How did you break into children’s publishing?

A few years ago I took a writing class at UCLA from author Ann Paul. On the first day of class we had to introduce ourselves by writing three sentences about our lives – one of which was a lie. I wrote:

1. I have a nine year old son.
2. I am a gourmet cook.
3. I got an agent in an hour and a book deal in five months.
   Everyone assumed the last sentence was "the lie." (FYI - I am not a gourmet cook!)

After I had written B IS FOR BULLDOZER, a personal tragedy re-united me with an old friend in Santa Monica who was an agent for cartoonists. We had lunch and I brought my book idea to her. She liked it and faxed it to an agent she knew in New York. By the time I returned to my home in Westlake Village, which is about 45 minutes away, I received a call from the agent willing to represent me. Five months later Harcourt offered to publish my first book.

With your background as an artist, why don’t you illustrate your own books?

I originally submitted my first manuscript with my own sketches and one finished illustration. Unfortunately the editor was interested in my words not my artwork. My illustration experience did not include the narrative ability to tell a story that is crucial to good picture book artwork. I have put my ego aside and have welcomed the illustrator’s vision of my words. The results have been wondrous to me. I think I would have tended to be too literal in the interpretation of my text. It is so much fun to see a parallel visual story emerge.

Is it easy to write a picture book?

NO! NO! NO! I write and write and rewrite. My books have been continuously tweaked and re-written until they are press ready. The rhyme and sparseness of words make this process extremely difficult at times. I find writing hard and scary which is why I like it so much. I’m never sure if my idea will gel into something more than a vague vision. My ideas come to me driving in the car, in the dark, and I often wake to a phrase that pops into my head. Writing is an adventure. I am never sure where my words will take me. When all is said and done, it is gratifying to experience the simplicity of a text that seems like an effortless endeavor.

Why do you write in rhyme?

I love rhyme. I grew up with Mother Goose rhymes, something frightfully alien to children today. My father repeatedly read The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat to us. I didn’t even understand what that poem was about until I was older. I just liked the sound of it. I have an innate association of rhyme and picture books. Since these books are read aloud it is important to write for “the ear.” I am very conscious of the cadence of words even when I write in prose.

What do you like most about picture books?

The most wonderful thing about picture books is the special way they connect adults and children. Picture books keep the child alive in adults and awaken the wonder of words and pictures in children. A magical circle. The repeatability of the genre is unique. The greatest compliment to me is when a child says "again" after hearing one of my books

What are your favorite picture books?

I am a great fan of Bill Martin and Eric Carle. I love the way their books teach as well as entertain.

Here are some of my other favorites in no special order:

Dr. De Soto - William Steig
Time for Bed – Mem Fox
The Sneetches – Dr. Suess
Gregory the Terrible Eater – Mitchell Sharmut
Roberto The Insect Architect – Nina Laden
A Porcupine named Fluffy – Helen Lester
Whiffle Squeek – Caron Lee Cohen
The Little House – Virginia Lee Burton
Diary of a Worm - Doreen Cronin
The Runaway Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown
Company’s Coming – Arthur Yorinks
The Bunny Planet – Rosemary Wells

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All images Copyright © June Sobel, 2006, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.