• Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered | November 18, 2015

What book do you wish you had illustrated?

“I wish I’d illustrated Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko! It was a book I read often as a child, and one that was so modern in its ideas and treatment of female characters. I think it was far ahead of its time, and I’d love to illustrate a book with such a strong, sassy princess.”—Ashlyn Anstee, author and illustrator of Are We There, Yeti?

“There are so many books to choose from, but mine’s gotta be Barbara Lehman’s The Red Book. I love how she’s able to take such a graphic approach to storytelling, yet keep it so soft, tender, and warm. I also love how she combines traditional picture book storytelling with comics to make for a seamless read. Such a lovely book!” —Andrew Arnold, co-author/illustrator of the Adventures in Cartooning series, and illustrator of Little Green Men at the Mercury Inn

“I would love to have illustrated The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey, even though he, obviously, did a perfect job and no other illustrator would have been right. Still, how fun that text would be to illustrate! I know, it’s not really meant for kids, but I LOVED that sort of thing when I was a kid — the creepier the better. I would also love to illustrate some of Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Snow White and Rose Red, maybe, or a scarier one. Something very moody.” —Jill McElmurry, illustrator of the Little Blue Truck books

“As a children’s book illustrator for the past 25 years, I have studied numerous authors and illustrators who have preceded me. There are so many brilliant ones! If I were asked ’What book do you wish you had illustrated?’– my answer would be, ‘Who am I to think that I could match another artist’s vision?’ I would, however, bring my personal vision, for better or worse. I would love to re-illustrate anything by Charlotte Zolotow. I was fortunate to have illustrated Charlotte’s The Seashore Book several years ago, and it remains one of my favorites.

But one book that has always intrigued me is Holling C. Holling’s Caldecott Honor, Paddle-to-the-Sea. Holling weaves a fictional tale of a Native American boy who carves an Indian figure in a 12-inch canoe made of wood. On the bottom of the canoe the boy carves the words, ‘Put me back in the water. I am Paddle-to-the-Sea.’ The boy places his canoe in the snow near a river, and a four-year journey begins that takes it through the Great Lakes to the Saint Lawrence River, which leads to the sea. It’s a wonderful adventure that incorporates history, nature, geography, and science: all the subjects that are themes in my own books.

At 64 pages, with lengthy text, Paddle–to-the-Sea reads more like what we would consider YA today (ages 10-12). I would love to illustrate a version of this story as a 32-page picture book for a much younger audience. It would serve as an introduction to Holling’s great classic for older readers.”— Wendell Minor, illustrator of the forthcoming picture book This Is the Earth.

“The book I wish I’d gotten the chance to illustrate is Tom Feelings’ The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo. Notice that I cite Tom Feelings before I mention the book’s title. This is because my true wish is to someday achieve the artistic prowess Tom put into all of his books. The Middle Passage is the greatest example of this. With a color palette that is limited to black, white, and gray, Tom powerfully conveys a depth of emotion. Having known Tom, I also know that he put years of research into crafting these images. As he was making those paintings, the paintings were making him into the artist whose books I admire so greatly.” —Brian Pinkney, two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner and author/illustrator of On The Ball

“This is a tricky question. If the question of what book do I wish I had illustrated is asking what book’s illustrations do I wish had come out of me rather than the titans who actually produced them—like which of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shots do I wish I myself had swished—then the list is endless; I am terribly envious of the talents that produced lots and lots of books. I’m particularly envious of Aaron Becker’s Journey, because I lack that kind of control over my palette. But if the question is what book do I wish I had been asked to illustrate instead of the original illustrator—or which of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot opportunities do I wish he had been spirited out of and I teleported in to heave up my own clanker in place of his swish—the answer is In the Night Kitchen, because it would have been great fun to create baking ingredient cityscapes of my own (for all that they wouldn’t have held a candle to Sendak’s).” —Josh Schneider, Geisel Award–winning author/illustrator of Tales for Very Picky Eaters and Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred)

“I wish I’d illustrated The Jungle Book. Not only was it one of my favorite Disney movies when I was a kid, but I’ve also always been fascinated with the idea of humans being raised by animals. The funny thing is, I’m writing a similar story these days!” —Vin Vogel, author and illustrator of The Thing About Yetis

“There are so many enviably illustrated books that I love but can’t ever imagine them any other way, for example: The Wind in the Willows with Ernest Shepard’s illustrations is pure perfection. But one book that I do imagine putting my own touch on is The Secret Garden. This is one of my favorite stories, and when I read it these rich, dark, heavily illustrated scenes come to mind. It would be a dream text to work with!” —Eliza Wheeler, illustrator of Wherever You Go and Doll Bones and author/illustrator of Miss Maple’s Seeds