It's My Summer 2016 Picture Books!

Summer is nearly upon us--HUZZAH!--which means the books of summer will be hitting bookshelves very soon--DOUBLE HUZZAH! As I've done the last two seasons, for Spring 2016
and Fall 2015, I wanted to give you, dear reader, a glimpse into the cover-designing process. A LOT of thought, time, and energy goes into the creation of these beautiful images. My Summer 2016 is pretty big, so I'm going to break it up into two blog posts: picture books and novels.

Let's start with Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay (5/3/16) by Susan Hood with art by Sally Wern Comport. I don't think we considered any concepts other than the below for this amazing true story of an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from trash. Sally so expertly combines the major elements of the story--Ada, her violin, the trash, and the orchestra members--in this inspiring, stunning piece of art. Early versions of the cover were in warmer tones, but we decided to go with shades of blue to capture the spirit and joy of the orchestra. 

I'm very happy to be simultaneously publishing a Spanish-language edition.

We printed the jacket of the F & G's for Ada's Violin on a gritty matte paper in an effort to capture the grittiness of the setting. Though the finished product looked cool, the paper was almost too gritty--it didn't feel great in your hands. The actual book jacket is now on a regular stock with matte lamination and a beautiful spot gloss on the title.

Next up we have It Came in the Mail (6/21/16) by Ben Clanton. The story follows young Liam who loves getting mail...except he never gets any. He comes up with the brilliant idea to send his mailbox a piece of mail, asking for some mail in return, and the mailbox delivers. The first item the mailbox sends Liam is a delightful dragon; the interior image looks like this:

When I presented It Came in the Mail in our Summer 2016 Launch meeting (where we present all of the summer titles to the sales and marketing team), this moment got a big, "Awwww!" Lucy, that genius designer, suggested we make a version of the art our cover. We thought a less crispy version of Liam better suited the front cover, and Ben obliged. 

The book has a trim size of 8.5 x 11 inches. The jacket has a matte lamination.

Finally, we have A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School), a fantastic new offering from author-illustrator Mike Boldt. Mike's a pretty big deal in his homeland of Canada, and he's garnering attention in the United States for his work on Dev Petty's I Don't Want to Be a Frog. I scooped up A Tiger Tail and a second picture book in a hotly contested auction. 

Almost always, the cover is the last piece of art to be completed on a picture book. The book's designer (in this case, Krista Vossen) wants to see how the interiors come together before thinking about the cover. Sometimes, there's a piece of interior art that will double as the front cover; other times, a new piece of art is created. For this book, the latter was the case. We reached out to Mike to see if he had any ideas, and he delivered the following sketch:

It's not at ALL what I had in my head--it's SO MUCH BETTER. The image so elegantly captures the spirit of the book--just look at Anya's anxious little feet!

Like It Came in the Mail, the book is 8.5 x 11, printed with a matte lamination with a spot gloss on the title treatment.

Check out the "Coming Soon" tab to learn more about these books!

Add It to the List: Two Books by Ben Clanton

I'm a huge Ben Clanton fan. I inherited his fantastic Something Extraordinary shortly before it went on sale, and I had an enormously good time editing It Came in the Mail, which comes out this summer. Just last week, I got to share the announcement that brilliant Ben would be illustrating two books in the Laurie Berkner program I'm editing. And I have a piece of Clanton original art hanging just to my left as I type this entry. Ben has a great sense of what kids like, and he's a gentleman to boot. 

I was eager to develop a series with Ben, so I asked him if he had any characters he felt could support one. Enter Rot, a mutant potato with bad breath, scraggly hair, and a heart of gold. Admittedly, I never, ever, EVER would have guessed that Ben was going to pitch me a potato, but I'm oh-so-glad he did. Here's the piece that recently appeared in PW's Children's Bookshelf:

Christian Trimmer at Simon & Schuster has acquired two picture books by author-illustrator Ben Clanton: Rot, the Cutest in the World and an untitled Rot sequel. The books introduce Rot, a mutant potato, who enters a beauty pageant where he competes against adorable bunnies, playful kitties, and cute jellyfish. The Rot sequel will continue his adventures and introduce the reader to key family members. The first book is planned for spring 2018, and the sequel will follow in spring 2019; Marietta B. Zacker at Nancy Gallt Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.   

And here's the full Ben Clanton publication plan:

Something Extraordinary: available now!

It Came in the Mail: Summer 2016

We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner: Spring 2017

Rot, the Cutest in the World: Spring 2018

Monster Boogie by Laurie Berkner: Summer 2018

Untitled Rot Sequel: Spring 2019

#TeamBen

Add It to the List: Three Books by Laurie Berkner

A little while ago, my boss forwarded me a submission from Jill Grinberg of Jill Grinberg Literary. Laurie Berkner, a huge star in the world of children's music, was interested in turning some of her songs into picture books. To be perfectly honest, I did not know who Laurie was. But her bio was impressive, she was constantly touring, she had a background in education, and she had a massive social media following, so I thought, I really should give this proposal a look. 

I spent a number of days listening to Laurie’s music and watching her videos ahead of my meeting with her, and I was very excited by the possibility of making picture books out of some of her songs. But after meeting Laurie, I was desperate to work with her. Every trait she conveys in her videos—funny, playful, generous, talented—she possesses in person, and then some. And she’s deeply passionate about her art and audience. I find her incredibly inspiring and was thrilled when I was able to acquire these books in a competitive auction. Here's the press release that we sent out recently.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BESTSELLING CHILDREN’S RECORDING ARTIST LAURIE BERKNER TO PUBLISH THREE PICTURE BOOKS WITH SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

New York, NY, October 13, 2015: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, announced today that it will publish three picture books with award-winning and bestselling children’s music star, Laurie Berkner.

We Are the Dinosaurs, based on one of Berkner’s most popular songs, will release in Spring 2017 and will be illustrated by Ben Clanton. Pillowland, a gorgeous lullaby destined to become a beloved bedtime book, is due out in Fall 2017 and will be illustrated by Camille Garoche. Monster Boogie, a hit at Berkner’s live shows, is scheduled for Summer 2018, also to be illustrated by Ben Clanton.

Ben Clanton will illustrate two of the picture books...

...and Camille Garoche will do the third.

Berkner, whose latest album, Laurie Berkner’s Favorite Classic Kids’ Songs, hits stores this month, was a former preschool music teacher and indie rocker. She started marketing her music more than fifteen years ago from her living room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records; today, she is widely recognized as a pioneer in the “kindie” music genre and was crowned “the undisputed queen of kindie rock” by USA Today. The Wall Street Journal noted, “Her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups.”

“It is no wonder that Laurie is beloved by children and adored by parents,” says Christian Trimmer, executive editor, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. “Her songs, besides being incredibly catchy, are crafted with the utmost care and respect for her audience. She understands what kids, parents, and educators want and need. On top of that, she’s just really cool. I’m very excited to be making books with her.”

“I could not be more thrilled about my collaboration with Simon & Schuster,” says Laurie Berkner. “I’ve always imagined my songs being made into picture books. Now Ben’s and Camille’s stunning talents will bring them to life in ways I can only dream of! Their talent and Simon & Schuster’s expertise (with the gifted Christian Trimmer at the helm) is the perfect combination to help me create many wonderful books to share with my fans.”

Trimmer, who will edit all three books, acquired world rights to the three books from Jill Grinberg at Grinberg Literary. Marietta B. Zacker of Nancy Gallt Literary Agency represented Mr. Clanton. Kirsten Hall of Catbird Agency represented Ms. Garoche.

A Starred Review for SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY

The first review for Ben Clanton's Something Extraordinary (6/16/15) has found its way to my inbox, and it's a star!

"Bored with the familiar, this young daydreamer imagines how life could be different. For starters, he'd liked to fly or have his drawings—in this case, a robot—come to life. The ideas become more creative as he continues; he would like it if "the rain came in seven different colors. And flavors!" His longings are depicted in watercolor-and-pencil compositions, rendered in a muted palette of browns and blue-greens. Ultimately, his puff of air on a dandelion carries the wish "that something would happen. / Something real!" In a quietly ironic twist, the boy notices a springtime scene (brighter, by subtle degrees) just across the gutter. The birds that had earlier accompanied him, chirping in small, musical speech bubbles, are seen tending their family in a branch of a tree. Organic pink and yellow shapes form the flowers that grace the cheery paradise. The protagonist's earlier desire to talk to the animals is achieved as he bends toward a turtle and produces his own music bubble. In less capable hands, the idea that the real is extraordinary (and by extrapolation, that enjoyment requires close observation) could have come across as cliché and didactic. Instead, scenes full of gentle humor and inventive play convey respect and affection for the audience. The slowly dawning message will elicit excitement about spring, wishing, and the ability to decode a narrative." (Picture book. 4-7)