>> ERIC: IT'S ALWAYS MY FAVORITE SEGMENT OF THE YEAR.

AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN'S AUTHOR KATE DICAMILLO VISITS US HERE IN STUDIO B, SHARES A NEW BOOK EXAMINE WE TRADE PUNCHES.

>> Cathy: PUNCHES.

>> ERIC: WHEN SHE WAS HERE LAST FALL, WE ASKED HER TO RETURN SOON.

AND SHE'S HERE WITH ANOTHER NEW BOOK.

'FERRIS' COMES OUT NEXT WEEK.

IT'S A NEW GENRE FOR HER, A STORY ABOUT A HAPPY FAMILY.

[ Laughter ] >> IT IS.

>> Eric: YOU ARE THE PRIDE OF CLAREMONT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

>> CLAREMONT ELEMENTARY.

YOU'VE DONE -- YOU'VE DUG INTO MY PAST.

>> Cathy: ESEARCH.

>> BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO THROW ME OFF.

AND I'VE ALREADY GOT MY LINE PLANNED FOR YOU.

>> Eric: YOU WANT TO DO IT NOW OR WAIT?

>> I'D LIKE TO DO IT NOW.

>> Eric: GO.

>> WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MODIFIED DICAMILLO, WHICH WAS THE LINE OF THE CENTURY WHEN YOU DID THAT.

I MEAN, YOU SHUT ME UP.

>> Eric: I HAVE TO GO ON MY OWN.

I CAN'T BE FOLLOWING IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS.

I HAVE TO DO MY OWN PATH.

AND I'VE GOT A LITTLE SHORTER.

>> I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THIS, BUT ERIC ASKED FOR A HAIRCUT LIKE MINE, GIVE ME HE MODIFIED DICAMILLO.

>> Eric: I'VE GOT TO GO MY OWN PATH.

IT'S UNFAIR TO YOU.

>> IT LOOKS NICE.

I THINK YOU LOOK BETTER WITHOUT THE DICAMILLO, YEAH.

>> Cathy: WE THINK HE LOOKS LIKE KERNEL SANDERS -- COLONEL SANDERS, SOMETIMES.

>> Eric: PINKY HAS BEEN ARRESTED, BAILED OUT OF JAIL, FERRIS IS AT THE STEAK HOUSE, THERE'S SOME GUY IN THE -- PAINTING A FOOT.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

IT'S A HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

I'LL LET YOU FINISH IT, THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT QUESTIONS MIGHT BE UNANSWERED FOR YOU.

OKAY, WHY DON'T YOU FINISH IT, THEN WE WILL HAVE A BOOK CLUB.

>> Eric: GOOD IDEA.

>> Cathy: I OVE EVERY -- EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: YOU HAD THEMES OF LOVE IN THE OTHER BOOKS, JUST NOT THAT OBVIOUS.

>> LOVE SHOWS UP ALL THE TIME.

BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME, AS OUR FRIEND SAID, THAT I HAVE WRITTEN A COMPLETE FAMILY.

THIS IS NO MISSING MOTHER, NO MISSING FATHER.

AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS HEALING, IT WAS HEALING.

AND IT WAS BORN OF MY BEST FRIEND'S FIRST GRANDDAUGHTER WAS BORN AND I WAS LOOKING AT ALL THESE PICTURES OF THIS CHILD COMING INTO THE WORLD WITH HER -- HERE ARE HER GRANDPARENTS, HERE ARE HER PARENTS, I THOUGHT THE MINUTE SHE ARRIVED, SHE WAS LOVED.

AND LIKE WHAT A GIFT.

AND THIS IS THE THING HERE.

LET ME GET UP ON MY SOAP BOX.

THIS IS WHAT A GOOD BOOK CAN DO IS IT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL LOVED AND IT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL WELCOMED IN.

AND, SO, THAT'S WHAT I HOPE THAT READERS WILL FEEL LIKE THEY'RE A PART OF THIS FAMILY, TOO.

>> Eric: IS THIS GOING TO CHANGE YOUR LITERARY VIEW GOING FORWARD?

>> YOU MEAN, AM I GOING TO BE MORE UPBEAT AND LESS WILLING TO TRADE PUNCHES WITH YOU?

JUST MUCH MORE MELLOW?

>> Eric: JUST A DIFFERENT LENS.

>> I DO FEEL CHANGED.

YOU KNOW, PART OF IT IS JUST AGING AND PART OF IT IS JUST THIS AWARENESS OF WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME AND ALL OF THE READERS AND HOW I'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM.

IT'S BEEN, LET'S FACE IT, I WAS HERE 20 -- >> Eric: 23 YEARS AGO.

>> -- 23 YEARS AGO.

>> Eric: RED BALLOON STILL.

>> RIGHT, 23 YEARS.

AND I HAVE GOTTEN TO FEEL THAT LOVE FROM READERS AND TO GIVE IT BACK.

SO, YEAH, MAYBE I AM CHANGED.

IT ONLY TOOK 23 YEARS.

>> Cathy: IS THE LOVE YOU'RE GETTING KIND OF FILLING THAT HOLE THAW MAY HAVE HAD IN YOU AS A KID?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: YEAH.

>> BSOLUTELY.

AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHAT SAVED ME AS A KID WAS BOOKS.

AND, SO, THERE'S A WONDERFUL FULL-CIRCLE KIND OF THING THERE, YEAH.

>> Cathy: DIDN'T YOU SAY TO ME, I THINK YOU SAID THIS BEFORE -- >> PROBABLY NOT.

>> Cathy: I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE.

YOU LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF EVERY TIME YOU WRITE.

RIGHT?

SO WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH "FERRIS"?

>> I LEARNED THAT VERY THING THAT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT, THAT THE WRITING HAS CHANGED ME.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

>> AND THAT THE CONNECTION WITH READERS HAS CHANGED ME.

YEAH.

>> Eric: YOU ARE A FIRST AUTHOR HERE WHO'S EVER COME TO PLUG TWO BOOKS.

>> OH, YEAH, YEAH.

>> Eric: SO I'LL GIVE YOU THAT.

>> Cathy: WELL, THREE, NO, WAIT.

>> THAT'S TRUE.

>> Eric: ORSON TEMPLE IS A LITTLE MORE, WIDE MARGINS.

>> ONE THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH.

>> Eric: I DID GET THROUGH IT.

>> THANK YOU, YEAH.

>> Eric: GOOD ILLUSTRATIONS.

WHO'S THE WOMAN WHO DID THE ILLUSTRATIONS?

>> CARMEN MOCK, JUST FANTASTIC.

>> Eric: A RAT, A MOUSE, AN OWL, SARDINES.

>> WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?

[ Laughter ] I MEAN, THAT'S IT, THE -- ERIC, THAT SUMS UP THE BOOK.

A RAT, AN OWL AND SOME SARDINES, LET'S PUT IT ON THE BLURB.

>> ric: ARE THERE TICKETS LEFT FOR THE BOOK LAUNCH?

>> THINK THERE ARE AND THAT'S THURSDAY.

>> Eric: WHERE IS IT?

>> UNIVERSITY OF St. THOMAS THROUGH RED BALLOON.

>> Cathy: WAIT.

WE SHOULD SAY, YOU'VE BEEN A HOUSE ON FIRE.

I MEAN, BECAUSE YOU HAVE THREE BOOKS, REALLY, THREE BOOKS COMING OUT THIS YEAR.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: IS THAT A BYPRODUCT OF THE PANDEMIC?

>> IT IS.

>> Cathy: OH, IT IS, OKAY.

>> IT IS.

I HAVE SO MANY WRITER FRIENDS, SO MANY PEOPLE DURING THAT TIME, SAID, OH, I CAN'T CRITERIA, I CAN'T CONCENTRATE.

FOR WHATEVER REASON, I COULD AND I WAS SO GRATEFUL BECAUSE THOSE ANCHORED ME DURING THAT TIME.

AND NOW, HERE THEY ARE.

>> Cathy: YOU YOU HAVE BEEN WRITING MORE THAN -- YOU MUST HAVE BEEN WRITING MORE THAN TWO PAGES A DAY.

I'M JUST SAYING.

>> THAT'S LIKE YOU STOLE ERIC'S LINE.

>> Eric: DON'T STEAL MY STUFF.

>> I DID ACTUALLY WRITE MORE THAN TWO PAGES A DAY.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

BUSTED.

>> Eric: THERE YOU GO, YOU'VE CHANGED.

>> I'VE CHANGED.

ANYBODY CAN CHANGE IF I CAN CHANGE.

>> Eric: KATE DICAMILLO, EVERYBODY, THE GREATEST.