All of the illustrators I was going to work with on picture book reviews this month are now occupied with working on new picture books. That’s a good “problem,” though, and it simply means OPB readers get another month of five-word reviews.
Hello, everyone! This is Abi Cushman. I’ve had the privilege of writing illustration reviews here on Only Picture Books, and today, Ryan has given me the reins as interviewer. I’m thrilled to share this Author Interview with Charlotte Offsay, who has written five picture books to date, including How to Return a Monster, The Big Beach Cleanup, and A Grandma’s Magic. One of her picture books, The Quiet Forest, was illustrated by me, so it was especially fun to ask her a few questions about her process.
First, a little bit about Charlotte. Charlotte lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and two kids. She has a background in finance, and now she writes picture books and runs a very popular Instagram account, @picturebookrecommendations, where she shares picture books she loves.
AC: Charlotte, when I was working on illustrating your manuscript, The Quiet Forest, I was doing my best NOT to talk to you about it because it seems like that’s the way it works in traditional publishing: that the author and illustrator not really communicate during the process. But now that it’s done, I’m so happy to ask you some questions!
CO: I have been a big fan of your work for years and was delighted when our editor, Catherine Laudone (whose own OPB interview is here), said you had agreed to illustrate The Quiet Forest. It certainly is hard to not communicate during the book making process but I am delighted to get to chat more now, and I appreciate your enthusiasm and partnership!
AC: So first, I have to ask. You have a background in finance. How did you go from working in finance to making children’s books? And can we expect your next picture book to star a plucky financial analyst?
CO: I worked in finance for a number of years but decided to leave the corporate world to become a stay-at-home mom. I have always had a passion for stories and began writing for my children when my daughter was 3 and my son was 1.5 – they are now 8 and almost 10. I became inspired after an afternoon of baking with them and wrote my first picture book manuscript about it, which is actually now my fourth published picture book, Challah Day! I took a number of classes after writing that first manuscript, starting with UCLA extension’s introduction to picture book course, joined groups such as SCBWI and 12x12 and eventually met my critique partners and agent – the rest is history! It hadn’t occurred to me to write a finance themed book but perhaps I’ll have to add one to my Storystorm list this year!
AC: That is so amazing that the first picture book manuscript you wrote ended up being published. I love Challah Day! Jason Kirschner’s illustrations are seriously so fun, and you really captured the joy of baking with kids in it.
Speaking of joy, your Instagram page,@picturebookrecommendations, is devoted to picture books you love. What draws you to picture books?
CO: When friends and family heard that I was writing picture books and taking classes they would often ask for book recommendations. I created @picturebookrecommendations as a way to share the picture books that my kiddos and I love reading. I adore picture books. They are a pathway to learning, adventure, giggles, snuggles and connection. Picture books offer something for every age and the incredible way the illustrations and text elevate one another never fails to amaze me. I wholeheartedly believe that a passion for reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give children and an incredible way to better understand both one another and the world around us – all of which begins with picture books.
AC: I agree. Picture books are so special. I have such fond memories reading picture books as a kid and then as a parent.
What does a typical day look like for you as a writer?
CO: A typical day these days looks very different from when I first started writing. When I started out and was learning the nuts and bolts of picture books, my kiddos were tiny and I would fit my writing time into the cracks, obsessively trading calls with critique partners during nap time and jotting notes on my phone while pushing my kiddos in the stroller.
These days my kids are in elementary school and while mom life still keeps me busy, I tend to be able to carve out blocks of writing time – I love a good three-hour block if I can fit it into my schedule! I don’t write every day the way I used to, but I seem to be much more efficient (at least most of the time) when I do sit down to write.
That said, when I get a picture book idea that I just know needs to be a book, it crawls under my skin and I am incapable of doing anything else until I get my thoughts onto paper the way I want them. I revert to those obsessive habits, writing and editing non-stop for days on end, jotting notes on my phone in the carpool line and consuming endless amounts of chocolate as I write the same lines over and over again in different ways until I find the just right words.
AC: Tell me more about your process for developing a story after you get the idea. Does it vary from book to book?
CO: My process varies from book to book. Usually I write obsessively, trying to get the words bouncing around in my head onto paper without too much self-editing. Sometimes this means letting myself start in the middle or even the end. I don’t tend to plot out my books, but at some point I usually always reach a roadblock and need to get creative. Sometimes this means printing out my manuscripts and creating paper dummies with stick figures, which enables me to see where things need to be moved around. Other times this means a chart with characters and actual holes that need filling in – this is what I ended up needing to do for The Quiet Forest. Other times, it is heading to mentor texts and writing out the plot arcs of other books to see what my story might be missing, and still others I try an entirely new structure or character to see if that unlocks things.
I think my main throughline with my manuscripts though is that I always write my “heart” or my “why” at the top of my manuscript–what made me sit down and want to write it in the first place. I always find that a helpful light post as I search for my way through, but try to remain flexible as the way forward isn’t always visible!
AC: Ooh, that’s a really good way to stay focused while you’re writing or revising a story. On a related note, how do you ensure your stories have an It Factor–something special that makes them stand out from the crowd?
CO: I wish I had a good answer for this. Such a great question. Honestly, I think my best work comes from the heart. I try to write about the things that are most important to me or the things in my life that are consuming me at the time and channel them through a child lens. I know other authors who can generate story ideas in other ways, for example mashing up two things that don’t obviously go together (such as dragons and tacos), but for me, it needs to be personal to shine on the page. That said, I write a lot of personal stuff that definitely doesn’t shine and needs to sit in a drawer until I can find the right way to re-imagine it.
AC:I want to chat a little bit more about The Quiet Forest, which comes out March 12 from Paula Wiseman Books. This book has alliteration, onomatopoeia, and a cumulative structure. Did you set out to make a book with all these different literary elements? Or did you add another layer in as you revised?
CO: I had been looking to write a book about spreading kindness for a while. Every year I participate in Tara Lazar’s Storystorm and had written the same theme for a couple of years in a row but hadn’t been able to find the right way in. I had also been wanting to try writing a cumulative structure picture book for a while and had that on my Storystorm list as well. I decided to combine the two and sat down with a number of cumulative structure picture book texts to figure out how to write it. It ended up being a bit of a brain teaser to get the structure right. Picture books can look quite effortless in the finished product but at least for me the cumulative structure was quite challenging. The alliteration came quite early on and I then added in the onomatopoeia as a way to keep the text tight but hopefully also elevate the read-aloud experience.
AC: In The Quiet Forest, each animal is described at the beginning using alliteration, such as a mischievous mouse or a rattled rabbit. And then at the end, you use alliteration to show how each animal’s problems have been alleviated. Were there any characters or scenes you had to cut because you couldn’t get the alliteration to work from beginning to end?
CO: Oh my goodness, SO many. I swapped out a lot of different animals when the alliteration wouldn’t work right from the beginning but others got swapped out when the initial alliteration worked but then I couldn’t make them work in reverse – the story builds in mischief/chaos in one direction and then unwinds in kindness in the other. The story had a skunk at one point! I also wanted to make sure that each animal increased in size and could at least theoretically be found living in the same area of the world, which led to a lot of swapping out as well.
AC: Did you have to make a lot of changes to the manuscript after it was acquired?
CO: Catherine was instrumental in helping me with the structure and so once that was unlocked there were only minor word edits to be done after she acquired it.
AC: Oh, so did you work with Catherine on the story before she acquired it?
CO: Yes, I first connected with Catherine during an Inked Voices workshop and my agent later subbed the manuscript to her.
AC: Oh nice! I love hearing about different paths to getting a book acquired. And it’s always so satisfying when you click with an editor and get feedback that still fits in with your vision for the story.
Were the illustrations like what you were expecting? Were you surprised by anything? And be honest. Unless I would be insulted by your answer, in which case, feel free to tell lots of lies.
CO: I never could’ve dreamed up how wonderful these illustrations would be and am absolutely delighted by how much they elevate the book – they are simultaneously hilarious and huggable and I adore them. I did laugh out loud when I saw the moose painting. I spent SO much time making sure all the animals could realistically exist in the same place and that the sound words accurately fit the animals. So that was a big surprise but I wouldn’t want it any other way, the moose painting is PERFECT. I have no idea how you managed to cook up such a wonderful second storyline in the art and then so masterfully bring it all back together at the end – it is truly incredible.
AC: Haha, oh yes, but you see, here in Connecticut, we have moose that are skilled in plein air painting. So don’t worry, it’s totally realistic.
What’s a book you wish you’d written?
CO: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. It is a true masterpiece. It is a brilliant read-aloud, the story is engaging, and I never tire of re-reading it. I think that is perhaps why I am particularly delighted with how our book has turned out… I am not even going to try and imply that we are rivaling the famous Julia Donaldson BUT I will boldly say that I think our book is SO much fun to read aloud and the story and characters make me giggle that much more with every re-read.
AC: Oh, I love Room on the Broom! It’s definitely fun to read aloud and one of my favorites too. And I adore Axel Scheffler’s illustrations. He’s a big influence on my art, actually. When I was first thinking about how to illustrate The Quiet Forest, I looked at a bunch of forest books, including The Gruffalo, which is also by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, to see how other people left room for the text even though the scenes had a lot of trees in them.
What’s something about writing or publishing that you wish you knew when you first started out?
CO: How many talented and incredible people I would get to meet along the way. One of my favorite parts of this journey has been getting to not only meet the people that I fangirl over, but also to actually come to call some of them friends. I get to connect with such incredibly talented people and it never gets old. The kidlit community is such a warm and inclusive space and I am so honored to be a part of it.
AC: I agree. The kidlit community is really wonderful. What are you excited to be working on now?
CO: I am currently brainstorming new story ideas and am excited to see where they lead me.
AC: I can’t wait to see what you come up with! And now for the speed round. Ready? Last podcast you listened to?
CO: I am not a big reptile fan but I do love your snake character in Animals Go Vroom! so let’s go with that!
AC: Aww, thank you! Career you wanted as a kid?
CO: To be an author.
AC: Hooray! You did it! Who would play you in a TV movie about your life?
CO: Jennifer Aniston.
AC: Skydive or scuba dive?
CO: I’m terrified of heights, so scuba dive 100%!
AC: What’s the best question a kid ever asked you?
CO: If I could come back and visit their class again tomorrow.
AC: That is so sweet. I love that! Thank you, Charlotte, for answering all my questions and sharing your process with me.
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of funny picture books, including Animals Go Vroom! (Viking), Soaked! (Viking), and her nonfiction debut, Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A [Not So] Serious Guide(Greenwillow, 2023). She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, and runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
For exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to Abi’s newsletter.
This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/Operator of Only Picture Books) and Connecticut-based author/illustrator Abi Cushman.
–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–
Hooked on Books dives deep into the heart of a bookworm named Pearl, an anglerfish who resides in the far reaches of the ocean’s twilight zone. With her glowing lure/reading light, Pearl embarks on a journey that many readers will find relatable–she wrestles with finding the oh-so-perfect reading spot undisturbed by her sea creature buddies.
Pearl’s story begins with her anticipation to dive into a long-awaited book about a kraken’s quest for happiness. However, her excitement is soon dampened by the constant interruptions from the underwater community (including eels, jellyfish, and mollusks), all eager to peek at her book. In her desperation for peace and quiet, Pearl explores the darkest corners of the sea, even braving the midnight zone where yeti crabs mistake her lure for a disco ball.
Finally, she finds solitude in the tranquil darkness of the abyss, a place untouched by the relentless interruptions. However, Pearl soon discovers that blissful silence can become a lonely place, leading to an unexpected realization: sharing her love for books might not be so bad after all.
In sum, Hooked on Books is a charming story that captures the frustration and the eventual compromise that comes with the territory of being an avid reader. Litten’s charming, whimsical illustrations breathe life into the narrative, illuminating the deep-sea setting with captivating contrasts of light and dark–I’ll let Abi explain that a bit more. At the same time, Greanias’ adept storytelling provides a gentle reminder about the importance of setting healthy, appropriate boundaries while also appreciating the company of others.
This eye-catching 32-page picture book is likely to resonate with young readers, whether they live on land or fancy a life far under the sea.
4.25 out of 5 pencils
–Abi’s Review of the Illustrations–
In Hooked on Books, Kristyna Litten has created not only engaging and expressive characters, but also visually stunning scenes. This is quite a feat for a story that takes place deep down in the dark ocean with a main character that, in real life, let’s just say does not look very approachable.
But Litten accomplishes this by using a limited color palette of varying shades of blue for most of the sea creatures and scenery, and reserving a bright orange hue for the main character, an anglerfish named Pearl, paired with a burst of bright yellow to depict her lure/reading light. In doing so, Litten skillfully evokes a deep sea atmosphere, but is still able to show details of other sea creatures, plant life, and scenery. The eye naturally follows the brightly-colored Pearl on each spread, with her funny pouty face as she tries to get a moment alone to read her book.
One thing that I thought would be imperative in this book was the effective use of light and shadow because a lot of the magic of deep sea anglerfish is just how dark it is way deep down in the ocean, and just how bright the anglerfish’s lure is. Fortunately, Litten rose to this challenge, and depicts light and shadow beautifully. I especially enjoyed the spread where Pearl is swimming away from all the sea creatures leaving behind a trail of light. It is such a fun scene, and the light trail really boosts the humor of the situation.
Another challenge Litten had to solve was how to show what Pearl was reading. Litten chose to make the book look like a shell, and then the characters from the book emerge from it as simple outlined forms as opposed to fully-rendered characters. This was a really clever way to distinguish the characters and action in Pearl’s book from what was really happening around Pearl.
I also really appreciated how Litten used creative layouts to effectively show Pearl’s vertical travel. For example, as Pearl journeys deeper, one spread has the reader flip the book on its side to make use of the full vertical double page orientation. As Pearl journeys up, Litten employs vertical panels to emphasize her ascent.
My favorite spread zooms out and shows a myriad of sea creatures fanned out from Pearl in a semicircle as she tries to hide in a shipwreck to get a moment of peace. Of course she’s illuminated by her burst of light at the bottom of the page. Kids will enjoy looking at the different fish and other creatures surrounding her.
In conclusion, it’s clear that Litten and the design team at Peachtree were very thoughtful in their choices about color, light and shadow, and design. The result is a book that flows wonderfully and will capture readers’ attention with every spread all the way through to the end.
5 out of 5 crayons
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of funny picture books, including Animals Go Vroom! (Viking), Soaked! (Viking), and her nonfiction debut, Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A [Not So] Serious Guide(Greenwillow, 2023). She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, and runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
For exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to Abi’s newsletter.
This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/Operator of Only Picture Books) and Connecticut-based author/illustrator Abi Cushman.
–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–
In this simple rhyming book by Helen and Thomas Docherty, Blue Baboon shows up at a park where an animal music trio is jamming. Since Blue Baboon notices a bassoon just waiting there for someone to play it, she gives it a shot. Only she’s not musically talented, so Elephant yanks back the instrument.
A storm ends the scene, and leaves a drippy Blue Baboon wandering until she sees a hot-air balloon. As the balloon goes up, up and away, Elephant hands her the bassoon as Blue Baboon sails off to a sand dune where she runs into Green Baboon–someone who appreciates her out-of-tune music at last. Why? Because Green Baboon croons out of tune.
The text is minimal–perhaps a few dozen words in total, with most of them rhyming with “Baboon.” As so often happens with such a strict adherence to rhyme, the story gets a bit illogical (like the sudden appearance of a monsoon, or how Elephant inexplicably gives away a bassoon), but overall, early educators and parents can use this book to introduce very young readers to colors, animals, musical instruments, and rhymes.
The selling point is the fine artwork and the cute animals, which I’ll let Abi discuss in full, though I’ll note that even I noticed the teensy red balloon with a heart in it on every spread. Charming.
All in all, it’s a fun, sweet book.
4.25 out of 5 pencils
–Abi’s Review of the Illustrations–
In Blue Baboon Finds Her Tune, Thomas Docherty’s playful illustrations are a real delight. They are bright, bold, and fun. I love the energy and vibrancy he instills in the nighttime city scenes and his expressive, endearing characters. With this sparse text, which is primarily driven by the sound of the words, Thomas does the heavy lifting when it comes to storytelling. Kids will not only enjoy watching Blue Baboon on her adventure, they will also have fun following the red balloon that drifts into the sky and makes its way into all the subsequent scenes.
With music being a major part of the story, Thomas was tasked with finding a creative way to SHOW music, and he does a wonderful job of this, portraying sounds–both harmonious and out of tune–with whimsical stars and colored lightning bolts. The expressions on the surrounding characters’ faces when Blue Baboon doesn’t quite hit the right note really amps up the humor in the story as well.
Thomas includes several hints in the illustrations of what’s to come. For example in the initial scene, we see a sign advertising Nighttime Balloon Rides. In the scene where Blue Baboon is playing the bassoon, we see part of a cloud rolling in. But I think he could have pushed this even further and included even more of these hints and Easter eggs in the illustrations. Perhaps we could have seen a peek of the umbrellas that were apparently behind the bear in earlier scenes or a peek of Green Baboon’s tail behind the dune.
One illustration that might get a lot of attention is actually located on the back endpapers. Thomas brings all the characters back in a hot-air balloon scene, like the cat family who lost the red balloon and the ducks from the park. Kids will enjoy flipping back through the book to follow those characters’ storylines more carefully.
All in all, I found Thomas’s illustrations to be chock full of kid appeal, and I think young readers will enjoy poring over these pictures again and again.
4.5 out of 5 crayons
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of Animals Go Vroom! (Viking), Soaked! (Viking), and Wombats Are Pretty Weird(Greenwillow), which hits shelves in summer 2023. She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, and runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
For exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to Abi’s newsletter.
We’re starting off 2022 with an author/illustrator interview with OPB contributor Abi Cushman. Among her many talents, she’s a web designer, so we won’t ask her to critique the OPB site! She also runs a few non-kidlit websites, which we’ll talk about in the interview. Perhaps more relevant for our interview is this—she’s partnered on picture book reviews here at OPB, and she’s the author/illustrator of two fine picture books, Soaked! and Animals Go Vroom!, both from Viking Children’s Books.
Abi lives with her family in a small Connecticut beach town. Sounds positively charming, doesn’t it?
Let’s get to that interview so we can learn even more about Abi Cushman!
RVC: Let’s start things off by addressing the elephant rabbit in the room. You run a website about rabbits. How’d that come about?
AC: Well, just like some people are dog people and others are cat people, I’ve always been a rabbit person. As it happens, my husband also had a rabbit growing up. So, when we moved in together, we of course adopted pet rabbits. Since I’m a web designer, we decided to start a website sharing everything we learned about house rabbits: how to litterbox-train them, how to protect your belongings from being chewed, what a binky is, and why it’s important to keep pet rabbits inside the house and not outside in a hutch.
Abi’s rabbit, Cosette, taking a snooze.
RVC: I’m now wondering if this interest in animals led to your second picture book, Animals Go Vroom!.
AC: I’ve always been interested in animals, and I really only like drawing animals. So, my stories so far have always centered around animal characters. Animals Go Vroom! came about when I drew this character in my sketchbook:
It made me think about vehicles and animals making the same sound.
RVC: Was using die-cuts in that book your idea or did it come about in the editorial process?
AC: The die-cuts were a major part of my vision for this book from the start. I was reading a ton of novelty board books to my son who was a toddler at the time. And I loved that many of them had a guessing-game element to them and used either die-cuts or lift the flaps to provide a fun reveal. When I started playing around with the idea of animal and vehicle sounds overlapping, I thought that die-cuts would be the perfect way to give a peek at the next page before revealing the true source of each sound.
RVC: What was the best lesson that book taught you?
AC: Making this book was really challenging design-wise because each of the die-cuts had to line up on two spreads while the illustrations were telling a chain-of-events story of a worsening traffic jam. But it was really satisfying using the page turns plus die-cut holes to create an interactive experience for the reader. The best lesson was the importance of making a physical book dummy to test and refine the experience of turning the pages and having everything line up properly.
RVC: Let’s hop (like that bunny reference?) back to the beginning. When did you first develop an interest in art?
AC: I’ve always loved drawing. Growing up, I mostly focused on trying to draw and paint animals realistically. My parents were very encouraging of my art and gave me lots of art supplies. I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity to play around with charcoals, pastels, watercolors, and acrylic paints.
RVC: What about your interest in writing?
AC: I never really thought of myself as a writer. But I did love the idea of making picture books. My dream growing up was to become an illustrator. So, when I was a kid, I’d make up stories for the sheer purpose of having something to illustrate. It’s funny how that actually hasn’t changed now that I’m an adult. I’m still creating stories so that I can illustrate them. I broke into the publishing industry by becoming an author-illustrator and pitching my own stories.
RVC: What kind of training did you have in both areas along the way?
AC: I took art classes in high school and minored in Studio Art in college. But I really developed my illustration style and skills after college. A lot of it really is just practice and the ability to look at other people’s illustrations and analyze what is working, and if there’s something you could incorporate into your own work. It’s also about being able to look at your own work and seeing where you could improve or try new things.
In terms of writing, I didn’t have any formal training until I enrolled in Storyteller Academy in 2016. I learned how to break down character-based stories and how to incorporate drawing into the process of making a story. That really was a turning point for me because trying to make an interesting story by typing a manuscript on a computer just wasn’t working.
RVC: Let’s talk about your author-illustrator debut, Soaked, which is about a particularly grumpy bear and some foul weather. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?
AC: At its heart, Soaked! is about changing your perspective even when the situation doesn’t change. It’s about finding the silver lining. It’s about finding joy through play. It’s about being there as a friend even if you’re feeling grumpy or your friend is feeling grumpy.
RVC: I want you to respond to three words (two, really, since a pair of them are a hyphenated compound adjective). “Hula-hooping moose.”
AC: Life goals. Seriously… Hula-hooping Moose [a fun character in Soaked!] is living his best life.
RVC: In all your experience with that book—from initial idea to a finished book being on the shelf—what surprised you the most?
AC: I spent several months working on the story and revising it before it sold to Viking, and then I worked on more edits with my editor and art director. But what surprised me was how little the beginning of the book changed from my initial braindump. Another big surprise was how long it took me to complete the final illustrations. With it being my first book, I wanted everything to be perfect. So, I think I spent 9 months drawing and redrawing, fiddling with the colors, etc. And then of course, when it prints, the colors look different than what’s on my screen anyway.
RVC: I’m probably playing Dr. Obvious here, but I notice that 100% of your picture book titles end with exclamation points. Purposeful or coincidental?
AC: There was always an exclamation point in Animals Go Vroom!, but Soaked! originally did not have an exclamation point in it. It was added after the Sales team at Penguin saw our proposed cover design and asked if we’d add one.
But yes, I’m very cognizant of the fact that my two books both have punctuation in the titles because when I’m writing about them, my word processor always automatically capitalizes the next word as if I’m starting a new sentence, and it’s very annoying. If only I had known this would haunt me in every written interview or blog post!
RVC: Creating a picture book is challenging. What do you do when you find yourself getting distracted or going off track?
AC: Well, creativity does need time and space sometimes. So, I might switch gears and do some cleaning around the house or go for a run or even write answers to interview questions like I’m doing now. But if there are deadlines, I will try to buckle down and get it done. I’ve found that it really helps to just start. The biggest challenge is facing the blank page. I just try to put something–anything– down on paper. And then my natural inclination to try to fix things kicks in, and I’ll get into a groove.
RVC: What’s your process for making the first draft of an author/illustrated picture book?
AC: First I doodle a lot in what I call my Ugly Sketchbook. It’s a place where I keep all my good story ideas mixed in with a ton of bad ones. I use a regular gel pen to ensure I don’t get too precious about what the art looks like. Along with the doodles, I also write down jokes or bits of dialogue. Eventually, I’ll take all my little drawings and pieces of text and organize them into thumbnails. Then I’ll make a mini dummy by cutting some printer paper in half and then folding that in half. This helps me figure out if the pacing is working. It’s good to see the page turns in action. It’s this mini dummy that I show to my critique group and my agent.
Some of Abi’s mini-dummies.
RVC: My art students (my writing classes at Ringling College of Art and Design get tons of visual arts majors in them) are digital natives, so they’re generally most comfortable producing everything digitally via Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, Wacom tablets, etc. How do you produce your art?
AC: I really like the feel of pencil on paper. So, I do all my drawing with a mechanical pencil on printer paper. Then I scan it in, and use a tablet and Photoshop to color the final art. I like this hybrid way of working because I can still feel the joy of creating marks on paper, but I have all the benefits of the digital environment–moving things around, changing colors, and fixing mistakes. For me, the most important thing is that I feel comfortable making the art, and that I’m pleased with the final product. It doesn’t really matter how you reach that point, so my advice to people is to just do what works for them.
RVC: Both of your books came out during or right around the pandemic. How did that affect your PR efforts?
AC: Yes, Soaked! came out in the summer of 2020 when a lot of bookstores were closed. That was definitely disappointing. I had planned a big in-person launch party plus local bookstore storytimes, which of course never happened. And then I naively thought that by the time Animals Go Vroom! came out in 2021, the pandemic would be winding down.
Luckily, I had promotional activities planned that didn’t involve being in-person, like doing blog interviews and guest posts. I’m also part of a book marketing group called the Soaring ’20s, and we review each other’s books, host giveaways, organize group panel discussions for virtual conferences, and boost each other on social media.
People in my town have also been wonderfully supportive. My local librarian featured both of my books on our town’s Storybook Trail, where each page spread is printed onto a sign, and people can read the book as they walk along a path in the town park. The local paper also did a couple articles about me and my books.
RVC: Author newsletters. Worth the trouble or not?
AC: I do write a monthly-ish newsletter. When I write them, I try to think of it like I’m writing to a specific friend–someone who’s interested in what I’ve got going on, but also appreciates my jokes. A lot of people aren’t on social media, and my email is the only way they find out about my new books and what I did when I discovered a skunk walking around my kitchen at 1am.
RVC: One last question for this part of the interview. What’s in the pipeline for you? Any new projects you want to tease us about?
AC: It hasn’t been announced yet, but I’m currently working on edits for an informational picture book coming out in 2023. It’s a new experience for me because, while I always use reference when I illustrate (even if I’m drawing a mouse riding a unicycle), this book requires even more diligence in that respect. I want to make sure I’m representing the subject matter accurately in both the words and the pictures. So, I’ve been knee-deep in scientific studies lately, while also agonizing over the best word choice for some poop jokes.
RVC: There’s no good segue away from poop jokes (which ARE hilarious, by the way), so I’ll just say…Abi, you’ve been a part of OPB for some time, so this should come as no surprise. It’s time for the SPEEDROUND! Comet-fast questions and asteroid-swift answers, please! Are you ready?
AC: Ready!
RVC: Funniest animal fact you bring out at dinner parties?
AC: Wombats poop cubes.
RVC: What animal would be cutest if it were shrunk to the size of a cat?
AC: A hippo.
RVC: If you had a giraffe that you needed to hide, where you would hide it?
AC: Amongst my other giraffes.
RVC: Favorite author/illustrator picture book of 2021?
This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/Operator of Only Picture Books) and Connecticut-based author/illustrator Abi Cushman.
–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–
Author Charles R. Smith Jr. makes a clever choice with this biography of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix’s life (1942–1970) by structuring the book as an album, with five verses (full of poems that mirror song lyrics), and both an interlude and outro. Pretty cool! And it’s quite a fitting choice for a book about the man that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.”
Like so many gifted creatives, Jimi came from a home life that wasn’t ideal. Witness the powerful black-and blue art in verse 1 which mirrors the language: “So Jimmy would hide, / hide in the closet, / scared and alone, / trying to keep quiet.” Yeah, his childhood gave him firsthand experience with living the blues.
Some readers will be surprised to learn that Jimi had “roots made strong / by the blood of Cherokee” or that he taught himself to draw as a way to deal with his sadness and pain. I can easily see and believe, though, that he played air guitar on a broom as he imagined his musical heroes, like Elvis, BB King, and John Lee Hooker, well before he turned sixteen and finally got his first real instrument–a white Supro Ozark electric guitar.
We even learn that while Jimi was born a lefty–we all recall him playing that way as an adult in the 60s–he faked playing righty as a kid because his dad said “the left hand was of the devil.” But along the way, Jimi learned to actually play both ways. That’s how gifted he was in taking the hurt and pain inside him and letting it flow out “like rain” to explode into the air.
Yet in ninth grade, Jimi got an F in music because “school wasn’t his thing.” Worse, the music teacher said he should give up any dream of playing music. He responded by learning a new song every single day, and creating a raw (“VRENNNNNNNN”) and wild (“RENNROWNNNRREEEE”) sound because he wanted his own style.
Song for Jimi is a big book (56 pages vs. the normal 32), so it covers a lot of ground. We see Jimi through all of his schooling, then his brief time in the military, and his tumultuous times in big cities like Nashville, New York, and London before he became the iconic Jimi Hendrix we all know and admire.
I’m always interested in how picture book authors push language in fresh ways, and we see that here where the author tries to mimic the bizarre sounds Jimi urged from his guitar, such as in Verse 1 where we encounter: “WRRRRRIIIINNNNN.” Or how we get poetry-fun moments like “Tangerine SCREAMS / screeched through loud, / yellow sunBURSTS, / electrifying the crowd.” Lovely. And perfectly appropriate for a book comprised of poems.
I’m less enthusiastic at how readers repeatedly encounter the phrase “git-tar” throughout the book. Is it ever a good idea to have incorrectly spelled words when the intended audience is those who are learning to read, write, and spell themselves? I fully understand that the voice in these poems/verses is very conversational, as we see in these playful lines that depict a far less playful scene: “But Jimmy could hear, / oh yeah, that’s right, / he could hear Mama and Daddy / drink and fight.” Ultimately, some of the creative language choices might give readers pause.
The art by former TIME art director Edel Rodriguez is on-point throughout, however, with an appropriate psychedelic feel and mood that reminds me of rock band posters of the 60s and 70s. I’ll let Abi explain that all more clearly because that’s more her thing than mine. But I can sure admire it. Well done, Edel!
The outro section of this book offers a nice take on an iconic moment in Jimi’s life–the Monterey Pop Festival where Jimi delivered his “groovy git-tar voo-doo.” The author also provides a detailed Author’s Note, as well as an extensive timeline, a personal playlist, discography, and references.
Ultimately, this is a rhymey, fast-paced storybook that covers a ton of biographical ground and offers insight into the man who became a legend despite dying at 27. It might be a bit much in terms of sheer size for some readers, but it’s family friendly and more of a celebration of a life than a lament over a genius being lost far too soon (as we see so often with many geniuses). But as the author said, “Jimi, / no one / before you / could play the style / that you do.” And this visually appealing book has some of those same aspirations that make it different than other picture book biographies.
4.25 out of 5 pencils
–Abi’s Review of the Illustrations–
The cover for Song for Jimi immediately caught my eye. And how could it not? Featuring a portrait of Jimi Hendrix, made up of bright swaths of color and dynamic black linework, the cover is truly mesmerizing. Kids will get a sense of Jimi’s groundbreaking and otherworldly sound immediately through Edel Rodriguez’s artwork.
Rodriguez’s illustrations, created with woodblock prints and digital media, are reminiscent of the iconic psychedelic art of the late 1960s. This bold illustration style is surely a tip of the hat to psychedelic rock poster artists like David Byrd, as well as to Karl Ferris, the psychedelic photographer and designer who created many of Jimi’s album covers.
Psychedelic art often features bright, contrasting colors, distorted or surreal imagery, and kaleidoscopic patterns. We see examples of this throughout the book, starting with a very impactful image on the first spread, where bursts of colors and circles emanate out from Jimi’s guitar.
The use of flat, textured color and geometric shapes in the backgrounds of all the spreads succeed in eliciting various moods in the story, rather than depicting specific locations. This focuses the reader in on the emotion of Jimi’s music, personal triumphs, and heartbreaks.
One particularly emotional spread showcases the devastation Jimi feels when his mother leaves him. On the left side, we see Jimi as a boy crouching by himself, his face buried in his hands. The slope of Jimi’s back along with the diagonals in the background draw your eye from him to the image of his mother, who is shown with her back to us and suitcases in hand. Her figure is contrasted against a cream-colored rectangle. Though the background isn’t drawn out in detail,
the reader can make the connection that his mother is walking out the door. The stark, limited palette of blues and blacks in the image evokes a mood of loneliness and sadness.
Similarly, the colors used by Rodriguez help amplify the happy moments of Jimi’s life, as well. For example, when Jimi finally catches a break and captures the attention of a big music producer, Rodriguez uses bright bursts of pinks, blues, and yellows overlaid with circles and flowers to showcase his triumph.
Overall, I found the illustrations in Song for Jimi to be breathtaking and powerful–a perfect testament to the book’s legendary subject matter. I also really enjoyed how all parts of the book work together to resemble an album. Not only is the author’s verse structured like parts of a song, the art and layout of the text work in tandem to echo the design of a record album.
5 out of 5 crayons
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of Animals Go Vroom! and Soaked!, which was a Kids’ Indie Next To Ten Pick. She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, and runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
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