First up is Teddy Bear, which was released in the US in 2010. It’s based on the well-known children’s song “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around”, and stars an adorable stuffed bear who only has one wish, to be loved by a child. Will his wish come true? The beautiful cover art caught my eye right away. And of course, the book is filled with illustrator Lulu Yang’s wonderful, whimsical illustrations, which were created by scanning fabric and layering images in Photoshop. They are quite unique. Young kids will have a lot of fun looking at the book, listening to the story on CD, and then singing the teddy bear song.

Next, we have Sky Food, which was released in the US just this year (2013). It’s adapted from a Native American folktale called Why Clouds Are In The Sky. Sky Food is a story about when the world was new, and people did not have to work in order to get food. The Creator placed all the food in the clouds, which were very close to the earth, and the people only had to reach up and take what they needed. Over time, however, people began to waste their food, and this made the Creator angry. He moved the clouds far out of their reach. What will the people do now to get food? Will they learn not to waste? This book offers bright, colorful illustrations by artist Chung Yi-Ru, done in acrylic and colored pencil. I like the sweet, childlike cast of characters, from various ethnic backgrounds, that are featured throughout the book. Young children will love “creating” sky food using only their imaginations, with a little help from this fun book and CD. One warning though, looking at this book might make you hungry.   

If you would like more information about Mike Lockett and his books, please check out his Web site at http://www.mikelockett.com/. He has several bilingual story books, as well as audio CDs available.

I have fallen madly in love with your soft, little duckling and his gorgeous feline friend from your book Hey, Duck! I’m excited to have this chance to get to know more about you and your work through this interview, and to share your answers with my blog fans.

1. How did you get your start in children’s books? And which do you prefer, writing or illustrating?

CB. Thank you so much for inviting me! I’m honored and delighted to appear on this wonderful blog devoted to picture books.

My path to children’s books was roundabout. I’ve always loved both drawing and writing, and some of my best childhood memories are of illustrating my own stories. But as a misguided young adult, I thought I had to choose between writing and the visual arts. I made many false starts in either direction. At some point, my sister, Kirsten, and I spoke casually of collaborating on a book about one of her childhood experiences. We eventually revisited the idea, she wrote a terrific story called THE YELLOW TUTU, and I set about trying to illustrate it. I had much to learn, so I started poring over heaps of picture books to see what worked. I read Martin Salisbury’s Illustrating Children’s Books, which taught me how to put together a picture book dummy. The more I worked at it, the more I fell in love with the challenge of telling a story through pictures as well as words. We published THE YELLOW TUTU with Random House in 2009. By then, I was hooked on the picture book genre, and my own stories flowed naturally from learning about narrative art. One of the many things I love about this field: it turns out I don’t have to choose between writing and illustrating!

2. Your characters are so full of life. I feel as if they could jump right off the page. What medium did you use to create your illustrations for Hey, Duck?

CB. Thank you! I’m so happy to hear you find my characters full of life. I drew the illustrations for HEY, DUCK on my computer, with a digital tablet. The tablet comes with a mouse shaped like a pen, which I use to draw (paint) colors, shapes, textures and tones as I would with a traditional brush or pen. But Photoshop allows me more flexibility than paint and paper would for moving parts around, layering and reworking if need be.

3. What is your workspace like?

CB. My workspace is an unprepossessing corner of my living/dining room. (And by “corner” I mean a third of the space; this is a Brooklyn apartment, after all!) I have my computer desk next to a folding table with a drawing board on top, and lots of jars filled with brushes and pencils. Lately, I’ve dragged my old easel into the living room, where I’ve been playing around with bigger drawings. I still love all kinds of traditional media, and the visceral feel of working big.

4. What picture book authors and illustrators do you most admire? Do you have any favorite picture books?

CB. Oh, dear. I have so many favorite authors, illustrators and picture books, I can’t keep track. A few of the books that make me sit back and say, “perfect”: THE SNOWY DAY, by Ezra Jack Keats; SNOW, by Uri Shulevitz; TEN LITTLE FINGERS AND TEN LITTLE TOES, by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. I adore the Mole Sisters books by Roslyn Schwartz. I often find a special beauty in books that skew very young, and I love anything that makes me laugh. But my tastes range anywhere from James Marshall to Dr. Seuss to Kadir Nelson to Gennady Spirin. There’s an endless variety of riches in picture books, all indispensable.

5. What other books have you written or illustrated, and are you working on any new projects?

CB. I’m pleased to say there are new books with Duck and Cat on the horizon.

6. Where can people go to learn more about you and your books?

CB. I have a website: http://carinbramsen.com/home.html

I also have a blog: http://carindraw.blogspot.com/

And I’m on Twitter: @carinbramsen

7. Is there anything else you’d like to share with Frog on a Blog fans?

CB. Often, a good picture book experience owes much to a talented art director. I’m indebted to Tracy Tyler, the Random House art director who has brought so much knowledge, dedication and inspired insight to both of my book projects to date. Picture books are always a team effort.

 The ALSC chose five honor books this year! Among them is Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown (Simon & Schuster, 2012). This fun picture book is cleverly illustrated with just enough color to set an eerie mood. If picture books were horror movies, this one would be rated G. It’s just so much fun; I read it three or four times. Jasper Rabbit has this terrible feeling that carrots are following him. Is it his imagination? Or have the creepy carrots devised a plan to keep Jasper out of the carrot patch?

 Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen (Balzer+Bray, 2012) is my favorite of the picks this year. The story includes everything from a magic box of colorful yarn, to an evil archduke, to a sweet, young heroine who cares very much for her town. I like how the town gets more and more colorful as the story goes along. But the best part is the quiet, unassuming, and peaceful ending.

 This honor book simply titled Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is beautifully illustrated in different shades of green, one of my favorite colors. It sports minimal text and peek-a-boo cut outs on several of the pages, which tie one page cleverly to the next. As you may guess, all of the illustrations depict the great outdoors and the natural beauty of the world, and showcase trees, flowers, animals, vegetables, and more.

 One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by David Small (Dial Books, 2012) stars a polite, young boy named Elliot who decides he wants a penguin. I like Elliot; he has a lot of character. I like the combination of color and black and white for the multimedia illustrations. My favorite picture shows Elliot and the penguin skating in his room. This is a fun story that will make you laugh. And the twist at the end is the best!

 Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2012) is a dreamy, bedtime story with muted colors that fill up the pages. The paintings are a mix of fantasy and reality and, along with the solid text, tell the story of a young girl who doesn’t want to go to sleep. I just love the pictures of the dog asleep on the couch; just gorgeous!

Title: The Princess and the Peas

Author: Caryl Hart

Illustrator: Sarah Warburton

Publisher/Date: Nosy Crow/2013

I absolutely love this clever, rhyming story about a little girl named Lily-Rose May who won’t eat peas. Maybe she’s allergic to peas. Maybe she’s a princess. Everyone knows princesses don’t eat peas. This book is beautifully illustrated with lots of detail and bright colors, including an eye-catching cover. The verse is flawless and flows along nicely. The story made me smile for a couple of reasons. First, it’s just so fun. And second, it reminds me just a little bit of myself when I was a child. I hated peas (still do) and refused to eat them. In fact, I disliked them so much that I used to put them down the heating vent in the dining room after everyone else had left the table. My mother didn’t find out until years later. I was a very picky eater. The picky eater in your household will enjoy this story and so will you.

First of all, congratulations on the publication of your first picture book Baby Penguins Everywhere! It’s a wonderful book and I hope we see more from you in the near future. 

1. Have you always enjoyed writing and drawing? And when did you decide that you’d like to be published?

MG. Yes, making books is probably my oldest dream. I wanted to be a gymnast for a while, after watching Nadia Comaneci at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. One out of two isn’t bad.

2. What’s the first thing you did when you got the news that your manuscript was accepted for publication? How did you get the news?

MG. I was actually hired without a manuscript! My future editor saw my artwork and emailed (via my agent) to say he wanted to give me a multi-book deal. I went into our first meeting fairly dubious, but it turned out he meant it. When I got home, there was an email in my inbox from the editor about how we might go about developing a story, and we were off.

When I got that email, I think I did all the obvious things like jumping around. I called my mom. I had champagne with friends that night to celebrate. The next day I told different friends and we also had champagne. I dragged it out.

3. How long did it take from acceptance to finished, shelf-ready book?

MG. People keep asking this and I keep guessing. I’m going to actually look it up right now… Start to finish, it took 2 1/2 years. That’s slightly misleading because, again, there was no manuscript. We made a handshake deal to do a penguin book in late 2009. I had a contract by the summer of 2010, and that’s about when I had my first dummy done. I turned in the final art in January 2012 and saw a finished copy in August 2012.

That’s a really long time. My second and third books will get done much faster, at least according to my contract.

4. How excited were you when you saw your finished book for the first time?

MG. I’m excited every single time I see it. I don’t know if that ever wears off.

5. How did you come up with the idea for Baby Penguins Everywhere?

MG. When I met my editor, I was a new mom and a first-time illustrator. My life was full of chaos. My editor suggested the premise of the lone penguin who finds a magic hat overflowing with babies. It felt applicable to every area of my life.

6. You also illustrated your book. What materials did you use to create the illustrations? Are they your favorite media to work with when creating art?

MG. I used pencil and watercolor. I thought about doing something experimental, but I already had plenty of challenges to deal with. Anyway, I really like watercolor. I love that it has a mind of its own.

7. Where can your fans go to learn more about you?

MG. I have a website, www.melissaguion.com. Readers can subscribe to my blog there. I try to update it a few times a month. I’m also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BabyPenguinsEverywhere) and Twitter (@MelissaGuion).

8. Is there anything else you’d like to share with Frog on a Blog readers?

MG. If they’re ever in NYC, they need to go to Russ and Daughter, on Houston Street, for smoked salmon and horseradish cream cheese on a bagel. It’s the best! Penguins like it, too.

Title: The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever

Author: Brenda Ferber

Illustrator: Tedd Arnold

Publisher/Date: Dial Books for Young Readers/2012

Valentine’s Day is next week and I have the perfect book for the occasion. Kids will fall in love with The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever by Brenda Ferber. When Leon makes a Valentine to tell Zoey he likes her, the little heart-shaped card decides to make a break for it. He thinks love is yucky. He likes candy much better than love. So, the chase is on, down the street, past the boys, and the girls, and the teenagers until… Well, I won’t tell you the ending, but maybe, just maybe the Valentine will change his mind about love. This lively and hilarious picture book (with illustrations to match) reminds me of the story of the runaway gingerbread man who would chant as he ran, “Run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Well, we all know what happened to him. Thankfully, the Valentine got “caught” by something much less dangerous. Read the book to find out what.

Title: Oh! What a Surprise!

Author/Illustrator: Suzanne Bloom

Publisher/Date: Boyds Mills Press/2012

Suzanne Bloom does it again with another beautiful picture book. Perfect for this festive time of year, Oh! What a Surprise! features familiar friends in the gift-giving spirit. I absolutely love everything about this book. From the glowing illustrations to the fun characters (especially the sweet, little fox) to the picture-perfect text and satisfying ending, Suzanne Bloom proves she is a master storyteller. A copy of this one is going in my personal collection. I encourage everyone to check out this book and while you’re at it, look for more of Ms. Bloom’s wonderful children’s books.          

Title: It’s a Tiger

Author: David LaRochelle

Illustrator: Jeremy Tankard

Publisher/Year: Chronicle/2012

There’s no doubt that kids will love It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle. It’s a fast-paced adventure story. It reminds me of something out of an Indiana Jones movie where you have to keep moving or you’re going to get caught. And there’s danger around every corner. You and the kids will get to the end of this book quickly, but you will have had so much fun, that you will want to read it again and again. The full-page ink and digital illustrations are lively and bright. And the cover is a perfect attention grabber. It’s a Tiger is a great pick.

Title: Bedtime for Boo

Author: Mickie Matheis

Illustrator: Bonnie Leick

Publisher/Year: Golden Books/2012

Here’s a fun Halloween (or anytime) story about an endearing, wee ghost named Boo who experiences his first haunting trip with his family. But when his fun-filled night is over, how will he ever fall asleep. Can the sounds of the night lull him to dreamland? This book combines prose and rhyme in a clever, fun-to-read way, that changes as the story changes. The wonderful illustrations depict Boo, his family, and their home in the muted colors of night. Bedtime for Boo is a good bedtime story choice for your little ghost or goblin.