Summary

Finding Harmony: The Kitten Who Taught Friends Kindness by Allia Zobel Nolan, illustrated by Alejandro O’Kif, follows the story of a little girl, Casey, trying to find her lost kitten, Harmony. Her friends offer to help her search, but they end up arguing over who has the best idea. Will anyone find Harmony?

Review

I love the dual meaning of the title–the children are searching for Harmony, the kitten, as well as harmony among themselves. Children will learn that they can accomplish more by working together and asking for God’s help. They will also love the interactive questions at the bottom of the pages that encourage them to search for Harmony in the illustrations.

I recommend Finding Harmony to children ages 4-7 and think that it is perfect for parents reading together with their children.

I’m so excited that I was able to interview author Allia Zobel Nolan and hear more about the story behind Finding Harmony and her writing journey. Welcome, Allia!

Interview

Kathryn: I noticed several of your books are about cats. As I also am a cat lover, I’m curious…what made you decide to start writing about cats?

Allia: My attachment to cats has a humorous backstory. My mother was a dog person; she did not like cats. Period.  As a tween, I pined away for a pet cat. But that was not happening. Until, one Christmas, a good friend put a wrapped box (with several holes on top) under the tree. When I opened it, the tiniest, fluffiest, most heavenly melt-your-heart white angora kitten, with two different colored eyes, purred up at me. “Meow,” he said. 

Mother wasn’t impressed. “We’ll keep this 'creature' until we can find a home for it,” she said. To make a long story short, since I had to go to school every day, mother and “said creature” were left alone. And this kitten (whom I named Oscar) was a master at manipulation. In no time, he wheedled his way into my mother’s “no cats ever” heart. 

Since then, there has always been a cat, or two, or three by my side. And if you live with these loveable, smart, mischievous, naughty, sweet, patience-trying “creatures,” and you’re a writer, well, there’s always a story to tell.   

Kathryn: What specifically inspired you to write Finding Harmony?

Allia: There are no simple answers with me. There’s always a story. So, Finding Harmony evolved when a publisher asked me to write up a proposal for a book that could teach children about peace.

My first thought was how can I incorporate a cat in this book?  But a cat named “Peace” was a bit weird. So, I brainstormed different names that could introduce the concept and also be used to name a cat. After much sturm und drang I hit on “Harmony.” 

Now peace and even harmony are huge concepts to explain to young ones. I knew I would have to break the idea down into smaller, understandable pieces. For there to be peace, I reasoned, people must learn to get along with others. To do that, we have to respect each other’s ideas, ask God’s help, learn to work together, pay attention, and definitely not bully or try to run the whole show ourselves. And in this case, to find the lost kitten, the characters in the book had to search using several techniques which didn’t work, until they happened on what did work. And the lesson readers learn is that the best way…actually, the key to finding Harmony …both the cat….and the notion of accord…. was kindness. 

Kindness is the key. 

Kathryn: You’ve written so many books in a variety of genres! If you had to pick a favorite, which one would it be and why?

Allia: Whatever book I’m working on at the moment is always my favorite book. Still, I have to say, I love love love writing humor. And cat humor just comes naturally to me. I guess being a slave to all the rescue cats I’ve had over the years has paid off.
You’ve heard the writing adage, “write what you know.” And I know cats. And they do the craziest things. So, it really is easy to write funny books about them. 

I also love writing picture books. As a former senior editor, I handled a lot of the art with our books. So, now, publishers will often allow me to have a say in choice of illustrators and often let me work directly with them. I love seeing the words take on form, and I love seeing the art come in. When a book comes together from inside your head to the page to the artist, well, for me, there’s nothing like it.  

Kathryn: What’s it like writing for different genres and age groups?

Allia: Writing for different audiences gives me the opportunity to grow. I’m not pigeonholed into one genre. I can stretch my abilities and learn new things. Writers who overlap often discover they are better suited to one genre rather than another. Or they may find they either like or find it easier to write in a certain genre. I write what God puts in my head to write. I’m always looking to expand what I already know. On the other hand, that can be a double-edge sword as readers and publishers tend to want you to “stay in your own lane.” It’s difficult to market a children’s book author to, let’s say, an inspirational reader. But if people like your humor books, or your picture books, or just the way you write in general, they’ll generally not have a problem picking up a devo you’ve written. At least, that’s what I’ve found.

Kathryn: What advice do you have for writers?

Allia: Persist and persevere. Expect rejection. But don’t give up. I interviewed the Stinky Cheese Man authors, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, and they told me they sent their manuscript out 70 times.  And on the 71st time, the book was scooped up by a major publisher and became a best seller. 

My agent and I sent Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day out quite a few times over the years. The manuscript had a different title, I Hate to Wait. After several starts and stops from a few publishers, it was finally taken by Kregel. The editors there wanted to change the title. I did, and it was published. 

Publishing, especially today, is a tough business. But there are always new people, new editors, new publishers, coming on the scene. Because of this, everyone has a chance since what one editor might not like, another new editor might think is the cat’s meow. So, keep at it. Don’t get discouraged. 

Kathryn: What can we look forward to seeing from you next?

Allia: I’m working on a devotional and a middle grade novel about (what else?) a cat.

Kathryn: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Allia: I just want to add that getting kids to read is a children’s author’s gift to the Universe. It’s the very best gift you can give little ones.

Why are these portable entertainment centers so important? They open up the world to youngsters, offer comfort, encourage imagination, help kids learn that we’re all different, yet we’re all the same, and that God loves each and every one of us.

GIVEAWAY!

Author Allia Zobel Nolan is giving away a copy of Finding Harmony. To enter, leave a comment on this post by June 29th.

Kathryn Dover enjoys writing short stories and has been blogging for Write2Ignite since 2019. She graduated as Valedictorian from Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics while also minoring in history and creative writing

In addition, she served on the colleg newspaper staff for two years, completing over a dozen articles and photo essays. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, playing with her pets, and growing houseplants. You can connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn.