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!
Shirow Di Rosso is the Artmaster behind the new comic-book-style picture book series about malicious cyber attacks, The Cynja.
Andrew Zettler is an American illustrator, writer and cartoonist. He is a member of the New York Society of Illustrators, originator of the comic strip Half-Baked, author of The Teeniest Tiniest Yawn, and has illustrated children’s books including Alphabet Olympics and Albert Acorn.
Carson Ellis is an award-winning illustrator who has provided art for bestsellers such as “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, and the “Wildwood Chronicles” by her husband, Colin Meloy.
Maureen Grenier is a free-lance writer, editor and researcher, which gives her the time to write mystery stories. She has finished several and finalized three—two mystery books for children, which she also illustrated, and a murder mystery for adults. With plenty more to come from Grenier, we know you’ll enjoy getting to know her in this interview about her “Viking Club Mystery” series.
In the case of the adorable Here Comes the Easter Cat, bestselling author Deborah Underwood wanted to know how award-winning illustrator Claudia Rueda managed to capture both Cat’s crankiness and his sweetness.
DIANE GOODE has illustrated 55 beloved and critically acclaimed picture books, including the New York Times best seller, FOUNDING MOTHERS and the Caldecott Honor Book, WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN THE MOUNTAINS.
As a child, Angela Dominguez loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both professionally.
Christian Robinson is an illustrator of picture books. In 2008, he earned a BFA in Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts and has worked at both Pixar Studios and Sesame Street Workshop. Christian likes to blur the line between work and play and he lives in San Francisco.
Melissa Guion’s first picture book, Baby Penguins Everywhere!, was selected for The Original Art 2012, an exhibition of the year’s best illustrated children’s books.
Anne Rockwell and Melissa Iwai, author and illustrator (respectively) converse about their latest book, TRUCK STOP (Viking/Penguin, May 2013)