The Picture Book Buzz -Interview with Molly Beth Griffin and Review of Far, Far Away

Molly Beth Griffin is a graduate of Hamline University’s MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has been teaching writing for children (to adults) at the Loft Literary Center for 12 years.

She critiques manuscripts, visits schools, and hosts a monthly Picture Book Salon for writers and illustrators. She lives in South Minneapolis with her partner and their two children, where she enjoys hiking, taking photos, drawing birds, eating pastries, watching mysteries, and waiting for the mail.

Molly is the author of 18 books, including Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing, illustrated by Claudia McGehee (2025), Just Us, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan (2024), The Big Leaf Leap, illustrated by Meleck Davis (2022),  Ten Beautiful Things, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga (2021), Rhoda's Rock Hunt illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell (2014), Silhouette of a Sparrow (2012), Loon Baby, illustrated by Anne Hunter (2011), two poetry chapbooks, and a series of beginning readers.

Her newest book, Far, Far Away, was released on April 29th.

Welcome Molly,

Hi, thanks for having me.

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

I’ve been writing since I was little! I was a very shy kid, and I liked being able to work out my ideas and feelings in the privacy of the page. I still do. I’m a poet at heart and my favorite form is picture books, because you get to blend a bunch of genres in a very small space.

So nice to meet you! What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

I get most of my ideas while I’m outside, especially while I’m hiking with my family. The writing itself usually happens at my laptop, but ideas and first lines and snippets of language often come while I’m out in the world—walking or taking photos or watching my kids play and explore.

Sounds like a great opportunity to relax and let your mind wander. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Far, Far Away?

This story is based on the many BWCA camping trips I took as a teenager with the youth group from my church, and from all the hiking and exploring I do with my own kids on Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota. I wanted to write a book about that beautiful landscape, and about how important it is to step outside of our comfort zones and explore the outdoors, even when it’s challenging.

It's a beautiful and special area. I am glad you created a book about it. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Far, Far Away? And what was the most fun?

It was challenging because I wanted it to be accurate to the experience of canoe camping in the Boundary Waters, without bogging down the text with excessive detail. The illustrator Bao Luu was very patient with my many nitpicky corrections to the art, right up until the book went to the printers!

It’s honestly been fun to write about the complaining involved in being outside and taking kids on outdoor adventures. I think a lot of stories on this topic gloss over the real challenges, and families are left thinking that if their kids are complaining, they must be doing it wrong and should give up. But there’s just a fair amount of complaining involved in this kind of endeavor, and I want to show that it’s worth sticking it out, and that your effort will be rewarded.

You captured that well and anyone who has spent outdoors with kids (their own, as a counselor, or even with siblings), can attest to some complaining on most trips. Sometimes, even from the adults! When you first saw Bao Luu’s illustrations did anything surprise, amaze, or delight you? Which is your favorite spread?

Yes! His characters are so cute and the colors are so bright. At first, I was a little taken aback by that—it seemed younger than what I was envisioning. But I think ultimately that’s a good thing. It’ll feel really inviting for younger kids. And it gives it a kind of a Golden Book feel, which is very nostalgic for my generation. 

Text © Molly Beth Griffin, 2025. Image © Bao Luu, 2025.

My favorite spread is the one where they’re hanging the food pack way up in a tree.

I remember doing that on wilderness camping trips! How many revisions did Far, Far Away take from first draft to publication?

So many! I honestly don’t know. I looked in my file and I have 5 drafts from before I submitted it. Then, lots of back and forth with the editor (at least 4 rounds?). Then, we did more changes once there was art. I first wrote this one in 2015, so it’s been a long process.

But we are glad you didn't give up. What's something you want your readers to know or learn about Far, Far Away?

I want them to know that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a real place, and it’s public land that we have to protect. There’s information in the back of the book about the BWCA, and you can learn more and find out how you can help at Friends of the Boundary Waters https://www.friends-bwca.org/.

It is such a beautiful area. Thanks for the link. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us? 

Yes! I have another new book out this spring called Rings Of Heartwood: Poems On Growing which is a picture book of poems and nonfiction about how animals and plants grow. It’s beautifully illustrated by Claudia McGehee and came out in March.

I’m also gearing up for several 2026 releases. One is about helping an elder downsize - Everything Grandma Needs, Charlesbridge, another is about how black bears use white pine trees as babysitters - The Babysitter Tree, MN Historical Society Press, and the third is about how kids build forts to cope with hard times -Your Cardboard Castle, Free Spirit Publishing. It’ll be a busy year!

Wow these all sound intriguing. We'll have to keep our eyes open for 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? 

Oh, this is a hard question. Obviously I have to say Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area! But I also love my little city park, Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis. Also, Wood Lake Nature Center, Lake Nokomis, Minnehaha Falls, and more. We have tons of beautiful green space in my city, and I’m very grateful for that.

Thank you, Molly, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new book.

To find out more about Molly Beth Griffin, or to contact her:

Website: https://mollybethgriffin.com/

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

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

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mbgriffinbooks.bsky.social

Review of Far, Far Away

This beautifully illustrated picture book will carry you on a trip of reminiscence, or perhaps longing, to be in the wild experiencing the wonder, challenges, and gifts that nature offers us when we're willing to disconnect and step away from society's noise.

Far, Far Away

Author: Molly Beth Griffin

Illustrator: Bao Luu

Publisher: Charlesbridge (April 29, 2025)

Ages: 3-7

Fiction:

Themes:

Camping, family, nature, canoeing, new experiences, and discoveries.

Synopsis:

A picture book celebrating the beauty of nature, new experiences, and gaining perspective. Sometimes you have to go far, far away to appreciate the world around you.

Excellent for fans of The Camping Trip and 3–7-year-olds with an interest in the outdoors will love the exploration of wildlife and its rewards.

Mom and Mama are taking Rowan on his first camping trip far, far away from the city where they live. Rowan is excited to see all kinds of wildlife, possibly even a bear or a moose!

But they are canoe camping, which means they carry all their supplies on their back and paddle from place to place. Before long, Rowan is tired and hungry, itchy from mosquito bites, and downright grumpy. In fact, he wants to go home.

When night falls, Mom and Mama listen to his complaints, but when they show him the sky—full of stars like he's never seen before—Rowan realizes that though camping is hard work, it is worth it in the end.

Opening Lines:

Rowan's going canoe camping

across lakes and through forests

to where the wilderness is really wild,

far, far away from the world he knows,

and back again.

What I liked about this book:

Embarking on an adventure in the back country wilderness of Minnesota's Lake Superior, Rowan is excited to join his two moms on this canoe/hiking/camping trip.

Text © Molly Beth Griffin, 2025. Image © Bao Luu, 2025.

Especially as he notices the wildlife (birds, fish, and dragonflies) he can see from the canoe. Experimenting with paddling, he excitedly utters, "Let's go farther." Which becomes a fun refrain for the first part of the book. When they first have to portage - carry the canoe, backpacks, and paddles across land to the next lake - he spots more wildlife and encourages his mothers onward. The digital illustrations are colorful, expressive, and full of fun details. Boa Luu does a great job of including the reader in the canoeing adventure.

But as any parent, relative, or camp counselor knows, these initial excited bursts of energy and enthusiasm dwindle by midday. Itchy, tired, sore, and hangry, Rowan grumps the age-old question of almost every child - "ARE WE THERE YET?"

Text © Molly Beth Griffin, 2025. Image © Bao Luu, 2025.

While he's slightly satiated by a granola bar, poor Rowan finds that finally getting to the campsite isn't as exciting as he thought. They had to set everything up and he had use a latrine ("EW!"). As the day progresses, he also discovers he is "far, far away from the city pool" (not liking a freezing lake with things that tickle his legs), from facets and kitchens (water has to be pumped and filtered and chili from a tiny stove is yucky!). The text continues using the "far, far away" refrain as Rowan realizes he's missing dishwashers, screens, and worst of all his own bed and "Big Snuggles."

To counter a total melt down, his mothers show him something amazing and spectacular that he can't see back home in the city. I appreciate the honesty in the text and illustrations of the realities and strangeness of camping, of the frustrations, irritableness, and reactions of many kids (and adults) during outdoor adventures, and the marvels and wonders along the way that make it so worth it. The back matter offers history and interesting information on The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), in the Superior National Forest in Northeastern Minnesota and includes an author's note describing her personal connection to the BWCA and her wish for readers to "step away from roads and computers and city lights from time to time, and find wonder “far, far away.”

This is a wonderful celebration of spending time "off the grid" exploring, resetting, and marveling at nature. A picture book sure to spark outdoor memories or a desire to start exploring, no matter how far you go.

Resources:

• check out the book's coloring pages,

• make a paper, popsicle stick, cardboard tube, or "sewn" canoe.

• get outside. Start with a walk at a local park, a nearby hike, or maybe a walk on a beach. Then try a trip to a national park, a ranger-led hike, and maybe a camping trip. What did you discover about nature and about yourself? 

• pair this with Wonder Walkers by Archer, Micha, One Summer Up North by John Owens, and The Hike

  by Alison Farrell.