Q: We’re so excited to introduce you and your book to the world! Tell us a little about yourself and how you became a writer and illustrator.

A: Hello! I am an author-illustrator from the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up, I loved to draw, and I became an illustrator because I never wanted to stop. If it was something I was going to do every day anyway, I decided it should probably be my job. When a person illustrates, they tell a story with pictures, so it just made sense that I would start telling my stories with words as well.

Q: What inspired Best Friend in the Whole World?

A: Best Friend in the Whole World is actually inspired by the real-life story about the time I found a stick, decided it was definitely the best stick in the whole world (It had two types of moss on it!), and then promptly lost it.

Q: How did you decide that Roland would be a rabbit and Milton a pine cone?

A: As a child, my favorite picture books had rabbit characters—The Golden Egg and The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. I have always felt they are the perfect picture book characters. Plus, their ears are fun to draw. I chose a pine cone for Milton/Popkin because I grew up in the forest surrounded by pine cones and used them in many of my own craft projects growing up. I don’t know if I ever made my own pine cone friend, but I should have.

Q: What do you think are important qualities in a best friend?

A: The most important quality in a best friend is that they bring joy into your life. People have all kinds of friends for all kinds of reasons, and each friend is special in their own unique way. Two people might become friends for many different reasons, but as long as they make each other happy, that is the only thing that matters.

Q: Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

A: I grew up surrounded by imaginary friends, but my very best imaginary friends were the ones I shared with real friends.

Q: Have you ever lost anything you loved?

A: Aside from my beloved stick that inspired the story in the first place, I also had a puffin finger puppet as a child that I took with me everywhere until, of course, I lost it. I still think about that puppet, so perhaps you can expect a puffin book some time in the future.

Q: You dedicated this story to Jacob, your own best friend in the whole world. What are some things you and your best friend like to do together?

A: Just like Roland and Milton/Popkin, one of my favorite things to do with Jacob is take walks. Sometimes we take walks on the trails in the nearby forests, and sometimes we just walk through our neighborhood and pet all the dogs and cats that live near us.

Q: What is your creative process like? Does it change when you’re doing both the text and illustrations?

A: It’s hard to know where an idea will come from— an image or a sentence or a feeling—but I almost always start by drawing the character. It’s hard to imagine a story without knowing what the character looks like! I spend a lot of time thinking about my stories before I write a single word. I might spend weeks, months, or years thinking about a story and getting it right in my head, and then one day I’ll just sit down and write the whole thing out. After that, I’ll do sketches of each page, and then I will have to go back and change the words, and then I’ll have to change the drawings until everything is balanced and working together.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from reading Best Friend in the Whole World?

A: I hope Best Friend in the Whole World will show readers all the wonderful ways in which we can be a good friend. Roland takes care of Milton/Popkin. Milton/Popkin provides company when others are lonely. Lucy welcomes Roland into her friendship with Milton/Popkin. And I hope the book reminds readers that even if we do something that doesn’t feel like something a friend should do, there is always a chance to make up for it, and you can end up even better friends than before.

Marjoke Henrichs, author-illustrator of No! Said Rabbit

“The most thrilling/exciting/unexpected part of getting my first book published is the thought that my book will be read by many children around the world, and bring a smile to their faces.”

No! Said Rabbit comes out March 1st!

Sandra Salsbury, author-illustrator of Best Friend in the Whole World

“The greatest joy of getting my first book published has been seeing comments and reviews from readers. For so many years, my book had only been seen by a handful of people close to me, so it’s amazing to see it being enjoyed by people I’ve never even met.”

Best Friend in the Whole World comes out March 1st!

Richard Jones, author-illustrator of Perdu

We asked Catherine Rayner about her inspiration and writing process for Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep, a beautiful new bedtime book perfect for reluctant or troubled sleepers.

Q: What or who inspired you to write Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep?

A: Arlo feels as though he’s been in my head as a character forever. It’s a funny feeling when you start to draw a character you’ve known for a while—it’s like an old friend coming to visit and makes you feel calm and happy. It certainly doesn’t happen often, so it’s a really lovely treat when occasionally it does! The idea for Arlo happened a little while before I realized exactly what his story would be. I always knew I wanted to make a book about sleep and mindfulness for children, and I wanted to be able to incorporate sleeping lions somehow, but I just hadn’t figured out a way to make it work. I have two children; both sometimes struggle to get to sleep, and I make up little poems for them at bedtime to help them nod off and calm their minds after a busy day. When I was working on the book, I started researching relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and meditation for children. There was a lot of connection, and I went about simplifying what I knew as a parent and had learned so I could draw on something that would hopefully become a helpful part of the bedtime ritual for parents and children alike. There is a rhyme in the story, which is memorable, and my boys now say it to themselves before lights-off time (I also now often use it when I can’t get to sleep). I very much hope other children will learn it and find it helpful, too. I really wanted to make a book that is primarily an enjoyable read and a visual treat, but which also has gentle messages in the story that will be absorbed at a deep level.

Q: Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep is rife with themes of mindfulness and calmness. Are these virtues that are personal to you? Do you feel they’re particularly resonant for today’s children?

A: I feel that so much time is spent rushing about, we all forget to have those calm moments. Sharing picture books is a wonderful way to create a peaceful, quiet, and special quiet time. As an adult, half an hour with a good book is the perfect way to reset your mind and re-charge. If children can learn to enjoy this from an early age, then it is something they can turn to throughout life. It is so important—especially today when there are constant digital distractions. Everybody’s mind needs space from time to time, and it’s something I feel that I can help with as a children’s author and illustrator by creating books the people really want to read and enjoy. I take this aspect of my job very seriously. Looking after your mind is one of the single most important things we can do. I hope that Arlo can provide comfort, relaxation, and peace for people of all ages. He certainly makes me and my children feel ready for calm.

Q: The owl tells Arlo to relax and imagine a place he’d love to go and the things he’d see there. What travel destination comforts you?

A: Close to home, I love going up into the hills just outside Edinburgh on horseback. The views always recharge me. Further afield, Italy is my place to relax. The mountains, sun, and sea feel like a warm blanket. I always come home inspired and rejuvenated after a trip there!

Q: How did you decide to write about a lion instead of another animal? Why did you choose an owl for the lion’s companion?

A: In the UK there is a popular children’s game called “Sleeping Lions.” In this, a group of children lie very still, and the first one to move at all—even a twitch—is out. The child who can stay statue-still the longest wins! The title of this popular game was part of the inspiration for the book, and I thought a book about a lion who simply can’t sleep would be a nice nod to it. I also think there is nothing more relaxing to draw than a relaxed lion. When I started to imagine the book, I was excited to be able to paint a restless lion turning in to a relaxed and happy lion as there is a huge amount of different emotions to illustrate in such a beautiful creature. Owls are nocturnal, and Arlo needed a friend who had opposite sleeping patterns to him. A lovely night owl was the perfect companion to teach him how to get some much-needed rest.

Q: Are you more like Arlo or the owl?

A: I am more like Arlo! In fact—I use the rhyme in the story to help me nod off most nights, and I find it very helpful.

Q: What inspired your illustrations?

A: Dreams, shapes, colors, landscapes, deserts… The whole natural world! I spent a lot of time designing the book so that the reader would enjoy every page turn and appreciate an array of dreamy color and texture to help them relax and unwind.

Q: What is your process for developing your picture books? Does this process change from book to book?

A: I tend to develop a character and a story at the same time. But this does change a little with each book I make as every single one has a pattern of its own. People often ask me what the magic formula for creating a good picture book is. I wish I knew! It’s a new challenge every time as books are a bit like living things; each is individual with its own problems to overcome. Each one takes a different amount of time to create, too. Some are quicker than others, some have been bubbling away in the back of my mind for years, and others appear in a “light bulb moment.” I never find making a book easy—but it’s always worth it in the end.

Q: How was creating this book different from others you’ve written and illustrated?

A: In order to create the book and the illustrations, I really had to get inside Arlo’s mind. When I was working on the pages where he is feeling utterly exhausted, I also felt very rough as I had to delve right into his emotions to be able to illustrate his mood and expressions. I was very flat and extremely tired while I was working on the first part of the story, but I perked up after he had his first good night’s sleep. When I’m drawing a character, I have to go on the journey with them. Painting the dream spreads was lovely. I made myself feel calm and relaxed and put some lovely music on and lit a nice candle in my studio. When Arlo is excited, I’d listen to louder music and have a dance around. Sometimes I think that if somebody saw me while I was working my way through a book, they would think I was totally insane! People have to believe that the characters I make have souls. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t feel the emotions they were going through.

Q: What do you like most about writing and illustrating for children?

A: Where do I start!? I love making up stories, reading to children, designing characters, helping children learn to read, helping children develop a love of books that will help them throughout their lives. I love that I get to visit children in schools and at events. I love the letters and pictures I get from children from all over the world. I love the people that I work with on the books. I love the challenges that come with creating something new…

Q: What do you hope readers take away from Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep?

A: I hope that readers old and young finish the story feeling content and calm. I hope Arlo helps to make falling asleep become a pleasure. I also hope readers feel safe, cozy, and relaxed like Arlo and the other lions when they finish reading. Finally, I hope that a level of mindfulness sinks into a child without any effort and that Arlo and Owl’s rhyme helps them throughout their lives. Helping them to always appreciate peaceful moments.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: Fish, unicorns, bears, birds, guinea pigs… I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but I am very busy indeed…!

We asked Anca Sandu about her illustration process for Gnu and Shrew, a humorous new story about the importance of dreamers and doers.

Q: How did you imagine Gnu and Shrew when you first read Danny Schnitzlein’s story?

A: Gnu seemed to me like a larger than life, great storyteller type of character. He was someone whose dreams are big, and his personality charming. Shrew, on another hand, seemed like the small, unnoticeable character who is easily dismissed, but what he lacked in stature he compensated for in determination. Thus I immediately imagined that the contrast should be reflected in their sizes, in how much space they take on the page.

Q: What is your illustration process like? Do you alter your process depending on the project?

A: Since every project is different, so is the process. I enjoy finding that specific visual language that’s most suited for that particular story.

Q: How was working on this project different from Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon?

A: The biggest difference was technique. Where Lana Lynn is rendered entirely digitally, Gnu and Shrew are drawn in pencil and colored digitally. Also, most of the sketches for Gnu and Shrew were drawn while I was traveling through Europe. Every page is connected to a place I have visited, which also inspired the endpapers.

Q: This story has many STEAM elements with Shrew building various contraptions to help get across the river. How did you approach translating those STEAM elements into your illustrations?

A: I did a lot of research and possibly procrastinated quite a bit, in great Gnu fashion. At the time, that was the most challenging part.

Q: How did you come up with the illustrations for Shrew’s inventions?

A: I was inspired by vintage technical drawings and manuals. I wanted to overwhelm the viewer with all the details so they understand how overwhelmed Shrew must have felt with such a task at hand.

Q: What did you enjoy most about illustrating Gnu and Shrew? Which spread is your favorite?

A: I absolutely loved drawing these huge spreads, all in pencil. The spreads are larger than the final book, and some of them are framed in my house now. My favorite spread is the first one, where the characters, including some fancy crocodiles, are introduced.

Q: As an artist, do you feel like you’re a dreamer or a doer?

A: Probably a little bit of both! I procrastinate by researching and dreaming, probably a little too much. I never feel like I have all the information I need before I start a project. I have to tell myself to take the plunge, and once I do start, I work for endless hours and completely lose myself in the work. It’s a great feeling. My husband framed one of the drawings of Shrew working late into the night because it reminded him of me.

Q: How do you feel illustrations contribute to a picture book?

A: Illustrations work in conjunction with words to help children imagine new worlds, discover, and relate to characters and their stories. They should have a certain element of surprise or openness that makes children wonder, dream, and imagine further than the story. Sometimes they show less than the text does, sometimes more, but never really quite the same. I try to avoid redundancy.

Q: If you hadn’t started illustrating children’s books, what would you be doing?

A: Right now I also work in graphic design and motion graphics, so it’s likely I would have only done that. Perhaps I would have been an interior designer, although my husband can argue that buying way too many plants is not design, it’s a problem. Or maybe… a researcher?

Q: If you were Shrew, what would you invent to cross the river and reach the cave?

A: I’m not sure I’d be as brave as he was! Maybe something that flies over the river, far above all those untrustworthy crocodiles.

Q: Who, or what, is your artistic inspiration?

A: Right now I am fascinated by the works of Shaun Tan. His work on displacement and immigration speak closely to my own experience. I’m always studying ways in which to express the connection between language, culture, and identity and the great mental shifts and ruptures that happen when one is uprooted.

Q: What can we look forward to next from you?

A: I’m working on a story about a big fish dissatisfied with his little pond that I hope to introduce to the world soon.

Author Deborah Hopkinson and illustrator Don Tate answered our questions about the creation of Carter Reads the Newspaper and the importance of learning from stories like Carter G. Woodson’s.

Q: What interested you in Carter’s story and the role he played in American history?

Hopkinson: In 2007, a book I wrote (Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America) was named a Carter G. Woodson Honor Book by the National Council of the Social Studies. I had heard of Dr. Woodson before then, but I became interested in his life at that time, and began trying to learn more. My first drafts of this picture book date back to 2009, so it’s been a long time in the making.

Q: Don, what made you want to take on this project?

Tate: I love stories that offer an opportunity to highlight the lives of little-known African-American heroes. I was familiar with the name of Carter G. Woodson, but I didn’t know why. When I realized that he was known as the “Father of Black History,” the man who inspired the Black History Month observation, I knew I had to illustrate the story. I was surprised Woodson’s story hadn’t already been told.

Q: Carter Reads the Newspaper is the first-ever trade picture book biography of Carter G. Woodson. Why do you think there aren’t more children’s books about him?

Hopkinson: There have been some books about Dr. Woodson, including a 1991 book, Carter G. Woodson, The Father of Black History, by the team of Patricia and Frederick McKissack, who created so many wonderful books. But perhaps there have been few books because he wrote little about his own life. And it’s not so easy to illustrate picture books about historians and educators. But Don Tate’s luminous artwork brings Carter G. Woodson to life. And I love how the themes of newspapers and reading are woven into the story.

Q: What was your research process like? Was it difficult to find reliable sources from so long ago?

Hopkinson: I often start with an academic source and follow the breadcrumbs from there. I tell students research is much like being a detective.

I found Jacqueline Goggin’s Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993) an excellent launching point. One challenge in writing about Dr. Woodson’s life is that he wrote little that was autobiographical. But he did share some insights into his life, including his time with Oliver Jones, in an essay entitled “My Recollections of Veterans of the Civil War,” published in 1944 in his journal, The Negro History Bulletin, a copy of which I was able to track down.

Q: Are there any interesting parts from Carter’s story you had to leave out of the text?

Hopkinson: There is one wonderful anecdote I came across; it was relayed by the late historian and scholar, Dr. John Hope Franklin. When he was first starting out, he attended the same conference as Dr. Woodson. One day, Dr. Franklin received a telegram about a family emergency. As a courtesy, Dr. Franklin went to tell Dr. Woodson that he needed to leave early. Knowing that the young scholar had few resources, without a second thought Dr. Woodson reached into his pocket and said, and I am paraphrasing, “Do you have the fare?”

Q: What is your illustration process like, Don?

Tate: My illustration process begins with thumbnail sketches―tiny sketches that allow me to plan out the book. I create them without much visual research at first. At that point, I just want to focus on dividing up the text from spread to spread. It’s important to pace the story, from full-page spreads to single vignettes.

As I’m sketching, I wonder what things really might have looked like. Author Deborah Hopkinson begins Woodson’s story in his childhood. His family lived on a Virginia farm, about ten years following the Civil War. My question: what did the farm look like? That’s where hours of research come in. I may not find that exact farmhouse, but I look for other farms from that era in that area.

Q: How did you research for this book?

Tate: Thankfully, the author shared research materials with me that she used to write the story. But then I did my own visual research. I found pictures on the Internet by searching sites like Google and Bing. I contacted librarians at the Chicago Public Library. I found more images on The Library of Congress website. I even looked up some articles published in Woodson’s Journal of Negro History. It’s important to inform my drawings as much as possible.

In an early scene, Hopkinson writes about young Carter attending school. With a picture book, the author doesn’t include details of what that scene might have looked like. That’s where my job as a visual researcher kicks in. What would a classroom way back then have looked like? How would the teacher have dressed? Wore her hair? These are clues to the time period. At first, I drew the teacher as a young woman because, well, most of my teachers have been women. Research revealed to me, however, that Carter’s uncles ran the school he attended, and they were his teachers. I had to redraw that scene.

Q: How do you believe the illustrations further the importance of the story?

Tate: The illustrations do the work that the words cannot. With a picture book, the author must tell the story with few words. The illustrations flesh out the story; they say what the words cannot.

In addition, this is a story about a Black historical figure. It highlights Black History Month. It also introduces many other Black historical figures. The author of the book, however, is White. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. Skin color shouldn’t limit what people are allowed to write about. Deborah Hopkinson is a wonderful, award-winning writer, who I’m proud to have had an opportunity to collaborate with. But with all that Black history inside one book, I think it’s important that a Black person have an opportunity to contribute to its making. Black history has often been told through all-White lenses, contributing to misrepresentations.

As the illustrator, I’m telling my people’s history. So, it’s particularly important for me to get the visuals right, best I can. I think it’s also important for kids of color to know that they can grow up to be writers and illustrators of books, too, because―hey, one of the creators of this book looks like me!

Q: Deborah, in your Author’s Note, you quoted Carter: “The teaching of the whole truth will help us in the direction of a real democracy.” Why did you choose this quote and what does it mean to you?

Hopkinson: I think it’s an amazing quote, and just as relevant today as it was in the 1940s. I first became interested in history in fourth grade. I liked to read about girls and women in the past, and I devoured whatever biographies I could find. But there weren’t many. I also have a clear memory of reading fascinating tidbits about people in the shaded boxes of my history textbook. However, most of the book seemed to be about generals and presidents―just names and dates to memorize.

Today, we have more books to share during Black History Month and Women’s History Month (and beyond), and, hopefully, an ever-expanding number of diverse voices. It’s really exciting to see these new, amazing stories, and of course, much more needs to be done. But I hope these books will help young readers develop a more inclusive history of our country and give them a deeper understanding of the struggles to attain social justice and equality in a democracy.

Q: Don, your “Illustrator’s Note” mentions that you did not have many opportunities to learn about Black history in school. What does it mean to you to know current and future generations of students are given more opportunities to learn about these important moments in Black history?

Tate: It’s good that current generations are exposed to more Black history than when I was a kid. But more work is needed. Often, the same handful of historical figures show up time and again in books. My son learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks in school. But what about other important figures? Another book I wrote is called Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. It’s the true story of an enslaved man who taught himself to read and later wrote poetry protesting his enslavement. While Horton’s story wasn’t in my son’s classroom history books, he can now be discovered in school libraries. Thank you, librarians!

Q: Can you tell us a little more about the figure heads on the front and back endpapers?

Tate: I’m always looking for opportunities to share even more information with my readers. Carter Reads the Newspaper speaks to the origins of Black History Month. Black history taught in schools begins with slavery. I wanted my readers to know that Black history stretches back to the beginning of time.

The challenge was finding pre-slavery figures to feature―and quickly, because I was working against an approaching deadline! African societies preserved histories through art, written and oral forms. There were rich kingdoms with powerful kings and queens. Societies with their own languages, cultures, politics, religions. But European countries colonized Africa, robbing its people of their natural resources, land, and heritage. A lot of their histories were lost forever. It doesn’t mean those histories don’t exist—they do! You just have to dig.

I opened the endpapers with figures like Taharqua, an Egyptian pharaoh, last ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. I also featured Queen Amina of Zaria, who was a fierce warrior queen, the first woman to become the Sarauniya (queen) in a male-dominated society. I closed the endpapers with two of my favorite living historical figures: Michelle and Barack Obama.

My hope is that readers will be inspired by these historical figures and do more research on their own.

Q: What about Carter’s story stuck with you the most?

Tate: The scene where young Carter reads the newspaper to a group of coal miners was a powerful moment. Most of these men, I imagine, were illiterate. They learned about life outside the mines through Carter. The message of literacy, and how reading can change lives, is a common theme in both Carter Reads the Newspaper and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. The theme of educating oneself also spoke to me.

Q: Why do you believe it is important for young readers of all backgrounds to learn about Carter’s story?

Hopkinson: Carter G. Woodson addressed this himself, I think.

In an article in the Negro History Bulletin entitled “How to Make Negro History Week Count,” Carter wrote about the importance of school and public libraries and he foreshadowed today’s calls for more books by and about people of color: “Ask repeatedly for such books. Show that there is a demand for them.”

He added, “Why should any children be given the opportunity to learn only the half truth…?” He argued that half-truths only perpetuated bias.

Q: At one point in the story, you mention that Carter’s father believed in being an informed citizen which is why he encouraged Carter to read to him. Do you think it is important for young readers today to be informed citizens?

Hopkinson: Yes, absolutely. When I wrote drafts of this book some years ago, I couldn’t imagine the extent to which journalists would be under attack as they are now. But the skills Dr. Woodson learned as a reader and a historian are those historical-thinking principles I try to emphasize when I visit schools: sourcing, contextualizing, corroboration, and close reading. These are the skills that citizens of the 21^st century need in order to grapple with serious and complex issues, most especially climate change.

Q: How is Carter’s story relevant in today’s society?

Hopkinson: Carter was surrounded by curious, determined, and hard-working role models. I think it’s clear that he lived by those values of hard work and perseverance, and that all of us benefit today because of it. I hope Carter’s story highlights the value of life-long learning by reading, studying, and taking the time to become informed about issues.

Q: What else do you hope young readers take away from this book?

Hopkinson: I hope the story of Dr. Woodson’s life makes them curious about their own families, and encourages them to ask people they know about their own lives. I also hope readers come away with a sense that the past is peopled by extraordinary individuals we might not necessarily know about. I love how Don Tate’s endpapers featuring figures in Black history help to illustrate that.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the art within the story, and from the book as a whole?

Tate: Simple: Knowing your history is knowing yourself.

Find Carter Reads the Newspaper on Amazon or at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble! For more resources, check out the teacher’s guide and download the poster or endpapers!

From the author-illustrator of Rapunzel and New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Little Red comes another fractured fairy tale! This time, Bethan Woollvin’s clever twist redefines the meaning of a villain.

Willow is a good witch who lives deep in the forest, practicing good magic and minding her own business. That is, until she meets Hansel and Gretel. Willow never used to worry about messy breadcrumb trails or parts of her carefully constructed gingerbread house being eaten.  No one has ever bothered with her spell books or been rowdy in her quiet little yard. But that’s exactly what Hansel and Gretel do, and who knows how long Willow’s patience will hold.

This subversive retelling of the classic “Hansel & Gretel” tale features Bethan Woollvin’s signature, striking three-tone illustrations and sassy sense of humor. Readers will gasp with glee at the turn of each fun and boldly printed page. Woollvin is sure to have readers thinking about what it means to be a heroine or a villain, considering their sense of good and evil…and possibly rethinking that next bite of gingerbread.

“Striking… Children will enjoy comparing the traditional story to this delightfully twisted version.” —Booklist Online

“Marked by sly humor and an impish sense of mischief…entertaining text… Wicked fun.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“A bold, graphic style… Delicious.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers get a humorous and unique version of an oft-told tale.” —School Library Journal

Follow along with the story by creating your own Hansel and Gretel! Check out the activity sheets here!

Also, we are so excited to announce that Bethan will be going on tour with us this month in New York, DC, Athens, GA., and Atlanta! Come to one of these events in your area to meet Bethan Woollvin and get a signed copy of Hansel & Gretel!

New York City: BookFest @ Bankstreet – Saturday, October 20

Washington, DC: Politics and Prose – Monday, October 22 @ 10:30am

Athens, GA: Avid Bookshop – Tuesday, October 23 @ 6:00pm

Atlanta, GA: Little Shop of Stories – Wednesday, October 24 @ 5:00pm

Get your own copy of Hansel & Gretel  on Amazon or at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!

Q: What inspired you to write this tale of unexpected friendship?

A: I was fooling around, rewriting “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” I’ve never understood—in the original Goldilocks—why it was OK for her to walk into someone else’s home. So I turned Goldilocks into an officious little bird who thinks she is more helpful than she actually is, and thinks it is her right to do whatever she wants. In her helpful way she turned the story into one that was more about her and not a Goldilocks story.

Q: Where did you come up with the idea of Grakkle?

A: Originally I had a family of beasts—like the three bears—but I found the story more interesting if it was about the relationship between two characters. First I thought of him only making one sound “Graak” and then that became his name.

Q: Are you more like Kalinka or Grakkle at home?

A: I am a bit of both. Like Kalinka I tend to value my own ideas quite highly; sometimes I need to back off and listen. Like Grakkle I place housecleaning low on my list of priorities when I am busy (or not busy).

Q: How did you get into the world of children’s book illustration?

A: My first introduction was a reader/looker when I was a child. It was something I always wanted to do. In 1991 I took a class from Keith Baker and learned about how to illustrate children’s books—how to make a storyboard, a dummy etc. It changed my life—I’ve been making books for a living ever since.

Q: What is your process as both the author and illustrator of a book? How is your process of writing and illustrating different from only illustrating a book? 

A: The process is pretty similar. I usually paint one or two sample paintings in the style that I envision for the whole book. Then I divide the story into pages and make a storyboard with very rough sketches. Then I refine the sketches and send them in and get feedback. Then I paint the rest of the pictures. I try to make the art tell the story as well as the words. When I have written the words I can sometimes change them if I feel it improves the overall tale. When I am not the author I only change the art!

Q: When you are writing and illustrating a book, do you think about the text or the illustrations first? 

A: I toggle back and forth between them. Sometimes the first thing I see is an image, sometimes it is a verbal idea. When I am creating a storyboard—figuring out the flow of a book—I divide up the text and figure out the pagination before doing any drawing. Sometimes the page divisions change as I work. My goal is to create a book where they are indivisible.

Q: What influences your artistic style?

A: Everything I see influences my artistic style: nature, other artists, books, thoughts, trying new things. I try to stay open. In the illustration class I took years ago, Keith Baker said “Take other people’s vegetables, but make  your own soup.”

Q: What are your favorite colors or shapes to use in illustrations? How do you come up with all of the patterns and designs used throughout the book?

A: I love color and pattern. I don’t have one favorite color. I want to make the colors sing. That comes from putting colors next to each other and trying different hues until they work together—until they sing. One combination of red and green can look dead; another combination with slight changes can be lively. As to patterns, in addition to illustrating children’s books I also design fabric. I could draw patterns forever; it is harder for me to leave space open than to fill it up with pattern.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from this book?

A: I would like readers to realize that there are many ways to be in the world, and that we can get along with people who are different than us. Also, that it’s okay to argue and to work it out. And I want them to find the story funny.

Check out Julie Paschkis’s blog post to learn more about the creation of Kalinka and Grakkle and see the evolution of her illustrations! Find Kalinka and Grakkle at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble April 1!

A: I tried to keep my focus on Drasko and his immediate experience. I also made a conscious decision at some point to show the effects of the conflict—the market crumbling, plants wilting, and people scattering—instead of resorting to guns, tanks, and soldiers.

Q: You’ve said in the past that your style is influenced by theater and comic books, artistic avenues which present a “heightened reality.” What decisions did you make to create the “heightened reality” in Flowers for Sarajevo?

A: Incorporating panels of spot art allowed me to isolate key moments in a more intense way, without the background noise. There are also moments when elements break out of the border of the illustration. For instance, Milo’s “floppy hat” breaks out of the border of a spot illustration three times.

For the most part, I wanted the background elements to be flowing around Drasko, and every background character has to be on their own journey, with their own immediate task to focus on. That’s something I learned from theatre.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from your art?

A: I want readers to feel like they are experiencing a story in progress. Even though the real events took place at a specific time and in a specific location, the broader story is about a community stepping across lines of religion and race to support each other during a crisis. We can keep that story going.

 

Flowers for Sarajevo will be at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble on April 1st!

]]> https://peachtree-online.com/2017/03/saturday-afternoon-picnic-with-kristy-caldwell/feed/ 624 https://peachtree-online.com/2017/03/the-science-behind-fantastic-flowers/ https://peachtree-online.com/2017/03/the-science-behind-fantastic-flowers/#comments Mon, 20 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000 http://peachtree-online.com/the-science-behind-fantastic-flowers/ A lot goes into creating a nonfiction picture book—just ask Susan Stockdale. As she was writing and illustrating Fantastic Flowers, she not only did her own research, she relied on the expertise of multiple botanists and scientists to proof her work and provide any additional information or suggestions to ensure scientific accuracy, particularly in the back matter and throughout her illustrations. Hear from Susan herself as she explains a little more about the science behind Fantastic Flowers. 

In addition to my research to create Fantastic Flowers, I consulted closely with three botanists on the book: Dr. Ari Novy of the U.S. Botanic Garden; Dr. Peter Zale of Longwood Gardens; and Dr. Gary Krupnick of the National Museum of Natural History. They vetted my manuscript and illustrations for scientific accuracy and provided valuable feedback (and enthusiasm!) as I crafted the book.

These scientists were particularly helpful as I designed my approach to the back matter. Initially, I wanted to provide “shape” categories in which to place my 17 flowers and their pollinators. For example: “Flowers shaped like a long tube attract hummingbirds and insects that have long tongues to reach deep into the flower for nectar. Trumpet creeper.” However, my consultants advised against this. They said it was impossible to place the flowers’ pollinators in such neat categories, calling it “leaky science.”

Dr. Zale responded, “Your painting could use some modifications. The ends of the flowers should look more like stigmas than anthers. The styles should also be coming out of each flower. The flowers themselves should not be pointy but should curl open.”

Based on his comments, I revised my final illustration:

Bethan: Totally amazed! I haven’t been able to stop smiling since I found out! The New York Times is so influential, so I feel very honored for Little Red to have been chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book!

How did you celebrate?

Bethan: First thing was a glass of wine, followed by a few more… Since then, I have made a celebratory print of Little Red to commemorate the award! I’m also coming to New York for the occasion, so I’m very excited for that. I hope to eat my weight in waffles.

What drew you to the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

Bethan: “Little Red Riding Hood” was among many fairytales I read as a child, and one that always stood out to me because it was so dark. The only problem was I couldn’t relate to Little Red Riding Hood. She has so often been portrayed as a helpless naive child who confused her own grandmother with a wolf! Then, if this wasn’t bad enough, she then (unsatisfyingly) gets saved, along with her grandmother, by a heroic woodcutter (who just happened to be wandering around the forest, looking for a damsel in distress…).

It wasn’t until I was studying at university that I had the chance to revisit “Little Red Riding Hood.” I entered the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition and started working on the story, but in the way I wanted it to be told.

What inspired your unique spin on the tale?

Bethan: I decided very early on in my character development for Little Red that she was going to be just as cunning as the wolf, which I think feeds into the “twist” of the book. Instead of being a victim, I decided that Little Red needed to be strong and brave enough for the woodcutter not to exist in this version.

Why do you think your version has resonated with so many readers?

Bethan: I’d like to think it’s because it appeals to both its target audience—children—as well as the adults who read it to them.

I illustrated Little Red purposefully androgynous, meaning all of the younger readers would be able to associate with Little Red’s figure. Both girls and boys could easily invest in the character and the story.As for the adults, retellings of stories they’d have heard in the own youth will inevitably feel familiar but also potentially predictable. So while tapping into their nostalgia, the dark and hopefully humorous twist has kept the book dynamic.

What’s next for you?

Bethan: Well, I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that there are more books on the way! Aside from that, I’m just working hard to be involved in as many exhibitions, projects, and galleries as possible!

Kathy, what did you think when Little Red first landed on your desk?

Kathy: I was immediately drawn to the striking, stylish artwork. I loved the feminist message. And the more time I spent with the book, the more I enjoyed the way Bethan played with and built on the original story.

What about her artwork captured your attention?