Easter Egg Hunt In October?

This month in Creativity Corner, Terry Shay is bringing you a list of the fun hidden surprises in your favorite kid lit titles. Let's go for an Easter Egg Hunt in October!

Easter Egg Hunt in October?

The Urban Dictionary describes an Easter Egg as, “A hidden item placed in a movie, television show, or otherwise visual media for close watchers.“
Many years ago, my friend Bill Norris showed me how names, like his, were hidden in the Peter H. Reynolds book, SO FEW OF ME. Since then I’ve looked for Easter eggs (hidden pictures or names) in books. 

While reading Stacy McAnulty's next book,THE WORLD ENDS IN APRIL, I noticed a character named Ms. Richmond. I know that Stacy and Lori Richmond are friends, so I tweeted them both.

Super agent, Lori Kilkelly of LK Literacy Agency suggested I add a segment on my Creativity Corner post. I thought that was an awesome idea. Below are some Easter eggs shared by authors and illustrators.

Brian Lies

I’ve put references to projects I want to do in books I’m actually doing—so if the next project doesn’t get published, at least a *little* of it did!

Two books I illustrated in 2003 and 2005 (Irene Livingston’s FINKLEHOPPER FROG and FINKLEHOPPER CHEERS) both included some critters I was thinking about, and finally published in 2006.

Beginning in 2006 with BATS AT THE BEACH, there has been a bat with floaties in the Bat books. In BATS AT THE BEACH, Little Bat appeared as a sort of ‘innocent,’ experiencing things for the first time and feeling left out by all of the older bats. He was in BATS IN THE LIBRARY in 2008, where he appears with his grandfather who is in wire-rimmed glasses. In THE BATS IN THE BALLGAME his grandfather took him to the game. He also appeared in BATS IN THE BAND.

Good news for Bat and floatie fans, Little Bat will soon appear in his own book which will be called NIGHT SCHOOL or LITTLE BAT IN NIGHT SCHOOL. Although he is too little to fly on his own in all the previous bat books, frequently holding on to his mother’s belly fur, we will have to see how he gets around in the new book.

Lynda Mullaly Hunt

In my latest novel, SHOUTING AT THE RAIN, there is a beloved character named Saucepan Lynn who runs a diner and talks about the time necessary to make a fine sauce. The name Saucepan Lynn is an anagram of my editor, Nancy Paulsen.

Also, Ronan Gale’s mom is named Andrea Gale after the fishing vessel, Andrea Gail, that got caught in a legendary storm off the coast of Massachusetts and sunk in 1991.

In my novel, FISH IN A TREE, there is a poster in the principal's office that reads, “It takes courage to ask for help. ~C. Connors” This quote is credited to Carley Connors, my main character of my first novel, ONE FOR THE MURPHYS.

Jonathan Stutzman

My illustrator wife, Heather Fox snuck our wedding date (May 25th) on the mailbox flying into the black hole for LLAMA DESTROYS THE WORLD; our wedding was a little under three weeks after the book released.  

Timothy Young

I HATE PICTURE BOOKS! references over 300 other books; I'M GOING TO OUTER SPACE has tons of science fiction references and I've done it again in my latest, UNTITLED, on a page where my characters wish they had a better writer and illustrator. They appear as the main characters on the covers of a number of parody books.

Deborah Underwood

In A BALLOON FOR ISABEL, there was a line that read something like “Someone told me that when you first get it, a balloon can bounce on the ceiling.” When I got it back from editorial, there was a note saying that they thought I should use a specific name instead of someone; they'd chosen Sally, but I could change it to whatever I wanted.

Sally. Not a common name. But the name of my dear mom, who had died several years before. I figured she had a hand in this, so I left it, of course.

Stacy McAnulty

I love to sneak in teacher names. Mr. Stoker in THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL is named after my 7th grade social studies teacher. And Mrs. Walsh in THE WORLD ENDS IN APRIL is named after my daughter's 7th grade LA teacher (who was actually Mr. Walsh). Some teachers make a huge impression and this is my little thank you.

Constance Lombardo

In my Mr. Puffball book, STUNT CAT ACROSS AMERICA, I have this illustration that's supposed to be a scene from an old movie. It's something my sister Rita Navatka used to say when we were kids – every time my mom drove down our street very slowly.

Augusta Scattergood

In THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY I named the piano/ dance teacher after a beloved dance teacher in my MS hometown. Her name was Sister. In early drafts she was called Sister (very southern thing). Later changed to Miss Sister. Seems a few NYC readers thought she was a retired nun wearing red tap shoes.

Gaia Cornwall

The little sister in JABARI JUMPS has a different pattern on her bathing suit in every spread she’s in.  I’m in there with my son— the pregnant mom, sitting, toweling off a little kid.

Ruth Spiro

In MADE BY MAXINE the teacher is named ‘Miss McMiller’ after Shannon McClintock Miller. While I was writing the book, Shannon and I had dinner and discussed maker education, which was not well known at the time. Shannon was on the leading edge and my character was a maker so it made perfect sense.

Melanie Hope Greenberg

I hide a white dove in my picture books.

Samantha Berger

My little dog Polly Pocket has been immortalized in SNAIL MAIL by illustrator Julia Patton.

Wendy Gihula

I always have a secret frog hidden in each of my Pika Bunny books to represent my fave book growing up, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. Pika Bunny’s lovey he sleeps with is a tortoise to represent how I wished the Tortoise and the Hare learned to appreciate each other in some way.

Susan Hood

I used my daughters' first and middle names as pseudonyms for my Sesame Street books. Their first names are also on the back cover of MISSION: NEW BABY in a list of potential baby names.

Pat Zietlow Miller

I have a book coming out next year that gives a nod to the classic MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS. And, I worked my grandfather’s name into my second Sophie book.

Angie Karcher

SANTA’S GIFT has all our nieces and nephews names on the ‘Nice’ list!!

Nicole Stevenson

In my fourth book, which happens to be my first kid lit book, I put in my sixth grade teacher’s name. She was so very sweet, a great teacher and we are still in contact. I wanted to pay homage to her.

In DIAMOND'S KINDERGARTEN MADNESS the look of the main characters portray myself and my daughter. In fact, Diamond is my eldest daughter's name.

Jordan J. Scavone 

In my most recent picture book, all of the background classmate kids are kids in my toddler classroom aged up to fourth grade. All of their names also appear on a ‘class
roster’ poster in the background of the scene.

Elaine Kiely Kearns

The character Tom Iguanadon in NOAH NOASAURUS was named after my grandfather (Tom Sheehan) who loved music and played many instruments. He sings in the book.

Steve Light 

I hide C(<3)S in a lot of my books. C for Christine, my wife, and S for Steve. It is hidden in the church in HAVE YOU SEEN MY DRAGON? Written in chalk in HAVE YOU SEEN MY LUNCHBOX? Written as graffiti on the green construction wall in BUILDERS AND BREAKERS. There is also graffiti that says HYSMDRAGON? For HAVE YOU SEEN MY DRAGON?

On The Horizon

THE LOVE LETTER by Anika Aldamuy Denise and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. You will love the subtle message about love and friendship in this really cute book.
Harper Collins. October 8, 2019.

KING OF THE TIGHTROPE: WHEN THE GREAT BLONDIN RULED NIAGARA by Donna Janell Bowman and illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Peachtree Publishing. October 2019.

LITTLE TIGERS, written and illustrated by Jo Weaver.  Peachtree. October 2019.

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