New & Forthcoming Titles
YOUR DADDY WAS JUST LIKE YOU
BY KELLY BENNETT
ILLUS. BY DAVID WALKER
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, March 2010)
ISBN: 978-0-399-25258-7
YOUR DADDY WAS JUST LIKE YOU arrives in bookstores March, 2010. As picture books go, it has zipped along.
Most picture books take at least two years from manuscript to published book—and that’s if the publisher chooses an illustrator really fast, and if the illustrator works really fast, and if the illustrator doesn’t have other work scheduled or plans to take a world tour, and if there aren’t zillions of revisions that need to be made.
YOUR DADDY has been “in the works” since November 10th, 2006. That the day Susan Kochan, my editor at G. P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers, said YES! She wanted to publish my story—the day I did my happy “She loves it! She loves it! Rah! Rah! Rah!” dance. YOUR DADDY is on schedule for publication by Father’s Day 2010—you do the math.
There is a writing adage that goes: “Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% revision.” This is certainly true with my writing. YOUR DADDY WAS JUST LIKE YOU went through 14 revisions (not including the small tweaks). I even tried writing it as a country story: “Your Daddy Was My Youngin” and as an alien story: “Your Daddy Was My Flootle.” And, even after selling it, I had to make some revisions.
So, I was very happy to learn that illustrators also have to make revisions, too. Their art doesn’t always “work” the first go around.
Illustration in Progress
Here are some of David Walker’s artworks for YOUR DADDY.
Isn’t his art lively? And his characters show so much emotion.
Still, even David had to make changes. Below are some of the spreads Susan asked David to change. She shared with me reasons why the changes needed to be made. I’ve included them here so you can get an idea of how the art comes together with the words to create a picture book.
Here is an early sketch for the school scene in the story. The text reads "When he started school, your daddy said "IT’S HARD" and "DO I HAVE TO?"
However, in the sketch, the artwork is good. And it seems that painting time, especially when you are that good, would be fun, not hard, and not something the boy would be saying "DO I HAVE TO?" about. So Susan asked David to rethink the scene.
Here's a revised version of the school scene. Paint time is out. Now the boy is entering the classroom for the first time. But wait, who is that standing beside him? Sure entering a new school alone could be scary. But with Mom there to back you up, it might not be scary enough...
Success! After only-David-knows how many revisions, here's the scene revised and ready to print. Look at our boy's face! Entering the class all alone—no mommy for backup—now that's scary.
The first sketch (above left) is also from the "school" scene. In this sketch the boy seems too old. Notice how difficult the math problems are? So Susan asked David to "give it another try."
In the finished artwork (above right), David created exactly the right scene. The math problems are simpler. The boy looks younger, and so earnest! Isn't he cute? Exactly right.
To see a sneak peek of the some of the finished artwork, click here.
Reviews
from School Library Journal - March 2010
In this heartwarming picture book....readers are engaged in a tender trip down memory lane...The humorous text is in perfect sync with the simple illustrations. This unique book is an excellent choice, particularly for Father’s Day."
from Booklist - February 2010
[T]he illustrations for the book are loving tributes to boyhood, even in its messiest, mud-jumping state....the book's appealing pictures of the past will prompt loving memories from children's own grandparents."
from Kirkus - March 2010
A grandmother regales her grandson with an account of his father’s infant- and childhood, including achievements and frailties and always touching base with the refrain, “Just like you.” The strength of Bennett’s text is in its honest and loving confrontation of not-so-adorable aspects of childhood.” (Picture book. 3-5)
Teamwork
Creating a picture book is a collaborative process. Sure, the author writes the story, and the illustrator creates the art to go with the words, however putting those words and pictures together is a mega-team effort.
In the case of YOUR DADDY WAS JUST LIKE YOU the design team includes: Susan Kochan, my editor; Cecilia Yung, Art Director; and Assistant Art Director, Richard Amari.
They worked with David Walker throughout the illustration process, giving input on sketches and the color palette, deciding how best to illustrate the story, where page breaks should be, and more. Then, once the story and art were perfect, they kicked it into high gear: deciding what font to use for the words, how big the type should be, where and how to position it on the page, how big the book should be, what the cover and back cover should look like, where copyright information and dedications will go, what the endpapers will look like—and zillions of other details I can't even imagine.