Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Peter H. Reynolds: Author 1:1

There's a top-of-mind list of children's authors that some of my editorial colleagues and I find ourselves recommending from constantly.  We tell friends, relatives, co-workers with kids, co-workers without kids, and just about anybody who will listen. These are the clutch picks, the one's that make everyone go gaga. It's no secret that Amy Krouse Rosenthal and author-illustator Peter Reynolds are on that list of go-to authors.  Our own Anne Bartholomew recently crushed about the new board book set of Krouse Rosenthal's "Little" books, calling the trio of Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink totally "habit-forming." (Little Oink was selected as an Amazon.com Best Picture Book of 2009.) Peter Reynolds' critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books The Dot (recipient of the Christopher Award, and an Irma S. and James H. Black Honor award), Ish, The North Star, and the newly released Rose's Garden bring memorable stories to young readers with visually exciting illustrations that make them want to grab paper and crayon and start drawing. 

When we heard that Krouse Rosenthal and Reynolds are collaborating on a new book, we just had to know what was on their minds.  So, we invited them to exchange their thoughts on how they came to each others' work, and what gets creative sparks flying.  --Lauren

Amy Krouse Rosenthal: I am stunned by the path that has unfolded and led us to this moment here, interviewing each other and also (she says psych-edly) collaborating on our first book. The path looks (to me) like this:

1. Years ago:  I see the animated version of Dot at the Caldecott [Awards] dinner; it blew me away.  I was only a few minutes into my children's book career then.
2. Dot and its sequel, Ish become favorite books among discerning Rosenthal women (which is to say, me and my daughter).
3. Jump ahead a few years.  Going out on children's book tour for the first time, [your bookshop] The Blue Bunny is, lucky for me, one of the stops. I do a reading at your store (pinching myself), get to hang with you and your family/friends/team, and it is one of the most rewarding and memorable days of my book tour (and career).
4. Coming home from book tour...I am landing in Chicago, literally on the plane pulling into gate at O'Hare, when I turn on my cell and immediately I get a text from my daughter saying "call me!!!" I look at the time and see she is just barely out of school.  What could be so urgent? I call her and she tells me the she has just found out that her submission to your creativity magazine for kids, HUTCH, has been accepted and that YOU are illustrating her piece.The back story here being that she had submitted this piece to the magazine MONTHS ago, totally on her own, never heard back...and when i was with you all I thought for a brief moment, "Should I ask about her submission?" then decided that it was not cool, so never said a word. Turns out you all never realized she was my daughter anyway, until we pointed it out after receiving the thumbs up. It's hard to believe, the creator of her favorite books Ish and Dot will now be illustrating her first published piece.
5. And then lastly, on my tour and into this summer I had been working on a new story/book called Plant a Kiss. This fall it was picked up by HarperCollins.  My editor says she knows just who should illustrate it...You guessed it.  So here we are...I think we can call all this a wonderful case of "connecting the Dots."

And so, let's begin there.  With the first Dot.  This book is just so special, working so elegantly on every single level.  It’s like a symphony to me.  Can you talk to me about your journey with this book?  What led up to its creation? Did it come out "whole," or did it arrive in your brain in parts...?  I want to know everything and anything about how you brought this masterpiece of book into the world.

Peter Reynolds: We're "connecting the dots" in some very wonderful --or should I say "lovely"--ways.  You and I both share a love of words and ideas. We both share a passion for making things, but also that passion for inviting EVERYONE ON THE PLANET to do the same!

Thanks for reminding me of how we first started connecting our dots. I remember that evening when we premiered The Dot animated film at that Caldecott dinner. I had just finished creating it with my team at FableVision and our friends at Scholastic Weston Woods. I'm so happy that this story was the beginning of our journey together. Thanks for saying that The Dot and its sequel, Ish are faves in your home.  Funny that it was your daughter ("dot-er") collaborated with me before you did when she contributed to HUTCH.

Amy: So, back to my question about how The Dot came to be.

Peter:  Okay, The Dot. There are lots of stories related to how it came to be, which I have shared on my blog, The Stellar Cafe, but the book was a response to hearing one of the saddest phrases in the world: "I can't draw." When I hear a child or an adult say that--or variations on that theme ("I'm not an artist." "I used to draw when I was a kid." "I'm a terrible artist." "I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.") I respond in a succession of feelings: I feel sad they feel that way, mad that someone along the way helped them feel that way, certain that they are wrong, and excited and optimistic that they can rediscover the creativity just tucked below the surface. 

All my books, The Dot, Ish, So Few of Me, The North Star, Rose's Garden, are written to gently remind, nudge, invite, inspire the reader to be brave and original. I want them make their mark, in whatever way brings them joy, and see where it takes them.

Amy, I know that bringing people joy is also your cup of tea. In fact, your film, The Beckoning of Lovely which my twin brother, Paul, stumbled onto and shared with me that really made us both feel that we were cosmically connected. As you know, we also own an independent bookshop called The Blue Bunny, so we have known and loved your books for years now. That bookshop beckons lovely daily. 

I know that The Beckoning of Lovely, which has become nothing short of a global sensation, was born out of a cool little film you made called "17 things i made." I love that you use a video camera to "illustrate" your ideas.  I'm a huge fan of blank books. I have my journals tucked all over the house, under beds, in boxes, on top of the fridge. I really should archive them better.

Amy: I've devoted a corner of my home to these books.  When we moved a couple years ago my oldest, Justin, said, "Put the Big Black Books on that shelf by the front door so if there's ever a fire we can grab them as we run out." :) ANYWAY, when I read that article about the FLIP, and saw how basic and simple and tiny it was, I was immediately intrigued.  I purchased one a few days later, with no real sense of why.   Like I said, I never even filmed my kids, and regarding work, I certainly had never made any short films. 

Peter: I often say that is a sign of a great thinker. Have the idea first - figure out HOW to do it later.   So where do you do your best thinking, Amy?

Amy: I'd say in the shower, driving, and also for some reason at concerts.  And you?

Peter: Noisy restaurants and cafes are perfect places for me to write and draw. Mocha Java cafe in Dedham Square is where I painted much of The Dot. I even met a little girl there named Vashti who looked a lot like the name-less character emerging in my story. I asked Vashti if I could use her name in the book. No promises, I told her, but I'd give it a try. As it turns out, Vashti means "beautiful" in Persian. Seemed pretty appropriate for a book about art and the creative spirit.

Amy: And now, I'm going to come at my next round of questions from a little different angle. These questions are courtesy of my amazing little nephew Jackson.  He's 6.  

Peter:  Love it! Six year olds are savvy interviewers. 

Amy:  He loves "Ish" and "Dot."  And he has some questions for you, Peter. Here is Jackson's question 1. "Have you always liked drawing?"

Peter: As far as  drawing, well, that I have loved doing since I started my art career by throwing a handful of spaghetti at the kitchen wall. It was quite an expressive piece - though my mother was not as thrilled. She introduced me to paper and crayons. Great stuff. Much less messy than spaghetti.

Amy: Jackson question 2.  "How did you make Ramon's personality?"

Peter: Well, where Vashti was frustrated and afraid to draw, I wanted Ramon to be the kind of kid who was quite happy to draw. One of favorite scenes is where he is painting smelly trash cans. I wanted to show that Ramon could see beauty in places that others often don't. Ramon has a generous heart.

Amy: Jackson question 3.  "Did Vashti also make the clay statue displayed at the art fair?"

Peter: Jackson, you have a good eye. That is indeed a Vashti original sculpture. I wanted people to see that you can take one idea and play with it in many ways. Like in school, you can race through your text books and try to memorize a ton of stuff or you spend a whole month thinking really deeply and creatively about one thing.

Amy:  Jackson question 4.  "Did you get to choose which stories you drew in Free to Be...You and Me?"

Peter: Well, when Marlo Thomas and Carole Hart invited me to New York to take a look at the book project, they started out by asking me to just do the cover which was a pretty cool thing. Marlo and Carole are super smart, creative thinkers. They showed me the whole book and I got inspired with lots of ideas. They asked me if I would help design the whole book. I got to pick some of my favorite pages to illustrate. I think my favorite page to illustrate was the lyrics by "Free to Be You and Me" written by Bruce Hart. I loved creating the dreamy, floating children.

Amy:  Free to Be...You and Me was one of the first books and CD's I ran out to get when I first became a mother.  It was such a HUGE part of my childhood, and I was excited, in a bittersweet kind of way, to share it with my own kids.  I've sung those songs to them countless times over the years, often choking back tears (corny mom moment).  I have to say one of my favorite characters and pieces is Dudley Pippin.   He really DIDN'T tip over the sandbox, it wasn't him!

Peter:  I bet you were a fun kid. What was your earliest memory?

Amy:  Having so many questions.  Truly, that is my earliest and strongest memory.  The world was such a curious and confusing and interesting place to me, I just had a zillion questions.  I honestly totally remember thinking as a kid that I would spend my entire life asking questions; I couldn't fathom that there would ever be a day where I could actually SAY something, offer up a statement or opinion. 

Peter: I love your brain. What was your favorite part of school? I mean, when did you feel most Amy-ish?

Amy:  Whenever I got to make stuff, think up ideas.  What are your feelings about school?

Peter: Schools can be wonderful places especially if they allow kids--and teachers--to be creative, to ask questions, to have ideas--places that would encourage creativity and creative problem solving. It should be a place that inspires original thinking. 

I'm so excited about our first book together.  Illustrating Plant A Kiss has been so easy. It just flowed out of me. I think your words and my art harmonize beautifully. Where did the idea for Plant A Kiss come from?

Amy:  One day a few months ago I heard someone say the expression "plant a kiss", you know, how it's usually used as in planting a kiss on the cheek.  And for some reason, in that instant I just thought:  what if you really did plant a kiss, in the ground...what would grow?  And the idea "grew" from there.

Peter: I hope we collaborate again soon.

Amy:  Me too, Peter.  In fact, let’s end by sharing our big pie-in-the-sky idea that we had the other day.   Maybe if we say it out loud we can will it to happen.

Peter:  Oh, yes...he “Band of Bards” as I am now calling it.

Amy:  So we get a crew of children’s book authors and illustrators, and we lock ourselves up in a cabin together for a long weekend with a ton of paper, a ton of coffee, and one goal:  to make a book.  Sort of like the model you see in the music industry, where musicians from a bunch of bands will get together to create an album.

Peter: We are so doing it.  It’s just a matter of when.

Amy: And I’ll film it!  With my FLIP.

Peter:  The Band of Bards.  You heard it here first, everyone. 

Comments

[Ben on November 05, 2011 at 10:55 AM]

Awesome interview! It's really fun to have them interviewing each other. So glad these two great talents are collaborating. I would really like to see the result of that Band of Bards. It should definitely happen.

[Events Management Courses Brisbane on November 07, 2011 at 10:09 PM]

"The Stellar Cafe"- Next year I will be there with you for sure.