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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Blue
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://suzannekaufman.com/
CITY: Seattle
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 394
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; husband’s name Jonathan; children: Eleanor, Katie.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, illustrator, animator, lecturer, and educator. Special effects animator for Universal and Discovery; animator for video games. DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, WA, senior lecturer for film and video game animation, 1996—.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
AWARDS:Mentorship Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, 2014; Ezra Jack Keats/Kerland Memorial Fellowship; recipient of Best Children’s Books of the Year Honors, Bank Street College Education; Washington State Best Picture Book Award; Mathical Honor Award; Amazon Best Children Book of the Year.
WRITINGS
Also author of a blog.
SIDELIGHTS
Suzanne Kaufman is an award-winning children’s book author, artist, and animator. She has been an animator of special effects for Universal Studios and Discovery and has worked as an animator in the video game industry. She is also an educator who lectures on film and video game animation. Kaufman got her start in the animation industry shortly after she graduated from college. During a trip to Hollywood, California, her car broke down in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While waiting for her car to be fixed, she saw a special effects studio nearby. She “went inside for a quick peek. The peek turned into a tour that turned into an interview that turned into a job that turned into a career,” commented a writer on the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators website. Kaufman eventually turned her attention to writing books for young readers.
In the publishing industry, Kaufman is known as a children’s picture book illustrator. Samanthasaurus Rex, written by B.B. Mandell and illustrated by Kaufman, tells the story of the title character, a young female dinosaur who isn’t very interested in typical dinosaur activities. While her family wants her to roar and fight and bite, Samanthasaurus just wants to paint and have fun. During a family hike, she spends more time collecting rocks, using a diamond to focus energy, and weaving ropes out of ferns than doing anything destructive like the rest of her family. When she realizes that the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano, she has to use what she has made during the trip, along with her loudest dinosaur roar, to get her family’s attention and save them. A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented, “The detailed illustrations flesh out the otherwise sparse and stilted narrative.” In School Library Journal, Natalie Braham observed, “Bright, captivating illustrations are reminiscent of retro cartoons, adding to the delight of this clever tale.”
Naughty Claudine’s Christmas, written by Patrick Jennings, is also illustrated by Kaufman. Claudine, the young title character, is suspicious of Santa Claus and his constant checking up on children. She worries about Santa seeing her and other children when sleeping and awake, and feels that it’s not right for him to break into homes on Christmas Eve. She decides that she will give up Christmas rather than deal with Santa’s constant watching. First, she writes Santa a letter and asks that he mail her presents to her. Thinking that might not work, she then starts a campaign of being as naughty as possible to prevent Santa from bringing her anything and, thus, intruding into her home. Claudine realizes she will have to wait up for Santa on Christmas Eve—he will have to come in to bring her sister Maxine’s presents. Claudine does not stay awake long enough to meet Santa, but the next day, all the family’s presents are piled up in the front yard. School Library Journal reviewer Eva Mitnick remarked that Kaufman’s “cartoon illustrations are bright and charming.”
Kaufman provided illustrations for Take Your Pet to School Day, which was written by Linda Ashman. The book finds students receiving a letter saying they can bring their pets to school that Friday. Chaos ensues when all the pets arrive. The teachers and principal claim that they were not responsible for the letter. Ultimately, it is revealed that the letter was penned by the kids’ pets. “Kaufman’s brightly colored artwork will have readers poring over the details in her busy scenes and laughing at all the mischief,” commented a critic in Kirkus Reviews.
Kaufman has had a close collaboration with author Alexandra Penfold, through which they have written books, including All Are Welcome, Big Feelings, and All Are Neighbors. The first collaboration, All Are Welcome, finds a diverse mix of children and caregivers sharing a meal at the kids’ school. In an interview with Maria Marshall on Marshall’s website, Kaufman stated: “My daughters’ school Kimball Elementary is made up of wide range of families from all over the world, from many different backgrounds. I wanted to make a book to let them to know they were safe and welcome at their school. I wanted to make a book that didn’t just support diversity but celebrated it.” The kids from All Are Welcome return in Big Feelings. When they come together to complete a building project, they must work through questions and conflicts together. The book was released shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began. In an interview with Penfold on the Publishers Weekly website, Kaufman discussed the timing of the publication, stating: “Little did we know when we started this project two plus years ago how much our lives would change in 2020 and the very big feelings we’d be having day in and day out as we all adjust to this Covid era. So many families have lost loved ones or jobs and businesses. So many schools are closed. As a parent with two teen daughters, I’ve seen the highs and lows of remote learning and isolation from friends. These are difficult times and we are all forever changed because of them.” A Kirkus Reviews writer asserted: “Penfold and Kaufman have outdone themselves in delivering a vital message in today’s political climate.” In All Are Neighbors, a family of color is welcomed into their new neighborhood. Assessing the work in Kirkus Reviews, a writer commented: “The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the volume as “a book to share, a community to celebrate, and a spirit to promote everywhere.”
Kaufman is both writer and artist of Confiscated! Here, two young brothers experience the results of fighting over their toys. One by one, the toys are taken away—confiscated—by their mother and locked away in a storage closet. Soon, no toys are left. The boys spend some time talking over the times they cooperated with each other and did not fight over the toys. They decide to rescue one of the toys, a red balloon, and in the process, knock open the doors of the storage closet and let the rest of the toys spill out. Now they’re afraid of being busted by their mom for even more misbehavior. Instead, they are praised for cooperating in saving the balloon but are also made to clean up the mess they made. Kaufman’s cartoony art style “adds vitality to the quarreling characters in this humorous sibling-rivalry story,” commented a Kirkus Reviews writer. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book a “relatable, if predictable and easily resolved, story of sibling conflict.”
(open new)In A Friend for Ghost, glasses-wearing Ghost is sad and lonely in their big house. He draws a face on a red balloon to pretend he has a friend, but after it floats away, Ghost is sad again. When balloon floats back, it has brought Ghost a new friend. A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated: “In this delightful tale, kindred spirits find happiness together.”
Blue centers on the friendship between a boy and a blue heron. They play all day at the beach, doing all sorts of fun things together until the boy has to go to bed at night. A contributor to Publishers Weekly remarked that the story is “a meditative wish-fulfillment fantasy that leans into both adventure and security.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a whimsical, luminous romp.” Writing in School Library Journal, Jonah Dragan labelled it “a stirring delight, recommended for all collections.”
Hello Dog / Hello Human offers two parallel stories about a child and a dog interacting from each perspective. A child learns how to approach and befriend a dog, while the flip story finds the dog curious about the child and what they smell like. A Kirkus Reviews contributor suggested that “readers will ‘flip’ for this happy, helpful guide to an important life lesson on approaching the unknown.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2017, Carolyn Phelan, review of Naughty Claudine’s Christmas, p. 58.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2016, review of Samanthasaurus Rex; June 1, 2017, review of Confiscated!; September 1, 2017, review of Naughty Claudine’s Christmas; June 1, 2018, review of All Are Welcome; June 1, 2019, review of Take Your Pet to School Day; January 15, 2021, review of Big Feelings; September 1, 2022, review of All Are Neighbors; June 15, 2022, review of A Friend for Ghost; March 15, 2025, review of Blue; June 1, 2025, review of Hello Dog / Hello Human.
Publishers Weekly, June 5, 2017, review of Confiscated!, p. 50; September 4, 2017, review of Naughty Claudine’s Christmas, p. 94; March 31, 2025, review of Blue, p. 43.
School Library Journal, April 1, 2016, Natalie Brahm, review of Samanthasaurus Rex, p. 135; October 1, 2017, Eva Mitnick, review of Naughty Claudine’s Christmas, p. 66; May 1, 2025, Jonah Dragan, review of Blue, p. 121.
ONLINE
Kidlit Artists, http://kidlitartists.blogspot.com/ (October 3, 2014), “Interview with New SCBWI Mentee, Suzanne Kaufman.”
KidLit411, http://www.kidlit411.com/ (July 27, 2018), author interview.
Maria Marshall website, https://www.mariacmarshall.com/ (July 23, 2018), Maria Marshall, author interview.
Publishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/ (February 25, 2021), Alexandra Penfold, author interview.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators website, http://www.scbwi.org/ (April 22, 2018), author profile.
Suzanne Kaufman website, http://www.suzannekaufman.com (November 12, 2025).
Upstart Crow Literary, https://www.upstartcrowliterary.com/ (December 9, 2022), author profile.
Suzanne Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of All Are Welcome. She is the recipient of The Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Mentorship and Portfolio Honors. Her books have been awarded Bank Street College Education Best Children’s Books of the Year Honors, Notable Books for a Global Society, Washington State Best Picture Book Award, Mathical Honor Award, Amazon Best Children Book of the Year and seen in Bologna Children’s Book Fair Spectator Child Exhibition.
Her books include her own book Blue, A Friend for Ghost, Confiscated and illustrated work: Wherever You Go, All Are Neighbors, Big Feelings,Hello Dog/Hello Human, Let’s Eat, Let’s Make Music, Take Your Pets to School Day, 100 Bugs, and Samanthasaurus Rex.
She has presented at SCBWI Summer and Winter Conference, NMAEYC Conference, Tucson Book Festival, Los Angeles Festival of Books and Penguin Random House Book Festival. Over the years, she’s done everything from animating special effects for Universal and Discovery, to be an animation lead on games that were awarded the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences “Innovation in Art Direction”, “Innovation in Animation” and “Children’s Title of the Year”. She has lectured about illustration and animation around the US, England, Japan and Peru. When not tramping through the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her family, you will find her teaching illustration or working in her studio. You can follow Suzanne on Instagram @suzannekaufman or look at her website. www.suzannekaufman.com
Kaufman, Suzanne A FRIEND FOR GHOST Neal Porter/Holiday House (Children's None) $18.99 8, 23 ISBN: 978-0-8234-4852-4
A good-natured and caring friend is determined to cheer up lonely Ghost.
Rain is falling on a row of old-fashioned-looking houses as a ghost wearing glasses stares out an attic window. Hanging out in the park, unseen, Ghost remains woeful--no one ever seems to know Ghost is there. A big red balloon--on whom Ghost draws a smiling face--floats by, joining Ghost on the seesaw and for a refreshing serving of ice cream. The two are seemingly compatible, but, alas, the balloon floats away. Ghost searches everywhere, to no avail. When the balloon finally returns to the park and a despondent Ghost, the true intent of its unseen mission becomes happily clear. The balloon has brought back the perfect ghostly companion for Ghost, this one sporting a bow tie. Fluid illustrations bring to life--so to speak--the amorphous main characters, washes of color heightening the emotion. The children playing in the park have a range of skin tones; one child uses a wheelchair, and one wears a hijab. The tale offers plenty of opportunities to spark discussions about friendship and compatibility. Is it their similar appearance that draws the ghosts to each other? Children will enjoy seeing ghosts behaving as nonthreatening, fun-seeking, and peoplelike. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
In this delightful tale, kindred spirits find happiness together. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Kaufman, Suzanne: A FRIEND FOR GHOST." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A706932688/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=47537d90. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
KAUFMAN, Suzanne. Blue. illus. by Suzanne Kaufman. 48p. Little, Brown. Jun. 2025. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780316311663.
PreS-Gr 1--A boy with tan skin and curly hair runs out to the beach, where he befriends a great blue heron and the two frolic all day long in the surf. There is an enchanting simplicity to the narrative presentation, with the boy's bedroom window looking right out on the ocean and nary an adult in sight. The thoughtful design of the expressive mixed-media art creates a subtle progression, both temporal and emotional. Early on, playful vignettes appear against a sandy, speckled background the color of the dunes at the water's edge. Later, once the sun has set, immersive full-bleed illustrations take over, awash in the rich blue-blacks of the night sky and the sea. The powerful, kinetic composition of the images would sustain this story, even as a wordless picture book. Yet Kaufman's concise, well-chosen phrases ("We shriek, splash ... and share. We are wild. We are free ... chasing the afternoon sun") add a vital poetic dimension to the work. In a thrilling, joyous sequence that recalls The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, boy and bird soar through the night sky together before bidding each other a fond farewell at dawn's first light. Young readers may spot the heron-themed apparel in the boy's bedroom on the final spreads (a costume mask with feathered wings, a model dangling from the ceiling, and a stuffed toy) and debate its significance: Do these play items hint that the day spent with the bird was a mere flight of fancy? Or was it all real? Kaufman wisely leaves the answer a mystery, with a poignant final view of the boy from behind as he gazes out at a sliver of sun. VERDICT A stirring delight, recommended for all collections.--Jonah Dragan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Dragan, Jonah. "KAUFMAN, Suzanne. Blue." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 5, May 2025, p. 121. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A846210229/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8a1018a1. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
Kaufman, Suzanne BLUE Little, Brown (Children's None) $18.99 6, 3 ISBN: 9780316311663
A young child frolics by the seashore with a strikingly beautiful bird.
One morning, a tan-skinned, curly-haired youngster spots a great blue heron (an uncommon species whose inclusion will interest young readers) through the window. Decorations adorning the bedroom make it clear that the protagonist has long wished for an encounter like this one. After the child approaches slowly, "echoing Blue's stillness," the pair spend the day chasing, shrieking, and doing some tastefully depicted skinny-dipping, all sensorily described with a "swoosh, swoop, and quiet settle." Graceful and oversize Blue isn't overly anthropomorphized, making the duo's interactions feel fittingly "wild" and "free." When night arrives, Blue flies away but grants the hopeful child's wish by returning to carry the little one high in the indigo sky, "over campfires and shooting stars." Back home at last, the child hugs a stuffed heron and begins to "dream of meeting again." The poetic, evocative narrative captures a potent mix of excitement and yearning that may leave readers wondering whether the extraordinary journey really took place or whether it was only in the bird-loving child's imagination. Kaufman boldly leaves it to readers to decide. No matter what they choose, her illustrations are delightful. Her compositions are masterful, with whimsically sketchy sun-dappled daytime vignettes of the friends in the fizzy surf contrasting with ethereal, star-studded double-page spreads that feel appropriately endless.
A whimsical, luminous romp.(Picture book. 3-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Kaufman, Suzanne: BLUE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A830532354/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0d5fb355. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
Blue
Suzanne Kaufman. Little, Brown, $18.99 (48p)
ISBN 978-0-316-31166-3
The companionable relationship between a human protagonist and a blue heron forms the buoying heart of this wonder-filled work from Kaufman (All Are Welcome). Firstperson narration begins at daybreak as a brown-skinned child sporting galoshes carefully approaches regal avian Blue: "I tiptoe,/ rush.../ and pause...// ...echoing Blue's stillness." Before long, the unlikely pair frolics among a shorelines reeds, rejoicing in play ("We are wild./ We are free..."). Multimedia art has a loose, calligraphic quality as scenes cast in inky blues are illuminated with light emanating first from a warm, buttery sun and then a glowing, oversize moon. At sunset, "with an incredible leap and a mighty flap,/ Blue takes flight," leading to a few hopeful beats and a starry, soaring adventure for both creatures that lasts until the child's human body demands descent ("Up high, the air is thin and cold"). When it's time to "say good night/ but not goodbye," visual details (a costume, a mobile, a stuffy) tucked into closing domestic scenes leave the evening's events open to interpretation, making for a meditative wish-fulfillment fantasy that leans into both adventure and security. Ages 4-8. (June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Blue." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 13, 31 Mar. 2025, p. 43. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A834336197/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=92d9081f. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
Levine, Sara HELLO DOG / HELLO HUMAN Roaring Brook Press (Children's None) $14.99 3, 11 ISBN: 9781250797025
Made up of two books in one, this tale offers dual perspectives on canine-human friendships.
Child sees dog; child wants to pet dog. (And the reverse: Dog wants to meet--or sniff--child.) This cheerful tale offers a safe, sensible way to make that interaction happen. It's not complicated. First, identify a potential friend: a dog (or human) not absorbed in another activity. Next, ask for permission. Read the other's body language, and avoid being aggressive, loud, or all up in the other's space. If an invitation is extended, move closer and remember--be gentle. Readers who absorb this advice might, of course, also find it useful when befriending another human; similar rules apply, except perhaps for sniffing the new person's hand (though you might shake it!). Once kids finish the first story, they're invited to flip the book over to read the same tale from the other creature's point of view--an inspired formatting choice that emphasizes the important truth that there's always another perspective to consider. The art blends loose lines with bright colors: yellow backgrounds for one, blue for the other. Kaufman depicts drolly distorted dogs of various breeds; the book centers on a perky black pooch and an overall-clad, brown-skinned young human with a mop of curly hair.
Readers will "flip" for this happy, helpful guide to an important life lesson on approaching the unknown.(Informational picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Levine, Sara: HELLO DOG / HELLO HUMAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A841814582/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=93781358. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.