An Interview With ‘Frankie And The Beastly Bog Song’ Creator Caitlin Rose Boyle

In Frankie and the Creepy Cute Critters, Frankie had to adjust to a new town and going to a new school. In Caitlin Rose Boyle‘s latest book, Frankie and the Beastly Bog Song, it’s summer vacation and Frankie and her mom are about to spend it learning about the wildlife that lives in a bog. With letters by Tom B. Long, find out why Boyle choose to send Frankie to the bog over the beach in the following interview:

Rachel Bellwoar: In Frankie and the Creepy Cute Critters, Frankie got to observe the animals in her backyard. How did you decide where Frankie would go this time?

Caitlin Rose Boyle: The Frankie Fairy series is all about discovering that most of the animals that we’re afraid of aren’t quite so scary after all. I wanted Frankie to spend some time with some animals she wasn’t as familiar with, since she’s comfortable with her backyard creatures now. The pond she and her mom go to is based on environments that I grew up around in southern Maryland. It’s a little love letter to the critters my siblings and I would find in the creeks and ponds in my hometown.

Bellwoar: Thanks to it being the summer, Frankie and her mom get to spend a lot more time together. Why was that a relationship you wanted to explore more?

Boyle: I’m very close with my mom, so I tried to channel a bit of that into their dynamic — some of my best summer memories are us just hanging around outside. The first Frankie book wraps with a heart-to-heart between Frankie and her mom, and I really loved writing and drawing that scene. I knew readers really responded to their relationship as well, so I wanted to give it more time to shine. Frankie clearly idolizes her mom to a degree — she keeps a field guide because she wants to be just like her! I thought it would be fun to explore Frankie trying to follow in her mom’s shoes, and the anxiety that can come along with that.

Bellwoar: What has it been like getting to draw to scale and imagine the world from a fairy’s perspective?

Boyle: So fun! Frankie’s always in fairy-sized houses where everything’s been built to her size, so I get to play with scale the most when she’s outside. My favorite thing is to draw the huge animals, but the plants are very fun too — I went on a lot of walks and tried to imagine walking underneath the flowers and ferns. I live in the pacific northwest now, so that wasn’t very hard to do — the PNW has some BIG ferns.

Bellwoar: On a similar note, is it fun getting to draw as Frankie whenever she adds new entries to her field guide?

Boyle: Yes! I switch to a scratchy & simple pen to try to get into the kid drawing headspace. I want her drawings to be simple and clear, but fun and joyful too, so it has the vibe of a fun doodle instead of a scientific drawing. It’s not homework for her, she’s working on this field guide because she loves it. I hope that’s reflected on the page!

Bellwoar: All of the animals Frankie encounters are specific. For example, it’s not just a spider, but an orb weaver. Why did you want to introduce readers to more specific species?

Boyle: It’s my hope that it encourages kids to get curious about nature. I grew up watching a lot of kids nature shows like Zoboomafoo and Amazing Animals, and those shows were all about specificity. We had orb weavers in our backyard when I was a kid — they were frightening, but fascinating! It’s easy to be afraid of the idea of spiders, but once you start learning about the different kinds, that knowledge is a kind of safety net for both you and the critter. Teaching kids that different breeds of spiders exist — and they all look different, and spin different webs — might make them more likely to go see what kind of spiders are hanging out in their own backyard.

Bellwoar: Frankie is such a bright and colorful series. Did you always want to show that nature is more than shades of green?

Boyle: Absolutely! I love color, and couldn’t imagine working on a series without it. I’ve worked with some very talented colorists on past projects, like Brittney Peer, Fred C. Stresing, & Mickey Quinn on Jonesy — but for Frankie I wanted to take a crack at it myself. I think the flat green we tend to imagine when we think of nature is very tied to the idea of a front lawn; I wanted to show the vibrancy you can find when you step off the well-manicured path. And Frankie is a fairy! Even scary fairies live in brightly colored worlds.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Caitlin!

Frankie and the Beastly Bog Song goes on sale August 27th from Oni Press.