* Her own childhood fascination with history: Tarshis has always been passionate about history, and she remembers spending hours in the library as a child reading about different historical events.
* A desire to make history accessible to young readers: Tarshis recognized that many children find history textbooks dry and boring. She wanted to create a series that would make history come alive for young readers and help them connect with it on a personal level.
* The power of storytelling: Tarshis believes that stories are a powerful way to teach and inspire. She uses the "I Survived" series to not only educate children about historical events but also to explore universal themes like courage, resilience, and hope.
* The importance of historical empathy: The "I Survived" series allows readers to step into the shoes of fictional characters who lived through real historical events. This encourages empathy and understanding for the people who lived through these events and the challenges they faced.
While Tarshis hasn't explicitly stated a single specific event that inspired the "I Survived" series, it's likely a combination of these factors that led her to create this popular and successful series.