Beyond the Page: Annie Watson
This week we are excited to feature Annie Watson, author of Is 2 A Lot?, illustrated by Rebecca Evans (Tilbury House Publishers, June 2019). Get to know her through fun questions below.
What’s your favorite (current or all-time) movie, dessert, and adult book?
Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Favorite Dessert: Cupcakes
Favorite Adult Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
What was your favorite childhood TV show and why?
I was a 90’s kid, so I was pretty much a Nickelodeon-fanatic. I loved all the shows, but my favorite was Rugrats. I’ll always remember how the episode title appeared on top of the spilled bottle of milk. I loved Tommie and Dil Pickles—fitting, now, that I’m a mom of two boys. I was enthralled by their playground adventures and the antics of their cousin, Angelica, with all her attitude and antagonism.
What did you want to be growing up?
By 2nd or 3rd grade, I had plans to be a writer and a teacher. During high school, my career interest survey suggested that I become a secret agent – ha! I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but that dream faded in biology lab during my freshmen year of college. I came back to writing almost instantly and eventually back to teaching. Ten years into my career, it feels great to be living out my pure childhood dreams.
Tell us one fun insider-fact about Is 2 A Lot?
The title is a real question that my son asked on a Saturday morning. We were driving home from his gymnastics class, and he asked, “Is two a lot, Mom?” We’re big believers in teaching our kids to think critically. We want them to consider context, the relativity of numbers, and the complexity of language, so I tried to resist a yes/no (overly-simplified) response. My brain jumped straight to his worst five-year-old fear: skunks. Yes, two is a lot of skunks—but two is not a lot of pennies… the rest of the book started tumbling out in my head.
Annie Watson
Annie Watson (Flagstaff, AZ) is proud of the meaningful work that she does as a high school English teacher, and she feels balanced whenever she can get outside and find time to write. She finds daily joy in reading bedtime stories, and she looks forward to her family’s next adventure to the bookstore, museum, or beach. She and her husband and two children enjoy the beautiful mountains, sunflowers, parks, community events, and pizza places in and around Flagstaff.
