Interview: Mary E. Cronin
Mary E. Cronin lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Her books include Trucks, Boots, and Bells, a poetry collection set in a busy city firehouse, and Like a Mother Bear, a picture book biography of PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford. Mary’s poems have appeared in numerous children’s anthologies and in The New York Times. www.maryecronin.com.
Little Thoughts Press: In your poem, “Raise the Rainbow Flag” you describe the Pride flag in the following ways: “the stripes a celebration,” and “The colors weave a joyful noise, a mix of song and poem.” This flag is not only a symbol of identity, but of connection, celebration and joy for the LGBTQ+ community. Why is joyful celebration such a vital part of the LGBTQ+ community’s traditions, and how can kids best join in and support Pride celebrations?
Mary Cronin: I think many of us are familiar with stories of struggle and overcoming challenges in the LGBTQ+ community, which is why leading with joy is so important. There is a stubbornness and a determination in the LGBTQ+ community-- there may be challenges, but no one can stop our joy and delight. Children can understand that and feel that, in every Pride gathering, large or small, and they can join in by cheering, waving flags, singing along, or marching with family… or simply by displaying a rainbow flag at home.
Little Thoughts Press: There is currently a growing effort to ban books for young readers that feature LGBTQ+ families, history, and themes. So let’s shout some out instead! What books should we be reading and sharing with our students and kids?
Mary Cronin: These are all picture books! Two of my favorites are Mac Wears a Hat and Molly's Tuxedo, both by author Vicki Johnson. Menudo Sunday by María Dolores Águila is a fantastic multi-generational family story. And It's Pride, Baby by Allen Wells is the quintessential joyful Pride book!
You can find these authors on Instagram: @vickijohnsonwrites, @allenwriteswell & @maria.d.aguila.
Little Thoughts Press: This issue is about big traditions, but also the little rituals that give our lives magic, joy and peace. What is your favorite small ritual that brings you joy?
Mary Cronin: For me, it’s about setting up my writing routine. Every evening I make a big thermos of Irish tea and set it on my desk. I wake at 5 in the morning to start my writing time, and when I open up that thermos and steam comes out, it pleases me every time!
Little Thoughts Press: How did you get started writing kid-lit and what do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for kids?
Mary Cronin: I’ve been a teacher for as long as I’ve been a writer, so the two have always gone hand-in-hand for me. Working with young students inspires me. I started writing poetry to support the curriculum I was creating for the classroom, and I then gravitated towards picture books, because children’s literature was always a huge part of my life as a classroom teacher.
Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up?
Mary Cronin: As a child, I would read anything and everything…short stories, chapter books, joke books, picture books, MAD magazine, the encyclopedia, comic books, and the back of cereal boxes! I was a voracious reader and that has served me well as a writer for children.
Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out?
Mary Cronin: Sticking with picture books, I love the rich and varied books that Brittany J. Thurman creates, and I feel the same about books by Anika Aldamuy Denise. I’ve already mentioned a few authors above, so I’ll add the poets who inspire me: Georgia Heard, Janet Wong, Alice Schertle, and Jacqueline Woodson.
You can find these authors at: Brittany Thurman- @britjanee, @anika_aldamuy_denise, @georgiaheard1, @janetwongauthor, @jacqueline_woodson & aliceschertle.com
Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers?
Mary Cronin: Keep a notebook--decorate it, fill it with your ideas, wonderings, scraps of language that please you, things you want to know more about, the beginnings of stories and poems. That notebook will keep you grounded as a writer--it becomes a place to come back to, to add to, to remember all of the ideas rumbling in your head. The things in the notebook are just for you--they don’t have to be finished or polished. I always keep a notebook and find it helpful and comforting.
Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share?
Mary Cronin: My poetry book Trucks, Boots, and Bells: Firehouse Poems has just been published by Holiday House Books for Young Readers! It’s an action-packed book of poems about the tools, tasks, and teamwork of a busy firehouse, inspired by my dad’s career in the New York City Fire Department. In March 2027, my second book will be published by Simon & Schuster. Like a Mother Bear: How Jeanne Manford's Words Change the World for Queer Kids is an upstander story, a picture book biography of Jeanne Manford, who stood up for her gay son Morty, founded the organization PFLAG, and became a mother figure to many young LGBTQ+ people and their families.
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