Happy Book Birthday to debut author Suzanne Poulter Harris’ The Boy Behind the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up to Create Narnia, illus. Mira Miroslavova (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers).
I’m so very honored to celebrate this picture book biography of C.S.Lewis.
How many of us grew up with dreams of Narnia?
About the Book:
“Stunningly illustrated…A magical addition to any biography collection.”
―School Library Journal
“In this captivating and well-told picture book biography, the growth of Lewis from a boy ‘born to make stories’ to a brilliant author unfolds in both pithy text and elegant, detailed art.”
―Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
About the Author:
Suzanne Poulter Harris was born and raised in Northern Ireland, like C.S. Lewis. She taught high school geography two miles from Lewis’s childhood home in Belfast. Suzanne traded her classroom to travel the world as a United States air force spouse, living in Italy and South Korea before settling in Washington, D.C.
The Boy Behind the Wardrobe is her first picture book. Suzanne currently works as a literacy tutor, supporting reading and learning for middle grade students.
Let’s ask some Questions!
Inspiration
Q 1. What was the inspiration for The Boy Behind the Wardrobe? I see you were born and raised in Northern Ireland, like C.S. Lewis, and taught high school geography two miles from Lewis’s childhood home in Belfast.
SPH: That’s exactly what drew me to write about C.S. Lewis. Much of his inspiration for Narnia came from his childhood home in Belfast and from the landscapes of County Down, where I lived for 27 years.
I was a geography teacher and later became a reading interventionist because geography and English Literature were my favorite subjects in school. The Boy Behind the Wardrobe combines these two passions by exploring C.S. Lewis’s world building.
I love how the landscapes, coastlines, and castles of his childhood inspired him to create the magical world of Narnia. My initial idea was to showcase these real places from my home country in a beautifully illustrated book.
I’m also excited to share how C.S. Lewis turned to reading and writing throughout his life for adventure, comfort, joy, and friendship.
Debut Expectations + Waiting and THE Wardrobe!
Q 2. Since this is your debut picture book, has the process been what you envisioned? What aspects did you not expect?
SPH: When Eerdmans Books for Young Readers acquired my manuscript, I knew it was in the best hands. However, the process of making the book took much longer than I expected — almost 9 years from contract to publication date!
About six months after signing the contract, I was invited to give input on illustration styles. Then COVID halted any progress. It took another couple of years to find the right illustrator and one who could commit to such a big project.
I was thrilled when Mira Miroslavova came on board in 2022. She worked on the illustrations for three years, and although I saw sketches and the final art, I was surprised to see the finished book extending to 56 pages including back matter!
Once the Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) were available, the book seemed to take on a life of its own … thanks to my publisher’s busy marketing and publicity team. I was not expecting a starred review from Booklist (American Library Association), nor was I expecting Mira’s artwork to be selected for the Society of Illustrators 2026 The Original Art in New York City.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is that I’ve been invited for a book reading and signing in front of C.S. Lewis’s actual wardrobe at Wheaton College’s Wade Center! How cool is that? I was expecting my first official invite to come from an elementary school or a children’s bookstore (which I would be honored to do, by the way…), not an invitation to speak at a College Family Weekend where THE wardrobe is on display.
Research
Q 3. What was the research like for this book?
SPH: I spent the first ten months on research. It was fun discovering little gems that lent themselves to beautiful illustrations or quirky details that I thought might resonate with children. I read over a dozen biographies on C.S. Lewis, but the most relevant material for the story I wanted to tell came from his autobiography, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life and from C. S. Lewis Letters to Children.
In addition to reading, I took advantage of my annual trips home to Northern Ireland. My on-the-ground research started at Belmont Tower in East Belfast, which housed a small exhibition about C. S. Lewis, including some of his letters and first editions of The Chronicles of Narnia books.
I perused newspaper clippings at the Holywood Arches Library Archives and then retraced C.S. Lewis’s steps around Belfast … from the site where he was born and Little Lea, his childhood home, to his grandfather’s rectory and the solitary lamppost at Campbell College, where Lewis attended school for one term.
SPH: I also took day trips to the Mourne Mountains in County Down and Dunluce Castle in County Antrim to visit the landscapes that inspired Narnia and Cair Paravel.
Discoveries
Q 4. Were there any discoveries about C.S. Lewis as this project went from idea to published book?
SPH: Yes! I was surprised to learn that C.S. Lewis was missing the upper joint in both his thumbs. As a result, he struggled making things with cardboard and scissors and he couldn’t hold a bat well enough to play team sports like cricket.
In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis writes, “As a last resource, I was driven to write stories instead; little dreaming to what a world of happiness I was being admitted.”
His inability to do certain things was a blessing because it forced him to try something new — something he loved and later excelled at. What a great message for kids with a disability or those who struggle with something that other people find easy to do.
Illustration Surprises
Q 5. What surprises did your illustrator, Mira Miroslavova, bring to the project?
SPH: Mira brought whimsy and magic to the project. I think visually when I write, but I picture more realistic scenes in my head.
I had included an art note about a telescope in the spread where Jack (C.S. Lewis) and his brother spy on ships in the bustling Belfast Lough. I was surprised how Mira used that little note to create a whimsical, wonderful piece of art that exceeded anything I could have imagined.
Q 6. What is your favorite spread?
SPH: It’s hard to choose just one because Mira’s artwork throughout the book is so detailed and gorgeous. I would probably say the wardrobe spread.
I’d seen an early sketch, but the final art was entirely different. Mira took the scene to a whole new level, surprising us all with her spectacular visual storytelling. When I opened the attachment from my editor and I first saw that spread, I gasped.
Take Aways
Q 7. What do you hope readers will take away from reading The Boy Behind the Wardrobe?
SPH: I hope The Boy Behind the Wardrobe leads to conversations about where story ideas come from.
I hope it inspires young readers to look at their own surroundings with a sense of wonder and to mine memories and imagination to tell their own stories.
Endless Thank You’s to Suzanne Poulter Harris for joining us on the blog today.
We can’t wait to read this book!
To learn more about her work check out her website: suzannepoulterharris.com
And follow her on social media:
Instagram: suzannepoulterharris
Next month on the blog:
(Yes, we’re taking a short break!)
We chat with author Patricia Tanumihardja and illustrator Shiho Pate about their newest collaboration:
Fried Rice Surprise!
(Red Comet Press)
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