We always like to end the year strong, and thanks to December’s guest author interview, we’re doing exactly that. Welcome to Only Picture Books, Adam Rex!
Now, it’s hard to imagine picture book writers and readers who don’t already know Adam’s work, but just in case some wildebeest or sentient meteor has come across this website, I’ll give some bio stuff. Because, like most folks, I have a soft spot for wildebeests and sentient meteors.
Adam is the author and illustrator of 40+ books for kids, including many OPB faves such as:
Other cool Adam-related things in no particular order:
RVC: I’m always curious about how multi-talented people think about their talents. Are you a writer who draws, a drawer who writes, or something else entirely?
AR: I’m my mind I’m a writer and illustrator—I don’t prioritize one over the other. I guess I could combine those and tell people I’m a storyteller, but I don’t think anyone would know what I meant. Personally, when I hear that job title, I picture a retired guy wearing a jester’s hat.
RVC: Let’s reframe the question then. When did you first realize you were a maker of stories? And when did that go from being something you liked doing to something you could do as a career?
AR: I think I was always an illustrator, without knowing what that really meant until I was in college. Most kids are illustrators in some sense—most of them draw, and most kids who draw tell stories with their pictures. I’d decided at the age of five that I was going to be an artist when I grew up because I’d overheard my eight-year-old brother being upset that I was a better artist than him, and that seemed as good a reason as any to keep going. But writing didn’t really start being my thing as well until late high school.
RVC: What happened then?
AR: At that age, it clicked that the comics I liked and the picture books I’d been admiring at my part-time Waldenbooks job were made by actual living people and not famous figures who had been dead for a hundred years.
My mom found a place that sold original comic book art and she bought me a couple of X‑Men pages that I could go and compare to the printed pages in comic books I actually owned. All this made an outlandish future seem more real and attainable, so I think that’s when I settled into the idea that I was going to be a part of telling stories with words and pictures, somehow.
RVC: Since we’re roughly the same age, I’m going to superimpose my own experiences onto your life and assume that you, too, were playing a lot of games like Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and maybe too many other video and tabletop games during those early years. How did playing games like those inform your future storymaking career?
AR: Definitely a lot of D&D when I was younger. I think I started playing that around age ten and kept at it off and on for about ten years. And I always seemed to be the Dungeon Master, so that must have contributed to honing whatever storytelling chops I have—both in inventing plot on the fly and also trying to make each non-player character interesting. Thing is, I was the same kind of DM as I am a writer: I never planned enough and mostly just made it up as I went along. Only difference being that I didn’t get the chance to go back and rewrite all those shabby campaigns I put my players through.
RVC: We’re going to circle back to your writing and revising process in a moment. But first, the basement-lurking, fantasy-loving, polyhedral fan in me needs to know: how did you get the gig to make art for D&D and MTG? And what was the biggest challenge you faced in making that art?
AR: In the mid-90s I started making road trips every summer to Comic-Con to show my portfolio. I was still interested in being a comics penciller back then, so I had that sort of work in there, but I also took prints of paintings I’d made. I slept in my car, freshened up in the lobby bathroom of a Sheraton that didn’t know I was doing that, and starting the second year I actually began to get calls for work.
All of those calls were from companies making games: a trading card company that was making a Marvel Comics card game, a company that made games about werewolves and faeries and vampires, and also a couple companies called TSR and Wizards of the Coast. The former published D&D at the time, and the latter made Magic: The Gathering. Eventually those two companies merged and then merged again with Hasbro, but I got in at a time when neither one of them was all that fussy about whether their products looked good or not. So, I did a lot of illustration that was just good enough, and as their standards improved, so did I, and stuff like that paid most of my bills for the next twelve or so years while I tried to get a foothold in the world of children’s books.
RVC: How intentional was that move into the kidlit world?
AR: : Oh, very. I’d decided at the age of 16 as a part-time Waldenbooks employee that I wanted to make picture books. I wanted to do a lot of things back then, but during college my focus narrowed until I began to think of everything else, even that paying work I was doing for the game companies, as mileposts that were either getting me closer to or farther away from that ultimate goal.
RVC: What was the tipping point that made it work as a career for you?
AR: A couple books in, a reputable agent asked to represent me, and at that time I think I settled into trusting there was always going to be a next thing. I settled into that because I was young and naïve, I think, because for all I know it could still vanish, even after 20 years. Tastes could change, my kind of work could fall out of favor. At which point I guess I’d teach.
AR: The processes of writing something I don’t illustrate, or illustrating something I don’t write, or doing it all, aren’t as different as you might guess. When I get an idea, I tend to just try to get a solid manuscript written. I don’t at that point start exploring the look of it, even if I am fairly sure I’m going to illustrate it myself.
AR: It was interesting—it wasn’t my first time writing a book I didn’t illustrate, but it was the first time I wrote something for a specific illustrator. I set out there to write a Laurie Keller book, and she made it even more of a Laurie Keller book by adding her signature asides and marginalia. She wrote a ton of extra material that little characters are saying off to the side, so in all fairness I should have to share my author credit on that one with her.
RVC: One of my absolute favorites of yours is Are You Scared, Darth Vader? What’s the story behind how that book came to be?
AR: Luck, really! Lucasfilm publishing was toying with the idea of a Star Wars picture book for Halloween, and the creative director there was a fan of my book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. He got in touch and asked if I’d like to pitch some ideas. So, I did, and I think Are You Scared, Darth Vader? was the strongest one I pitched.
RVC: Another fave is School’s First Day of School—such a clever idea. Now I know Christian Robinson is super talented and terrific, but why wasn’t this an “Adam writes and Adam illustrates” book from the start? I can see where many people might think that if you could cook up the peanut butter AND the chocolate, you’d just make the entire Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup yourself every time, if you know what I mean.
AR: That was my first picture book that I didn’t illustrate, and the truth is I’d been looking for a test case for that scenario for some time. I thought it would be fun to see things from the other side of the fence, and maybe get to work with some of my favorite illustrators in the process. And illustrating SFDoS was an easy job to step away from, because I didn’t think my usual style was well-suited to the manuscript anyway. From the start I was imagining it in a Christian Robinson style. Moving forward I just try to remind myself that I am not the best choice to illustrate every manuscript, so if I don’t feel some compulsion to do it myself, then maybe I should step aside. That frees me up a bit to illustrate a great manuscript from another author, if one should come along.
RVC: One last question before we wrap up this part of the interview. What’s something upcoming that you’re really excited about or want to promote?
AR: I’m not sure what my next book is going to be, but it might be one I wrote called Digestion: The Musical?! That’s being illustrated right now by Laura Park.
RVC: Sounds quite tasty, Adam. But now it’s time to unleash…THESPEEDROUND. Mwah-hah-hah! Are you scared, Adam Rex?
AR: Please stop wiggling your wingers at me.
RVC: Your biggest time waster?
AR: Twitter, no question.
RVC: If you could be “trapped” in any of your picture books for a day, which would you choose?
AR: Oh, I wouldn’t mind taking a walk in the candy-colored ancient times of my most recent, Gladys the Magic Chicken (written by Adam Rubin).
RVC: Five things we’d see if we checked out your workplace area?
AR: A big paper mâché head of my own head; signed photos of Lou Ferrigno, Noelle Neill, and the guy who played Jaws in the Bond movies; a diorama of a swamp I made for the backgrounds in Are You Scared, Darth Vader?; little sculptures of my own characters that I made to help me draw them; and probably a sleeping dog.
Adam’s workplace!
RVC: Best advice you ever received about writing picture books?
AR: Keep your receipts? I can’t think of anything.
RVC: A recent picture book that really got your attention?
We all know Judy Schachner as the author/illustrator of the terrific Skippyjon Jones series, so the expectations for her work are quite reasonably pretty high. Does this sequel to the picture book Stretchy McHandsome hit that mark? Let’s see!
At the beginning of Stretchy and Beanie, the McHandsome cat clan met the McBright human clan, so every McBright kid suddenly had the opportunity to become a pet owner. Beanie felt a deep connection with Stretchy the cat, and not just because they shared the same eye color (one green and one blue). In rhyming quatrains, readers learn how the new pair explored ways of getting along with each other. Things were “glorious.” At first.
Then Beanie “got the bright idea / to raise a perfect pet. / Even read a big best seller / on how she could, and yet…” Anyone who’s ever had a cat knows what’s coming next. You can’t make a cat do things that the cat doesn’t want to do. And Stretchy isn’t into Beanie’s silly math, music, and dance lessons. Wearing a harness? No, thank you! So, Stretchy fought back by climbing the drapes and peeing on the carpet.
Still, Beanie kept over-snuggling and kissing him! Ugh! Stretchy did his best to avoid her, but he finally had had enough. The door was left ajar, so off he fled. The point-of-view then shifts to a feline perspective, with Stretchy worrying about who’d bring him dinner, brush his fur, or listen to him purr. Those concerns are what finally get the runaway cat to come down from his hiding spot up in a tree. That, plus a fire truck and two bags of snacks.
The introduction of a first-person narrator in the final few pages was quite a surprise. Another thing in the surprising category is some of the word choices, such as “caused our lad to hiss,” where the “our lad” feels at odds with the kid-appropriate language found in much of the rest of the story (“squeezy squishes” and how Stretchy thought of birds as “little flying snacks”). The “’twas” and “Ol’ Binney” also seems overly poetic and a bit old-fashioned.
The lesson for Beanie–and readers–is to have “patience, love, and kindness” for others, feline or not. And no one likes bossy people, period. Yet Beanie doesn’t learn this lesson because when Stretchy finally comes down, she gives him a “smushy hug and kiss” which is exactly what the cat hates most. The text alleviates this concern a little by saying that she hasn’t yet learned to be gentle with pets, so one might assume she will learn it eventually, but do parents and teachers want characters to change for the better by the end of a story? Do they need clearer evidence of the positive change that so many picture books promise? One might argue that Beanie remains the same, which explains the final spread, where Stretchy is once again tearing up the curtains.
The McBrights are as diverse as the cats they embrace, and one of the children even uses a wheelchair. Those are definite positives. And the art is quite interesting throughout. It really matches the text quite well. There’s much to like in this new book.
In sum, Stretchy and Beanie is lighthearted enough to undercut much of the serious material here, and Shachner’s incredibly bendy cat images are loads of fun. Cat lovers and fans of Shachner’s other titles will likely find this book to be adorable.
4.25 out of 5 pencils
–John’s Review of the Illustrations–
There’s an interesting trend that I’ve noticed in the kidlit world over the last few years that I have very strong feelings about. For obvious reasons, I will not name names here, but I’ve noticed that there is a group of illustrators out there who try to draw the way that kids draw–or at least the way they think kids draw.
These illustrators purposefully get anatomy wrong, simplifying in a way that feels kid-like on the surface, but really isn’t because it lacks any kind of heart or soul. As a result, there is a cynical, condescending feeling to the work. Oftentimes, these illustrators are drawing well below their ability. But because they’re illustrating for kids, they feel that they have to extract any kind of sophistication and “dumb it down” for the audience. And sometimes, an illustrator lacking in observational and drawing skills hides behind this “style” to cover for the fact that they can’t draw very well.
I won’t lie to you: I hate this trend. It diminishes the entire medium. It underestimates the audience. And, more egregiously, it talks down to and belittles them. Kids are often smarter than we give them credit for.
Now, you may be asking, what does this have to do with Judy Schachner’s lovely Stretchy and Beanie? Well, after reading this book with my little boy and seeing his delighted reaction to both the rhythmic words and engaging pictures, I found myself genuinely contemplating why the illustrations in this book work so well for both a five-year-old and a forty-year-old.
I eventually came to this conclusion: Schachner’s love for the medium and the audience shines through in a way that is both accessible and enjoyable. While the illustrations don’t exactly look like a kid drew them, they embody the spirit of how a kid would illustrate a book like this. The little details coupled with swathes of bright, vibrant color reminded me of how I would draw as a kid, and the little things I would pick up on and include.
And speaking of color, this book? This book is an absolute masterclass when it comes to color. Bright oranges mixed with teals, reds, and purples… This is a book I will be referring to for years just so I can soak in the color palette.
Regarding the story, it’s interesting how Stretchy serves as a kind of mirror reflection of Beanie. With Beanie’s insistence on Stretchy being the perfect pet, it made me wonder if Beanie had someone in her life who was insisting on her being the perfect kid. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to explore that aspect more, but that is a minor criticism.
Reflected beautifully here is the way that kids tend to draw, without all of the pandering and cynicism. There is heart and soul aplenty here, and with Stretchy and Beanie, Schachner continues to prove that she is one of the best illustrators working today.
4.75 out of 5 crayons
John Herzog is an award-winning illustrator and educator.
His clients include Hasbro, Dreamworks TV, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and Highlights for Children. He also teaches illustration classes at Ringling College of Art and Design.
John is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, where he received the 2018 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for his Highlights High Five cover illustration. He lives in Florida with his wife, two kids, a pair of geckos, a bearded dragon, and a tarantula.
Since Hanukkah is observed for eight days, it makes sense to list 8 great books about this holiday, but that’s nowhere near enough. It deserves more, and there are just so many fine picture books to pick from. So, we’re doubling that number and sharing 16 instead!
Hopefully, this list is a mix of old favorites and new-to-you treats. Enjoy!
From Goodreads: “One crescent moon glows in the sky. Two headlights shine through the window.… On each magical night of Chanukah, a young boy and his sister count more lights shining all around them! Join them as they discover what it means to celebrate Chanukah in a world filled with so many other lights.”
From Goodreads: “Sweet illustrations and simple language bring the holidays to life for the youngest of children.
Candles on the menorah, ready to light! At Hanukkah, there are many much-anticipated rituals — latkes to eat, dreidels to spin, presents to give and receive, and shiny gold treats. Add some free-form fun, from shadow puppetry to singing and dancing, and you have a warm, truly child-friendly celebration.”
From Goodreads: “It’s the first night of Hanukkah, and the mouse family secretly looks on as Mr. Silman lights the first Hanukkah candle. Then they watch Rachel Silman open a gift from her family, a beautiful dollhouse with a wraparound porch and tiny lace curtains. Just the right size for us, whispers Mindy Mouse. While the Silmans are asleep, the mouse family explores the dollhouse. On each night of the holiday, they enjoy the small pieces of furniture and dishes of food that magically appear. Finally, on the eighth night of Hanukkah, a small miracle occurs, showcased nicely in Michelle Shapiro’s colorful gouache illustrations.”
From Goodreads: “Violet and Simon, two small bunnies, are excited about Hanukkah. Simon is ready to light all the candles and then blow them right out! But Mama and Papa explain how to celebrate Hanukkah by lighting one candle each night at sunset and placing the menorah in the window for all to see. Grandma and Grandpa come over, too, and there are latkes and presents and a dreidel game. Linda Glaser’s simple, cozy story is just right for children first learning about this holiday. Daniel Howarth’s charming paintings show a happy family passing on their tradition.”
From Goodreads: “From the warm glow of holiday candles in the menorah to the fun of family gatherings, little dinosaurs love to celebrate the Festival of Lights. But sometimes the excitement of Chanukah, its treasured rituals, and the tradition of gifts can tempt a youngster to misbehave.…
Come along on a joyful romp filled with tumbling dreidels and melting gelt as America’s favorite prehistoric pals spread a little mischief this season. Children will laugh out loud as dinosaurs fidget, fuss, and stomp through every occasion, while their human parents shift from shock to weary patience.
Filled with warmth and cheer, this new book by the bestselling team of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague makes a perfect gift to be read again and again, year after year. How do dinosaurs say Happy Chanukah? The same way they say Merry Christmas: With an abundance of love, joy, memory, and gratitude.”
From Goodreads: “Everyone knows that Big Larry makes the best latkes in town. This year he is throwing a Hanukkah party for all this friends, and the latkes need to be extra special. He goes on a quest to find some brand-new flavors at the farmer’s market. But peaches are a soggy mess, and turnips are a flop. Big Larry’s kitchen is a latke disaster. Good thing he has some help from his friends.”
From Goodreads: “Rescued from an animal shelter on the first night of Hanukkah, Latke has trouble learning the house rules. Despite a series of mishaps, he is one Lucky Dog!”
From Goodreads: “Imagine James Marshall’s The Stupids celebrating Hanukkah, and you’d get the Latke family!
Lucy Latke’s family is just like yours or mine. Except that they’re potato pancakes. And also, they are completely clueless. After lighting the menorah and gobbling the gelt, Grandpa Latke tells everyone the Hanukkah story, complete with mighty Mega Bees who use a giant dreidel to fight against the evil alien potatoes from Planet Chhh. It’s up to the Latke family dog to set the record straight. (To start with, they were Maccabees, not Mega Bees…) But he’ll have to get the rest of the Latkes to listen to him first!”
From Goodreads: “Kind-hearted Moishe is given a magical frying pan that will produce all the latkes you could wish for latkes by the dozen, latkes by the hundreds but only Moishe must use it. Alas, his short-tempered wife, Baila, does not heed the warning.”
From Goodreads: “It’s the night before the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah begins, and everyone is excited! Each evening, the family gathers to light the candles and share holiday traditions such as playing dreidel, eating latkes, and exchanging gifts. The seventeenth title in Natasha Wing’s bestselling series, The Night Before Hanukkah captures all the joy and love in one of the most wonderful times of the year!”
From Goodreads: “Describes the traditional celebration of Chanukah, including the lighting of candles on the menorah, the eating of latkes, and the spinning of the dreidel. On board pages.”
From Goodreads: “Shmelf is one of Santa’s most important elves. He’s part of the List Checking department, and he makes sure all the good boys and girls get their presents! But when Shmelf finds out that some children are missing from Santa’s list, he goes to investigate.
What Shmelf uncovers is Hanukkah, a wondrous and joyful holiday that Jewish families celebrate each year. As Shmelf observes a family lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and hearing the Hanukkah story, he sees how special the traditions of the holiday truly are-and he wants to be a part of it! Luckily, Santa just might have a special role in mind for Shmelf.…
The rich traditions of Hanukkah come to life in this whimsical and magical story that’s perfect for the holiday season.”
From Goodreads: “Before Simon sails to America, he promises his family that he will get a job and send for them. Simon’s mother knows he will need a miracle, so she reminds him to celebrate Hanukkah wherever he may be. Little does either of them know that Simon will spend the first night of Hanukkah on an ice floe after his ship sinks.The lone survivor out in the wide ocean, Simon lights the first candle, and it attracts a visitor: a polar bear. Does she eat him? No! She shares his latkes, enjoys his songs, goes fishing for him, and even keeps him warm at night. By the last day of Hanukkah, Simon has nearly given up hope of ever being rescued. But then he recounts all of the miracles that have befallen him so far. Perhaps it is not too much to hope for one more, he thinks, as he lights all of the candles in the menorah. The bright glow signals a passing ship, and Simon makes it to New York after all. This fanciful Hanukkah tale-like none you’ve ever read before-celebrates eight miracles: family, friendship, hope, selflessness, sharing, faith, courage, and love. A retelling of the ancient Hanukkah story is included on the last page.”
From Goodreads: “On the eve of Hanukkah, the People of Chelm have received a special gift from the Mayor of Lublin. A giant menorah in which they place in the square for all the admire. Every night, the villagers meet to watch the lighting of a candle on the menorah. And every night, the villagers ponder What is the most fitting way to thank the Mayor of Lublin?
The villagers come up with idea after idea, but their gift never quite reaches the Mayor. What will they do? Finally, on the last night of Hanukkah, Yitzi has an idea to orchestrate the surprise thank you gift.”
This month’s Industry Insider interview is with Saba Sulaiman, a literary agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services. While I could put all kinds of traditional bio things here, I’m going to instead offer part of her own terrific Twitter bio. “Eternally recovering from maternity leave. Probably hiding behind the crib, eating cake.” With an awesome Twitter bio like that, what more do you need to know?
We’ll give more anyway, because that’s what we do here at OPB.
Saba admits that when she’s not reading, she’s likely:
running after two small children,
secretly learning another language,
playing Scrabble,
watching a Bollywood movie,
or singing in the bathroom.
If you REALLY want to know the regular bio stuff, I’ll get to that in the interview itself. Speaking of that, let’s get right to it!
RVC: Rumor has it that your sister played a big role in your initial love for books.
SS: She did! She was (and remains) a big reader and there’s no way I would’ve gotten into reading at all if it weren’t for how much she influenced me (read: how obsessed I was with everything she did) when we were young. She’d probably argue that there’s very little that’s original about me, to be honest, but isn’t that true for everyone?
RVC: That sure can feel like the case from time to time! Now, from the start, you were culturally displaced. How did that affect your reading interests and your relationship to language?
SS: Until I came to the US for college, I spent my whole life being expected to know a language I didn’t know well enough, and was then ridiculed for not being fluent enough. My petulant (and understandable, in retrospect) reaction to it was to make sure my English (the only language I felt confident speaking) was better than anyone else’s, and I think reading a lot helped with that. And then, of course, because my life got so much easier in the US when language wasn’t a barrier anymore, I decided to complicate it further and start learning three more languages in college.
RVC: Wow.
SS: I know.
RVC: Were your graduate studies in Persian literature at the University of Chicago a path toward your future publishing career, or were you still thinking of other career options?
SS: You know what they say: everything in your past plays a role in how things turn out in the future. I wasn’t thinking about publishing at all when I began graduate school—in fact, I was fairly sure I’d purse a Ph.D. and a career in academia. But my experience there definitely informed the kinds of books I tend to gravitate towards, and how I think about, read, and evaluate writing.
RVC: The next step in your journey took you to Sourcebooks as an editorial intern. Their home base is in Naperville, Illinois, right? What kinds of things did they have you doing there?
SS: I was actually at one of their satellite offices in Milford, CT, where their romance imprint is run. It was an incredible experience, truly—they had me write back cover copy my first day there, if that’s any indication of how happy they were to throw me into the deep end. I read submissions and wrote reports on them, attended acquisitions meetings, maintained their various author and comp title databases, and assisted the editors there with anything they needed help with. It was a really comprehensive and wonderful introduction to publishing, and I had a blast.
RVC: What was the most valuable lesson you learned while at Sourcebooks?
SS: I think it’s a combination of a few things: that working with good people is a highly underrated and very necessary aspect of enjoying your work; that supporting and advocating for people looks very different depending on the person; and that there is actually very little reading involved in the work we do (at least during office hours, alas), but that it’s absolutely essential not to lose sight of how important it is to keep in touch with what’s being published so we can best help our authors thrive.
RVC: Let’s tackled a super-basic issue. Why is agenting the right fit for you?
SS: I get to work very closely with creative professionals and help them achieve their goals without having to take on the actual work and stress of creating art, plus I’m surrounded by people who inspire me and I get to read a lot and call it market research—what’s there not to love? I’m also a bit of a Mother Hen, and agenting allows me to channel my protective instincts in a pretty satisfying way.
RVC: You say that being an author today is an entrepreneurial enterprise. What do you mean by that?
SS: Since publishers can’t support all the authors they publish with equal amounts of fervor when it comes to marketing and publicity, authors are expected to participate as much as they can in doing outreach, finding and connecting with their audience via libraries, conferences, and social media, and making promotional material that can aid in increasing their books’ visibility and sales. It requires time, energy, and a lot of strategy development and implementation for each author to figure out what works for them, which is why it’s much more of an entrepreneurial role than it used to be, say, fifty years ago.
RVC: Do picture book authors and illustrators have to do as much of this PR work as writers for a MG, YA, or adult audience?
SS: I think the nature of the work required is different but the amount is comparable. PB writers may not have to do a lot in terms of being personally active on social media in order to connect with their audience, but they often have to focus more on the school and library market–being available for story times, both virtual and in real life at bookstores and libraries (where safety permits), presenting their books to students at schools via classroom visits, etc. All authors want their books to find more readers–the process is just different for PB writers.
RVC: I’ve heard you say that you think every author should have an agent. Care to explain that a bit more? Especially as to how it might pertain to self-published authors?
SS: Well, first of all, I will admit that I’m clearly biased since I am an agent, but I do think having someone in your corner whose entire job is to support and advocate for you, find opportunities for you to improve your craft and publish widely, review your contracts and advise you on how you manage your career overall–especially in an industry as frustratingly esoteric as publishing–is very useful. Authors can certainly manage their careers without agents, especially if they’re fairly certain they want to self-publish and continue to do so, but it requires doing a lot of research that is hard to access without the help of a professional who has had the experience working in this space, as well as having a tremendous amount of energy—energy that I think would be better served being channeled into writing their manuscripts.
Finding a good agent isn’t just a means to an end, it’s a long-term investment in your career, and a wise decision, I believe.
RVC: What was the first picture book you sold? What made you want to represent it?
SS: The first PB I sold was Muslim Girls Rise by my client Saira Mir (illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel). I fell completely in love with it because it was written so beautifully and with such clarity and an earnest desire to share these exceptional women’s voices. Also as a Muslim woman myself, I found that even I hadn’t heard of a majority of these women before I read this submission, so I knew I had to do my part to help make their inspiring stories available to read for kids all over the world.
RVC: I’ve got a copy of that one–it’s a worthy book, indeed. Now, let’s throw a bone to the writers out there. What do you want to see out of submissions? What are some must-haves and turn offs?
SS: In picture books, I’m drawn most to stories with a nuanced emotional takeaway, fun wordplay, notes of whimsy, textual economy, and memorable characters. I love smart, unexpected narratives where authors are experimenting structurally; I love funny books, both the sweet and soft kind and the wry, dry kind; I love layered storytelling with subtextual richness that can provide a launchpad for readers to start a conversation; and I love idiosyncratic narratives that take mundane processes and make them seem utterly delightful. I also represent non-fiction, and am particularly interested in creative storytelling with a STEM component, biographies of lesser-known trailblazers who have made a significant impact in their fields, stories with environmental themes, and creative nonfiction that almost feels like it could be shelved in the fiction section. I’m also always especially excited when I receive submissions from BIPOC creators, queer creators, disabled creators, immigrant creators, and creators who are writing stories of joy and celebration at the intersection of these identities.
RVC: Is there anything you don’t want to see?
SS: I don’t usually find stories that have a very heavy moral or “lesson” component very appealing.
RVC: Picture book trends. Should writers pay attention to them?
SS: Writers should absolutely pay attention to trends–knowing what kinds of stories the market is responding to at any given point is important because books aren’t published in a vacuum. Writers can (and should feel free to) choose not to respond to or write to these trends, but I do think they should know what kinds of books are selling if they’re seriously pursuing publication.
RVC: How do you describe your agenting style?
SS: Forthright, honest, encouraging, collaborative, and flexible.
RVC: One final question for this part of the interview, Saba. What’s are some picture-book projects that you’d like to brag about?
SS: Ooh yes, thank you for the opportunity! This year a picture book very dear to my heart called Laxmi’s Mooch by my client Shelly Anand (and illustrated by Nabi H. Ali) was published–it’s a really sweet, joyful story that celebrates body hair and inspires kids to be confident about who they are—it was featured on the Today Show which was really thrilling!
RVC: Alrighty. It’s now time to double the points, double the speed, and double the overall goodness. Welcome to…THELIGHTNINGROUND! Are you ready?
SS: Go for it!
RVC: Biggest time waster?
SS: Someone sent me a few funny Instagram Reels and I made the mistake of going back to browse for more–don’t get sucked in, it’s a trap!!! Even more so than TikTok, I think, because of how much shorter the videos are and how easy it can be to tell yourself you’ll only watch one more…
RVC: If we overheard you singing in the shower (we get it—the acoustics are great!), you’d be belting out…
SS: It varies a lot depending on my mood but “I Want More” from The Little Mermaid is definitely a repeat offender and has been since I was a kid–both my mom and my husband can definitely attest to that.
RVC: A favorite autocorrect misadventure?
SS: I once praised a client for how fantastic and transportive their decryptions are. That was fun!
RVC: A recent picture book that really impressed you?
SS: Ooh, there are so many but I’ll name the most recent one–it’s a picture book biography coming out in January 2022 from HarperCollins called When the Schools Shut Down by Yolanda Gladden and Dr. Tamara Pizzoli, and illustrated by Keisha Morris. It’s got such beautiful, contemplative, rich, nuanced, and rousing storytelling, such gorgeous, warm illustrations, and it’s such an expansive story told with intimate, emotionally exacting detailing–I just love it. Both the author and illustrator really managed to convey a sense of Yolanda Gladden’s soul, her family, and her nurturing community, which is so difficult to do with a PB biography.
RVC: Three must-haves in a picture book manuscript?
SS: Voice, kid-appeal, and a sense of sincerity.
RVC: Best moment in your agenting career (so far)?
SS: Probably the day I found out one of my clients got longlisted for the National Book Award–I was actually in the middle of what’s been one of my best runs to date, so it was a great personal moment as well!
RVC: Thanks for joining us here at OPB, Saba. Best of luck with everything!
Book description from Goodreads: “Celebrating a birthday is always a happy occasion but never more so in this desert community then when it’s a centenary for a grand Saguaro cactus! For one hundred years, the majestic cactus has anchored this vibrant neighborhood, providing food, shelter, and shade to the local wildlife inhabitants. In beautiful rhyming text, the creatures that depend on Saguaro’s gifts come to pay homage, including the tiny bat that sips nectar from the plant’s flower, the finches looking for a place to build their nest, and the grateful tortoise that enjoys its fruit. Magnificent artwork brings the desert landscape and creatures to life, showing the interdependence between plants and animals. Readers young and old will appreciate this timely message of how essential even an old cactus is to our environment and the world we all share. Back matter includes information on the interdependence of the desert community.”
Educational Activities inspired by Kurt Cyrus’ Saguaro’s Gifts:
Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover:
Where and when do you think this story takes place?
What does the word “saguaro” mean to you?
What type of wildlife do you see?
What is your eye most drawn to?
What else do you notice about the cover?
After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story:
What is so special about this particular birthday for the saguaro cactus?
Many creatures rely on the saguaro for food, shelter, or shade. Which creature were you most surprised to see?
The saguaro needs those creatures, too. Why?
How did you react when the bobcat appeared?
What was your favorite moment in the book? Why?
What was your favorite picture in the book? Why?
Nonfiction picture books often teach readers something since they’re based in facts. What’s the most surprising thing you learned?
Drawing–As you’ve seen in the pages of Saguaro’s Gifts, the desert is an amazing place. Watch the following videos that show how to draw a desert step by step. Use whatever crayons, colored pencils, or paints you want. Consider sharing your art with friends or family members.
Writing–This story is told from the point of view of all the creatures that value the saguaro. Write a new version of this story from the saguaro’s point of view. What does the saguaro think, feel, say, or do? Consider sharing your version with family members or friends.
Crafting–The desert is a beautiful place. Let’s make some beautiful things ourselves with these fun crafts:
Photo taken mere moments after being tossed from a horse in the Canadian Rockies when the horses were spooked by a grizzly!
This month’s Author Interview is with the amazing Helaine Becker! Welcome, Helaine!
Helaine is the author of 90+ books for kids, and she’s written for children’s magazines and children’s television, including four seasons of Dr. Greenie’s Mad Lab. She attended high school in New York and graduated cum laude from Duke University “in another century,” she notes with a laugh. She’s married, has two sons, and is an active swimmer, artist, miniaturist, and compulsive read-aholic.
Some fun facts about Helaine:
“I have an orange belt in karate and am contemplating going for my grapefruit belt!”
She once won an owner/dog look-alike contest.
Her book Ode to Underwear was set to music by the popular Canadian band, The Irish Descendants, and played nationally on CBC radio.
She’s a certified pyrotechnics practitioner, so expect KABOOMs when she’s around.
She’s building sets for stop-motion animation–just for fun.
Helaine frequently volunteers her brain for research…as a study ‘control.’ (“That means my brain is the normal brain they are using for comparison in scientific studies. Now THAT’s funny!”)
And here’s Helaine’s eyeball, because she says “who ever includes pictures of their eyeballs?” Helaine does. That’s who!
Now that we have a pretty good basis for a literary friendship with Helaine, let’s get to that interview!
RVC: You’re living in Canada, right? I’ll resist using my terrible French during this interview since you probably speak it far, far better than I do.
HB: No, probably not. Toronto is an Anglo city. If anything, you’d be more likely to speak Mandarin or Italian here. There’s a half a million Italians and probably close to that of Mandarin speakers. We have about 87 different languages spoken in the public school system.
RVC: Wow, that’s a lot. But just to be clear, you have both American and Canadian citizenship?
HB: That’s right.
RVC: But you’re from The Big Apple originally.
HB: I am from New York. When I go back there, I always think,“This is so provincial, this town.” They’re so in their own navels, like God, they don’t know anything about anything. And I would have never expected that growing up when I thought New York was the center of the universe, the be all and end all.
BTW, I ADORE New York. Especially the pizza.
RVC: When did you move to Toronto?
HB: I moved here in 1985 because I’d met my husband in university, when we were both going to school in England, and he’s Canadian. So, when we all finished school, and it’s like, he could come to New York, or I could come here and at that time, you couldn’t get any job in New York as a foreigner because it was one of those you-need-a-green-card deals, but you couldn’t get a green card. So I just said, “Well, I like adventure.”
RVCF: When did you first know you were a writer?
HB: I was five. I knew it from the moment I first learned to read–it was such a big deal. I just loved it so much that I didn’t want it to end. I’d read Sam the Firefly, so I wrote my own Sam and the Ant. It wasn’t any good since I was five, but early on, that connection between reading and writing was there. I thought, well, real people write books, and I am a real people, so why shouldn’t I write a book? It never occurred to me that they were some kind of magic–I knew somebody had to write it.
In school I was always that kid who was making up stories and reading. The bookworm who wasn’t doing my math homework because I was too busy reading. But then I quit. I gave it up because at that point, I thought you have to be magic. That was a big mistake.
RVC: How did you find your way back to writing kidlit?
HB: I went to school, I had a career, whatever. But at one point, I just sort of said, “Well, I still want to be a writer.” And I was like 100 years old already. And I realized that I made a mistake by quitting in my teen years, so I decided to give it a go.
Now at that point, I had been writing curriculum in science and math, teaching materials for education, producers, curriculum and supplemental materials. I was a good writer. I come from a copywriting background, too, so in terms of publishing, I wrote the outside of the books. It was like, “Okay, I want to write the insides of a book now.”
It took about four years to have my first trade book published–that was in 2000. It was a book of poetry that never really got out of the gate. The company that published it–a major Canadian publisher–went bust. Like the following week. My book never made it out of the warehouse.
It took another four years before my next book was published, after that, it was smooth sailing. And it’s been 90 books since then.
RVC: Why write kidlit versus the educational and curriculum books?
HB: I’m childish, or childlike, as the case may be. So, I don’t actually write for children–I write things I like. Inside my head, I’m still an 11 year old. I really like all the things I’m doing. Building miniatures. Drawing. Making art. I was doing all that when I was 11, and now I get to do it again. So, I write what I’m interested in, and what I think is funny, and kids are interested in it and think it’s funny, too.
RVC: Humor is hard to get right in picture books. How do you handle incorporating humor?
HB: I was talking with kids at a school, and I challenged them. I said, “I bet I can make you laugh with one word.” They didn’t believe it. I said, “Underwear!” and they fell over, laughing. And they kept laughing every time I said it, as many times as I wanted to. I realized that if I read a poem with the word “underwear” in it, I am guaranteed a laugh. So, I sat down and I wrote the poem that became Ode to Underwear.
RVC: To be fair, “underwear” is a pretty funny word. But how else do you make the humor-magic happen?
HB: I really like wordplay. The subject has to be funny, though the words, too, have to be fun and funny to say and hear. Certain words have funny sounds to them, like words with the letter K in them tend to be funnier than words that don’t have the letter K. As an example, which is funnier: “pail” or “bucket”?
Come on, it’s “bucket,” right? And then it’s a matter of doing the kinds of rhymes to make it fun.
But I also think life is funny. I mean, if there’s a world with teenagers in it, then the world is funny, because teenagers are just funny people, right?
RVC: As someone with two teen daughters, I full-heartedly agree. Teens are funny people.
HB: My book That’s No Dino!: Or Is it? What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur is a nonfiction picture book about dinosaur taxonomy. But you can make dinosaur taxonomy funny through the art, like with a creature character that has huge bulging eyes on stalks, right? It’s funny, but the book still gives you the information.
With this book, we couldn’t quite figure out how to do it. We came up with these funny checklists at the beginning that described how she didn’t fit in with the prevailing things. For example, it says, “Girls were supposed to play the piano if their families were fancy.” And the book then says that Emmy was a lousy piano player. It’s fun.
RVC: Fun stuff indeed! Now, what do you think in the state of kid literature right now?
HB: We’re in a golden era. I think the books that we’re producing are better than ever. Picture books–they’re an art form, right? We know that they’re an art form. They’re not just books for kids who aren’t old enough to read words yet. I always think a picture book is like an opera on the page. Because it’s got set design, it’s got costumes, characters. It’s got music and the language. You’ve got everything in its story. The sophistication level is so high, because everything has progressed in history.
Take a classic picture book like Curious George. I grew up reading about George–I love that little monkey. But now you look at it and it just doesn’t have the sophistication or the depth you find in what’s coming out now on a daily basis. I feel very lucky to be part of this. And especially in Canada, where we have this wonderful collegial relationship with a lot of editors and other writers who are so fabulous. You really feel like you’re in the middle of something magnificent.
RVC: Let’s talk about one of your most successful books, Counting on Katherine. What’s the story of how that book happened?
HB: I’ve been a raging feminist since I was nine. And it really bugs me that 50 years has gone by, and things really haven’t changed that much.
I have two sons, and I raised them as a feminist does by saying, “Girls are smarter than boys!” into their little cribs. So they know girls are smarter than boys. That’s all fine.
My older son was working as a research assistant with me on a project I was writing a book for National Geographic–it was on space. One of the pages needed to list space pioneers. I said,” Okay, Michael, go find me some space pioneers, and you know what to get, right?” He said, “Yeah, yeah, no dead white guys.” I told him, “It’s not NO dead white guys, just not ALL dead white guys. Give me something else.”
He came back and said, “Mom, I found somebody new. You’re going to love her.” It was Katherine Johnson.
RVC: Way to go, son!
HB: Now at this point, Katherine Johnson was basically unheard of. Hidden Figures didn’t exist yet. In fact, when I got interested in Katherine Johnson, it was almost the same time that Margot Lee Shetterly was working on it.
I’d already been working on a book about Patsy Takemoto Mink, who was one of the architects of Title Nine, which is what An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America was about. I couldn’t get any traction with it because people didn’t think that she was really discriminated against or did anything so great because she was Asian American, and a woman, and it was women’s rights.
But Katherine Johnson? I thought, “Oh, she’s got the whole package–tick, tick, tick.” I KNEW I could sell this. I had to get in touch with her, which wasn’t easy. She was 96 at the time, and not a lot of 96-year-old people have Twitter. It was quite a deep dive into the bowels of the Internet and phone records and history to see if I could come up with some kind of address to send a snail-mail letter to. I found something and sent it. About a month later, I got a letter back from Katherine Johnson’s daughter saying,” I got your letter. Mom would be happy if you wrote a book about her–especially for children–because she was a teacher. And we checked you out and my grandson has some of your books on our shelves, so we know you’re okay.” I passed the test!
RVC: You sure did. How did it go from there?
HB: It was a wonderful experience. I met the whole family. I did finally interview Katherine by telephone because her daughters didn’t want anybody going to see her without them being there. But we did the interview, and that’s sort of how it happened. Because my son knew a good idea when he saw one.
HB: Yeah. But don’t you wonder why we never heard of her? Like, how ridiculous is that? Even in Guongzhou– which is where she was from–they don’t know who she is. But they know her husband, who didn’t do as well as she did. And they know her stepson/lover, who also didn’t do as well as she did.
She’d been erased from history. Until now.
RVC: They all need to read your book. Isn’t that what we’re saying here?
HB: Well, that’s why you write something–because it grabs you. You say, “I love this story. I need this story to be told. And if no one else is going to tell it, I’m going to tell it.”
RVC: How do you go from the idea of a nonfiction book to the words on the page? You’ve always got way too much material, don’t you? How do you chip away at it to get it down to size?
HB: Research is the important thing. When I’m in a classroom, I always say to kids, “You know that you have to write a rough copy first, right?” You have to do all your book research first, and then spit it out on the page and see what’s there. And you know how we call it “word vomit”? Because it’s always a hot mess, right? Then we go back through and figure out the highlights.
First of all, it’s knowing what’s interesting and what isn’t. This is mostly innate, I think. Some people love the research, and they love the fact that you read the book and you can see that they put everything they researched in, including the part about how they ate the live crickets. That’s really interesting! The part about how they went to such and such a school and did this and did that? Not so interesting! You’ve got to pick out the highlights. (Hint: Crickets! Always go with the crickets!)
Then you have to put it together into a story. Even a book like That’s No Dino!. It’s nonfiction. It’s facts! You still have to see it, though, in terms of a story. There needs to be some kind of arc–there needs to be some way to keep turning the page. Why are you going to turn it? What’s pulling you along through the story? And then there’s the editing–the honing, honing, honing. To me, that’s the essence, and it’s work. Nobody wants to do it.
Kids are always like, “I want to write the rough copy and it’s good.” Well, it isn’t. And the difference between the kid that gets an A–or the published author–and everyone else is that they don’t stop at the first draft and say it’s good enough. They keep at it and keep working and keep working until they’ve really honed it.
RVC: Good enough isn’t good enough.
HB: Exactly. And then you give the manuscript to someone and they say, “Hmmm, I didn’t really get this.” Now, I don’t know if you’re like me, but that’s when my ego always comes in. My automatic reaction to a critique is: “You’re an idiot.” That’s ego.
Then I realize that even if that other person were an idiot–and they’re not because they’re your friend or colleague or editor or whatever–as a writer, it’s your job to clearly communicate what you’re trying to get across. So you go back and ask, “What wasn’t clear?” and you then make it clear such that everybody who picks up your book is going to follow it.
RVC: Let’s stick with this idea of problems in story drafts. You’re often a judge for kidlit contests, which means you read a ton of manuscripts. What are three of the common issues you see?
HB: The number one mistake that most people make when they’re beginning is they forget that a picture book is primarily a story. A story means having:
a beginning,
a middle,
and an end.
And there are a lot of books that you see that are merely concepts. Like, I have an idea about the baboon that climbed on the roof of the school and was banging on the ceiling. Okay, well, that’s not a story. That’s an idea. You have to make a beginning and a middle and an end to turn it into a story. People miss that basic step. That’s the first part.
The second is that they underestimate the audience. They think because it’s for young children, you have to use very simplistic ideas. But they’re young, not stupid, right? They’re just like us, only younger. I always say that with my nonfiction, I don’t simplify it, I clarify it. It’s different. You know, it’s very complex stuff that you have to figure out how to explain. You can use big words, but you have to know how to use them. Don’t underestimate the audience.
And the third is that the main character for most picture books is usually a small child, or a small animal stand-in for a child. A lot of what I see from amateurs is what we call the Grandma Book, where, you know, grandma loves to golf, right? So, Grandma wrote a book about herself. She thinks it’s good because her granddaughter loves to read it with her, but that’s because she’s sitting on your lap, and then you go have cookies, right? It’s not because the story’s great. So, the ability to get into the head of the child and write from their point of view–FOR their point of view–that’s important.
RVC: Gotcha. Thanks for that!
HB: That’s three things. Do you want one more?
RVC. At OPB, we always underpromise and overdeliver, so yes, please! Bonus time!
HJB: The page turn.
If someone buys your books, maybe they’re spending $20 on it. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s more money than zero. Compared to, say, your Netflix subscription, it can feel like a big investment. That means people want to know that they can read the book more than once. Clearly, for that $20 to be a good deal, you have to be able to read this book again and again and again. So, how are you going to hook that reader to read the book again, and again, and again? It can’t be just one joke.
With every spread and every page turn, you have to build suspense for somebody to want to turn the page and not get bored. So those are the things that I think are what I look for, in a manuscript.
RVC: How do you define success with a project or a book of yours or a manuscript?
HB: Success is an elusive thing because I think it’s different for everybody. Our society says the way a book is considered to be a success is if you sell a million copies or it’s a New York Times bestseller or they turn into a movie or you have your own stuffie–that’s as good as it gets. For me, it’s a business and I want to make money at it. I will never say, “I will do this for free!” because if you’re doing it for free, you’re not doing it well enough. Somebody is making money from your book, so you should be making money, too.
At this stage in my career–I’m like 125 years old now–I consider success to be the fact that I can actually make a living as a writer. I can keep doing it and I get to work with great people and write books that interest and appeal to me. So, yes, money is part of it. But it doesn’t have to be for everyone. If you’ve written your magnum opus and you self published it and you’re proud of it, that’s great!
RVC: You have a lot of standard talks and presentations that you regularly give. I’m going to prompt you to talk about one of those with these four words. Here goes. “No one buys poetry.”
HB: Most writers aren’t business people. We’re just not. It’s a different of part of the brain. But if you’re going to do this as a career, you need to know how to do business and what the market is. You need to choose a project that you can actually sell.
That doesn’t mean that poetry isn’t wonderful. My first book was a collection of poetry. But project selection is really important. And the problem with poetry is that you can’t translate it, or at least it’s very difficult to translate. For smaller publishers, translation rights are a huge part of their market. If you write a book of poetry, you’re cutting off any potential for them to make a lot more money that way. If you want to sell a book, maybe pick an area that has got more legs, right? Know what’s going to be able to be an easier sell, not necessarily a better book.
RVC: Rhyming books have the same problem.
HB: And it’s a shame because, of course, we all love rhyming books. A lot of my early stuff was rhyming and wordplay. Almost none of my later stuff is, though. It’s not that I like it any less. I just like to eat more.
RVC: What’s been your experience with literary agents?
HB: For most of my career, I didn’t have an agent. I sold most virtually all of my books on my own.
RVC: Wow. After all that success, what made you change and go get an agent? What was the tipping point?
HB: Someone recommended an agent to me, and it turned out to be a good fit. This was right around the time I was pitching Counting on Katherine and I’d already been talking with Christy Ottaviano, and then the agent came in. I’m really glad that I hooked up with her because she was a huge help with the contract.
RVC: We’re big fans of Christy–we did an interview with here right here at OPB. Now that we’ve bragged about that Christy O. interview, it’s your term to brag. What new projects of yours are you really excited about?
HB: Ones that are brand spanking new! Like The Fabulous Tale of Fish & Chips, which just came out in October. It tells the somewhat fanciful–but based on facts–histories of the very first fish and chip restaurant that was in London in the East End.
A Jewish guy came up with the idea of fish and chips. The fried fish in fish and chips is an ancient Spanish, Jewish recipe that Jews cooked in Spain on Fridays the day before the Sabbath when you weren’t supposed to cook on the Sabbath. You could eat it cold the night on the Sabbath without it tasting greasy. So, anything that’s breaded and fried started from there.
Then in 1492, because of Queen Isabella–ocean, Inquisition, all of that–all these Spanish Jews left Spain, they traveled all over the world, bringing this traditional recipe with them. Hence, you have fish and chips in England, you have fritto misto in Italy, and my favorite of all, brought by the Portuguese to Japan, tempura. They all originate from that–that was the origin of that story. The book also has my own family recipe for fried fish in it.
RVC: Congrats on that–it sounds delicious! Now, just one last question for this first part of the interview. What’s the question that no one’s ever asked you in an interview that you’ve been dying for someone to ask you?
HB: How did you manage to stay so good looking even though you’re 125 years old?
RVC: What’s the answer to that?
HB: Good genes and a youthful spirit.
RVC: Here we go, Helaine. It’s time for the SPEEDROUND!! The point values are exponentially higher, and we’re going double-time now. Are you ready?
HB: Yes!
RVC: If you had a literary mascot, what would it be?
Drawing of Helaine by Kevin Sylvester
HB: The puffin. I have a book coming out in 2023 that’s called Puffin versus Penguin, which I’m writing with Kevin Sylvester–it’s a graphic novel for younger people.
I really like puffins. And I just don’t understand why penguins get more love than puffins because puffins are better.
RVC: An underappreciated book of yours?
HB: Certainly Pirate Queen is one. It got good reviews but it came out right at the beginning of COVID. I think it’s one of my best books–the writing is lyrical and very different.
RVC: Favorite Canadian expression.
HB: “Maple Leafs suck!”
RVC: If you were going to go mini golfing as you do with four people from the picture book world who would you take?
HB: I would take my best buddies, which is my critique group. So, that’d be Frieda Wishinsky, Deborah Kerbel, Karen Krossing, and Mahtab Narsimhan, and we’d probably just throw the balls at each other then go out for drinks.
RVC: Biggest missed opportunity as a writer.
HB: What it’s like to write The Golden Compass. I missed that opportunity. Someone else got there first.
RVC: Best nonfiction picture book you read this year.
RVC: Best thing a child reader has ever said about one of your books.
HB: I have two.
Kid: Did you write this book? [pointing at The Haunted House book]
Me: Yes.
Kid: My little sister learned how to read using that book.
The only thing better than that would be having a school named after me.
And the other one was this–I’ve written a series of books for kids on dealing with stress. And they’re sort of light, but you know, they’ve got real tips in it. And one day, a kid said to me, “That book really helped me.”
RVC: Thanks for this interview, Helaine. It’s been terrific getting to know you and your work better. And the next time I’m up in Toronto, let’s go hit up a really good espresso place!
We always like to end the year strong, and thanks to December’s guest author interview, we’re doing exactly that. Welcome to Only Picture Books, Adam Rex!
He’s worked with Neil Gaiman
AR: Definitely a lot of D&D when I was younger. I think I started playing that around age ten and kept at it off and on for about ten years. And I always seemed to be the Dungeon Master, so that must have contributed to honing whatever storytelling chops I have—both in inventing plot on the fly and also trying to make each non-player character interesting. Thing is, I was the same kind of DM as I am a writer: I never planned enough and mostly just made it up as I went along. Only difference being that I didn’t get the chance to go back and rewrite all those shabby campaigns I put my players through.
RVC: We’ve interviewed Laurie Keller at OPB and found her—and Arnie!—to be delightful. What was your experience of working with her on Pluto Gets the Call?
AR: Luck, really! Lucasfilm publishing was toying with the idea of a Star Wars picture book for Halloween, and the creative director there was a fan of my book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. He got in touch and asked if I’d like to pitch some ideas. So, I did, and I think Are You Scared, Darth Vader? was the strongest one I pitched.
AR: That was my first picture book that I didn’t illustrate, and the truth is I’d been looking for a test case for that scenario for some time. I thought it would be fun to see things from the other side of the fence, and maybe get to work with some of my favorite illustrators in the process. And illustrating SFDoS was an easy job to step away from, because I didn’t think my usual style was well-suited to the manuscript anyway. From the start I was imagining it in a Christian Robinson style. Moving forward I just try to remind myself that I am not the best choice to illustrate every manuscript, so if I don’t feel some compulsion to do it myself, then maybe I should step aside. That frees me up a bit to illustrate a great manuscript from another author, if one should come along.
AR: Oh, I wouldn’t mind taking a walk in the candy-colored ancient times of my most recent, Gladys the Magic Chicken (written by Adam Rubin).
AR: How to Walk an Ant by Cindy Derby.
This month’s Industry Insider interview is with Saba Sulaiman, a literary agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services. While I could put all kinds of traditional bio things here, I’m going to instead offer part of her own terrific Twitter bio. “Eternally recovering from maternity leave. Probably hiding behind the crib, eating cake.” With an awesome Twitter bio like that, what more do you need to know?
