ONE CAN: A Conversation with Lana Button & Eric Walters

One Can by Lana Button & Eric Walters, with pictures by Isabelle Malenfant publishes next week (September 2, 2025). It’s an excellent picture book on the topic of food insecurity and helping those in need. I talked with co-authors Eric Walters and Lana Button about the book.

Travis: What was the initial idea or inspiration for ONE CAN?

Eric Walters: Most often I find myself with too many ideas and not enough time. The story for One Can had to have been floating around in my head for almost two years. It was an idea — the core of a story — but not a complete story.

I’ve had the great fortune to co-write with a number of amazing authors. In a conversation with Lana, I mentioned the idea and we both instantly decided that we could develop it into a full story.

This story is very much based in both my experiences as a teacher and in my life. I grew up in a single-parent family where food — and lack of food — was a constant theme. I have such distinct memories of not only being aware of the food we had in the house but actively and consciously going and counting the number of cans on the shelves. More cans equaled less worry, more comfort and being able to sleep better at night.

I have presented at schools across North America and around the world. It’s always been so telling that the schools that have the most economic challenges are those that most often rise to the occasion with food drives, donating the largest quantities of food. For these students, food insecurity isn’t just something in their heads, or even their hearts, but something they can feel in the pit of their stomach. They know people need food because they’ve been there. I’ve been there.

Lana: As soon as Eric shared his initial inspiration for the story with me, I connected with it. I grew up in a small town in New Brunswick, where, from a young age, the needs of some of my friends were apparent to me. During conversations about the story idea, Eric and I each shared our experiences working in education supporting students whose families participate in community programs such as food drives, clothing drives, lunch programs and grocery programs. 

I am an early childhood educator and taught in a kindergarten classroom for several years, using items such as a learning carpet to extend a young child’s understanding of food drives and helping others. This experience seemed to be a natural fit with Eric’s initial story inspiration.

Travis: Once you had the concept, how did you collaborate as writers?

Lana: We talked on the phone about the story several times until we had the bones of it. Over the next month or so, Eric and I sent drafts back and forth through email and intermittently read the story out loud over Zoom chats. 

Once we felt that the story was ready, we worked together on the pitch and then sent the manuscript off to Groundwood.

Eric: Collaborating on a story is like watching a tennis game, except where both players are cooperating, and nobody loses. We’d discuss, taking turns writing — hitting the ball over the net — then reviewing, over-writing, and shaping the story. Two heads, two hearts, four ears and four hands to make the story better.

Travis: What was the most challenging part of the process? What was the most joyful part?

Eric: I’m not sure there really was a challenging part. A good collaboration starts with choosing the right person to work with. I entered into this partnership respecting Lana’s work and knowing that she was a good person. You then trust your writing partner to be able to be honest with your words and their words. There is no ego, no feeling that certain words or sentences belong to one person or the other. I loved those times when I’d find a particular phrase or sentence and wonder “which of us wrote that?” but not be able to remember.

Lana is a master of making each word fit into a cadence, a rhythm, and of knowing that the words aren’t just to be read, but to be spoken. She would spend extended and intense time parsing individual words and combinations to make sure that it was exactly what was needed in that sentence. I’ve written over a dozen picture books but learned so much from Lana in co-writing this story.

Lana: The most challenging part for me was keeping up with Eric’s creative pace. I was in awe of how quickly he could form such a powerful story, and how fast he could find just the right words as we worked through edits. Eric is brilliant, and it was an honor to witness his writing process firsthand.

The most joyful part of this experience for me was editing the story with Eric. He was incredibly giving, collaborative and patient in talking through and considering every written word. Making this story come to life was magical, and I am honored that he invited me to partner with him. What an incredible privilege to be among the impressive list of Canadian writers, from Teresa Toten to Deborah Ellis, who have created great stories with Eric. I am beyond proud to be included in this impressive group that each starts their story with “it was Eric’s idea.” Creating this powerful story with Eric Walters has been the highlight of my career so far. 

Travis: What was it like seeing Isabelle Malenfant’s illustrations for the first time?

Lana: Isabelle Malenfant did what every picture book author hopes for: she brought the visual part of this story to life with powerful simplicity. From the first thumbnails, I was so moved by the expression of emotion on our little guy’s face.

Eric: Isabelle brought the story to life. It was amazing to see her interpret the manuscript and then enhance and extend our words through her art. She is a brilliant illustrator.

Travis: Food insecurity is a theme of ONE CAN. What are some ways teachers, parents, and kids can help?

Eric: This story can be used as a starting point for food drives in a school community. It can offer inspiration that might generate more donations and actually impact the lives of young people in need.

Lana: Teachers and parents can empower children when including them in food and clothing drive activities, and by drawing attention to how their acts of kindness and generosity — whether that be donating clothes they have outgrown or being kind to a new student — can be incredibly supportive to someone who needs it right now. 

Discussing food insecurity and the availability of community support programs can normalize and humanize ‘need,’ which can help some children in vulnerable situations feel seen.

Eric: Poverty can crush children. It isn’t just what they are going through on a daily basis, but the potential for them to be robbed of their self-worth, dignity and future. I want children to be able to empathize with those in need, but also realize that being in need doesn’t diminish them or their ability to help. Sometimes we give and sometimes we are given.

Travis: Thank you Eric and Lana for taking my questions! Here’s a bit more about the book, from the publisher:

A child is excited to donate a can of their favorite Zoodelicious to the school food drive. Their teacher has explained that the food will be given to people in need, along with mittens from the “mitten tree.”

In the classroom, there’s a carpet with one hundred squares, and the goal is to fill each square with a can of food. When the child places their can of Zoodelicious on square 100, everyone cheers, and the teacher puts a snowflake sticker on top to celebrate.

But a few days later, the child finds the same can of Zoodelicious among the groceries their mom has brought home. There’s a pair of red mitts, too. “Mom, are we the people in need?” the child asks.

The next morning, after having thought of all the people who will receive food from the school and wondering what else they might need, the child donates their too-small blue mittens to the mitten tree at school.

Created by an award-winning team, One Can tells a timely and touching story of a child who learns to give and receive—and wants only to give again in return.

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