The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Suzanne Slade

Sibert Honoree, Suzanne Slade, is the author of 200 children's books and a mechanical engineer who worked on rockets.

She writes true stories about women in STEM, little-known heroes, space, and more.

Suzanne the author of 200 books, including The Perfect Planet, illustrated by Sam Valentino (2025), Behold the Chameleon, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (2025), Unlocking the Universe: The Cosmic Discoveries of the Webb Space Telescope (2024), Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter, illustrated by Susan Reagan (2023), Blast Off!: How Mary Sherman Morgan Fueled America into Space, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport (2022), A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison (2019), and Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon, illustrated by Alan Marks (2019), Countdown : 2979 Days to the Moon, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (2018), and Astronaut Annie, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell (2018).

Her newest author/illustrated picture book, Women on a Mission: The Remarkable Heroes Who Put Men on the Moon, releases on October 28^th.

Welcome Suzanne! Thank you so much for stopping back by to chat about your books and writing.

Having written many nonfiction books, do you have particular process for researching and writing? Did it change at all for Women on a Mission: The Remarkable Heroes Who Put Men on the Moon?

Every book is unique, so each book has its own research, writing, and editing path. An exciting part of my research for Women on a Mission was tracking down and interviewing three of the twelve women featured in the book. I needed to put on my detective cap to find those remarkable women who are now in their 80s.

That must have been a lot of fun and quite the challenge. What is the most unusual place where you have written a manuscript?

I need to stay focused and have access to my research materials when I write, so I'm not writing in exotic places or even coffee shops (though people like to imagine writers doing that.) I do 98% of my writing at home in a quiet room, and the other 2% in a library when I’m accessing special materials that patrons are not allowed to check out. Sorry my answer is so boring!

Not boring at all - 100% realistic and true. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Women on a Mission?

I'm a mechanical engineer who used to work on rockets, so I'm very interested in space exploration. I've written several books about the Apollo missions, such as Daring Dozen, A Computer Called Katherine, and Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon. During the research for those books, I learned a great deal about many women who worked on the Apollo missions. So, I wanted to highlight those behind-the-scenes women, and how their talent and persistence helped make the first moon landing a reality.

They were truly remarkable women, who fought discrimination and society's rule and they deserve to be celebrated. What was the hardest part of researching and writing Women on a Mission? What was the most fun part?

I think the hardest part was selecting the twelve women the book would feature. (I chose the number twelve because twelve men walked on the moon.) Thousands of amazing women worked on the Apollo missions, so how do you select only a handful? The most fun part was talking with Josephine Jue, JoAnn Morgan, and Phyllis Gaylard, and hearing their incredible stories of the challenges they faced and how they handled them. I also chatted with family members of some of the other women.

I love how you picked the number to feature! What an amazing gift to be able to talk to some of your heroines. How long did it take from the first “seed” of the idea to publication for Women on a Mission?

This book was four years from idea to publication. That's pretty typical of the picture books I've worked on.

That's a lot of work in a couple of years. Did anything surprise or amaze you when you first got to see Molly Magnell’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

Text © Suzanne Slade, 2025. Image © Molly Magnell, 2025.

Since this nonfiction book includes many technical scenes, I was involved in reviewing the illustrations from the first basic sketches through the final artwork. I greatly admire Molly’s research and attention to detail as she accurately depicted the women at work, while also making the illustrations colorful and engaging for young readers.

You can take a peek at the pre-published pages of WOMEN ON A MISSION with Molly’s fantastic art during this brief interview - https://youtu.be/ix1w4rdXEa0.

What was the most rewarding part of the publishing process for Women on a Mission? Was there anything you wished you could have included in the text or back matter?

The publisher of this project, Charlesbridge, excels at providing meaningful and extensive back matter content. I love how they provided plenty of space for me to include additional information and resources in the back of the book, which I hope readers will enjoy or find helpful. In order to accommodate all the information we wanted to share, Charlesbridge bumped this book out to 48 pages, instead of the typical 32 pages found in most picture books. Also check out the book's fun activity guide - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0750/0101/files/women-on-a-mission-activity-kit.pdf?v=1755017323

Wow, that's excellent; especially since you create such great back matter. Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I have another book releasing very soon from NSTA Press titled The Perfect Planet. It's a fun, fictional story about two curious kids who build their own rocket and set off to find the most perfect planet in the entire universe. Along the way, they discover several fascinating exoplanets before finally landing on their perfect planet!

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?

I have lots of favorite parks, but my current favorite is Acadia National Park. My husband and I biked around there for the first time last fall and are returning again this fall. (And my son proposed to his lovely fiancé in Acadia recently.) It's an absolutely gorgeous place!

Thank you, Suzanne, for coming back to talk with me about your newest book. 

Be sure to come back Friday for a Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on Women on a Mission: The Remarkable Heroes Who Put Men on the Moon.

For more information about Suzanne Slade, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.suzanneslade.com/

X (Twitter):  https://x.com/AuthorSSlade

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.b.slade

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