Celebrate National Hawaii Day with Jena Benton!

Hi, readers, writers, and book fanatics of all sorts! At #SeasonsOfKidLit, we find any reason to celebrate holidays and great books. So, when we came across Jena Benton's adorable book, with roosters based in Hawaii, we knew we had to celebrate it. Kauai's Call, illustrated by Kristi Petosa-Sigel, follows a young rooster who wants to be a caller like his dad, the Alpha rooster of his wild flock. This is the most important job a rooster can have: alerting the flock when there could be food. However, Kauai suffers from stage fright and isn’t able to achieve his dream as easily as he’d hoped. Want a perfect read for summer, National Hawaii Day (occurring yearly on July 5th), and/or any time of the year, PLUS want to know more about Jena and enter to win her critique or Zoom giveaway? Read on...

Q: Hi, Jena! Thanks so much for joining us today. We really enjoyed reading Kauai’s Call! How did you come up with the story idea? Why a chicken? How did Kauai become a Hawaiian chicken? 

A: It all started with a StoryStorm idea about one of my most embarrassing childhood memories: freezing on stage while trying to recite a poem at a school talent show. I had to be dragged off stage. My first fictional manuscript with a talent show didn’t work (because there’s no prize). It didn’t have enough conflict. So I thought about changing it to an animal that was “on stage” and a rooster was my first thought. BUT I set it in a barn yard and that didn’t quite work either. There are too many barnyard rooster “struggling to crow” stories out there. Then I had to take a hard look at why I would even write about chickens in the first place (I don’t raise them or collect them or anything) and I realized it was because of my experience on Kauai on my honeymoon. 

My husband and I had pulled into an overlook to take some pictures of the beautiful ocean and our car was instantly surrounded by wild chickens. I realized it had been because of a rooster’s crow. I then changed the entire setting and conflict of my story. If my rooster was wild (aka homeless) the need for food would be much more urgent. 

Q: This story is based upon actual chickens in Hawaii. What research did you do for this story? Online? In-person?

A: When I decided to change the story to animals with a rooster main character, I went online to learn more about how chickens behave, social pecking orders, why roosters crow, when they start to crow, etc. I also talked to a friend of mine who raises chickens. All of that research helped to inform the chicken-y facts that are woven throughout the story.

As for the Hawaiian part of the equation, I mentioned I had been to Kauai for my honeymoon nearly 9 years ago now. But I have visited many of the Hawaiian islands repeatedly over the years. It’s a little known fact (unless you’re a local) that Alaskans like to vacation in Hawaii. It helps to deal with the long winters. There are wild chickens on all of the islands, but they are really noticeable on Kauai. They are in HUGE numbers there! So I guess you could say that was part of the original research I did for the last version with the new setting.

Q: Kids will understand struggling with stage fright. What inspired you to choose this kid-friendly problem for your main character? 

A: Real life! I was extremely shy as a child. I struggled to make friends and loved books. I think it was my dad that convinced me to memorize a poem by a favorite poet to perform for the school. We worked together to help me memorize it, but I never once thought about what would happen when I got on stage. It had seemed like an easy plan with hard work until I stepped on the stage and couldn’t utter a single word. And I just stood there, staring at everyone. They gave me a chance that felt like an hour of standing there, but eventually someone had to come and drag me off stage. It was the memory of that experience that came up from a StoryStorm prompt to think about one of your most embarrassing moments from childhood. That’s probably why it feels so real.

Q: Were there many revisions to the story submission? What was revised?

A: Each story version went through multiple revisions with critique groups (as I always use them to improve my work). But there were three major overhauls of the story to get it to its final state too, as stated before.

Q: Why this publisher? Did you use any comp books in your query? If so, which ones and why?

A: Every time I visited the Hawaiian islands, I would buy locally published picture books for use in my classroom. Another little known fact, a lot of Pacific Islanders move to Alaska! I had a huge Pacific Islander population in my first classroom and I wanted stories for storytime that the kids could see themselves in and relate to. It was through my constant collection of those picture books that I learned about Island Heritage Press, a small Hawaiian publisher of Hawaiian picture books. I think from the instant I heard of them I dreamed of publishing with them someday. I was very familiar with what they published and was able to craft my last revisions of my manuscript for them. 

Q: What tips would you recommend for writers wanting to breathe life into a story that has not sold?

A: Think about what is at the heart of your story. What is the story ultimately about? Then ask yourself, why you want to tell that story in the first place? If it’s one you can’t let go to your “oh well, I learned a lot writing this one anyway” pile that you know will never publish, then ask yourself why you can’t let it go. Why is it important to you? It was asking those questions of myself along the way that helped me to figure out new angles, characters, and conflicts that ultimately led to publication.

Q:  The art is so sweet! Did you have any say as to the illustrator and/or input in the art? Can you share some of your favorite spreads? Why are they your favorites? 

A: No I didn’t have any influence on the illustrator or illustrations. The publisher wanted to choose a local artist. Kristi was a local Hawaiian art teacher who had lived in Hawaii for many years. She knew the location and the unique characteristics of the wild chickens. I adore the illustrations she created. One of my favorites is the spread where Kauai and his father are walking on the beach having a heart to heart conversation. I always imagined this scene almost exactly the way Kristi ended up painting it. It took my breath away. And the bit with the naked chicken always makes me laugh.

Q:  What’s one question you wish we would have asked you – about yourself, your path to publication, etc.?

A: This is my first published picture book as an author but I’m also hoping to one day have my illustrations published. I have author-illustrator manuscripts I’m working on, as well as many other written manuscripts. I have high hopes for many more published books to come. We’ll see what the future holds. ;)

Best of luck! We can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

Q: Would you like to leave a tip or a treat for our readers?

A treat! I'd love to offer a PB MS Zoom Critique (1,000 words max).

Wow! Thanks so much for such a generous treat. And thanks again for joining us.

Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win Jena's Zoom Critique Giveaways, 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank her for stopping by! We'd love to see some rooster-themed GIFs, too!

Giveaway winners will be drawn and announced on or about 7/20!

About Jena Benton

Jena Benton is an educator and author who grew up on a small island in Southeast Alaska so she is drawn to island life. She also loves to travel and has visited the Hawaiian islands many times over the years. When she is not teaching or writing, you might just find her painting or enjoying the wildlife found in Anchorage, Alaska where she currently lives.

For more about Jena, check out the below links:

links website: https://jenabenton.com/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jenanbenton.bsky.social

To purchase a copy of Jean's book, or to leave a review on Amazon, click here.

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