Let’s Rumble is such a fun title. Can you tell us a bit about the book?

It’s about three siblings who like to “Rumble,” their name for rough-and-tumble play. They use playful names for the different roughhousing moves they enjoy, like “airplane,” “ wrecking ball,” and “ticklebot.” Through Jose Pimienta’s fabulous art we see how these scenes play out in their imaginations as well as what they do in reality. The kids also navigate what to do when someone isn’t having fun, when a sibling needs a break, and how to wind down the play.

You are a librarian yourself. Can you talk about how your experience as a coordinator of early childhood services at Brooklyn Public Library impacted the book?

As an early childhood librarian, I understand the importance of play in child development- it is how children learn about the world. I’ve always looked for ways to support lots of kinds of play in library settings, but I was always a bit nervous when play would get too rambunctious. I never really considered the importance of rough-and-tumble play until I became a parent. My husband and I struggled with how to do this play at home and I did what any librarian would- I looked for books on the topic! While I found a couple of books for teachers and one for parents, I didn’t find any picture books currently in print that addressed it. I was writing other manuscripts on playful topics, so adding rough-and-tumble play to the mix seemed to fill a need. I was lucky that this story caught the eye of Cecily Kaiser at Rise x Penguin Workshop.

The book is illustrated by graphic novelist Jose Pimienta and he brings some great graphic novel elements to the book. Did you always envision this kind of art style with your picture book? How does it help bring out the playful aspects of the book?

I couldn’t be more delighted with Jose’s art for this story! Early iterations of the picture book manuscript used more narration and less dialogue and I experimented with having the mom present in some of the scenes. However, I really wanted it to be the kids’ story and having a narrator intruded in the kids’ playful world. The speech bubbles allowed the story to come through the kids’ dialogue without any adult interference. And being a graphic novelist, Jose understands movement and energy which is essential to illustrating this story. It has been a delight to see Jose bring in new ideas and dynamic elements I never even thought of to the project! And book designer Rae Peckman did an outstanding job pulling the whole package together.

What’s your favorite “code word” that you’ve heard for rough-and-tumble play?

In the story, the kids pick a “code” word which means it is time to stop the play and check-in. In Let’s Rumble! they pick the word “cantaloupe” which is a very silly word when you think about it. This grew out of my experience roughhousing with my son Colin, since we would often use the name of a fruit or vegetable. “Rutabaga” and “kumquat” have to be my favorites, but I think we did use “cantaloupe” once or twice. The sillier the word the better.

Can you talk about why rough-and-tumble play is important for early childhood development?

Roughhousing supports so many areas of child development, such as social skills, problem solving, self-confidence, and impulse control. It even has cognitive benefits, supporting the development of executive function skills, such as planning and organization, controlling impulses, and managing emotions, which are essential for school success. In rough-and-tumble play, kids have to plan their “attack,” restrain themselves so their friends or family members don’t get hurt, navigate social interactions, and simultaneously test their limits and restrain their impulses. All while they are blowing off excess physical energy. It is a full mind-body experience.

What is the biggest myth about rough-and-tumble play?

One of the biggest myths about rough-and-tumble play is that it will make kids more aggressive. One study showed that teachers believe that play-fighting will lead to real fighting about a third of the time, but the reality is that it only leads to real fighting in one percent of play episodes. In fact, kids who don’t do it, may end up hurting each other more because they haven’t learned to navigate other people’s boundaries and hold back when they need to. Kids learn that when they take the play too far, it stops being fun and their peers may not play with them any more. It may be counterintuitive, but finding safe and playful ways for kids to engage in this kind of play may reinforce the essential values of consent, listening to others, and respecting the boundaries of others.

The backmatter is very engaging. Can you tell us about why you included it?

My son loved to roughhouse at home with my husband and me, but we often struggled with how to help him respect our boundaries and how to wind down when it was time to stop the play. I did some research and learned some great tips and tricks for creating ground rules, how to work through rough patches, and to close out play sessions. I am grateful to the professionals and educators I have learned from and I wanted to pass along some of the tips that helped us the most. I hope these pointers help kids and kids and their grown-ups play fully. And I have always loved parent tips in picture books, since family members read them together, helping everyone be on the same page.