Don and Becky Wojahn are school library media specialists. Their natural habitat is the temperate forests of northwestern Wisconsin, where they share their den with two animal-loving sons and two big, black dogs. This description of these local children’s book authors ends each volume of their co-written Follow That Food Chain series.

In these educational and interactive “who-eats-what” books, kids can page-turn their way to animal habitats around the globe, from the “dry, red expanse” of the Australian outback to the “hot, wet, air wrapping around you” in the rain forest. The choose-your-own-adventure format helps young readers weave their own unique food webs, from carnivore, to herbivore, to decomposer, and back again. Each animal’s dependence on their meal illustrates the importance of animal preservation, and Becky hopes it helps readers understand that a loss ripples throughout the whole food chain.

Don also shares Becky’s ecological concerns. A running inside joke between the two is that they would buy a parcel of land if they ever won the lottery, just so no one could interfere with any wildlife. I thought conservation was the natural impetus for FTFC, but the main motivation for writing the first book came closer to home.

 “Our boys asked us, ‘What do bears eat?’ I didn’t know, so we’d look that up, and they’d say, ‘What does that eat?’ ” said Becky. “Or, what would win in a battle, a hawk or an eagle?” added Don. “You know, the kind of questions boys ask,” said Becky, laughing.

As school librarians, answering endless questions is all in a day’s work. Don, a former teacher, says working kids and encouraging them to read is a great perk, while Becky thrives on learning something new each day. Apparently, she’s learned the art of persuasion.

“I encouraged Don to become a librarian. It’s the best job in the school,” said Becky. “It took me awhile to figure it out,” Don added, deadpan.

    As parents of young Cal and Eli, full-time librarians, and authors of several children’s books, I had to ask: how on earth do they find the time?

Don casually deems their writing efforts “an extension of our work day.” Becky sees writing as a fun hobby (some golf, some write). Her strategy for time management is writing in “pockets of time, in cracks of the day,” making for many late nights and early mornings. The short bursts of writing have transformed into children’s non-fiction, but they know family time comes first, and often find the time to go camping in their cabin up north.

What’s next for the Wojahns? Besides the six FTFC books available, a Badger Biography entitled Dr. Kate: Angel on Snowshoes will be released by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. The story’s heroine is Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, a doctor who lived in the backwoods of northern Wisconsin during the 1950s. Her indomitable will and incredible heart inspired local schoolchildren dubbed “The Penny Paraders” to raise 1.7 million pennies for a much-needed hospital. Becky wanted to send the message that children “can make a difference in their community.”

Speaking of making a difference, what do students at Manz Elementary and DeLong Middle School think of the Wojahn’s literary fame? “They think it’s pretty cool. It’s kind of a nice thing to share with students, too; that writing isn’t just something the teacher makes you do. You can do something with it, and grownups like doing it too,” said Becky. “And people do it by choice,” said Don.

Let’s hope the Wojahns keep choosing to share their talent and knowledge with children for years to come.

    Check out the Wojahn’s books at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.