Jean Reidy: Hi, this is Jean Reidy, the author of Sylvie, illustrated by the amazing Lucy Ruth Cummins. Sylvie was actually a story that popped into my head. So whenever I talk to students at school visits or young readers, or even other writers, I usually say that most of my picture books were inspired by something, and I tell the story of the inspiration. But then I also say that there are those ideas that sometimes just pop into your head, and that was the case with Sylvie. This character, this spider hanging outside of an apartment building and sort of watching over the people inside just popped into my head. Now, maybe somewhere in my deep psyche, I remembered a story, those Spider-Man window washers that clean the windows at children's hospital and things like that. It could have been there inside my head without me realizing that it was inspired by that, but that wasn't the direct train of thought.

It was truly a character that popped into my head. And shortly after, came the other four or actually five characters, if you count Truman, in the story. So the little lady with the China teapot and the man with the plan and so on. So it was really these characters coming alive that then told me their stories early on, and shortly after that, that girl and her tortoise became Sarah and Truman. I think there are people that are out of the spotlight for a variety of reasons, whether they're kind of hiding. And she is quiet. At one point, she was described as shy. And I didn't think of her as shy. I thought of her more as, she knew where she could be safe, and still watch over her people.

So she built her little home there under the fire escape. I felt as though when she saw the sun and it wasn't letting her go, she couldn't escape from it, try as she might, that that was an inspiration to her. It was a sign to her, that it was a time to do something that she was empowered to bring these people together. She did it just by showing up. And isn't that the first step of everything, right? You show up.

Now I'm going to read from Sylvie. I'm going to read the opening pages:

Sylvie hung on a silvery thread from the rusty underside of a fire escape. And though it was dark and damp, and disturbingly close to the dumpster, that hideout was home to Sylvie. Because, you see, not everyone appreciates a spider who calls attention to herself.