The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Christine Van Zandt and Review of Cogwheel
- Apr 29
- 6 min read
Christine Van Zandt is a freelance editor and coach, writer, and award-winning author of five nonfiction picture books including Hot Dog! The History of America’s Favorite Sausage, a 2026 Junior Library Guild (JLG) gold-standard selection illustrated by the renowned Steven Salerno.
You can also find her stories and poems in anthologies and magazines. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Christine is the author of The Legendary Life Story of the Lever: How a Deceptively Simple Machine Moves the World Forward, illustrated by Leslie Breen (2025), Milkweed for Monarchs, illustrated by Alejandra Barajas (2024), and A Brief History of Underpants, illustrated by Harry Briggs (2021).
Her newest picture book The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel: How a Deceptively Simple Device Moves the World Forward, illustrated by Karen Crosbie, releases April 28th.
Welcome Christine,
Hi! Thanks for having me.
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing?)
Writing is part of who I am, what I do, and what I have done for as far back as I can recall. I’m fortunate to spend my days writing, most often it’s as ghostwriter or co-writer for my clients.
That's interesting and a wonderful opportunity. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?
I used to write at indoor playgrounds while my daughter ran around having fun. This amazingly immersive experience with the loud music and even louder kids somehow worked for me creatively.
I'm not sure that would work for me. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel: How a Deceptively Simple Device Moves the World Forward?
This is the second book in the series that shows how simple machines have helped us through history. Cogwheels are needed to make many everyday objects work but we may not even notice them. I like slowing down to analyze and notice the smaller things. The book provides interesting historical information that ties back to the cogwheel. There’s also a fun, build-it-yourself model of a clock included.
It's amazing how many things we take for granted daily. I'm glad you're slowing us down and exploring these aspects of our lives. What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel? And what was the most fun?
The most challenging part was also the best one. There were many hands involved in this project which meant lots of back and forth with the publishers; we each had a part and, together, we created the books in this series. I liked how our collaboration echoed how simple machines are often part of a bigger whole.
Glad it didn't turn out to be "too many cooks in the kitchen" instead of a fun collaboration. How many revisions did the illustrations take from first draft to publication for The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel?
I saw four revisions, but the editors were working with the illustrator on aspects that I wasn’t involved with; there was more going on behind the scenes.
Having written five nonfiction picture books, do you have a particular method or writing routine? If so, did The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel follow this model or routine?
The Mighty Models series is different from other books I’ve written because the publisher came to me with specifications to follow. My focus was writing the main text. Their team worked on the technical elements of the book to ensure the way the simple machines work is accurately described and done so in a way that will engage young kids.
That's definitely a bit more of an unusual experience creating a picture book. Did anything amaze or surprise you when you first saw Karen Crosbie’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?
Text © Christine Van Zandt, 2026. Image © Karen Crosbie, 2026.
Karen did an excellent job following the series style which is supposed to have a lot going on without coming across as being too busy. My favorite is the eighth scene, the Age of Industry, featuring how cogwheels engage with a toothed rail to keep the first mountain-climbing railway moving without slipping backward when going over hills. I like how this scene takes us outdoors and provides a visual pause to relax.
Great visuals! What’s something you want your readers to know about The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel?
That these books can be read on many levels. Beyond the STEM, they have a historical aspect. Kids can really dig in and get into the technical information or they can enjoy the stories via the art. The Mighty Models series can also be used in classrooms to demonstrate specific historical periods.
There are so many ways to read and use this book (and this series). Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
I’m working on several funny nonfiction manuscripts.
Intriguing, I look forward to seeing these books. 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?
Yosemite is my favorite National Park; the area’s landscape takes my breath away no matter how many times I’ve seen it. The stark granite peaks offset by green valleys and clear lakes demonstrate the area’s powerful geological history.
Thank you, Christine, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your fourth picture book.
To find out more about Christine Van Zandt, or to contact her:
Website: https://christinevanzandt.com/
Review of The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel:
How a Deceptively Simple Device Moves the World Forward
In this case, it is not cliché to say that this book has something for everyone. There are great visuals and schematics, different layers of conversational text, fascinating facts, and a big dose of STEM (engineering, physics, history, .
The Legendary Life Story of the Cogwheel: How a Deceptively Simple Device Moves the World Forward
Author: Christine Van Zandt
Illustrator: Karen Crosbie
Publisher: Union Square & Co. (April 28, 2026)
Ages: 4 - 8
Nonfiction
Themes:
Machinery, inventions, history, and STEM.
Synopsis:
Discover the importance of the cog and its crucial role in history from ancient civilizations to the modern day; perfect for fans of The Highlights Book of How and The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay.
Think a cog is just a circle with spikes? Think again! Cogs have been used to map the stars, travel along the Great Wall, and even race in the Tour de France.
This Mighty Models title highlights ten important key moments in which the cog leveled up in history—from being a wheel to a telescope in space. Readers can build their own working pendulum clock, using the build-it-yourself model included in the book, to see the power of the cog in action!
Christine Van Zandt’s nonfiction STEM series for readers 4 to 8 and up perfectly captures the marvels of early machinery and how it plays into today's technology.
What I LOVED about this book: This is a fun book for kids and adults who like to know how things work. It's a great introduction to many varied uses which cogwheels have been put to use throughout history. While I was familiar with the use of water wheels - cogwheels - to grind grain, it's fun to see one in action helping a blacksmith make armor.
Text © Christine Van Zandt, 2026. Image © Karen Crosbie, 2026.
Like in the previous book, where an animated lever introduced the sidebar information, a smiling, animated cogwheel introduces the sidebars - such as "How To Use Cogwheels To Shape Metal," which briefly step through the process. Each spread is divided between a main text, interesting snippets, and a scientific sidebar explaining the specific function of a cogwheel in the context of different eras (Medieval, Age of Industry, Industrial Revolution, Romantic, Le Belle Epoque, etc.).
I loved discovering places where a cogwheel makes a big difference which I had not thought about before - for instance in the tuning of an instrument. . .
Text © Christine Van Zandt, 2026. Image © Karen Crosbie, 2026.
or had not known about - the cog railway at Mount Washington. In all, the book highlights and celebrates ten inventions throughout time, in addition to some more recent examples. The book included a “build-it-yourself” clock, giving kids a chance to physically discover how cogwheels operate. It's a wonderful resource for curious kids, parents, and teachers.
Resources:
learn more about the cog railway on Mount Washington and enjoy a virtual ride.
Very interesting! And p.s., I need complete SILENCE to write--no noisy indoor playground for me. :)