In celebration of Women's History Month, Julie Hedlund interviews author Caroline Perry and they discuss their picture book biographies of two extraordinary women: Queen Elizabeth II and Julie Andrews. What led them to write about such famous people? What were the challenges of writing about a person who's still alive? What do they wish they had known when they started writing picture book bios? Find out in today's episode.

You'll discover:

What inspired their individual picture book bios What it's like to write about a living person How dogs played a role in both stories The surprising things they learned in their research How kids can relate to these stories about well-known adults The intersections of their stories Caroline's marketing efforts The pressure of writing about a person everyone knows How Caroline's book changed in the second edition after the Queen passed away Finding the emotional throughline Finding the North Star of the story Writing a story vs. writing a list of accomplishments How rejections about a real person hit different What makes you stop working on a potential bio The importance of telling women's stories that have been hidden in history  

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Corgi and the Queen by Caroline L. Perry and Lydia Corry Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews by Julie Hedlund and Ilaria Urbinati Messi's Magic: How Lionel Messi Became the G.O.A.T. by Caroline L. Perry and Luciano Lozano  The Memory Cake by Caroline L. Perry and Jennifer Bricking  I Am Not Happy by Caroline L. Perry and Sydney Hanson I Am Not Grumpy by Caroline L. Perry and Sydney Hanson Dandy by Ame Dyckman and Charles Santoso  

Find out more about Caroline: https://carolinelperry.com/

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Releasedatum: 5-3-2026 15:00:37