The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Tiffany Stone

Tiffany Stone is a children’s poet, picture book author, and editor. She loves playing with words, especially writing rhymes, penning puns, and using a lot of alliteration. Tiffany lives by the forest in Maple Ridge, BC, Canada, with her family and a plethora of pets, including two snakes.

When Tiffany isn’t working or spending time with her family, she likes growing vegetables, baking vegan goodies, roller skating and volunteering helping immigrants learn English.

Tiffany is the author of 13 books, including The Day Dancer Flew, illustrated by Brittany Lane (2024), Super Small: Miniature Marvels of the Natural World, illustrated by Ashley Spires (2023), Little Narwhal, Not Alone, illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee (2021), Wood Could, illustrated by Mike Lowery (2021), Knot Cannot, illustrated by Mike Lowery (2020), Silli's Sheep, illustrated by Louis Thomas (2020), Tallulah Plays the Tuba, illustrated by, Sandy Nichols (2019), and Teatime, illustrated by Jori van der Linde (2017)

Her newest picture book, Six Little Sticks, releases on May 6th.

Welcome Tiffany,

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

A lot of my writing takes place in my head as I go about my day. Some of my best lines seem to come to me when I’m taking a shower or driving my car, which means I have to keep repeating them to myself until I have a chance to type them into my phone or jot them down on paper. When I actually sit down to write, it tends to be on the couch, where I get ‘help’ from at least one of our cats. Sometimes, though, I manage to write in my bright orange office!

I have been writing for as long as I can remember, since I was five, I think. Except for a brief period in about second grade when I wanted to be a veterinarian (until I learned that there are sad parts of that job), I have always wanted to be a writer.

I’m a poet at heart and am happiest when I’m writing rhymes!

It is really nice to "meet" you, Tiffany. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written or illustrated a manuscript?

I worked on a very early version of Super Small in various campgrounds while on a road trip partway across Canada with my family, and I began Silli’s Sheep on the airplane ride home after visiting Iceland with my husband. Probably the most epic—and frustrating—writing experience I’ve had was back in the early 2000s when I did the final proofread of one of my books on my laptop from a remote location (also while camping with my family) via dial-up modem. It took HOURS because the connection kept cutting out, and I had to keep paying for additional time.

That is SO tough! We did something like that once in the Bahamas. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Six Little Sticks? 

I was inspired to write the story by a pair of stick insects my now grown-up daughter had as pets when she was a kid. Charlotte and Wilbur, who arrived already named, were both mama stick bugs but went on to have many little sticks of their own. A fun stick bug fact that isn’t in the book: A female stick insect doesn’t need a male to have babies. Female stick insects can reproduce by parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction in which the unfertilized females produce eggs that hatch into more females. If there are no males around, all the stick bugs will continue to be females. If a male does fertilize an egg, the baby (or nymph) has a fifty percent chance of being male.

It's my understanding that it’s no longer legal to keep non-native stick insects as pets in Canada because they are considered ecological pests, so we were lucky to welcome Charlotte, Wilbur and their little sticks into our family when we did!

Cool fact and interesting that they are now "pests." By the way, it is illegal in the U.S. to have non-native stick insects, too. What is the hardest or most challenging thing for each of you about writing Six Little Sticks?

For me, it was figuring out the most fun, yet still realistic, way to incorporate stick insects’ real-life ability to camouflage into a unique story for younger kids.

I can see how that would have been a fun challenge. How many revisions did Six Little Sticks take from first draft to publication?

So many I lost count! It started off as a story called Fantastick back in 2019, which was nothing like what it became, other than that it was about a stick insect. Despite always having very few words, the story went through multiple iterations until I finally landed upon the idea of including counting and subtraction. Adding numbers seemed to be the charm!

Interesting. Finding the format can be tough. When you first saw Ruth Hengeveld’s illustrations did anything surprise, amaze, or delight you? Which is your favorite spread? 

I absolutely love how Ruth manages to combine realism with whimsy. All the insect species in the book are clearly recognizable, and yet I feel I could sit down and have a cup of tea (or lemonade) with any one of them!

Text © Tiffany Stone, 2025. Image © Ruth Hengeveld, 2025.

The big, bold first spread really speaks to me. But I also adore the tiny details throughout, like the personal items, such as the binoculars, pinwheel, and colored pencils, that help us tell the six little sticks apart.

What's something each of you want your readers to know about or learn from Six Little Sticks?

I hope readers will be inspired to learn more about stick insects (there are around 3,000 different species!) and other insects who use camouflage. Maybe they’ll use the search-and-find skills they hone reading the book to really notice the world around them. You never know what cool creatures you might find!

I didn't realize there were so many species of stick bugs! I've actually found a few throughout my life and travels. What was the most fun part of writing Six Little Sticks?  

I always love the challenge of finding rhymes that aren’t merely convenient but actually serve the story I want to tell. I also really enjoyed coming up with the title. It’s fun to say: Six Little Sticks, Six Little Sticks, Six Little Sticks…

Rhymes can be so tough and even more so when you eschew the easiest ones. Are there any upcoming books or new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I can’t share specifics yet, but I’m super excited (and a little nervous) to be working on my first early chapter book series!

Congrats! We'll have to keep our eyes open for the series. Last question,  what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

I’m rather spoiled since our property backs onto forest in Kanaka Creek Regional Park. I can hear the creek from our house, and black bears sometimes pay a visit. 

www.NaturalWorldHeritageSites.org/EverythingEverwhereTravelBlog

Seeing herds of bison in Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada’s largest national park), on the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, on the traditional territory of the Dene, Cree and Métis, was a bucket list moment, for sure!

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

To find out more about Tiffany Stone, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.tiffanystone.ca/

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