by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Alexandra Badiu. How are the books similar? How are they different?

• then check out Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras by Nelson Rodríguez & Leonardo Agustín Montes, illustrated by Rosana Faría & Carla Tabora, translated by Lawrence Schimel, The Library Bus by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, and Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra for a few more interesting ways that librarians around the world get books to kids.