Illustrator Interviews
It's time to get to know your favorite (or soon to be favorite) illustrators by reading our exclusive interviews! Get ready to feast your eyes on some truly super artwork.
Artwork is a very important part of children’s books, especially picture books and graphic novels, and now many chapter books too. When you read an illustrator interview on The Children’s Book Review, you’ll often get an insiders look or a behind the scenes visit of the illustrator’s studio and creative process. You could also learn how the illustrator’s own life experiences shaped their artwork and storytelling abilities, or what their most used art supply is, or which children’s book character they would love to create artwork with. With so many featured illustrators, there is certainly something for everyone here, but we wonder which illustrators will be or are your faves. Be sure to let us know through our Twitter handle, and share your thoughts with us on Instagram or Facebook with #thechildrensbookreview.
To get you started, here are some of our more recent illustrator interviews:
Illustration Inspiration: Renée Graef, Illustrator of Thérèse Makes a Tapestry
Caldecott Honor-Winning John Rocco Talks About Blizzard
Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda Discuss Here Comes the Easter Cat
Be sure to peruse through the illustrator interviews below, you’ll be so glad you did!
Splashed with humor and grounded in heart, this brightly illustrated story explores ideas of family, home, and belonging in a way that’s as relatable as it is unique.
Discover Alma and How She Got Her Name! The winner of a 2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, Juana Martinez-Neal is still writing the story of her life.
Kaley McKean is an illustrator based in Toronto. Howl Like a Wolf was her first book. It takes an imaginative approach to learning that fosters curiosity, empathy, and dramatic play.
For every child who’s ever wondered if the grass is greener, The Best Mother affirms that there’s nothing better than your own mother’s love.
Scott Magoon has been designing, writing, and illustrating books for young readers since 2003. Be inspired by Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship.
Jody Jensen Shaffer and Daniel Miyares discuss their picture book A Chip Off the Old Block, in which a plucky pebble shows true grit as he travels the country trying to find out if he fits in with any of his famous rock-formation relatives.
Which five words best describe your new picture book Honey?
David Ezra Stein: Wanting. Waiting. Forgetting. Getting! Losing.
The warm, comforting text of This Story Is for You shares the tone of a Ruth Krauss classic and is balanced by Greg’s energetic color palette and signature visual humor.
It’s Raining Elephants is the collective name of Swiss duo Nina Wehrle and Evelyne Laube, who founded their own illustration studio in 2008. They have created several children’s books.
Simone Lia is a graphic novelist and a comics artist, and her work has been exhibited across Europe, including at the Tate Britain. She lives and works in London.