Tag: Ryan G. Van Cleave

Picture Book Review: I’m Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People by Anne Broyles, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews1 Comment

Holiday House
7 November 2023
48 pages
This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/​Operator of Only Picture Books) and longtime OPB friend, Austin McKinley.

—Ryan’s Review of the Writing—

I’m Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People, authored by Anne Broyles and vibrantly illustrated by Victoria Tentler-​Krylov, is a welcome children’s picture book that paints a portrait of Ralph Fasanella’s life with the same fervor and detail the artist himself devoted to his canvases. The book captures Ralph’s journey from a tenacious New York kid to an iconic artist, echoing his dedication to portraying the working-​class experience.

Broyles’ prose dances between simplicity and evocativeness, achieving a balance that engages young readers while touching on mature themes. For instance, in describing Ralph’s early life, Broyles writes, “Ralph often wandered the city until dinnertime, observing the colors, shapes, and textures of the glowing streetlights against the brick buildings. Instead of going to school, he taught himself how to read by studying newspapers on the subway.” Such language not only builds Ralph’s world but also immerses the reader in the symphony of city life that influenced his art.

Tentler-​Krylov’s illustrations must be praised for their dynamism and how they echo Fasanella’s own style—bold, colorful, and brimming with narrative. One can almost feel the texture of the city’s energy in the spread that captures Ralph amidst the clamor and chaos of a labor protest. I’ll let Austin say more about that below in his part.

The narrative deftly weaves Fasanella’s passion for social justice with his artistic development. In a powerful scene, Broyles describes how “It took Ralph three years to create eighteen paintings of workers protesting, union leaders making speeches, militiamen with bayonets, mill owners watching from inside the mills, and more. It was his masterpiece.” This parallel between Ralph’s art and the movement of the American workforce underscores the book’s theme of solidarity and community.

Geared towards children aged 4–8, the book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics like labor rights, instead presenting them through the lens of art and storytelling, making complex concepts a bit more accessible and relatable. The story champions the idea that everyone has the power to create change, aligning with current educational values promoting agency and expression.

In sum, I’m Gonna Paint is an homage to a self-​made artist and a call to recognize the beauty and power in one’s own creativity. It’s a vivid reminder of art’s ability to capture and change the zeitgeist, likely resonating with young readers, educators, and parents for its depth and beauty.

4 out of 5 pencils

 

—Austin’s Review of the Illustrations—

For an illustrator to tackle a children’s book celebrating the life and work of a recognizable modern artist is no simple undertaking. Especially when the artist in question is a primitive whose primary subject matter is a psychological impression of the world in which he grew up. It means that a lot of the reductionist tools an illustrator might use to simplify, streamline, and evoke the spirit of the book’s hero conflict with the journalistic need to echo the subject’s own sensibility; to represent his world, work, and legacy in a specific and recognizable way.

In short, how was Victoria Tentler-​Krylov supposed to give us a picture book that looked and felt like the world as artist Ralph Fasanella saw it, and pay homage to that interpretation without directly imitating his style? How, indeed, can a reviewer begin to describe the work of one without comparing and contrasting it with the other? It is reviewing an interpretation of an interpretation. And yet, Tentler-​Krylov surmounts this challenge with impressive skill, sensitivity and grace, so I will attempt to follow her example.

As an immigrant son, reform school survivor, and former labor organizer, when Ralph Fasanella became a self-​taught painter later in life, he took a forthright and direct approach to create a visual chronicle of the lived experience of the people and the world that he knew, as well as those of his parent’s generation. He drew heavily on the kinds of visual shorthand any illustrator might use to communicate their ideas. X‑ray projections, flattened perspectives, subjective color, expressive as well as descriptive mark-​making, and panels that guide the eye through a juxtaposition of scale are all visual syntax a picture book illustrator especially might rely upon regardless of the biographical subject.

Unfazed, Tentler-​Krylov supplies many touches of her own that make her vision of Fasanella’s epic world uniquely hers, even as it complements Fasanella’s. Her colors are ever so slightly more naturalistic and objective, her perspective and compositions as grounded as they are whimsical, her focus more sharply moment to moment. Her Van Gogh-​esque, Post-​Impressionist hatching used with even more deliberate intent. Where Fasanella described the timelessness of a specific world, its moments played out cyclically like the thrum of a thousand sewing machines, Tentler-​Krylov gives us specific moments in time surrounding the life of an individual person, and by extension, a hint of the seeds of the artistic vision those experiences would germinate.

Compare the family supper Tentler-​Krylov shows us on page 11 with the one Fasanella painted in 1972. Where Fasanella’s depictions of people were hauntingly expressionless, his architecture shaky and his tone somewhat inscrutable beyond the circumstantial, Tentler-Krylov’s settings crackle with life, her dynamic gestures and characterizations sharpened by the wit of a master cartoonist and observer. We can practically smell the bread on the table. Where Fasanella’s compositions are grand and sprawling, Tentler-Krylov’s are as inventive and immediate as any in the medium without ever letting you forget it’s the life of an artist with a very specific vision she’s depicting. In the hands of a lesser illustrator, intimate vignettes like Fasanella stretching canvas or imagining the world he intends to paint as he contemplates the easel wouldn’t have nearly the power they do here.

And as generationally timely as Fasanella’s work was in his era, Tentler-Krylov’s work in this volume is equally so. Especially powerful is the image of Fasanella as a sixty-​year-​old artist in the 1970s, striding palette in hand through a crowd of striking textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts circa 1912. Also poignant are the illustrations of modern viewers, swirling in a kind of observational dance around representations of Fasanella paintings. If Fasanella’s work spoke to the power of art to transport a viewer to a time and place and thus keep the lessons of humanity alive, one generation to the next, Tentler-Krylov’s illustrations here do the same. And if Fasanella’s paintings helped in some way to create empathy in viewers for the workers and their families he depicted en masse, Tentler-Krylov’s illustrations create empathy for the scion of a single working family. She shares his tumultuous upbringing with us, and through it the artistic drive, passion, dedication and conscience that gave those workers he championed a voice.

5 out of 5 crayons

Austin McKinley makes comic books, cartoons, movies, video games, screenplays, novels and novellas through his company, Flying Car. He shot and appeared in the award-​winning feature documentary The New 8‑Bit Heroes alongside director Joe Granato. 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.

Most recently, he illustrated Tales of Mr. Rhee vol. 5: Rockstar Paranoia, a graphic novel, BLAZE ya Dead Homie, a one-​shot comic book, and wrote and illustrated RIOT Force, a creator-​owned comic series for Source Point Press.

Editor Interview: Taylor Norman (Neal Porter Books/​Holiday House)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Editor Interviews8 Comments

Welcome to this month’s Industry Insider guest, Taylor Norman, a rock star in the realm of children’s literature as Executive Editor at Neal Porter Books/​Holiday House. Let’s give her a big, warm welcome!

Taylor is the editorial force behind some of the most captivating and impactful picture books you’ll find on shelves today. A connoisseur of stories that are not just enchanting but also empowering, Taylor works to bring narratives to life that kids (and adults) can’t put down.

Before her time at Neal Porter Books, Taylor honed her skills at Chronicle Books and earned her stripes as a writing tutor for 3rd–5th graders—an experience that no doubt lends itself to her keen editorial eye. In terms of academics, Taylor graduated with a major in English and a minor in French, which brings a rich texture to her understanding of storytelling.

Now that you’ve got the snapshot, let’s jump into the interview and find out what makes Taylor Norman an editorial force to be reckoned with!

RVC: On your website, you have a fabulous yearbook page with a photo and some information about you from age 13, including this goal: “I would like to be an editor of children’s books.” Where did that dream come from? 

TN: As I’m sure was true for most of you, I was an obsessive reader as a kid. I had to be told to put my books away at the dinner table. So my first job in junior high was working at our local bookstore, Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, California, alongside my mom, Patty Norman, who was also a bookseller there and now is the children’s events manager. The children’s section at Copperfield’s is incredible—you go up a ramp to get in, and there are beanbags and nooks and crannies and a giant pillar with a huge tree painted on it. It is treated as such a special space in the store, and it affirmed my sense that the books I read, even as a kid, were important. I got blissfully stuck in the section, reading picture books and middle grade and young adult (to the detriment of my English classes). To this day, the feeling of finding the right book for the right kid—that perfect pairing—looms large in my memory. It’s my goal to make as many books as possible that can be that book, both for the bookseller to hand over, and the kid to receive—that magic book, the book the kid needs in that exact moment.

RVC: It sounds like that experience was tailor-​made for your future career.

TN: Over my years at Copperfield’s, I became convinced that the only thing I knew anything about was books for kids, and if there was a job that would pay me to read them, I wanted it. I also started to realize that, because I had read so many kids’ books, so constantly, I was pretty sure I knew what made a book truly stand out. My job at Copperfield’s taught me how to trust my instincts about books—taught me what I liked and didn’t like. It wasn’t till college at UC Berkeley, where I majored in English, that I began to learn how to articulate why a book worked or didn’t, and crucially, how to talk about why I liked something and why a given detail was valuable. College, when I read adult literature seriously for the first time, is where I learned all the mechanism behind the things I responded to innately as a younger reader. It put reason to emotion. The combination of those skills forms the foundation of my work as an editor.

RVC: At what point did you realize that dream was going to become a reality?

TN: To be honest, I never thought it wouldn’t. From age 13, I wanted to be a children’s book editor, and I made every next step about exactly that. The best confirmation came when I was a junior in college, as an editorial intern at Bloomsbury Children’s—everything about that job lit me up and made me know beyond a doubt that this was the exact job for me. You will never find a more elated intern anywhere than me in 2010. I would happily have done that job for free.

RVC: Hah. That’s a common secret we don’t want to tell our employers, right? Now, how did you land your first editing job (Editorial Assistant @ Chronicle Books)? 

TN: An internship at Chronicle Children’s opened up my last semester in college. I applied, and was delighted to find that my interviewer was Ariel Richardson, who had worked at Copperfield’s briefly some years prior. I got the internship, and about a month later, Chronicle hired a new publishing director for the Children’s group, Ginee Seo. That entailed hiring a permanent editorial assistant, so I applied as quickly as I could. Ginee and I clicked immediately, and shared so many of the same values about the books we loved and the books we thought were important, and thank goodness, she hired me.

RVC: What were the best lessons that job taught you? 

TN: That’s hard to answer. I was at Chronicle for 11 years, so I learned just about every lesson I’ve ever learned in my life from that job. I guess the best lesson is: to value your relationships above all else. My colleagues and authors and illustrators and agents—I take these relationships so seriously and spend some of the best energy of my life tending to them. Being an editor is more like being a therapist than anything else—you are the caretaker of many peoples’ most important efforts and most fervent dreams, the manager of those efforts and dreams, and their champion. Understanding those stakes is imperative.

RVC: Let’s talk about those stakes via a book–what’s the story behind the first picture book you ever edited?

TN: When you first open to acquisitions, you read a lot of books, hundreds, that are publishable. You keep thinking, Is this the one? Is this good enough? If I pass on this, am I wrong? But then you read something that echoes across your whole life and inside your whole self, and you realize: This is the kind of book I want to edit. That’s how I felt when I read Carter Higgins’ Everything You Need for a Treehouse.

RVC: What’s the most important thing that experience taught you?

TN: That book was the first of so many I’d do with Carter, and that relationship—both professional and personal—is one of the major joys of my life. What I knew from the second I read that manuscript was that the person who wrote it had not just a book I wanted to publish, but a mind I wanted to publish. I wanted every thought she had to be synthesized into picture book form. (We are doing a pretty good job on this so far!)

And that’s really what I’m looking for when I’m reading submissions—the book, of course, needs to be precisely aligned with my ability to make it its best self, but I am more importantly reading for the person making it, hoping to find another person who will bring countless singular stories into kids’ hands and minds. When I acquire a book, I’m really hoping to “acquire” the relationship—my hope is always that it extends far further into the future than just a single book’s lifetime.

RVC: That’s a lovely way to put it–so many writers feel like this is such a mercenary industry, but it’s really about relationships.

TN: Absolutely.

RVC: You’ve said, “A good picture book should be able to be read by anybody.” What does that mean to you?

TN: Huh. I don’t know that I agree with the past self that said that. “Able to be read” to be read as in “available and allowed access to”? Yes, of course. But I feel strongly that no one should ever set out to write a book that will be loved by everybody. That’s how we get mediocre, similar, unchallenging books. A good book is a book that lots of kids will love, but for one kid, it will be the only book they love, or the first book they love—the book that makes them realize they’re not alone. The way to make such a book is not to set out to write something that will please broadly.

RVC: Tell me about a picture book or two that were particularly challenging to edit, and what made them so?

TN: Ah those are trade secrets, my friend.

RVC: Hah, okay. I have to ask, right? Now, how important is pacing in a picture book?

TN: Exceptionally.

RVC: What are some of your best examples of great pacing? 

TN: Shawn Harris’ illustration work in Dave Eggers’ Her Right Foot is some of the best pacing I’ve ever seen in a picture book, and dealing with an unusual structure: The book is 112 pages, but the text isn’t all that long, only around 1500 words. Shawn’s innovation was to spool that text out carefully, so that each page has only a sentence or two on it. The effect is twofold—a parent doesn’t have to spend five minutes reading one single spread of text while their listener gets bored and starts to play with a toy (a problem with books consisting of gigantic blocks of text on every spread), and the reader has a sense of suspense. The sentences on each page start to build, and you start to wonder what’s coming. My metaphors are all cliché—the rolling of a snowball, the rumbling of an earthquake, the boiling in a pot—but what Shawn effects by placing the sentences as intentionally as he does is nothing short of an explosion of meaning and emotion when we reach the climax of the book. Shawn’s work in his visual pacing matches perfectly the narrative pacing in Dave’s text.

RVC: Since you brought up Dave Eggers, let me ask something writers wonder about. How is it different working with bigger-​name writers than debut authors? 

TN: The editor’s job is always to make each book its best self. That job doesn’t change no matter who you’re working with. The only difference in the task is that every book has a different best self, even books by the same author, so it’s your job to figure out what that unique best self is, and then work to shape the book according to that ideal self.

RVC: What sets Neal Porter Books apart in the competitive landscape of picture book publishing?

TN: Neal Porter Books places utmost emphasis on the highest quality and importance. Each of those adjectives apply both visually and narratively to the books that Neal has always published. These are books that look like nothing else and sound like nothing else, books that take those risks to greatness. I think the key is that, while we are a business and do have to hope that our books make money, we are looking for true works of art above all else: books that weren’t created with the intention to sell, or with the intention of making their author famous, but were simply created from a place of honesty and storytelling and an understanding of children and childhood. They are books that don’t condescend to children, but recognize that kids have just as vast, rich, complicated inner lives as adults do. They are books by people who value the authentic experience of children and are working to meet those children where they actually are.

RVC: Well said. Thanks for that. Let’s clarify something else that writers often don’t understand. You’re Executive Editor these days. How’s that different than Editor? 

TN: The main difference is in the ability to self-​direct. The team I work with now is much smaller, so we can be much nimbler and make decisions quickly. We have a lot of fun, I have to say! As an editor at Chronicle Books, I was a smaller part of a larger machine, so things took longer and required more elaborate obstacle courses.

RVC: What is the most difficult aspect of your work? 

TN: I wouldn’t characterize this as difficult, because I love it, but I would say that it’s not a job for someone who wants a clean break between work and home life. There are very few minutes in a day when I’m not actively doing my job. It’s my whole life. I feel really lucky about that. But I realize most people probably want a bit more personal time. :] 

RVC: What’s the most common misconception about being an editor? 

TN: That it is easy, and that kids’ books are cute. Also, most people don’t realize that—most people you meet think they want to write or have written a picture book. It’s a very sweet impulse and I’m glad humans are a people with such a pure storytelling instinct, but most of the books I hear about don’t necessarily warrant publication, which can be kind of a conversation killer. :] So I try to avoid telling people what my job is in taxis or at cocktail parties.

RVC: What keeps you motivated to continue being a kidlit editor?

TN: The job itself. The people devoting their lives to this. Art. The way original stories never stop being told. There’s no end to the motivation.

RVC: Here’s one of those commonly asked questions that people still love to ask. How can new authors or illustrators get their work noticed in this competitive field?

TN: Get an agent; say yes to everything; be easy to find online and legible once found; go to events that you don’t feel like going to and talk to more people than you think you should have to. Again, the personal relationships in this business are everything. They are what will get you in it and what will get you through it. Take care of those better than you do your house keys.

RVC: Last question for this part of the interview. What’s the most treasured picture book in your collection, and why?

TN: Rotten Island, by William Steig. I could talk to you for hours about how important Steig is, how much he understood the value of character and how his decision always to lead with story and character rather than concept or “moral” is why the books stand the test of time (and, in many cases, actually convey something meaningful far better than the books who start out with that explicit purpose).

RVC: Totally agree!

TN: The reason Rotten Island is an extremely important book to me is because of how much I loved this book as a kid, and how much I was not the intended audience of this book. Rotten Island is about this island where everything that happens is rotten and everyone on it is rotten, to the extent that even when a flower blooms, they fight over the flower because it’s the first beautiful thing anyone has ever seen. I was a typical good kid, loved my teachers and hated being in trouble, hated people being mad at me, identified as Mary Ann from the BSC because she cried all the time and Baby Spice because my mom was my best friend. But I loved this book. It’s a major reminder to me that we (as both kids and adults) turn to books for all kinds of reasons. Yes, we turn to books to feel seen and to see our realities reflected. But we also turn to books to exorcise the pieces of ourselves that we dislike, to experiment with ways that we don’t feel comfortable being in real life, to go live somewhere as our own categorical opposite and see how it feels. Fiction can be and should be somewhere you can go be someone else for a little while. What a relief that there is such a place! Take me to Rotten Island any day.

RVC: Alright, Taylor. It’s time to up the ante and raise the stakes—it’s the LIGHTNING ROUND! We’re looking for zappy questions followed by zoomy answers. Are you ready?

TN: Yep!

RVC: What makes you roll your eyes every time you see/​hear/​read it? 

TN: “SEL.” Every piece of fiction should be a social emotional learning experience. That’s what reading is! To name it as such feels like a real estate agent trying to convince you that “SoMa” is a different and far more romantic place than “South of Market.”

RVC: Most surprising song on your playlist?

TN: My most listened to albums, by a good margin, are A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory (my choice) and the Snow White Original Soundtrack (my young son’s current obsession).

RVC: Most underappreciated Girl Scout cookie?

TN: Well, you know you’ve become an adult when you suddenly start evangelizing for Peanut Butter Sandwiches over Peanut Butter Patties, and I’m nothing special in that regard.

RVC: If you could trade lives with any picture book character for a day, who would it be and what would you do? 

TN: I’d be a dog in Go, Dog. Go! Not one of the hat conversationalists. Just one of the regular dogs. I’d go to that dog party in the tree!

RVC: What’s a recent picture book that deserves a lot of notice than it’s gotten so far?

TN: Our Pool, by Lucy Ruth Cummins, and There Was a Party for Langston: King O’ Letters, written by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey. These are two of my favorite books this year. Lucy’s is the kind of book that reminds you how important a fun book is—a book that feels exactly like the joy and exhilaration of going to the pool on a hot no-​school day. It’s incredibly inclusive, even down to the fact that the speaker of the book is never identified, so as you read you can kind of “choose” which character you want to pretend to be, depending on which of the many lifestyles you see. It’s a sensational book, literally: Reading it you can sense the squelch in your flipflops, smell the chlorine and the humid changing room, feel the sun burning your eyes. It’s as bright as a sunglasses-​free afternoon and as happy as the ice cream truck coming around the corner. So good.

And Langston pulls off the hardest feat ever—making relevant an artist who most young readers won’t have encountered yet. I can guarantee that this book will be the reason many kids go read their first Langston Hughes poem. The book truly does feel, look, and sound like a party. Jason’s text is beyond engaging, doesn’t just ask the reader to dance but actually makes them want to and actually makes them feel like they’re pulling off all the best moves. And the Pumphreys’ artwork, and general visual concept, is stunning—a whole new world for them, ambitious and ridiculously successful. Everyone brought their A‑game to this book.

RVC: [Note the OPB piece on the Langston book right here!] Complete the sentence in five words or fewer: “Taylor Norman is an editor who…”

TN: believes readers need all books.

RVC: Thanks so much, Taylor!

Educational Activities: There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey

On By Only Picture BooksIn Educational Activities

There Was a Party for Langston
Author: Jason Reynolds
Illustrator: Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey
3 October 2023
Atheneum/​Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
56 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “Back in the day, there was a heckuva party, a jam, for a word-​making man. The King of Letters. Langston Hughes. His ABCs became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole country. They sent some people yelling and others, his word-​children, to write their own glory.

Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and more came be-​bopping to recite poems at their hero’s feet at that heckuva party at the Schomberg Library, dancing boom da boom, stepping and stomping, all in praise and love for Langston, world-​mending word man. Oh, yeah, there was hoopla in Harlem, for its Renaissance man. A party for Langston.”

Educational Activities inspired by There Was a Party for Langston:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front cover: 
    • Do you recognize Langston’s name? What do you know about him?
    • What do you think this story might be about, given the title? 
      • What does the phrase “King ‘o Letters” suggest to you?
    • What do you see on the cover that indicates it’s a party?
    • How do the colors and images on the cover make you feel?
    • What can you tell about the story from the style of the illustrations?
    • What do the words on the crown make you think of?
    • What questions would you like to ask the author–or the illustrators!–before reading the book?
  • After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story: 
    • Why was Langston considered to be the king of letters?
    • How did you react at seeing “Some folks think by burning books they burn freedom”?
    • How do you think Langston felt during the party?
    • How many of the partygoers do you know? James Baldwin? Nikki Giovanni? Octavia Butler? Others?
    • What made Langston’s party special or unique?
    • Was there a moment in the book that surprised you?
    • What does it mean that “the books were listening, just like you”?
    • What was your favorite part of the story, and why?
  • Meet the Word-​Makers–The book introduces us to Langston Hughes and other famous authors and poets. Can you remember all of their names? Let’s create a “Word-​Maker Wall” where we write down their names and something special about each of them–with an adult’s help, do research as needed! This will help us remember these influential figures and maybe inspire us to read some of their works!
  • Langston’s Poetry Jam–Do you love words and rhythms just like Langston? Let’s try our hand at writing poetry! Think about what makes you happy, what dreams you have, or even a time you felt really inspired. Jot down your ideas and turn them into your very own poem. Don’t worry if it’s short; even a few lines that rhyme or simply sound good together can be powerful!
  • What’s Your Harlem?–Langston Hughes made Harlem sound like the perfect place to have a party. What’s your “Harlem”? Draw or write about a place that’s special to you, where you feel alive and inspired. It could be your school, your home, or even a fantasy place you’ve imagined. Consider sharing what you created with a friend or family member, and let them know why this place is so special to you.
  • Sounds Like a Party!–In this book, there are lots of examples of onomatopoeia (a word that imitates or resembles the sounds it describes, like “buzz” for a bee), which make the words come alive. Can you find three examples? Pick your favorite and then come up with your own onomatopoeic words that capture the sounds around you.
  • Inspiration and Gratitude–Langston Hughes inspired many people with his words. Who inspires you? Draw or write about someone who has had a positive impact on your life. When you’re finished, share and discuss why these people are so inspirational to you.
  • Further Reading: There Was a Party for Langston is about Langston Hughes, a famous poet. Here are some other picture books about poems and poets. Which of these have you already read? Which of the others would you want to read first? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)

Author/​Illustrator Interview: Tadgh Bentley

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews, Illustrator Interviews2 Comments

This month’s interview is with Author/​Illustrator Tadgh Bentley, a British illustrator and writer who now lives in Ohio with his wife, son, and dog. He’s a fan of penguins (witness his Little Penguin series), so we know he’s a truly terrific person. He’s also keen on creating books about critters of all types, as evident from such picture book titles as Samson, the Piranha Who Went to Dinner and his Dino Detective and Awesome Possum chapter books.

Tadgh is also a self-​trained illustrator, which impresses me to no end.

Let’s get right to the interview to find out more about Tadgh, his books, and his process for creating them!

Tadgh’s website

RVC: Let’s start with the most important thing. How do you pronounce your name?

TB: It’s pronounced “Teague” like “league” but with a T. It’s a Gaelic name.

RVC: Aha, okay. And you have an accent, too, I can’t help but notice.

TB: So, I’m British. I’ve been here [in the US] for 11 years. My wife is from a little town called Logan in southeastern Ohio. We met and then moved here 11 years ago, and I’ve been desperately trying to hold on to my accent ever since. Not that I’ve got anything against the American accent, but there are some British people here whose accent is not quite British and not quite American, which just sounds very strange to me.

RVC: You didn’t go to school to train to be a writer or artist. What was the original plan?

TB: The original plan was to keep on trying to think of a plan, really. In my teenage years to my early 20s, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I ended up doing sociology at the University of Bristol, and then I decided to teach.

RVC: What level were you teaching?

TB: I was trained in elementary education, but my last stint was teaching fifth and sixth-​grade English Language Arts. I taught the TAG (Talented and Gifted) class, which allowed me to have the same set of students for two years. This long-​term engagement let me get to know my students well and was one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.

RVC: How did you go from teaching into creating picture books?

TB: I’ve always journaled fairly regularly and I read a lot when I was younger. But I didn’t have a creative outlet for that interest. Then shortly before moving to the US, I was in a bookstore looking for a book to read. And I just kind of noticed Oliver Jeffers’ Lost and Found. I picked it up and was captured by it straightaway. I hadn’t considered picture books until that point, but I’d always been a doodler.

RVC: Let’s talk about your art ability. You’re self-​taught, right? So, when did you know you could create art at a high enough level to do this?

TB: I have this fairly relentless inner voice that’s constantly saying, “You’re not there yet.” That can be useful when I’m aware of it. I always emphasize to young people that my formal education in writing ended in high school and everything I’ve learned has come from the Internet. But it’s also about the process over results, learning from dead ends. So, I find comfort in hearing that even successful people like Peter Brown have their doubts.

RVC: Do you have a story of a failed picture book that led to something good?

TB: Currently, I’m working on an idea about a bear that invents a roller coaster. Putting that aside has led me to revisit another project that I now see in a new light. It can be crushing to not have a product at the end, but you have to keep creating.

RVC: What are your feelings about digital art?

TB: My entry into illustration came through photography and later Photoshop. While I find digital art valuable, especially for book production, it feels a bit like a “fraud” since there isn’t a physical, unique artifact at the end. This led me to explore oil painting, which has been deeply satisfying.

Working with physical paints has taught me far more about color than years of digital work. For digital artists, I recommend experimenting with a simple palette of physical paints to better understand color mixing.

RVC: Great advice. And speaking of advice, do you have an agent?

TB: I do. It’s John Rudolph at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

RVC: He sold your first book?

TB: Yes, my first book was Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups. I wrote it during an eight-​month period when I couldn’t work after moving to the States.

RVC: What’s the story behind that first book?

TB: I was having dinner with my wife, Emily, when she got the hiccups. The idea of a mouse getting hiccups popped into my head, which eventually turned into a penguin. I created a complete dummy and John Rudolph picked it up. He liked everything but the art initially. He said my willingness to listen to feedback and make changes was crucial in his decision to take me on as a client.

RVC: What’s it like working with a recurring character?

TB: My experience with the Little Penguin series was more about navigating the structure rather than handling recurring characters. We had this formula—introduce a problem that Little Penguin has caused, then show him trying to solve it. At first, I thought it’d be helpful, but it ended up making things more complex. I liked adding new characters like Kenneth the bird or a polar bear. I’ve always enjoyed stories where there are little details to discover upon multiple readings.

RVC: Me, too.

TB: It also allowed me to enrich the story world, which I naturally tend to visualize as a broader, “real” universe. This sometimes leads me into overthinking, but it’s a part of my creative process.

RVC: I note that the majority of your characters are animals, not humans. Is this a conscious choice?

TB: It wasn’t intentional. Early on, I was somewhat uncomfortable drawing humans. I’ve been writing stories that involve humans, but those never really materialized. Currently, I have several projects underway featuring non-​human characters—like a bear on a roller coaster, a hedgehog in a bouncy castle, and a bird that can control the sun.

RVC: Which of the characters from your published picture books do you most identify with?

TB: Frank from One Chicken Nugget comes to mind. I’m an introverted person, but much like Frank, my brain is always active and running around. He’s a bit out of control, but I feel a kinship with him.

RVC: How does it feel to work as both an author and illustrator?

TB: For Dragons Eat Noodles, I was just the illustrator. The experience made me realize how traditionally separate the roles of author and illustrator are in the publishing industry. I found this surprising because, for me, the words and pictures are deeply interconnected and inform each other.

RVC: I think it’s important for people to understand that perfection isn’t achieved on the first try. To that end, I sometimes ask if interview subjects are open to sharing drafts. Are you?

TB: Absolutely. I have a wealth of early material for my first book and One Chicken Nugget as well. I believe the hard work involved in revisions is what makes the creative process authentic.

RVC: How does your family influence your work?

TB: My four-​year-​old son Fionn, who’s obsessed with rockets, has been a big influence. He’s inspiring me to write stories about space. Fionn’s way of engaging with the world really inspires me. In One Chicken Nugget, I snuck in a rocket on every page for him.

Aside from that, my family has always supported my love for reading, though I’m the outlier when it comes to artistic pursuits.

RVC: Do you keep tabs on markets other than the U.S., like the UK?

TB: Currently, all my book deals are for North America. As a Brit, I would love to have a book published in the UK. Now that I’m focusing solely on writing and illustrating, I’m planning to broaden my horizons.

RVC: What do you wish you knew when starting in children’s literature?

TB: One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to focus on the process rather than the end product. While it’s true that I sometimes struggle with finishing projects, the shift in focus toward the creative process has been beneficial for my overall growth and enjoyment in my career.

RVC: One last question for this part of the interview. What’s a picture book that has really inspired you?

TB: The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld. An unbelievably gently, important story.

RVC: Great choice, Tadgh. But now it’s time for the LIGHTNING ROUND. Fast questions + fast answers, please. Are you ready!

TB: Absolutely.

RVC: What’s something surprising that’s on your music playlist?

TB: I’ve got a fairly eclectic range, but there’s a really good band called Lankun–it’s Irish folk.

RVC: Five things you can’t do your job without.

TB: Time. Patience. Pencil. Paper. Imagination.

RVC: Who sets the standard for picture book art for what illustration?

TB: Jon Klassen’s style really stands out. The colors, textures, and simplicity of it all. My favorite picture book is We Found a Hat. I just think it’s beautiful.

RVC: What’s the last picture book that actually have you laughing out loud?

TB: It’s The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt. I was reading that with my kid, and it’s hilarious. It talks about characters getting their “battle pants” on and such. Fionn was laughing in the most adorable way.

RVC: Who’s a picture book author you’d LOVE to illustrate for?

TB: If there are any astronauts out there writing picture books…let me know!

RVC: Sum up your picture book philosophy in three words or less.

TB: Humor, meaning, and simplicity. That’s what I aim for.

RVC: Thanks so much, Tadgh!

Picture Book Reviews: Just Snow Already; Don’t Mean to 13: Molly’s Tuxedo; Remind Me; What Goes on Inside a Beaver Pond?

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews

I ran into an issue with securing a professional illustrator to partner with me this month on a picture book review. This just means we’re going with the much-​ballyhooed 5‑word review format once again here at OPB. Enjoy!

 

Don’t Be Mean to 13
Author: Douglas Harris
Illustrator: YipJar
Label Free Publishing
13 October 2023
24 pages

Five-​word review: Charming take on “unlucky” 13.

4 out of 5 Lucky Charms

 

Just Snow Already!
Author: Howard McWilliam
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Flashlight Press
1 September 2023
32 pages

Five-​word review: Snow finally falls. Chaos missed.

4.25 out of 5 Snowballs

 

Molly’s Tuxedo
Author: Vicki Johnson
Illustrator: Gillian Reid
Little Bee Books
27 June 2023
40 pages

Five-​word review: Molly shines in true colors.

4.5 out of 5 Bow Ties

 

Remind Me
Author: Linda Shute
Illustrator: Linda Shute
Neal Porter Books
4 July 2023
32 pages

Five-​word review: Poignant look at memory loss.

4.5 out of 5 Elephants

 

What Goes on Inside a Beaver Pond?
Author: Becky Cushing Gop
Illustrator: Carrie Shryock
Storey Publishing
5 September 2023
48 pages

Five-​word review: Beaver tale marries science, art.

4.25 out of 5 Beaver Dams

Editor Interview: Meredith Mundy (Abrams Appleseed)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Editor Interviews4 Comments

Welcome to Meredith Mundy, the Editorial Director at Abrams Appleseed. With a career spanning over two decades, Meredith’s keen eye for quality has helped discover and nurture many talented authors and illustrators. Her work on everything from an alphabet book showcasing Persian foods to a picture book debut (with flaps to lift!) about a very picky panda shows her dedication to uncovering hidden gems and bringing them to a wider audience

Meredith’s dedication goes beyond her role as an editor, as she is known to champion authors with unique vision and talent. Her triumph in giving the green light to projects that are unconventional yet promising showcases her leadership in the field.

To give you a glimpse into Meredith’s personality and passions, here are 7 Fun Facts:

  • Favorite Picture Book Characters from Childhood: Sam, from Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness, and Lyle from Lyle, Lyle Crocodile by Bernard Waber
  • Current Picture Book Favorites (not from Abrams): School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex and Christian Robinson, Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-​Hall and Yas Imamura, A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
  • Best Moment in Editing: Every time I’ve helped an author find the perfect title (so much harder than it looks!)
  • Favorite Picture Book Genre: Anything with humor and heart—fiction or nonfiction
  • Motto for Selecting Manuscripts: Is it special enough?
  • Go-​To Bookstore: McNally Jackson Books at South Street Seaport (excellent children’s section)
  • Culinary Talent: I make a mean brunch: artichoke & red pepper quiche + my mom’s Morning Glory Muffin recipe

What a list, right?

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the interview and uncover more about Meredith and her work in the kidlit industry!

RVC: When did you realize editing was your pathway forward?

MM: My brilliant 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Meyers, allowed each of her students to pick out someone in the community to shadow for an entire day. Some kids shadowed veterinarians, firefighters, train conductors, but I wanted to “meet the person who makes the books,” so she connected me with an editor at a local publisher, and I was hooked! He was so passionate about his work, and the fact that he got to read for much of the day sealed the deal.

RVC: When you were getting your BA in Comparative Literature with a minor in Studio Art at Smith College, what was the intended career outcome?

MM: As improbable as it sounds, I held onto my dream of being “the person who makes the books” from 6th grade all the way through college, serving as a peer writing tutor and library assistant as part of my work-​study arrangement, and taking two years of bookmaking with the intensely talented woodcut artist and sculptor Elliot Offner. In that class we were required to write, illustrate, typeset (lead letter by delicate lead letter, sometimes using tweezers, especially for the skinny lowercase “i”), print, bind, and sell a small print run of books. What an experience it was to create a book from beginning to end like that! I always sort of assumed I would be an editor of adult books, but when I did an informational interview with a Smith alum who adored her job as a children’s book editor and knew of an editorial assistant position, I jumped at the chance, and I haven’t looked back.

RVC: I’ve got to ask. How was your junior year abroad at the Sorbonne?

MM: Fantastique! (Or, as my French pen pal would have written back in the day: “Super-​mega-​top!”) There is nothing more humbling or more eye-​opening than living as a foreigner in a foreign land. In my program, we were not allowed to speak English, so our language skills improved quickly out of sheer survival necessity. It was intimidating to take classes in French, but I loved the novels we read, especially L’amant (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras and Que Ma Joie Demeure (That My Joy Remain) by Jean Giono. Amazing books.

RVC: You’ve worked at a lot of big publishers, but you’ve been with Abrams for about six years. Why is that a great fit? 

MM: I’ve loved every publishing job I’ve had and am so grateful for the incredible mentors who taught me how to be an editor while on the job. Abrams is a great fit because at this stage in my career what I value most is the support of a brilliant team and a lot of creative freedom. Our publisher and associate publisher truly value and reward editors’ passions and instincts, which is a tremendous gift.

RVC: What’s the most important thing for people to know or understand about Appleseed?

MM: We try to never underestimate the capacity of a young reader and want all kids to be able to see themselves in our books.

RVC: What’s the philosophy behind Appleseed books? How do you ensure a wide readership?

MM: From its inception, Appleseed has been about pairing the comfort of familiar objects or situations with a twist on the familiar—something unexpected. When acquiring new projects, we look for aspects that make a book as universal as possible, but we’re also thrilled by book submissions that appear at first to be somewhat narrow in scope but are just too delightful or special to resist and in fact could end up reaching a wide readership.

RVC: What’s the most difficult aspect of your work?

MM: Dealing with the financial challenges of making four-​color books. There hasn’t been a book yet that I haven’t been able to make due to high costs, but there is a ton of time-​consuming, behind-​the-​scenes trial and error effort involved in getting a P&L (profit and loss sheet) for a picture book or board book to balance before an offer can even be made to an author or illustrator.

RVC: What is your approach to editing a picture book manuscript? How do you work with authors to maintain their vision while enhancing the story?

MM: As much as possible, I try to take the “I” out of the equation. It doesn’t matter what “I” think or want—what matters is shaping the best possible version of an author’s manuscript for the benefit of their readers. So, I ask a LOT of questions in my editorial notes, which gives authors the opportunity to solve problems in whatever way feels right to them. Nine times out of ten, a solution an author comes back with surprises and delights me and is better than anything I would have thought to suggest.

RVC: In your experience, what are some common mistakes made by authors writing picture books, and how can they avoid them?

MM: 90% of the time, we reject a submission because it’s just not special or original enough. Absolutely everyone thinks they can write a book for children. And that’s true! But can everyone write a children’s book that adds something truly new and needed to what’s already out there? That’s a much bigger challenge.

RVC: What’s the most memorable piece of advice you’ve given to a picture book author that made a significant difference in their work?

MM: A few years ago I received a young rhyming picture book submission about penguins that was well-​written and funny but too slight for a hardcover. I rejected it but then couldn’t stop thinking about it—the writing stuck with me. I emailed the agent back and asked if the author might consider really delving into the subject and making the book nonfiction. The author revised expertly, writing a lyrical (still-​rhyming) nonfiction text with a terrific author’s note about the incredible hardships endured by emperor penguins as they raise their chicks, and in its new form, I was able to acquire it! It’s Penguin Journey, written by Angela Burke Kunkel and illustrated by Catherine Odell.

RVC: I love that story…almost as much as I love penguins (which is a LOT!). Now, please share insights on current trends in picture books, and where you think the industry is headed.

MM: Picture book editors across the industry are striving toward greater inclusivity and these efforts will continue to inform editorial decisions. We want our readers and their families to see themselves in the characters and settings and situations pictured in our books. With all the book-​banning threats cropping up across the U.S., many publishers are defiantly publishing for ALL readers who need to be seen and validated.

RVC: In previous interviews, you’ve mentioned the importance of finding the right “comp” titles. How has this approach evolved over the years, and how does it inform your decision-​making process?

MM: Comparison titles continue to be a very important part of the acquisitions process, allowing our Sales, Marketing, and Publicity teams to see where a prospective book might fit in the marketplace and on our list. If we can find already-​published books that prove a particular topic or genre is wanted and needed by book-​buyers, then it’s much easier for the acquisitions team to imagine a brand-​new project forging a successful path. Even a book proposal that appears to be a true one-​of-​a-​kind can be creatively compared to something else on the market. That’s one way comp title lists have evolved—we’re not necessarily looking for one-​to-​one comparisons, but rather glimpses into what a book’s potential could be compared to other books that have found a welcoming readership.

RVC: How do you build consensus within your in-​house team to take a chance on unique or unconventional projects? What challenges have you faced in this process?

MM: It all starts in our editorial meetings, where editors bring promising submissions and discuss the upsides and downsides of each one. There’s really no such thing as “not my cup of tea.” Is the book something readers need that doesn’t already exist in the world? Is there a hole in the market that a book would fill? If the answer to one or both questions is “yes,” and enough people are enthusiastic about a project, it goes to our Pub Board for discussion with the larger group, including Sales, Marketing, and Publicity. In both these meetings editors need to make a convincing argument for why a book and/​or creator belong on the list.

It is sometimes challenging to make a case for a book that at first appears as though it might have a limited audience, but if you can find the universal elements in a project that would appeal to the greatest number of readers OR if you can convince the team that a book might just be the first on a particular topic, then a book often gets a green light. We so appreciate agents and authors who help us make these arguments by including detailed information in their cover letters!

RVC: What are some upcoming picture book projects that you’re particularly excited about?

MM: I’m excited about ALL of them, but I’ll pick four coming out in 2024 that have been especially delightful to work on: a joyful celebration of great Black leaders called Hair Like Obama’s, Hands Like LeBron’s written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Savanna Durr; a very funny approach to social etiquette and making guests feel welcome called We’re Having a Party (for Everyone!), written and illustrated by Katie Vernon; an empowering story about a girl performing for the first time in her mother’s mariachi band called Mamiachi and Me written by mother-​son duo Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega; and a dreamy alphabet book about mindfulness called ABCs for a Peaceful Me written by Shelly Becker and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.

RVC: Hold onto your apples, folks, because it’s now time for the EXTENDED SPEED ROUND with double the fun as normal. WOWZA! Here come a whole bunch of blasty-​fasty questions followed by an equal number of zippy-​zappy answers. Are you ready, Meredith?

MM: Lay ’em on me!

RVC: Funniest word in the English language?

MM: Flibbertigibbet!

RVC: If animals could talk, which would be the most annoying?

MM: Squirrels.

RVC: Go‑to song for the car when you’re driving by yourself?

MM: Whatever’s playing on XM Radio’s Broadway station. This morning: “Consider Yourself” from Oliver!

RVC: Favorite time of day?

MM: 5:30am when the birds start chirping.

RVC: Favorite summer activity?

MM: Night swimming.

RVC: Favorite kind of tea?

MM: Harney & Sons Vanilla Comoro.

RVC: Favorite practical joke to play on houseguests?

MM: Life-​size rubber alligator in the bathtub!

RVC: Books on your nightstand right now?

MM: The Sorrows of Others by Ada Zhang, Musical Tables by Billy Collins, and my “One Line a Day” 5‑year memory journal.

RVC: What’s a book that changed your perspective on picture books?

MM: Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. I took a college seminar on children’s books at Smith and we spent a VERY long time dissecting the design and text and character arc within that single 48-​page book. Getting a guided tour of its inner workings gave me my first inkling that the picture book was an art form I wanted to dive into more deeply.

RVC: What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?

MM: Jumping from a house where I was editing books for readers of all ages to my current position in which I edit only books for 0–5 (with the occasional older outlier). It’s been a joy to focus deeply on one age group, but it definitely felt like a risky move at first.

RVC: Final question! What’s one word that best describes your editing style?

MM: Collaborative.

RVC: Thanks so much, Meredith!