I’ve been hired to write an alphabet picture book for a community organization (Thanks, Realize Bradenton!), and as part of my research and prewriting process, I’ve inundated myself with dozens of A to Z books. To clear, I have A to Z, ABC, and abecedarian books coming out of my ears. Almost literally!
After reading them for three weeks straight, here’s what I’ve come to believe. The pedestrian ones teach you the ABCs, sure. But the best of them do so much more.
That’s what this bonus picture book list is–13 of the most interesting A to Zs that I found. (Why not 26? you ask, since there are 26 letters in an A to Z. after all. Good question. The answer is this: I’m doing 13. Maybe we’ll do another 13 in a future installment of “Delightful A to Z books.” Who knows?)
AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis (Illustrated by Bob Kolar)
Kolar’s bright, lively letters pop off the page and make a great match with Kontis’ clever wordplay. And I must confess–with a last name that starts with V, I’m pleased that we end-of-alphabeters might get a chance to go near the front for once!
America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney (Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser)
In a time where the word “America” might not have the patriotic oomph it once did, this book does a splendid job of presenting historical facts, the Constitution, freedom, what it means to be an American, and far more. It’s a winner for teachers/parents who want a picture book to help them take on topics like diversity and tenacity.
I’m happy to include Neil Gaiman on pretty much any book list I make. Thankfully, he DOES have an ABC book and–to no one’s surprise–it’s strange, fun, and (kid-appropriately) dark in equal measure. Gaiman warns that even the alphabet is not to be relied upon, which is part of the fun here. Check out a read-aloud video of the whole book here.
So cool, so clever. The rocks don’t just look like letters–they also look like the things themselves. (N is for nose, and indeed, she’s got a terrific nose-shaped stone to complement the word!)
This book is a lesson in both the ABCs and music, using instruments, composers, musical terminology, and even musical styles in read-aloud rhymes. The informative sidebars are a plus!
While you probably know him as the illustrator of The Day the Crayons Quit, he’s also authored this fine book which has each letter in the alphabet associated with a word or phrase. Then Jeffers offers a humorous story to pair with it. (Here’s an example: E is for enigma, so … “How many elephants can you fit inside an envelope?”)
While this might not help young readers with their spelling, this clever book is a lot of fun for adult and kid readers. Not every word has that silent first letter, but it’s an amusing list of tricky words, regardless. I find the cartoony illustrations to add to–as TheNew York Times says–“a raucous trip through the odd corners of our alphabet.”
This book has a mix of very easy (A is for Zoo–why?) to not-so-easy riddles (S is for camel–why? They spit!) for kids to solve using the letters of the alphabet as a jumping off point. Many of my K and 1st grade teacher friends use this one in class.
This book really leans into the letter aspect, with entries such as “Laughing Lass, who laughs loudly at lawbreakers!” The comic-book style art is a nice touch, too.
The alliteration is over the top, but deliciously so as Pete the dog gobbles up anything he can, from an accordion to when he “ripped the head off my dear doll Dinky.” It’s told from a child’s point of view, which adds another level to the fine book.
Z Is for Moose by Kelly Bingham (Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky)
I love this book. Poor, serious Zebra wants a simple ABC here, but Moose has other ideas. When M goes to a mouse, however, Moose throws a tantrum and rampages through the rest of the book. Don’t worry–it all comes together in the end. Z Is for Moose is silly, irreverent, and very memorable, too.
This month’s Industry Insider interview is with Abigail Samoun—Abi to her pals—co-founder and literary agent at Red Fox Literary. She’s also worked as an editor and has authored a number of children’s books, which makes her fluent in all aspects of the entire book industry. Talk about the ideal person to chat with for an Insider Interview!
Since OPB readers have requested more Five Facts and One Lie games as a way to get to know interview subjects, here we go again. One of these is an out-and-out falsity, the others are all 100% totally yeppers. If you’re unsure which is the stinker, I’ll give you the 411 before we’re through.
She organizes her library according to which authors would get along well together (Brontës next to George Eliot, etc.).
Her husband’s an entomologist whose current research project is investigating biological control options of bagrada bug and spotted wing drosophila.
She’s a former Girl Scout who once sold two boxes of Thin Mints to Barack Obama quite a few years before he was the senator of Illinois.
As a child, she used to do acrobatics on horses and was the top girl in a five-girl pyramid atop a moving horse.
Abi was born in Paris, France and French was her first language. She immigrated to the U.S. at age seven.
She once worked as an intern at the Bronx Zoo and often spent her lunch hour hanging out with the big cats.
Well, with all that terrific bio-info, I don’t know about you, but I feel tremendously prepared for the following interview. Sound good? Let’s do it!
RVC: Your undergraduate major at NYU–French Studies/Journalism–seems a bit unexpected. How did that prepare you for a career in the book world?
AS: Not all that well! My real love was literature but I thought journalism might be a more practical option. Little did I know at the time that a journalism degree in a world of print newspapers competing with Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere, wouldn’t be nearly as practical as I’d hoped. What really best prepared me for an editorial career were the many, many creative writing classes I took. In each, I had to give kind and insightful critiques of my fellow students’ works. I learned a lot about style, form, and characterization in those classes, and also how to give a critique without making the author feel defensive.
AS: The publisher I worked for was bought by Random House and about a year later, they decided to shutter the children’s division. It was sad but it was just the kick in the butt I needed to get to the next stage of my career. I wrote down a list of all the things I liked to do and most of it had to do with working directly with authors and illustrators. The thought of leaving behind all those authors and illustrators I’d developed relationships with over the course of those ten years with the hardest part of being laid off. Agenting was a way to continue that work. The first clients I took on were authors and illustrators I’d worked with and come to know as an editor.
RVC: With nearly a decade of agenting behind you now, I’ll bet you have strong thoughts about this next question. What do you think is the most common misconception people have about agents?
AS: I always love seeing the way literary agents are portrayed in film and TV. I think the latest example of this was Melissa McCarthy’s agent in Can You EverForgive Me?, played by Jane Curtin. Often, they’re depicted as brash and scheming and money-hungry. But—and I think this is particularly true for children’s book agents—most of them got into the business because they care about books. We may be focused on getting our clients good deals and some of us can become pretty tough negotiators (I had an editor accuse me of this recently and I took it as quite a compliment), but the deals aren’t the most fulfilling part of the work.
Seeing a book you represented on a bookstore shelf, sharing the news of an offer with a client, securing a deal that will allow your struggling young client to quit his day job and spend the next year doing his art—those are what fulfills most kids’ book agents.
RVC: As mentioned in the intro to this interview, you’re an author, too. One of your books—an illustrated biography entitled Mind Afire: The Visions of Tesla—came about through a successful Kickstarter campaign. As someone who has watched writer pals try (often unsuccessfully) to fund creative things via crowdsourcing sites, what did you learn about the process?
AS: What was great about the Tesla project is that we had a built-in audience of Tesla fans. At the time, there wasn’t that much out there about Tesla and he hadn’t yet reached the height of his cult popularity. So, I think our timing was really good. We also got lucky with our videographer who created an elegant, stylish video that made us look like hot shots. Plus Beth Haidle’s art is uniquely hers and was such a great fit for the subject—she created these charming animations to go with our Kickstarter launch and I think those won a lot of people over. It was also a point when Kickstarter was featuring makers on a monthly basis, rather than daily, so when they featured us, it really had an impact.
It was a wild ride, doing that book. I’d never written a nonfiction book before and I would lose myself completely in research, digging around and finding all kinds of fascinating and obscure info about Tesla. It was a good thing we had the weight of 1,500 backers to hold us to our deadlines.
RVC: You bet–1,500 backers is a ton! What tips do you have to help others who are considering crowdfunding a project?
AS: It feels like crowdfunding really works best when you can find a subject that has a niche—where you can find a group of people who are really passionate about it and who will be willing to make an investment simply based on that interest. It feels toughest to do a crowdfunded campaign on something really general, for which there’s a lot of competition—for example, a sci-fi/fantasy young adult novel. Compare that to a book set, say, in the world of competitive tennis, and you’ll be able to see that the target audience is much narrower and you’re likely to capture their interest just by virtue of the subject.
RVC: I’ve got a couple of students here at Ringling College’s creative writing program who are entertaining the thought of becoming a children’s book editor. Sure, they should probably move to NYC and work for a press—small, indie, or big—to get hands-on experience and make connections. But what type of personality or attributes do you think make someone well-suited to the editing world? What actionables might you recommend to help them become ready for the challenges that await?
AS: Well, first and foremost, you’ve got to be part of that passionate, underground society of rabid book lovers. Just about every editor I’ve met spent most of their childhood and adolescent years with their nose stuck in a book (yours truly included). Next, you have to understand how stories work—what makes a good story, what are the tools that are used. Creative writing and English lit classes help, but most of all, read good books. A good editor has a deep respect for the creative process and can intuit what their author is trying to accomplish, paragraph to paragraph, chapter to chapter. She understands that writing books is not easy and that there are always going to be challenges and ways to make the story stronger. An editor also has to be diplomatic and know how to work in teams. The book-making process is a long and complicated one—there are designers, art directors, copyeditors, proofreaders, production manager, printers, sales and marketing, book buyers, and, of course, the author and/or illustrators themselves. Much of the time, the editor is managing all these different people, like a conductor, trying to make sure everyone is doing their part properly.
RVC: In all your experience with the book industry—as a writer, an editor, and an agent—what has surprised you the most?
AS: As I mentioned, I took tons of creative writing classes throughout my long and varied college career and most of my teachers would tell us what a tough business writing was, and how it was hopeless to expect to get published, and that editors received literally tons of manuscripts daily and you had a better shot at going to the moon than getting published. But one of the encouraging things I’ve discovered in my career in children’s books is that talent really does rise above. Editors and agents may receive a ton of submissions but much of it isn’t from those bookish types who live, eat, and breathe books and writing. If you’re really passionate about it, committed to it, take your craft seriously, there’s a good chance you’ll get noticed. A writer who cares about words and has a musical ear and something personal and meaningful to say isn’t a dime a dozen. We love seeing work from such authors. We editors and agents are dying to find work we can really fall in love with. As jaded as we get, I think most of us still get that little flash of hope when we open a new submission and think, “maybe this will be the one.”
It’s a bit like kissing the frog and hoping for a prince. Most of us must be eternal romantics!
RVC: Let’s circle back to your agency. Your co-founder, Karen Grencik, and I met at an SCBWI event a while back. I found her to be quite impressive. What do you see as her real strengths as an agent?
AS: Karen is one of the most conscientious and caring people I know. She works hard for her clients and always knows how to keep what really matters—relationships and books you can be proud of—front and center. She’s ambitious in that she wants to see Red Fox’s reputation grow and shine, but she wants it to grow and shine because of the quality of the books we rep and the respect and care with which we treat our clients and the editors and designers we work with.
RVC: If I asked Karen the same question about you, what do you think she’d say are YOUR strengths as an agent?
AS: Ha! I know exactly what she’d say—she’d say I’m the shiny red sports car and she’s the trusty Volvo station wagon. But I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. She’s often more willing to take a chance than I am and she’s been the driving force behind bringing on our other agents Stephanie Fretwell-Hill, Jenna Pocius, and Jennie Kendrick. Karen has a real vision for the potential of our agency and pushes us toward that potential. I have a tendency to get stuck in the demands of the day-today.
Karen knows my strengths are more in the creative realm—envisioning the website, coming up with promos, editing manuscripts. She’s more of a big-picture person and she’s super organized and keeps on top of all the bills, banking, and other business‑y things. We balance each other really well and I feel so incredibly lucky to have teamed up with her.
RVC: Want to share the story of how you and Karen met, and how you partnered to become Red Fox Literary in 2011? You bought a manuscript from her, right? That’s what started it all?
AS: Oh, it goes waaaayyy back. She and I first corresponded in 2001, when I was just a young cub editor, checking agent submissions for my boss, the publisher. Karen was a fairly new agent and sent in a manuscript by Sarah Wilson that I loved so I shared it with my boss and she liked it too. Then my boss said, “How would you like to edit this one?” I had no idea how to even make an offer on a book and acquire it, much less edit it. I was scared out of my wits. But both Karen and Sarah were very kind and patient. I remember a meeting early on where I sat at the table with them and my boss and I was so shy I could barely say anything. But Sarah kept turning to me and saying, “And what do you think, Abi?” I’ve never forgotten how kind and generous Karen and Sarah were to an awkward, fairly clueless, and very young editor.
RVC: One last serious question before we get to the LIGHTNINGROUND! Could you say a few words about the important relationship between agent and writer, and how one might find the ideal match, whether it’s at Red Fox or somewhere else?
AS: Your relationship with your agent, just like any important relationship, rests on a foundation of trust. You have to believe that your agent has your best interests at heart. I want all my clients to find success in children’s books. I’m in this business to make good books and help artists and writers make a living off their work. That’s the part of the work that’s most dear to me. I believe in the power of art and books to make a better society—to make us better human beings. The books I have loved made me a kinder, more thoughtful, more mature, and empathetic person. Artists aren’t given much support or encouragement in the U.S. today. Through my work, in a very individual and up-close-and-personal way, I feel I’m doing my part to help a small group of artists feel encouraged, supported, guided—and I find good homes for their stories so they can continue to pay their bills and do work they love.
My point here is that you need to know that your agent’s values align with your own. If an agent talks more about the important people he knows than about his clients and their work, he’s communicating a value to you. If an agent doesn’t speak respectfully of other people in the biz, that’s another thing to pay attention to. Finding an agent is similar to dating. On those first dates, you have to listen carefully and intuit what this person really cares about and if those are the same things you care about. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this business—at times the hard way—is that you’ve always got to listen to your gut. If your gut is telling you that this isn’t the agent for you, listen to that, no matter what the agent’s reputation is.
One of the things I love about this industry is that most of the people in it really and truly love books and believe it’s important that children hear and read many, many stories. Every once in a rare while, you’ll come across people who put their egos front and center, but that’s not the norm in this biz. (I suspect those types usually end up in Hollywood or Washington DC!).
RVC: Thanks for the inspiring, honest advice, Abi. And now, without further hubbub, to-do, or ballyhoo … it’s time for the Lightning Round! Fast questions and zippy-quick answers, please. AREYOUREADY?
AS: Go for it!
RVC: Best place in Sonoma, California for a burger?
AS: Picazo Café on Arnold Drive. A local family owns it and they take great pride in the delicious food they serve. The French fries are the best in town too.
RVC: Would you rather have a rewind or pause button for your life?
AS: Pause. I’m perpetually late to everything—all the women on my side of the family are. It’s terrible. My sister is the worst—it’s impossible to serve her a warm slice of turkey on Thanksgiving, no matter how late we put the bird in the oven.
RVC: Batman, Deadpool, or Captain Marvel—who’d write the best picture book?
AS: Oh, I’m so out of the whole DC/Marvel universe thing. Now if you asked me which Brontë sibling would write the best picture book… I’d say Emily, because she loved animals so much.
RVC: What’s on your playlist that you listen to at work?
AS: I love this question! I’ve been spying on my fellow kid-lit people’s Spotify playlists and have discovered some really interesting stuff. Lately, I’m listening to the late sixties band CAN, atmospheric techno from Beach House and Morcheeba, Nirvana’s demo recordings (I particularly like Marigold), Pavement, Yacht, De-Phazz, ‘70s disco and funk, and Arcade Fire.
You can tell I’m a child of the ‘90s, right?
RVC: If you went back into the editing world, name one picture book author—not including a Red Fox client—who’d you LOVE to work with?
AS: Mem Fox—because she has such a wonderful understanding of the form.
RVC: If Red Fox Literary had a motto that struck at the heart of what it does and encapsulated its mission, what would that be … in ten words or less? Bonus points for rhyme, Yoda-speak, or emojis!
AS: It’s funny ‘cause a client was talking to a big-time editor who asked her what agency she was with. When she said “Red Fox Literary,” the editor said, “Oh, good! They’re not jerks.” Well, he actually said something a little stronger than “jerks.” So the joke among us at Red Fox is that this should be our slogan, “Red Fox Literary: We’re not jerks.” We could put it on our business cards.
But beyond that, I would say… hmmmm… (my attempt at Yoda speak): Good people, we are. Make good books, we must.
RVC: Thanks oodles, Abi. It was a pleasure getting to know you better and sharing all of this with the OPB family.
And for those of you didn’t figure out which fact from the intro section was, in truth, a big honking lie, I’ll let you in. The falsehood was #3. Abi did NOT sell Girl Scout cookies to Barack Obama, but “I wish that were true!” she admits.
Book description from Goodreads: “Some superheroes can leap tall buildings in a single bound, some can crawl up a wall, some grow wolfsharp claws, and some have superhuman speed. And Superbuns? Her superpower is being kind. Super kind. She can’t help but be kind: watering a neighbor’s daisies; helping a friend cross the street; feeding a hungry goldfish.
Superbuns’ older sister Blossom is a super know-it-all who doesn’t believe kindness is a superpower. Not one bit. And all this kindness is slowing them down on their way to Grammy’s house, where a yummy carrot cobbler awaits.
But the sisters are being followed by a little fox, and when Blossom learns the fox is not after their cobbler but is lost, she discovers kindness really is a superpower after all.”
Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover:
What type of creature is Superbuns?
Why does Superbuns seem so happy?
Where and when does this story seem to take place?
On the back cover is Blossom. What do we know about her?
After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story:
Which of Blossom’s facts interest you the most?
What type of cobbler/pie/dessert would YOU take to Grammy’s?
What type of relationship do the sisters (Superbuns and Blossom) have?
Why is Superbuns so scared of Miss Fox at first? Why does that change?
Go back and revisit the pictures in this book. Which of them is your favorite? Why?
Writing–Try your hand at creating your own superhero story about a character with a power that isn’t so … well … super! What IS that power? How does the character use it to help people? What type of “villain” might your story have? What’s the confrontation/conflict between the “villain” and the superhero? How does it all turn out in the end?
Craft–With an adult’s help, try some of the following bunny-themed crafts:
Bunny Bath Bombs–This craft requires quite a few ingredients, but the end result is worth it. Good CLEAN fun! 🙂
Origami Bunny–You need special paper, but nothing more!
Popsicle Stick Bunny–This one needs cutting and gluing. Add googly eyes for extra fun.
Tissue Box Bunny–Cute as can be, though it needs a bit more measuring and cutting than some other projects.
Further Reading–Want to know about more books that showcase superheroes of all types? (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)
This month’s interview is with author/illustrator Matthew Reinhart, an artist whose life feels parallel to mine in all kinds of nifty ways. For example:
Matt’s folks are from Iowa (Cedar Rapids).
My folks are from Iowa (Des Moines)!
Matt’s dad was the son of a farmer.
My mom was the daughter of a farmer!
Matt’s dad served in the Navy.
My dad served in the Air Force!
Matt has a sister named Erin.
I have a brother named Aron!
Matt’s an avid fantasy and science fiction fan.
I’m an avid fantasy and science fiction fan!
Matt was a student at Clemson University.
I was a professor at Clemson University (alas, not one of Matt’s)!
Matt has lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida.
I’ve lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida!
Matt’s bio says he’s “married and busy with work.”
My bio says I’m “married and busy with work”!
Are you starting to see why I’m so intrigued by Matt, my artistic and—let’s be honest here—all-around-general-life doppelgänger?
Let me just add one more parallel, which is perhaps the most awesome pairing of all.
Matt makes awesome pop-up books.
I love to read awesome pop-up books!
Do you see why we’re practically best friends, despite only meeting (virtually, at that!) a few weeks back?
Let’s jump right ahead to the interview and see what YOU might have in common with my good pal, Matt. (My guess is “A lot!”)
RVC: Your website’s ABOUT section says that “from before Matthew could remember, art always took center stage.” At what point did you pick up writing, and how did that addition to your creative arsenal change things for you?
MR: Words were not my medium when I was young–pictures were my primary language. Back when I began making children’s books, I needed to learn quickly how to write despite the fact that there’s often very little room left on the page after the pop-ups go in! I guess research and writing was something I was always pretty good at and, over the years, I think I’ve gotten better thanks to the help of talented editors.
I’d love to go back to school for creative writing–I’ll put that on my “to do” list!
RVC: If you ever do decide to go back to college to study creative writing, keep our program at Ringling College in mind. We especially cater to visually-oriented writers in a host of ways.
**Okay, the horn-tooting PR moment is now over.**
Back to the interview–like me in my teen years, you were concerned that an artistic future maybe wasn’t the best option. I wanted to play guitar (at first) and (later) become a writer. You wanted to be an artist, but you attended Clemson to study biology in preparation for attending med school. What type of doctor did you think you’d be? And how did studying the human body help with your art?
MR: Honestly, I’m not sure how much I actually thought about much back then, let alone what type of doctor I wanted to be. I just sort of did what was expected of me. I think there was a time when I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, mainly because I thought I could have a profitable medical career. Pretty altruistic goals, huh? It was ridiculous idea, actually, because all of my sketchbooks were filled with monsters, mutants, space aliens, and robots. I mean, if I had been a plastic surgeon I might’ve grafted on extra eyes, antennae, and cyborg implants!
I will say that studying anatomy, biology, botany, and zoology helped immensely with art. It’s important when either drawing, painting or paper engineering a living thing that I understand its structure, how it moves and its placement in nature.
RVC: What changed in terms of your plans? What gave you courage to go from Clemson to New York City and NOT start medical school right away?
MR: What changed was that I actually got into medical school right after Clemson and I didn’t want to go! So, I told my parents I needed a year away from any schooling, moved to New York City for a year, and worked at an organ procurement organization taking corneal tissue from donor cadavers. Yes, you heard that right–I took out dead peoples’ eyeballs! Gruesome, eh?
That job gave me a lot of perspective about life and a future career. Life is short, and work takes up a LOT of time. I wanted a career that really made me happy, to be fulfilled. So, I made the plunge and never looked back.
RVC: Let’s talk about the Pratt Institute. After a year of eyeball procurement (now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d write!), you applied there and got accepted into the industrial design track with an eye (no pun intended!) toward making toys. What are some of the most valuable lessons you took away from those classes?
MR: My time at Pratt was just two years long–a quick graduate degree in industrial design was all I could afford. I had the talent and ability, but my Pratt classes really honed them into something viable for a career. My color theory professor, in particular, made a big impression on me–I learned to use color more intelligently, to manipulate palettes that could help tell stories.
My work after Pratt, however, was my real education–just getting thrown into pop-up design headfirst. That, in my opinion, is the very best way to learn and grow creatively.
RVC: Say a few words about your friend and mentor, children’s book author Robert Sabuda. What type of influence did he have on your career?
MR: I wouldn’t have the career I have without him. I’m very thankful for our time together and the classic books we created together.
RVC: I can’t go any further without asking you directly about pop-up books, because, well, I LOVE pop-up books. When did you first learn that you had the knack for making these clever, tricky, amazing, wonderful things?
MR: I think I had it many years before I even started working as a pop-up book apprentice but I didn’t even realize it. In high school and college, I made elaborate mix-tapes (long before smartphones carried all our favorite tunes) for my friends which often included illustrated comics. A few of them even had very simple pops, but I only have one to show for it today.
Aside from that, I was always making things out of paper and cardboard–that was all we had around the house that I could build with as a kid. You make do with what you’re given–I was always scavenging up any box, Styrofoam, cardboard, anything to make what was in my head!
RVC: What’s the story of your first published pop-up book, The Pop-Up Book of Phobias? How did it come about, and what surprises did you encounter along the way?
MR: Robert Sabuda was offered the book, but he couldn’t do it, so I got offered the job by the publisher Melcher Media. I thought the book was an odd concept initially, to be honest, and didn’t even think it would end up being produced. We were rushed, too, so I don’t really remember much, other than having to build that damn toilet pop-up 20 times over!
My biggest surprise was that the book was a moderate hit. I’ve since developed a fondness for the book and am proud to have been a part of making it memorable.
RVC: You’ve gone on to create pop-up books for some of the biggest pop culture franchises, such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Transformers, My Little Pony, DC superheroes, LEGO, and more. Which one were you most stoked to work with/for purely on a personal fanboy level?
MR: Star Wars is my number one, with Transformers a very, very close second. Both franchises very much inspire me to this day.
RVC: Those are two of my favs, as well. Speaking of things that inspire us, tell us–what was it like working with picture-book legend Maurice Sendak?
MR: It was an incredible experience for me. Here I was, this young inexperienced artist collaborating with this legend, Maurice Sendak! I was sort of blown away at his openness to listen to my opinion and vent his own insecurity with his work. Many artists are insecure about their work, no matter the level of success.
Maurice had an irreverent sense of humor and he always tried to shock me with what he could say. I’d seen and done pretty much everything, though, so I was rarely fazed. I miss him and will always be thankful for our friendship.
RVC: And what about working with Tomie DePaola?
MR: Tomie was wonderful to work with and really a fast learner. Once we gave him the specifics, he ran with it and made his artwork at lightning pace. He’s continued to be a friend and inspiration.
RVC: In one of your YouTube Pop-Up Master Class videos, you mention how some of your best work emerges from playing around with paper. When you’re deep in the throes of paper experimenting, how much paper might you go through in a single workday?
MR: Eek! I don’t want to think about that!
Most of the time, the paper I use and toss is in messy pieces so it’s unusable when I need to toss it. I try NOT to throw paper away if I can do anything about it, but if I had to guess? Hmmm … 3–4 letter-sized sheets during those times of unbridled paper experimentation.
RVC: What’s the most common misconception about pop-up books?
MR: The common misconception is that pop-up books are silly little books for kids. No book is ever silly, unless of course, they’re meant to be! Often folks tell me they’re shocked by how complicated, impressive, and sophisticated some of the titles I’ve worked on are. They want to keep the books all for themselves and not share them with their kids, which I think is hilarious. I just try to make a book that’s interesting for everyone, including myself.
RVC: What have you not yet done in a pop-up book that you’d like to try?
MR: Scented elements! I’ve always wanted to make a food pop with scratch-n-sniff pop-ups.
You heard it first–Stinky Pops by Matthew Reinhart, coming sometime soon!
RVC: In all your experience with the world of picture books (of which pop-up books are a part), what has surprised you the most?
MR: I’m surprised that despite all the advances of entertainment technology, digital media, and online story content, kids still like to curl up with a book. Reading a book is a personal one-on-one thing. There’s something about turning each page, holding the book, and taking it wherever.
School book fairs are as popular and important as ever. Books still matter–and I’m happy for that, as are all book-makers, without a doubt.
RVC: It’s time now for the much-ballyhooed, always-interesting, and rarely-equaled SPEEDROUND! High-octane questions and potent-pithy answers, please. Are you ready?
MR: Yup!
RVC: Favorite type of cheesecake?
MR: Dulce De Leche Cheesecake or Oreo Cheesecake–pretty much any sort of candy or sweet (aside from fruit, which should never invade dessert, in my opinion) you can add to cheesecake is fine by me.
RVC: Craziest “paper” you’ve ever worked with?
MR: Tyvek–that untearable, waterproof “paper” used to make FedEx envelopes/packs and homewrap.
RVC: Crayola color that doesn’t yet exist, but you wish it did!
MR: Phosphorescent lime green.
RVC: Most unexpected source of inspiration for your paper art?
MR: Anything, to me, can be inspiration–so I wouldn’t characterize something that inspires me like that at all.
RVC: Favorite pop-up book created by someone not named Matthew Reinhart?
MR: Hmmm… that’s tough. There are a lot! I’d say number one is Haunted House by Jan Pienkowski.
RVC: Three words that describe what being an artist means to you?
This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Top Riverboating Fan at Only Picture Books) and and Florida-based author/illustrator Linda Shute.
–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–
Author/illustrator Fernando Vilela’s Along the Tapajós tells the story of Cauã and Inaê, a brother and sister who live in a small village along Brazil’s Tapajós River. (Here’s a map and more information about the river, in case you want a fuller geographical context for this story.) While all of their homes are up on stilts, the rainy season brings so much water that the entire community relocates to higher, drier ground. When they get to their new temporary home, the kids realize the problem straight away–they forgot their pet tortoise, Titi. A tortoise isn’t a turtle, so he can’t swim to safety on his own (turtles can swim whereas tortoises can’t). The pair hatch a daring plan to sneak back at night on a journey along the river to rescue him. Will they be able to save Titi in time before the waters get too high?
Foreign words won’t prove daunting here. Other than the names, there’s only one in the entire story, and it’s well-glossed within the text. (Pa always finds a good spot, someplace sunny and close to an igarapé–that’s a kind of waterway.)
Readers will surely enjoy comparing the world of these kids to their own–the stilt houses, the school only reached by boat, the big critters (alligators and anacondas) lurking in the water, the idea of a two-season year, a community-wide annual migration, etc. All of that might lead to interesting discussions for sure.
The ending of this story, however, is potentially troublesome. Once the kids realize that Titi has been left behind, they disobey their parents who specifically tell them NOT to go back for the pet. And while on this unapproved rescue mission, they encounter an anaconda who’s about to gobble up the tortoise and both kids. But doesn’t. Why? It’s an unexplained deus ex machina moment. (“I don’t know how it happens, but when I jump back into the boat with Titi in my arms, the queen of the jungle gets all tangled up!”) Lucky for the kids and Titi, sure, but that’s the thing–they win via luck, not through their own efforts. Taken together, those two story moments might not sit well with readers.
Still, the book offers a lot of vivid details about this community that are interesting and extremely well-depicted, visually speaking. And the backmatter, too, is quite fascinating and full of compelling facts, details, and images. The real selling point of this book, though, is the pictures. See what Linda has to rave about below!
3.75 out of 5 pencils
–Linda’s Review of the Illustrations–
The art in Fernando Vilela’s Along the Tapajós snags the eye and enlarges the interpretive experience of American children. It is a textured panorama reflecting the energy of its creation and the urgency of the story it tells. The marks are slashed, carved, and incised, the palette basic–mostly flat tones of greens, browns, red and yellow on an armature of black. The effect is of layered, hand-printed folk art. The river is a gouged wood block printed edge to edge across the pages, over and under other elements. Palm fronds, lily pads, oxen, fish, birds, the snake’s pattern, and the catwalk supports are stamped on freely. The pages are filled with details authentic to the cultural setting and invite reexamination and discovery.
The figures, however, are drawn, and the sister and mother wear flowered collaged dresses. Their black outlines are angular and sometimes crude. The faces are appropriately simple but expressive cartoons. The only stylistic distraction for me was a capybara pair that seemed Photoshopped additives.
Although the viewpoint voice is the boy’s, the book’s visual main character is the tan river which dominates virtually every page. The double spread riverside landscape might backdrop two or three sequential actions of the boat and children, an ingenious design maneuver to avoid fracturing the flowing scene. The river carries the action forward, the villagers to their winter refuge, and finally transforms the world we first entered. When the children return to rescue their tortoise from their now-submerged home, they find the land structure and water creatures dreamily melded. The closing endpaper, a rainy season redux of the opening dry season endpaper, brings us to a satisfying and thought-provoking full circle.
5 out of 5 crayons
In 1996, Linda Shute traveled in a small boat up an Amazon tributary similar to the Tapajós River and visited a school like the one in this book. The Escola Bosque had a poster of Elizabeth Taylor on the classroom wall!
The ABCs of D&D
AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First
America: A Patriotic Primer
Animalicious: A Quirky ABC Book
The Dangerous Alphabet
If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet
M Is for Melody: A Music Alphabet
Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters
P Is for Pterodactyl: “The Worst Alphabet Book Ever”
Q Is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing Game
Superhero ABC
What Pete Ate from A — Z
Z Is for Moose
This month’s Industry Insider interview is with Abigail Samoun—Abi to her pals—co-founder and literary agent at 
This month’s interview is with author/illustrator Matthew Reinhart, an artist whose life feels parallel to mine in all kinds of nifty ways. For example:
Do you see why we’re practically best friends, despite only meeting (virtually, at that!) a few weeks back?
