Lindsay Ward, Author-Illustrator of Don’t Forget Dexter! | Selfie and a Shelfie

The Children’s Book Review | January 24, 2017

Lindsay Ward’s Selfie with Don’t Forget Dexter!

I would just like to preface by saying I’m not the greatest selfie taker (it took a couple tries to get this much of the book in the photo). This picture was taken in my studio at my home in Peninsula, Ohio. My studio is a small bedroom off one side of my house with a window that looks out over the woods and river in my backyard. It’s small and cozy and lovely. It’s filled with odds and ends, like my big metal letter ‘L’ that my husband found for me in an old antique shop and my beloved library card catalogue, which keeps my scissor collection. I’m pretty superstitious about my scissors…I’ve used one particular pair on every book I’ve ever done, including my newest book, Don’t Forget Dexter!

Don’t Forget Dexter! is about a toy dinosaur, Dexter T. Rexter, who gets left behind in a doctor’s office. Dexter begins to ask for help to find his best friend Jack, from both the reader and others in the doctor’s office. As the story continues, Dexter becomes more and more distraught, until finally he has a total meltdown. But not to worry…all is well by the end of the book. The idea for Dexter came about when my husband and I were pregnant with our first son and my husband had to go get a T-Dap booster shot prior to the birth. While at the doctor’s office, my husband texted me a photo of an abandoned toy dinosaur left underneath a chair, with the line “well, they left me here.” I thought it was so funny I sat down to write Dexter’s story immediately. I’m very excited that there will be a sequel coming out in July, titled It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!

Lindsay Ward’s Shelfie

We have a lot of bookshelves scattered throughout our house, but I think my favorite is filled with my cookbooks. My mom pointed out to me once that the shelf looks like a heart when it’s filled with books, which seems fitting as I’m always cooking for the people I love. One of my favorite things to do is go to a bookstore and sift through the cookbook section. I just have one rule before buying though…they must have beautiful color photos! Great photos in cookbooks are key. When I took this photo my dog Sally seemed to think it was a portrait session. She refused to leave the frame. So here is my photo of my cookbook shelf and Sally.

In addition to the cookbook shelf in my house, there’s multiple picture book shelves (most of which reside in my two-year-old’s room), my dining room cabinet filled with novels (organized by color), and my studio bookshelf (which at one time was filled with picture books, but now is mostly reference books because said two-year-old has taken them for himself…the little sneak thief!).

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Don’t Forget Dexter!

Written and Illustrated by Lindsay Ward

Publisher’s Synopsis: Introducing Dexter T. Rexter, the toughest, coolest dinosaur ever. At least he likes to think so.

When his best friend, Jack, leaves him behind at the doctor’s office, Dexter T. Rexter panics. First he tries to find Jack. Then he sings their special song. Then he sings their special song even louder. But when Jack still doesn’t appear, Dexter starts to wonder. What if he’s being replaced by another toy? It can’t be—after all, he can STOMP, RAWR, and CHOMP! Right? Right?!

This hilariously neurotic dinosaur will do whatever it takes to get his friend back—even asking the reader’s advice—in this first book of a brand-new series.

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Two Lions | 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1542047272

Praise: 

★ “Ward’s ink, colored-pencil, and cut-paper illustrations give readers a toy’s view of the world and allow children to stomp in Dexter’s feet for a while, his facial expressions giving them lots of clues to his feelings. Lost and found was never so riotously funny or emotionally draining.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Ward (Brobarians) is as funny as ever as she chronicles her orange hero’s nervous, no-filter state of mind, and her cut-paper, pencil, and ink drawings—with their visual asides, annotations, and shifts in scale—are irrepressible. It’s high anxiety made highly adorable.” —Publishers Weekly

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About the Author-Illustrator

Lindsay Ward was inspired to write this book after her husband texted her a photo of a toy dinosaur abandoned at a doctor’s office. The caption read: “Well, they left me here.” Lindsay thought it was so funny that she sat down to write Dexter’s story immediately. She is also the author and illustrator of Brobarians, Henry Finds His Word, and When Blue Met Egg. Her book Please Bring Balloons was also made into a play.

Most days you can find Lindsay writing and sketching at her home in Peninsula, Ohio, where she lives with her family. Learn more about her online at www.LindsayMWard.com  or on Twitter: @lindsaymward.