Author/​Illustrator Interview: Fred Koehler

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This month’s Author/​Illustrator Interview is with Fred Koehler, who first got on my radar at the 2017 SCBWI regional conference in Miami. I was sitting in the back row for the Heidi Stemple and Jane Yolen Picture Book Intensive, and this quiet, red-​haired dude slipped into the chair behind me as the event started, and he ended up doodling/​drawing/​sketching the entire time. During one of the breaks, I finally asked him who he was and what kind of work he’d done, if any.

Fred kind of shrugged and said he’d done “a few things” and “had another thing coming out,” but didn’t give any indication that he was talking about his illustration work on “things” like One Day, the End and This Book Is Not About Dragons, as well as his own author/​illustrated books How to Cheer Up Dad and Super Jumbo.

Way to slow play it, Fred.

Just in case you don’t yet have the full 411 on the fun coolness that is Fred, here are Five Fredtastically Freddifying Facts to help you out. Only one fact is an “alternate fact,” meaning 100% completely fakeroo-​false. (If you can’t tell which one’s the fabricated falsehood, I’ll dish that answer in the finale of this interview.)

See the source image1—He’s got a dog named Cheerio Mutt-​face McChubbybutt.
2—There’s an official Penguin Kids promo video for How to Cheer Up Dad where Fred gets hit in the face with Silly String and then a whipped cream pie.
3—Fred broke the Guinness World Record for having the largest traveling children’s book.
4—Fred bet me I couldn’t work 13+ words that begin with F in a single short bio-​style paragraph.
5— Fred’s real-​life misadventures include sunken boats, shark encounters, and a hurricane.

Need a bit more to REALLY feel like you know Fred? Here’s a KidLit TV video where he shows you how to draw a puppy!

With that, we’re ready. We’re set. It’s time to Fred it on!

Website: https://www.ilikefred.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superfredd
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/superfredd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fred_koehler_/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7135838.Fred_Koehler

RVC: Let’s begin with the place where so much begins for you—Mitchell’s Coffee House. What’s the dealio?

FK: For me, every work space has a vibe and a specific energy. That energy might be emotional, psychic, kinetic (or it might all be in my head). Since I started going to Mitchell’s in college, it’s always been “home turf,” where good vibes flow and I can even go back behind the counter and refill my coffee if it’s busy.

RVC: You’re also pretty darn active in social media in a way that people seem to dig. What’s your seems-​to-​be-​working philosophy?

FK: My formula is simple: Be open about my failures. Joke about them and learn from them in real time. I don’t go for perfect because my life is generally a mess. Perfect isn’t authentic or believable.

RVC: One of the constants in your path to success seems to have been SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Share how that organization played a part in your own journey. 

FK: I prefer to be a lone wolf, but I’m slowly realizing that you have to have community. For the publishing world, there’s no better community than SCBWI. Loads of like-​minded people, great instruction, and specific opportunities to connect with publishing dealmakers.

RVC: Any tips on how SCBWI can help launch the careers for other authors, illustrators, and author/​illustrators?

FK: I recommend showing up to make friends, not deals. Then you start to see it as a lifelong journey, not some prize you’re racing to win. You can find peace with where you’re at, and still keep the fire lit to get where you want to be.

RVC: Let’s pin this down. You’ve done illustrating. You’ve done author-​illustrating. So, do you consider yourself to be a words-​first or pictures-​first story creator? 

FK: I sold my first two books as author/​illustrator. But before that, I wrote some really terrible stuff including a novel-​that-​must-​not-​be-​named-​and-​will-​never-​be-​published. Most stories play out in my head like a movie, complete with narrative voiceover and camera direction. I can choose to write down what the narrator is saying, sketch out what the camera is seeing, or even dive into the head of one of the characters and describe the story through their perspectives and biases.

All of that, in a nutshell, is my superpower.

See the source imageRVC: One of the benefits of being an illustrator is that you can justify a lot of trips for photographic/​visual reference. (Okay, writers do this too!) When you illustrated Matt Forrest Esenwine’s picture book, Flashlight Night, you went a bit overboard with the research. What did you do to prepare you to illustrate that book?

FK: Well, the manuscript called for castles and waterfalls, old ships and foreign shores. So, I did what any illustrator would do and hopped a flight to Manchester so I could bum up and down the UK for a few weeks and find photographic reference for all of these illustrations. I did it all the cheap–youth hostels and public transit.

I had just about every adventure that the characters had in the book. Made friends. Got lost. Even bled a bit. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

RVC: You’re fortunate enough to call kidlit queen Jane Yolen a friend and a mentor. What are some of the most important lessons that she’s given you, explicitly or implicitly?

FK: Jane is famous for all sorts of great advice for writers. My favorite is about luck. She figures that luck makes its own path through the ether, wandering where it will to bless the heads and hearts (and wallets) of mortals at its own whimsy. But she also figures that there are things we can do as creatives to invite luck in, to nudge ourselves toward its path. Hard work is at the top of that list. If you’ve got a house in order and a bag packed when luck knocks on your door, you’ll be ready to join it on an adventure.

See the source imageRVC: Since we’re talking about relationships with writers—what’s the best part about being married to another writer? (For those who don’t know, his wife is YA novelist Sarah McGuire, author of the terrific books Valiant and The Flight of Swans.)

FK: This is kind of deep, but one amazing thing about Sarah is being able to know her through the books she reads and writes. When she tells me how the Chronicles of Narnia sent her racing through her home, opening cabinets and closets trying to find an entrance, I know that we share a sense of the numinous. Or if I read a scene she wrote about, let’s say, betrayal, I could feel how deeply that knife cuts for her. An honest writer lays bare their soul on the page, warts and all. Who else gets to read and fall in love with another person’s soul? We’re a lucky pair.

See the source imageRVC: Speaking of novels—talk a bit about how you moved your kidlit career from purely picture books to including a middle grade novel like Garbage Island (The Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew).

FK: Story came to me most naturally through words, so novels were my first love. I was just awful at writing them. But the format of a picture books honed my ability to tell a story succinctly and to add depth and meaning in the negative space. So, when I sat down to pen a novel after working on numerous picture books, I had a new sense of vision for what it could be.

Writing coach Joyce Sweeney taught me a lot about novel craft. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Writer360 Breakout Novel Intensive as the training that filled in additional gaps in my novelist toolkit. And to bring everything full circle, that proactive work nudged me into the path of luck in the form of a publisher excited about whatever I came up with next. And when luck came knocking, I was ready.

RVC: Let’s look forward. You’re under contract to write The Sailing City (Boyds Mills Press, 2020), which is the sequel to Garbage Island. Can you share a little bit about that new book?

FK: The second novel was harder than the debut, and it’s still in first pass editorial so it’s hard to really even say. I half expect to get a letter saying, “Dear Fred, This sequel is an exceptional way to waste months of everyone’s time and 60,000 words.” But I’ll let you know.

RVC: You’ve been warned. I’ve been warned. All the elephants in Fred’s picture books have been warned. But here we all are—it’s time for THE SPEED ROUND! Fast Qs and equally fast As, please!

FK: Bring it!

RVC: Tater tots or French fries?

FK: Tots.

RVC: Best Saturday afternoon activity: fishing, writing, or drawing?

FK: I’m a fisherman first, artist second.

RVC: Coolest Harry Potter spell that doesn’t yet exist?

FK: Abra-​ka-​dinner.

RVC: The #1 picture book writer you’d LOVE to illustrate for?

FK: I don’t care who wrote it. Just send me a manuscript that’s equally brilliant, unusual, and impossible.

RVC: Best compliment by a child reader?

FK: I got a letter recently from a reader who loved Garbage Island, and subsequently started picking up trash in his neighborhood so it wouldn’t end up in the ocean. Does it get any better than that?

RVC: Three words that sum up your relationship with kidlit.

FK: Let’s stick with “brilliant, unusual, and impossible.”

RVC: Thanks so much, Fred! Much appreciated!

**For those of you who needed to cheat to figure out which of the Fred Facts is false, it’s #4. The over-​the-​top F business is all me. Blame OPB.

 

 

Picture Book Review: The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood

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The Panda Problem
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Hannah Marks
Dial Books
2 April 2019
48 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Biggest Panda Fan at Only Picture Books) and OPB review newcomer, Florida author-​illustrator Loreen Leedy.

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

One thing that we’ve come to expect from Underwood’s books is how stories themselves are often part of the story. In her latest picture book, The Panda Problem, that’s exactly what’s happening. A Narrator (yes, that’s with a capital N since this one’s quite the active character here) is trying to set up a story about Panda in a “beautiful bamboo grove,” but despite the Narrator’s insistence that a main character has to have a problem, Panda claims to not have one. “Looks like you’re the one with a problem, buddy,” Panda explains to the Narrator.

The story gets fairly chaotic from there in a fun way that will delight readers, especially once the setting moves far from the bamboo grove. Thankfully, the art clearly showcases the two distinct voices. Panda’s words are always in cartoon-​style speech bubbles, and those by the Narrator look like regular text on the page, which gives the words an adult, authorial seriousness to them. Together, they create a fast-​paced dialogue that roars along as Panda tries to help make the story, well, a story. Sort of.

A bonus is that Underwood includes plenty of kid-​pleasing sound effects, as well (witness a spider who says “BRAAAAP!” and the GLUG GLUG SLOSH of Panda’s paper boat wipeout).

While other picture book authors have had characters who wrest control of the story from a narrator/​author, Underwood’s adorable Panda does it in a fun, memorable way that doesn’t get overly meta and also introduces readers to storytelling techniques (such as dialogue and the escalation of stakes).

Even though I’m an admitted panda bear fan, this is a highly entertaining, witty read regardless.

4.25 out of 5 pencils

– Loreen’s Review of the Illustrations–

The premise of this cheeky picture book can be found on the book jacket as Panda disputes the title The Panda Problem right on the front cover by asking, “What problem?” Mysterious round purple characters hint at mysteries to unfold. On the back cover, Panda is smirking after drawing a line through the floating headline NO PROBLEM, NO STORY and rewriting it as NO STORY, NO PROBLEM!

Continuing the theme, the front flap copy originally stated that the author “…puts readers in control of this story.” However, our main character has revised it to read “…puts readers PANDA in control of this story.” The back flap copy has likewise been extensively revised by the irrepressible bear.

The color scheme is at first limited to black, white, olive greens, and purple only. The digitally painted illustrations include bamboo stalks with a subtle cloth texture and energetic dry brushed leaves, while Panda has loosely drawn line work enclosing the white parts of the body. Backgrounds are primarily white space in the beginning of the book, keeping the focus on Panda and the argument with the Narrator about whether or not Panda needs a story problem to be solved. The empty white space can also be an indication of the (seemingly) unfinished state the story is in.

As the debate continues, one spread is filled with possible problems proposed by the Narrator such as “Are you afraid of spiders?” or “Is your paw sore?” and Panda’s repeated answers, “Nope.” Once they’re mentioned, comical spiders appear in the artwork. The Narrator’s words are in a clean sans serif font while Panda speaks with lively handwritten words inside expressive speech balloons with oval, undulating, or spiky shapes. When the Narrator gets especially frustrated, her words are set in ALL CAPS.

Rich photographic textures add interest and additional colors to the illustrations, such as woven fibers in a hammock, wood grain in a banjo, and crumpled paper in a sailboat. As Panda induces a multi-​hued torrent of jelly beans by merely mentioning the possibility, the Narrator loses control of events. At this point the aliens arrive, portrayed as happy purple fuzzballs who accompany Panda to Antarctica.

The scenes become increasingly chaotic as spiders, penguins, aliens, and (suddenly) twin pandas sail across the icy waters then are shipwrecked. Panda’s worried face is seen in extreme close-​up while finally giving in and admitting there’s a problem. After wailing about their hunger and the complete lack of bamboo in Antarctica, the two pandas make a deal for the Narrator to take over again, sort of. The last page is blank except for the Narrator’s final, satisfying word.

Self-​taught illustrator and designer Hannah Marks lives and works in England; The Panda Problem is her first picture book released in the United States. The design of the type and illustrations perfectly complement and extend the concepts within about the power of words, creativity, writing, characters, illustration, and of course, story problems.

4 out of 5 crayons

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Loreen Leedy is the author-​illustrator of more than 40 popular picture books that have received many rave reviews and honors. Her titles such as Measuring Penny, Amazing Plant Powers, and Crazy Like a Fox: A Simile Story often include math, science, and language arts content. Her most recent book, Step by Step, features footprints made by baby animals including a puppy, duckling, and fawn in a page-​turning question and answer format. It makes an appealing nonfiction choice for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade age levels.

To see Loreen’s work and download free book activity printables, please visit www.LoreenLeedy.com.

Editor Interview: Charlie Ilgunas (Little Bee Books)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Editor Interviews

This month’s Industry Insider interview is with Charlie Ilgunas, Associate Editor at Little Bee Books. Once I saw how his Twitter bio claimed that despite what Pottermore tells him, his Patronus is a capybara, I knew we’d get along famously—my unofficial Patronus is a penguin, after all!

C’mon. Everyone knows that the capybara is just a furry, flipperless penguin.

Since we’ll hit on a lot of bio-​type stuff below, let’s just jump right into the Qs and As, okay? Onward!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chillgunas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cilgunas/
Little Bee Books Website: https://littlebeebooks.com/

RVC: Instead of beginning with the typical “how did you get started?” questions, let’s go a different route. You’re been with Little Bee Books for almost five years now. In all that time, what have you come to realize distinguishes a Little Bee picture book from those that other publishers produce?

CI: I think I would define our books as sophisticated but accessible. We acquire a lot of books that revolve around little-​known stories or people, that happen around big events or movements, or discussing topics that don’t get discussed enough in picture books and middle grade. We’re also proud to work with GLAAD on titles that we hope will increase LGBTQ visibility in younger readers and accelerate inclusivity and acceptance.

RVC: What are a few of your titles that you think made big strides in that direction?

See the source imageCI: Prince & Knight has made the biggest impact so far; the reception to that one over the past year been fantastic! And its companion title, Maiden & Princess, just came out in April. This month we have two more coming out, Except When They Don’t, a book about gender stereotypes, and Our Rainbow, a board book about the colors of the pride flag.

RVC: Let’s talk about the process of getting great manuscripts into the hands of the decision makers. Early career writers ask me this all the time—what’s the difference between editor titles (assistant, associate, etc.)? Is one a better submission target for first-​time-​at-​book-​length picture book authors?

CI: It can mean different things at different houses. At large houses, since their lists are bigger, the roles can be a bit more rigid. Editorial assistants assist the director/​publisher with their work and any admin, research, and submission help, whereas assistant editors are there to help a particular editor on the team and are getting more hands-​on experience in the editorial process—and this is usually the time that they start getting a few of their own acquisitions. Associate editor is the next step up and are essentially junior editors that are forming their own list.

At Little Bee, however, we’re quite a small publisher, so roles are more fluid! When I was an editorial assistant, about 7 months in I took something to acquisitions and signed my first title. And when I became assistant editor, I was essentially acquiring and building my own list. So there is a lot of creative freedom and involvement in the editorial process allowed for assistants here, which I really appreciated.

As for targeting submissions, I wouldn’t say that any one is a better target for debut authors. Newer editors might have less preconceived notions about a text and don’t have as much in the back of their mind to compare it to other projects they’ve worked on or the publisher’s list, but even so, that still gets brought up in acquisitions by other members of the team who do have that experience!

RVC: After earning your BA in English Lit from Washington University in St. Louis, you got a Graduate Certificate in Publishing at the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver. What was that certificate program like? How did it prepare you for being a kidlit editor?

CI: The certificate program was a great experience. It really appealed to me because it was solely focused on books, and the ones at Columbia and NYU have half their curriculum devoted to magazines/​digital media, which I wasn’t interested in. It prepared me in that it exposed me to a lot of aspects and functions involved in the process of getting a book from acquisitions to publication that I hadn’t thought of or was aware of at the time. And it also connected me with a lot of other people who were passionate about publishing and helped me prepare for getting my first job!

RVC: How did you find yourself in the kidlit publishing side versus, say, handling textbooks, literary fiction, or potboilers?

CI: It’s kind of funny–I remember that a big chunk of the group at Denver loved the kidlit presentation (from Greenwillow Books) and seemed determined to get into kid’s books. At the time, I was actually leaning more toward adult fiction or nonfiction. But as time passed and I was trying to get my foot in the door anywhere, I ended up getting an internship at Bloomsbury in their children’s department that completely changed my perspective. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else!

RVC: What finally sold you on kidlit?

CI: I think what clicked when I started working there is that I just reconnected with what made me fall in love with books as a child. The sweeping illustrations and zany or heart-​melting stories of picture books, the feeling of anticipation with a great adventure, the desire to get spooked with a creepy middle grade. I think in a lot of ways, adult books (and some YA, to an extent), can be locked into tropes and conventions of whatever genre it is, but with picture books and middle grade, I feel that their worlds and characters are so open and that they can go anywhere in the next turn of the page.

RVC: Three of my own students have recently decided that being a book editor might be for them. What path do you recommend they take after they finish their BFA in the creative writing program I run at Ringling College of Art and Design?

CI: Internships are really the best way to get into the business, since you’ll build experience, a pool of references, and may even by hired by the company you intern with. I was lucky because the internship I did with Bloomsbury was both paid and open-​ended, meaning I could work there until I found an editorial assistant job.

Another thing I’ll say is that you shouldn’t be picky about what you apply to. As I said, I was really focused toward adult books, but I started applying to everything, even managing editorial jobs. And that’s actually how I got the Bloomsbury job—I interviewed for a managing editorial internship and didn’t get it (because I had absolutely no managing ed experience!), but I got along so will with the managing editor that she sent me an e‑mail when there was an editorial internship opening and recommended me to the hiring editors.

See the source imageRVC: You recently acquired Albert D.J. Cashier and Two Grooms on a Cake in a two-​book deal with Rob Sanders, a friend of OPB. (In fact, his was the first interview we ever did.) What drew you to those manuscripts? (I confess I feel a real stake in this since I knew these manuscripts well before you ever saw them—Rob talked about them during his frequent classroom visits at Ringling College.) 

CI: So, we were first presented with two manuscripts, Albert D.J. Cashier and one we didn’t end up acquiring. I really liked Albert because it was a really interesting story that I hadn’t heard anything about before. And I was so impressed with Rob’s research. His backmatter is very extensive, and in the editing process, it was fascinating to comb through a 192-​page pension file to see all the back and forth about Albert’s case.

Two Grooms on a Cake actually came at the last minute; we were about to settle the contract for Albert when the agent sent it over, and I couldn’t have been happier reading through it. It was such a great perspective to tell the story of America’s first gay wedding from, and since we already had Albert slated for 2020, Two Grooms would come out in 2021, the 50th anniversary of Jack and Michael’s wedding. It was too perfect!

RVC: I hear a lot from picture book authors who can’t seem to break through. What’s the most common thing that ends up being the deal breaker for an otherwise-​pretty-​solid manuscript?

CI: I read a lot of picture books that have very solid, even fantastic ideas, but just peter out at the end and don’t have a satisfying arc. Having a great idea is important, but the author still needs to find somewhere to take it and a way to make it a full story—one that will keep a distracted kid interested at story times or when learning to read for themselves, one they will want to read again and again.

RVC: One last question before we reach the much-​ballyhooed, never-​equaled, always-​appreciated LIGHTNING ROUND! What kind of picture books do you think the marketplace is missing right now?

CI: I think what’s exciting is that there is such a diversity of stories being told today that there aren’t as many things clearly and perceptibly missing from the market. But one thing I can think of is that I wish that there was more room for unusual picture book formats—oversized, or unusually shaped, or the like. A lot of accounts are pretty quick to reject stuff like this since they have shelf requirements, but indies are pretty accommodating to these types of formats as long as they think it’s cool and see buyers for it!

RVC: Okay, it’s time. Lightning-​fast Qs and As please! Ready?

CI: Let’s do this!

RVC: Most underappreciated Harry Potter spell?

CI: Arania Exumai—it’s only in the movies, but I would use this all time against spiders!

RVC: Favorite burger joint in NYC?

CI: I don’t know if I’m qualified to say, since I was a vegetarian for 8 years until recently; I haven’t had too many yet! I like Shake Shack, and there’s a place near where I live called Burger Club that makes a great burger.

RVC: On a scale of 1 to 1,000, how excited would you be to get a picture book manuscript about (or by!) a capybara?

CI: I actually have one right now that includes a capybara! Not the main character, though, so not quite 1,000, but I was still so excited.

RVC: The #1 Little Bee picture book to watch for in 2020?

CI: Grandpa Grumps. I loved working on this book so so much; it will make you laugh and cry (and possibly hungry)!

RVC: Your favorite non-​Little Bee picture book of 2018?

See the source imageCI: I thought We Don’t Eat Our Classmates was hilarious. And Dreamers is utterly gorgeous.

RVC: Three words that describe your work (or goals or philosophy—whatever works best here) as an editor.

CI: Curiosity. Conscientiousness. Wonder.

RVC: Thanks so much, Charlie. Much appreciated!

Educational Activities: Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert by Morag Hood

On By Only Picture BooksIn Educational Activities

Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert
Author: Morag Hood
Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Aladdin
20 November 2018
32 pages

It’s time to meet the master of magical creatures–Sophie Johnson! She’s a top-​notch expert on unicorns. Or is she?

Need some reviews of Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert?

Goodreads

Kids’ Book Review

Kirkus

Roachie’s Reviews

 

And as a super bonus, here’s a video read-​aloud version of this story.

Educational Activities inspired by Morag Hood’s Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
    • Does the story seem like it’s about today or a long time ago?
    • What do you make of that expression on the unicorn’s face?
    • Why does it seem to be raining glitter?
  • After Reading–In the story, Sophie says that magic is more important than mess. What’s one thing in your own life that’s “more important than mess”?
  • After Reading–Sophie does her best to care for her 17 unicorns. She teaches them to hunt for food and watch out for balloons. What other things do you think unicorns need to know? Or that they should watch out for?
  • Drawing–At the end of the story, Sophie points out that “Some people don’t even know what a REAL unicorn looks like!” Using crayons or colored pencils, draw what you think a REAL unicorn looks like on a sheet of paper.
  • Craft–With an adult’s help, try some of the following unicorn-​themed crafts: 
  • Further Reading–Want more books that feature the awesomeness that is unicorns? (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)

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Author Interview: Carole Boston Weatherford

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews

This month’s Author Interview is with NC-​based writer Carole Boston Weatherford. She’s been on my short list for some time, and when I saw that she and OPB pal Rob Sanders were co-​teaching a workshop on nonfiction at a regional SCBWI conference, I signed up. The day after that workshop, I moved her to the top of the Must-​Have list.

Here’s a quickie bio that’ll give you a sense of why that happened.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Carole went on to earn a BA from American University, an MA from the University of Baltimore, and an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her 50+ books have won two NAACP Image Awards, a Coretta Scott King Award, three Caldecott Honors, an SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and many, many more. Somehow, she still finds the time to also serve as Professor of English at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina as well as be a frequent participant at writing conferences.

Are you starting to see why she’s an OPB must-have?

Let’s dive right in!

website: www.cbweatherford.com
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/57825.Carole_Boston_Weatherford
Twitter: www.twitter.com/poetweatherford

RVC: You’ve said that books have been a part of your life for as long as you can remember. What were some of the early biggest influences?

See the source imageCBW: I loved the folktale, How the Camel Got Its Hump. I also had a copy of the Caldecott award-​winner Chanticleer and the Fox, and I had Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. My favorite poem was “The Land of Counterpane.” My fourth grade teacher introduced me to the poetry of Langston Hughes. To this day, I consider him my literary mentor in absentia.

RVC: Some people come later in life to poetry, but not you. You heard its lyric call in first grade, right?

CBW: A poem came to me out of the blue and I recited it for my mother on the drive home from school. She parked the car and wrote it down. A couple years later, she asked my father, a high school printing teacher, to have his students print my poems on the letterpress in his classroom. So, at an early age before the computer age, I saw my work in print. That gave me the audacity years later to think that I could become a published author.

RVC: What poetic technique should more prospective picture book writers work on to make their text more effective?

CBW: Picture book writers can employ poetic techniques such as aural qualities, distilled emotions, concrete imagery, economy of language, and rhythm to make their manuscripts sing.

RVC: How do you decide which poetic style/​approach will work for a piece? Perhaps you might offer a book example or two by way of explanation?

See the source imageCBW: The style and approach need to feel right for the project. Will the manuscript be free verse or rhymed couplets; from first, second, or third person point of view; a book length poem or a narrative sequence? For You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, I chose second person to put readers in the cockpit with the pioneering World War II aviators. For Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, I chose first person so young readers could hear the voice of Ms. Hamer, a powerful orator and singer. For Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane, I used repetition to riff about the saxophonist’s childhood. Jazz Baby and The Sound that Jazz Makes were both inspired by nursery rhymes.

RVC: So you’re a prolific writer. How do you balance your writing life with your non-​writing life? What goes into your process of choosing which projects to take on?

CBW: Balancing literary, academic, and family duties is a juggling act. Balls sometimes drop. My literary mission is to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles. The projects I take on advance that mission. Often, I am rescuing a subject from obscurity or am setting the record straight. Time is precious and finite. Thus, I need to be keenly interested in a subject because I never know how much research will be involved or how long the writing process will take. Likewise, I never know how long it will take to sell a manuscript.

RVC: Talk a bit about the CBW/​JBW mother/​son author/​illustrator duo.

CBW: My son, Jeffery Weatherford, showed artistic ability at an early age so I put him in studio art classes outside of school. He went on to get a degree in digital design and an MFA in painting. You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen gave me a chance to work with him as an illustrator.

I did some picture research for him and suggested that he create scratchboard drawings. But he did not show me every drawing upon completion. When I saw the illustrations, I was so proud. We’re working on a few collaborations now.

Jeffery is also a performance poet, and we’re working together on a hip hop novel.

RVC: How important is a critique group for a prospective picture book author?

CBW: A critique group can be crucial to an emerging writer. My critique group midwifed some of my early manuscripts, including The Sound that Jazz Makes, my first book to win a national award.

RVC: One of my favorite books of yours is Freedom in Congo Square. As a lifelong musician, I’m really drawn to that book’s connection to the musical communities of New Orleans, but I’m equally taken by the chant-​like rhymes that feel so rooted in the structure of music. And who doesn’t love the folk-​art style used by R. Gregory Christie, too, right?

CBW: Freedom in Congo Square was our third collaboration. When I first saw Greg’s illustrations for the book, I emailed him and said: “This is it for you. I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but remember that you heard it here first.” The book went on to win a Caldecott Honor.

RVC: So many of your books come hand-​in-​hand with an amazing origin story. What’s your favorite, and why?

CBW: Billie Holiday has been my muse since before I even realized I had one. But I almost didn’t write Becoming Billie Holiday for fear that young readers wouldn’t be familiar with her. Then, I was touring the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in my hometown of Baltimore. I was admiring the wax figures of musicians when a girl walked up and said, “Oooo, Billie Holiday.” I asked the girl what grade she was in and she indicated, “Eighth grade.” Then, I asked, “You’ve heard of Billie Holiday?” She replied, “Yeah, she could sing!”

When the girl moved on, I looked Billie’s wax figure in the eyes. She gazed back at me. It was almost as if she said, “I told you to write my book.” So, I got busy on what would become my YA debut.

RVC: Please say a few words about the state of multicultural literature in the kidlit world. And if you’d like to include a Call to Action, that’d be most welcome!

CBW: The first wave—actually ripple–of multiculturalism was in the 1960s and 1970s after the publication of Ezra Jack Keats’ A Snowy Day. In the early 90s, I was a new mother. Trips to bookstores and libraries with my children introduced me to a new crop of multicultural books. At the time, I was in an MFA program and was writing poetry for adults. I did some research about writing for children and realized that the industry was undergoing a multicultural boom. So, I entered the children’s book industry in 1995 during the second wave of multiculturalism. We are now experiencing the third wave. The term “multicultural” has been replaced by the word “diverse.” And in some cases, writers of color are being replaced by white writers who take on subject matter outside of their culture.

While We Need Diverse Books has raised awareness and created opportunities, the Own Voices movement has raised cultural sensitivity issues too complex to discuss here. For the sake of future generations, we must continue to grow the body of books by and about people from marginalized cultures and the opportunities for non-​whites inside the industry.

RVC: We’re to the final questions now, which means we’ve reached the SPEED ROUND! Zoomy-​fast answers, please. Ready?

CBW: Ready!

RVC: Most underappreciated living rap artist?

CBW: Noname. (Really! Love her.)

RVC: If you had to choose a career outside of the literary world, what would it be?

CBW: Fashion designer, filmmaker, or rapper.

RVC: What’s the most writerly type of pizza?

CBW: A pizza of my mind. Seriously though, I don’t eat pizza because my diet is primarily plant-​based. Pizza without cheese doesn’t interest me.

RVC: Since you co-​taught that SCBWI workshop together… what’s your favorite Rob Sanders picture book?

See the source imageCBW: Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights.

RVC: Three words you hope every reader says/​uses when they read one of your books?

CBW: That really happened?!

RVC: We started this interview by talking about books that influenced you, so let’s end with the names of three of your writing heroes.

CBW: Toni Morrison. Langston Hughes. Marilyn Nelson.

RVC: Thanks so very much, Carole!

Picture Book Review: Soar High, Dragonfly! by Sheri Mabry Bestor

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews

Soar High, Dragonfly!
Author: Sheri Mabry Bestor
Illustrator: Jonny Lambert
Sleeping Bear Press
14 March 2019
32 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Top Science Buff at Only Picture Books) and OPB review newcomer, freelance artist Austin McKinley.

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

Soar High, Dragonfly!, the new picture book by Sheri Mabry Bestor (author of Good Trick Walking Stick), gives readers insight into the world of dragonflies with just enough science to work into STEM curricula.

The text works in two ways–the large-​font words at the top of each page make up the lyrical story of a dragonfly’s life cycle. That’s where we find techniques such as onomatopoeia where we hear the POP POP POP of a dragonfly laying eggs onto the water surface. It’s there that readers encounter strong words (squirts, thrusts, captures, gulp!) that make the moments come alive.

But the differently-​colored words–generally found at the bottom of many of the pages–work like a sidebar. The supplementary text there is informative and very straightforward, such as “Dragonfly eggs are very small and have no way to protect themselves. Many are eaten by fish, frogs, and other insects before they have a chance to hatch.” Science-​reluctant readers could potentially skip those parts and still find much to enjoy from this book, though without a doubt, this information adds to the overall experience.

While the sidebar-​style parts give this book depth, a robust backmatter section might’ve given this book a little extra oomph that so many nonfiction titles have today. Regardless, it’s a compelling title made even more so by the vibrant art that makes the “insect hero” of this story come alive.

4 out of 5 pencils

– Austin’s Review of the Illustrations–

Prolific UK illustrator Jonny Lambert graces the book with lustrous, intricately cut and collage-​textured compositions. A comparison to Eric Carle’s 1969 classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar would be apt, because of the saturated palette and rich patterns, but also a disservice because Lambert brings his own expert and playful animator’s draftsmanship to bear, creating a warmly familiar but entirely distinct sensibility—and an order of magnitude more detail.

In a career spanning over 300 titles, Lambert has interpreted almost every member of the animal kingdom.  Although only the second collaboration with the author of Soar High Dragonfly, this is a rare example of Lambert’s insect renderings which he nevertheless approaches with adroit sensitivity. Even a brown, molting nymph seems friendly and endearing, while maintaining the book’s blend of elementary simplification and scientific accuracy.

Amazingly in the digital age, the technique is a traditional one, involving—as the artist says—layers of gouache “tickled” through individual stencils derived from hand-​drawn designs, and finished with colored pencil. His artistic attention seems to be lavished on every aspect of the process, from playful character creation to painstaking execution.

The book’s broad cast of predators and prey play out their primal drama amid a sumptuous environment of swirling shallow water and lush aquatic plant life, and Lambert’s spacious layouts and text interactions underscore the joy of flight embraced by a jewel-​toned master of his medium.

4 out of 5 crayons

Austin McKinley’s work crosses many different forms of media, from comic books and cartooning to short film directing, video production, video games, screenplays, novels and novellas. Most recently he produced, shot and appeared in the award-​winning feature documentary “The New 8‑Bit Heroes” alongside director Joe Granato, and created “By The Numbers,” a feature-​length abstract animation representing cinematic structure. He is the author of several works and collections through his company, Flying Car. His comic illustrations have also been published by Image Shadowline, Devil’s Due/​1st Comics, Alias/​Blue Water Press, Avatar, Boom!, Blue King Studios, and FC9. He wrote and illustrated “Squareasota,” a weekly cartoon in the Sarasota Herald-​Tribune for seven years. He lives and works in Sarasota.
Learn more about Austin and his work: