Turning a Poem into a Book

When I first created The I Believe Bunny I was excited by the fact that as an author as soon as you've created a character and the world he lives in, the possibility for stories is truly endless. Last Christmas I wrote a Christmas poem for The I Believe Bunny and sent it out to fans and family. At Easter time, I sent out another poem, both illustrated by the amazing Frank Endersby. What I soon learned was that both poems can easily be expanded into full books by giving more detail and "setting the stage" for what happens in each story. I'm planning on creating two new books from these poems with more to come. So far we have The I Believe Bunny and his friends Skunk, Little Mouse, Squirrel and Racoon. Now, I'm looking forward to working with Frank to create Bunny's Mommy and Daddy Bunny, just as soon as we can.

Ideas are like Snowflakes.

Last week I was doing an Author Visit in a nearby school when a second grader waved his hand wildly until I called on him and then asked me "Where do your ideas come from?" I remember feeling a sudden panic and deciding quickly that "I have no idea" was probably not the response he was looking for! Where do my ideas come from? Sometimes they come in an orderly fashion when I'm actually working on the manuscript for a new book, but just as often they come into my head from out of the blue when I'm standing in line to pay for groceries, walking into the library or driving my car. I carry notebooks with me at all times and jot down the ideas just as quickly as I can, even if it's just a scrap of a rhyme which has woken me up in the middle of the night.

I remember going to a concert and hearing Kenny Rogers sing and walking into my hotel room and writing the words The I Believe Bunny down in my notebook. Something about the sound of his amazing voice had inspired me to want to write a story about a bunny who believed in himself and in God's love. So, I took a breath and answered the boy as honestly as I could "I'm not always sure where my ideas come from, but I always write them down because ideas are like snowflakes- if you're not careful they quickly disappear." He nodded and smiled and wrote that down in his notebook.

What Inspired Tish Rabe to Write The I Believe Bunny?

In this beautiful Easter season it is joy for me to look around and see all the pictures of The I Believe Bunny that fill my office. It is an amazing gift for me to know that on the covers and the pages of these books is a brand new character who first came to life in my mind and my heart.

Over the years I have written over 85 children's books, but always for wonderful characters developed by someone else, Curious George, the Cat in the Hat and Clifford to name only a few, but I've always wanted to create a character that I could bring to life with all the creative ideas and magical stories that dance inside my head.

The world today is a pretty uncertain place, but I knew right from the start that I wanted The I Believe Bunny to live in a world that was warm, secure and beautiful and, for however much time children and their families could spend with him, they would truly feel at peace.

So, this Easter is special for me because more and more each day the gentle messages of The I Believe Bunny stories are going beyond my imagination and out to children everywhere. It truly is the most wonderful feeling a children’s book author can have.