Behind The Book Children’s Books With Kalee Boisvert 

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Kalee Boisvert a few times if you would like to read them, here are the links https://booknotions.com/qa-with-kalee-boisvert/ https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-kalee-boisvert/ . Kalee has now returned as we discuss her transitioning from writing financial books for women to now writing children’s books. Kalee’s recent children’s books are Slow Down Little Junie, Evie Who Feels Everything & Spectacularly Mediocre Maisey. 

Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Kalee! I know it’s been some time since our last two interviews! Would you please give brief descriptions of your books beginning with Spectacularly Mediocre Maisey?

 A: Spectacularly Mediocre Maisey is probably my most playful reminder that you do not have to be the best at something for it to be worth doing. Maisey tries all sorts of things and discovers that she is spectacularly… mediocre at them. And that’s completely okay. Somewhere along the way, I think we started teaching kids that everything they do needs to lead to achievement, improvement, a trophy, or maybe even a future career. Maisey is my little rebellion against that. Sometimes you can paint because you like painting. You can dance badly because dancing is fun. You can try something, be completely average at it, and still have the best time.

Evie Who Feels Everything is especially close to my heart because I have always been a sensitive person, and I see that same sensitivity in my children. For so long, sensitivity has been treated as something we need to toughen up, hide, or grow out of, and I really wanted to frame it differently. Evie feels everything deeply, and through her story she begins to understand that this isn’t something she needs to push away. It’s a gift. The same sensitivity that can sometimes make the world feel overwhelming is also what allows her to notice the little things and care deeply about others. I wanted sensitive kids to see themselves in Evie and know that this part of them is something worth holding onto.

Slow Down, Little Junie is about a little girl who is always racing toward whatever comes next. She wants to hurry through everything until she notices all the tiny, wonderful things she has been rushing past. It’s a story about presence but written in a way that I hope feels natural to children rather than like an adult telling them to slow down.

I think all three books have a similar heartbeat underneath them. They give children permission to just be. You don’t always have to achieve. You don’t have to stop feeling deeply. And you don’t have to rush through childhood trying to get somewhere else. There is so much value in who you already are and in the life that is happening right now.

Q: What made you transition from writing financial books for women to now writing about children’s books? Was it an easy transition? 

A: I don’t really think of it as a transition as much as an expansion. I haven’t stopped writing about money or financial empowerment, and that work is still a huge part of what I do. Children’s books simply gave me another space to write about things that matter to me.

Having my own children has also made me think a lot about the messages we give kids early in life. I see so many wonderful qualities in them that I hope they never feel they need to lose as they grow up: sensitivity, curiosity, playfulness, the ability to be completely present, and doing things simply because they bring them joy.

So, in some ways, the subjects are very different, but the heart behind the writing really isn’t. My financial writing has always been about helping people feel more confident and empowered in their own lives. My children’s books are doing that in a different way, hopefully helping kids recognize that the parts of themselves that make them who they are are worth holding onto.

And the transition into writing for children felt surprisingly natural. It gave me permission to be a little more playful and imaginative, which has been fun.

Q: What lessons and reminders do you hope children learn once they read your books?

A: I think they are probably more reminders than lessons. Kids already seem to know so many of these things naturally, and then somewhere along the way the world can get a little loud and tell them otherwise.

I hope my books remind children that they don’t have to be the best at something for it to be worth doing, that feeling deeply can be a gift rather than something they need to change, and that they don’t always have to be rushing toward the next thing. There is value in playing, noticing, trying, feeling, being curious and simply enjoying where you are.

But I also hope there is something in these stories for the parents and adults reading alongside them. Sometimes the things we are trying to preserve in our children are the very things we have lost touch with in ourselves. Maybe while we’re reminding our kids that they don’t have to be productive all the time, or that it’s okay to feel deeply, or to slow down and enjoy something simply because it’s fun, we can give ourselves that same permission too.

I love the idea that a children’s book can be a reminder for both the little person listening and the grown-up turning the pages.

Q: Are you currently writing your next children’s book and can you reveal the plot?

A: I have a few children’s books that I’m hoping to release next. One is a fun story built around the idea that fun deserves more space in our lives. We’re so good at making time for all the things we must do, and I wanted to play with the idea of what might happen if fun got a little more time on the schedule too.

I’m also working on another children’s project that brings a little more of my soulful side into my writing. Let’s just say the woo-woo parents out there might especially enjoy that one!

That’s probably one of my favorite things about writing children’s books. I get to explore so many different ideas and follow them wherever they want to go.

Q: What is your advice for parents on how to get their children to read more? There is a literacy crisis in this country, and it makes me sad that now both adults and children don’t read as much as they should. 

A: I think one of the biggest things is making reading feel like something enjoyable rather than another thing kids must accomplish. Let them read what they like, even if it isn’t what we imagined they would choose. Graphic novels, funny books, books about completely random things they’re obsessed with, it all counts.

I also think reading together matters, even as kids get older. There is something special about sharing a story, laughing about it, talking about the characters and making it part of your time together. And of course, letting kids see us reading too. It’s hard to convince them that books are wonderful if they never see the adults around them enjoying one.

Mostly, I think we need to protect the joy of reading. Kids already have so many things they are measured on. I would hate for books to become one more place where they feel like they are being graded. Find the stories that make them want to turn the next page and start there.

Q: Kalee, would you please provide your social media links so the readers of the blog and I may follow you and your work?

A: Absolutely! I’d love to connect with readers. You can find me on:

Instagram: @kaleeboisvert
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kaleeboisvert

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaleeboisvert

Website: https://kaleeboisvert.com/

And thank you so much for having me back! It has been fun getting to share this new side of my writing with you and your readers.