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WORK TITLE: The Peanut Man
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WEBSITE: www.raulcolon.com/
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NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 261
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PERSONAL
Born December 1952, in New York, NY; married; wife’s name Edie.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Artist and illustrator. Designer for an educational television center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 1978-88; freelance artist, 1988—. Exhibitions: Work included in Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators, New York, 2010 and 2011; and exhibited at Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA, 2013.
MEMBER:Society of Illustrators, New York.
AWARDS:David Usher Greenwich Workshop Award, Silver Medal, and Gold Medal, all Society of Illustrators; Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Award, 1998, for Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora, and 2006, for José! Born to Dance by Susanna Reich; Golden Kite Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, 1999, for A Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson; Pura Belpré Award for illustration, 2006, and Notable Children’s Book designation, both American Library Association, both for Doña Flor; Sydney Taylor Book Award, Association of Jewish Libraries, 2009, for As Good as Anybody by Richard Michelson; Choices listee, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 2011, Best Children’s Book of the Year selection, Bank Street College of Education, and 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing inclusion, New York Public Library, all for Child of the Civil Rights Movement; Carle Honor, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art , 2021; honors from Communication Arts and 3X3.
WRITINGS
Contributor of illustrations to periodicals, including Time, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
SIDELIGHTS
Known for his lush, evocative, and warmly colored pencil-and-watercolor artwork, Raúl Colón has illustrated more than thirty children’s books, among them stories by such noted authors as Jane Yolen, Robert D. San Souci, Frank McCourt, and Robert Burleigh. Colón’s collaboration with noted memoirist McCourt resulted in Angela and the Baby Jesus, a picture book that shows to good effect how the artist’s “signature, multi-step watercolor and lithograph pencil technique” “suffuse[s] the story with warmth and light,” according to a Publishers Weekly contributor. “Painted with a glow that comes from street lamps or candlelight,” Colón’s “artwork showcases the warmth that a caring family radiates,” Ilene Cooper concluded in her Booklist review of Angela and the Baby Jesus.
While frequently characterized as folk art in their approach, Colón’s illustrations also exhibit stylistic variety: his illustration projects range from folk stories to nonfiction to picture-book biographies. In his work for Kathi Appelt’s My Father’s House, which features a child’s prayer on behalf of the natural world, the artist crafted what School Library Journal contributor Margaret Bush dubbed “lovely, textured folk-art renderings.” His “signature soft, colored pencil and watercolor illustrations” for Richard Michelson’s nonfiction picture book As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March toward Freedom “capture the anger and passion” of the civil rights movement, according to Barbara Auerbach in the same periodical.
In Publishers Weekly a critic wrote of Karma Wilson’s How to Bake an American Pie that “Colón’s … inventive, etching-like ink and watercolor art” “cleverly incorporates images of historical events,” while a colleague noted in the same periodical that his watercolor-and colored-pencil images “capably convey the action on-the-field” of Play Ball!, a picture book by New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. The artist’s “gorgeous illustrations” for Pat Mora’s Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Lady with a Great Big Heart “steal the show,” concluded Abby Nolan, the critic also praising Colón’s “round swirling scratchboard style” in her Booklist review.
Colón has also teamed up with his wife, Edie Colón, on Good-bye, Havana! Hola, New York!, a fictionalized account of Edie’s childhood experiences as a Cuban immigrant in New York City. According to New York Times Book Review critic Marjorie Ingall, the artist “uses layers of paint and lithograph pencil on textured watercolor paper to create lush, soft, almost pointillist pictures, then creates still more texture by etching in wavy lines.” Another memoir, Paula Young Shelton’s Child of the Civil Rights Movement, contains the author’s reminiscences of growing up during the turbulent 1960s. Here “Colón’s … soft-focus art features his customarily rich textural backdrop of speckles, scratches, and waves,” a contributor in Publishers Weekly observed of this picture-book memoir.
Colón’s artwork has graced the pages of several picture-book biographies. In Annie and Helen Deborah Hopkinson explores the relationship between young Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, and her caring teacher Annie Sullivan. Colón’s watercolor paintings “create a feeling of quietness, their textured lines suggesting the tactile world of touch, motion and vibration that spoke most immediately to Helen,” as a critic noted in Kirkus Reviews. Colon’s pencil-and-watercolor illustrations in Burleighs’ Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer “capture the fascination and beauty of starlight,” in the words of a Kirkus Reviews critic. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand explores the life of a noted Cuban dancer and choreographer in Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina. Here Colón’s “portraits have the dramatic scale of Depression-era murals; they capture Alonso’s grace and celebrate her strength, too,” a reviewer commented in Publishers Weekly.
Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops a work by Jill Biden, offers a poignant look at a young girl whose father, a U.S. solider, is deployed overseas. “Colón captures the rhythms of everyday family life at school, church, and elsewhere in his textured, mixed-media compositions,” a Publishers Weekly critic observed. Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, writing in School Library Journal, described these illustrations as “vibrant and appealing” and a contributor in Kirkus Reviews wrote of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops that “Colón’s soft brush-and-scratch technique invites the youngest readers in, taking a bit of the edge off the sadness” without becoming too sentimental.”
In addition to his work as an illustrator, Colón has also created the original, self-illustrated picture book Orson Blasts Off!, about a young boy who learns to use his imagination. After his computer malfunctions, Orson is at first angry, but then becomes bored. When a toy jack-in-the-box on his bedside table suddenly comes to life, the boy embarks on an exciting adventure that is fueled by his own creativity. “Imagination takes flight in Colón’s familiar but pleasantly illustrated dream story,” stated a Publishers Weekly reviewer in a review of Orson Blasts Off!, and Ilene Cooper noted in Booklist that while the author/illustrator is “best known for his gleaming scratchboard-style illustrations,” Orson Blasts Off! demonstrates that “he can craft a good story as well.” “A flight not only into imaginary realms but also into the delicious world of language awaits readers in this fanciful journey,” concluded School Library Journal contributor Marianne Saccardi, the critic praising Orson Blasts Off! for its “expansive” watercolor and pencil illustrations.
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For the first time in a decade, Colón was the author and illustrator of his own work, a wordless picture book named Draw! It features a boy who is alone in his room and is able to conjure a whole world through his pencils and sketchbook. As he reads about Africa, he then creates his own drawings of what he imagines. Going out on a safari (in his imagination), he draws elephants and zebras, lions and gorillas. Colón’s book has the potential to inspire young storytellers and artists for what they can create on their own.
Reviewers were ecstatic about Colón’s self-illustrated book. Julie Danielson, in BookPage, described the book as “dynamic” and a “magnetic tale.” Danielson wrote, “Colón puts to good use perspective, compelling page turns, and cinematic techniques.” In Horn Book, Kathleen T. Hornton called the book “dreamy” and “engaging and easy to follow.” She wrote, “The majesty of the animals comes through in both the boy’s sketches and the main illustrations.”
After illustrating a number of books for other authors, Colón returned to illustrating his own book, this one called Imagine! It takes place in New York City, as a boy enters the Museum of Modern Art. He gazes on several famous paintings, and then the paintings come to life, with their characters joining him as he heads back onto the streets of New York. Their adventures take them past iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty. As with Draw!, Colón wants to push children to experience the world and create art for themselves.
“Beautifully euphoric,” wrote a contributor in Kirkus Reviews, and they were not alone in that sentiment. The reviewer also praised Imagine! for how “the story leaps off every page.” They credited the “textured artwork brimming with buoyant body movement.” Maryann Owen, in Booklist, called the book a “delightful, wordless tribute to the arts, with a magical touch.” She wrote, “Rich colors and textures create paintings readers will want to spend time studying.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly recommended the book with enthusiasm: “Colón’s vibrant scenes make it clear that visiting works of art can breathe magic into the everyday and inspire further creativity afterward.”
In The Little House of Hope, Colón returned to illustrating the works of other authors. Terry Catasús Jennings tells the story of Esperanza, who has arrived in the United States from Cuba with her family. They settle into a small house but then welcome other immigrants who need a place to stay. Jennings herself emigrated to the United States from Cuba, so the narrative is somewhat autobiographical as she writes about how immigrants help each other make a new home. Colón uses colored pencils and watercolor to bring the tale to life.
In Booklist, Michelle Ortega wrote that the book will be relatable to other immigrants, and she called it a “valuable story about the importance of generosity and community.” She especially highlighted Colón’s work, writing that it “beautifully encapsulates the warmth the [house] provides.” A writer in Publishers Weekly praised how both the artwork and the “gently revelatory prose” are able to provide a “feeling of refuge in this gently bustling, expansive story” about creating a new community.
Pass the Baby, written by Susanna Reich and illustrated by Colón, is about a large extended family sitting down to eat together. Using fun rhythm and rhyme, Reich describes the various aspects of he meal, such as the guacamole, enchiladas, and meatballs. The most important part of the meal, however, is the family’s newest member, as everyone calls to “pass the baby” so they can hold it.
A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote that Colón “gives the child’s extended family sparkling expressions as they consume a feast.” They also praised Reich for her “celebration of cooking and eating in a family in which the very youngest are cherished.” A writer in Kirkus Reviews agreed, praising the book as a “sweet reminder to siblings big and small that they are all important members of the family.” They wrote that the illustrations “give the tale a cozy feel.”
Carmen Agra Deedy’s The Peanut Man is about a child in Cuba who forms a friendship with Emilio, an older man who walks the streets selling peanuts. The child enjoys sticking her tongue out at him and seeing how he cheekily responds in kind. One day, however, she has bad news for him, as she has found out her family is leaving Cuba for the United States. Emilio encourages her about what she will discover there but urges her not to forget her friend Emilio. Colón combines colored pencils and lithograph crayons to evoke both the Cuban city of Havana and the child’s new home of Atlanta.
The book “weaves together tradition, experiences of a new life, and a joyful revelation of commonality,” wrote a contributor in Publishers Weekly. They particularly appreciated how Colón is able to “imbue the neighborhood with the feel of Havana.” In Booklist, Van McGary praised the story as a “personal and heartfelt portrait of displacement and looking for connection.” McGary echoed the other reviewer about Colón’s illustrations, writing that they “capture the story’s setting and longing for the past.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Pandora, p. 1711; April 1, 2003, Ed Sullivan, review of Mightier than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys, p. 1394; February 1, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Orson Blasts Off!, p. 974; February 15, 2005, Bill Ott, review of Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates, p. 1082; August, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limón, p. 1965; April 1, 2007, Ilene Cooper, review of How to Bake an American Pie, p. 49; May 15, 2007, Abby Nolan, review of My Father’s House, p. 48; July 1, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel, p. 61; September 15, 2007, Ilene Cooper, review of Angela and the Baby Jesus, p. 68; February 1, 2008, Gillian Engberg, review of As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March toward Freedom, p. 55; June 1, 2012, Karen Cruze, review of Annie and Helen, p. 80, and Ilene Cooper, review of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, p. 106; February 15, 2013, Carolyn Phelan, review of Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer, p. 63; January 1, 2017, Lauren Vaner Plyum, “Talking with Raul Colon: The Prolific Illustrator Speaks about His Latest Works, His Love of Learning, and the Intersections of Art and Science,” pp. S25+; August 1, 2017, Kay Weisman, review of Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote, p. 48; June 1, 2018, Maryann Owen, review of Imagine!, p. 110; October 1, 2021, Stephanie Cohen, review of Light for All, p. 73; May 1, 2022, Michelle Ortega, review of The Little House of Hope, p. 49; October 15, 2023, Maryann Owen, review of Pass the Baby, p. 58; March, 2025, Van McGary, review of The Peanut Man, pp. 118+.
BookPage, October, 2014, Julie Danielson, review of Draw!, pp. 30+; January, 2016, Julie Danielson, review of Solving the Puzzle under the Sea, p. 30.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, December, 2012, Elizabeth Bush, review of Annie and Helen, p. 199; February, 2013, Elizabeth Bush, review of Look Up!, p. 289.
Horn Book, May-June, 2003, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 362; September-October, 2012, Julie Roach, review of Annie and Helen, p. 117; September-October, 2014, Kathleen T. Horning, review of Draw!, p. 81; May-June, 2017, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing, p. 121.
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2002, review of Pandora, p. 650; January 15, 2003, review of Rise the Moon, p. 147; March 1, 2004, review of Orson Blasts Off!, p. 220; April 15, 2004, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 614; February 15, 2005, review of Roberto Clemente, p. 238; July 1, 2005, review of José!, p. 742; September 15, 2005, review of Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Lady with a Great Big Heart, p. 1031; March 1, 2006, review of Play Ball!, p. 237; April 15, 2007, review of My Father’s House; May 1, 2007, review of How to Bake an American Pie; June 15, 2007, review of Sugar Cane; May 15, 2012, review of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops; July 15, 2012, review of Annie and Helen; January 15, 2013, review of Look Up!; February 1, 2014, review of Baseball Is . . .; March 1, 2014, review of Abuelo; November 1, 2014, review of Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century; November 15, 2015, review of Hillary; January 1, 2016, review of Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine; June 15, 2018, review of Bookjoy, Wordjoy; July 15, 2018, review of Imagine!; August 1, 2019, review of Counting the Stars; September 1, 2019, review of Angela’s Christmas; January 15, 2020, review of Child of the Universe; August 15, 2023, review of Pass the Baby.
New York Times Book Review, November 13, 2011, Marjorie Ingall, review of Good-bye, Havana! Hola, New York!, p. 32.
Publishers Weekly, December 17, 2001, review of A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers, p. 94; April 1, 2002, review of Pandora, p. 83; December 16, 2002, review of Rise the Moon, p. 66; March 29, 2004, review of Orson Blasts Off!, p. 62; February 7, 2005, review of Roberto Clemente, p. 59; January 9, 2006, review of Play Ball!, p. 53; May 28, 2007, review of How to Bake an American Pie, p. 62; June 4, 2007, review of My Father’s House, p. 49; October 22, 2007, review of Angela and the Baby Jesus, p. 53; July 11, 2011, review of Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina, p. 58; May 14, 2012, review of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, p. 68; December 3, 2012, review of Look Up!, p. 73; June 25, 2018, review of Imagine!, p. 187; February 11, 2019, review of The Night Library, pp. 65+; May 4, 2020, review of Already a Butterfly: A Meditation Story, p. 61; June 27, 2022, review of The Little House of Hope, p. 62; September 4, 2023, review of Pass the Baby, p. 73; December 2, 2024, review of The Peanut Man, p. 59.
School Library Journal, May, 2002, Patricia Lothrop-Green, review of Pandora, p. 134; April, 2003, Rosalyn Pierini, review of Rise the Moon, p. 138; May, 2003, Miriam Lang Budin, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 143; April, 2004, Marianne Saccardi, review of Orson Blasts Off!, p. 103; May, 2005, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Roberto Clemente, p. 116; October, 2005, Linda M. Kenton, review of Doña Flor, p. 122, and Susan Oliver, review of José, p. 144; May, 2006, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Play Ball!, p. 97; May, 2007, Barbara Auerbach, review of How to Bake an American Pie, p. 112; July, 2007, Mary Jean Smith, review of Sugar Cane, p. 86; August, 2007, Margaret Bush, review of My Father’s House, p. 96; March, 2008, Susan E. Murray, review of My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez, p. 82; May, 2008, Barbara Auerbach, review of As Good as Anybody, p. 116; September, 2011, Barbara Auerbach, review of Good-Bye, Havana! Hola, New York!, p. 114, and Susan Scheps, review of Prima Ballerina, p. 180; July, 2012, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, p. 66; September, 2012, Sara Lissa Paulson, review of Annie and Helen, p. 130.
ONLINE
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, https://brooklyneagle.com/ (July 31, 2019), Mary Frost, author interview.
Children’s Book Council website, https://www.cbcbooks.org/ (July 23, 2025), author interview.
Lee and Low Books website, https://www.leeandlow.com/ (August 16, 2018), author interview.
Let’s Talk Picture Books, https://www.letstalkpicturebooks.com/ (August 28, 2018), author interview.
Morgan Gaynin Web site, http://www.morgangaynin.com/ (September 1, 2013), “Raúl Colón.”
National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Web site, http://nccil.org/ (July 23, 2025), author bio.
Peachtree Publishing website, https://peachtree-online.com/ (September 29, 2017), author interview.
Pen and Story, https://www.penandstory.com/ (April 26, 2019), Kary Lee, author interview.
School Library Journal, https://afuse8production.slj.com/ (April 7, 2023), Betsy Bird, author interview.
3 Questions with Raúl Colón
When did you realize that you wanted to be an illustrator?
I was a big fan of comic book artists such as:
Steve Ditko (Spiderman)
Jack Kirby (Thor)
Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock)
But one day I saw an ad for a course, via snail mail from a “place” known as Famous Artists School. I read that most artists who were members of this particular school were called illustrators. I had seen the work of one of them featured prominently in the pages of a large format magazine. I think it was either Life Magazine or Look Magazine. I truly admired his work. It was quite different than the art I’d seen in comic books. His name: Norman Rockwell. For the first time I realized what he was – an illustrator. I want to be that myself, I thought. Though there were many twists and turns to get there, that’s where it all began. I was nine years old.
Did you ever feel, growing up, that you thought about and saw things differently than others?
I always had a way of thinking that wasn’t necessarily mainstream. For instance, when I was very young I enjoyed music in a strange and almost melancholic way. I would watch the beginning of certain TV shows, so I could simply hear the theme songs I liked. But these weren’t tunes like The Brady Bunch, or I Love Lucy. The music was a bit darker or introspective. Naked City was a bluesy, jazzy theme with a haunting trumpet as its lead instrument. Another was Dr. Kildare, a full string orchestra sound that no young kid I knew would ever notice, and of course the theme song for The Untouchables TV show which in this case everyone did like. However I knew that most kids -and adults- didn’t pay much attention to music like that, so I never shared any of this with them.
When The Beatles finally hit the scene I embraced all the experimental music they gave us and followed in their journey – the only time I thought I’d become a musician instead of an illustrator. All of this informed how I truly felt about art. I’m sure fellow illustrators had similar experiences.
What is it about wordless picture books that you enjoy the most?
Wordless picture books free the art. The experience is almost like putting one of those old silent movies together. Thank you, Charlie Chaplin. Thank you, Buster Keaton, and let’s not forget, Harold Lloyd. Their filmed masterpieces are an inspiration. I’ve had discussions with fellow illustrators who feel the same.
The other thing I realized is that children learn to tell the story they “see” in their own personal and highly perspective way. Oftentimes their ideas are even better than mine.
I draw inspiration from them, the youngest of readers. “Draw!” and “Imagine!” are wordless picture books that help children take time to find the story within the story and write their own, therefore making the tale an endless one.
I enjoy that thought.
About Raúl Colón
Raúl Colón has illustrated several highly acclaimed picture books, including Draw!; the New York Times bestselling Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt; Susanna Reich’s José! Born to Dance; and Jill Biden’s Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops. Mr. Colón lived in Puerto Rico as a young boy and now resides in New City, New York, with his family.
Raúl Colón was born in New York City in 1952 and moved with his parents in the 1960s to Caguas, Puerto Rico, where he studied commercial art. In 1978, Colón made Florida his home, working at an educational television center designing everything from puppets to short animated films. In 1988, the artist settled with his family in New City and began a freelance illustration career. Today, Colón continues to be a versatile and acclaimed illustrator whose work has appeared in important national publications.
An award-winning illustrator of over thirty books for children, Colón was chosen to illustrate Dr. Jill Biden’s Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops as well as Frank McCourt’s bestselling Angela and the Baby Jesus, both from Paula Wiseman Books. The industry has recognized Colón with a Golden Kite Award, two Pura Belpré Awards, a gold and silver medal from the Society of Illustrators, two Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Awards, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s 100 titles for Reading and Sharing twice.
Colón uses very unique techniques in his artwork to create texture and rich, deep colors. The illustrations are done on watercolor paper and combine watercolor washes, etching, and the use of colored pencils and litho pencils. Colón himself explained his technique for the illustrations in Angela and the Baby Jesus. “I began with textured watercolor paper. I added a wash of golden undertone watercolor. On top of that I drew the image - sketched it - and then added the middle tones. There are about 5 to 8 washes on top of each other. I then used colored pencils to make the texture of the paper come out. I also use a scratchboard instrument appropriately called a ‘scratcher’ to draw down through the layers.”
Colón currently resides in New York City, NY with his family.
Jason chin book images.png
"As a child I had chronic asthma and would frequently be so ill that I could not leave the house for days or even weeks at a time. But all those times I spent locked up inside, I spent filling up dozens of composition notebooks with all kinds of drawings. I even tried to write my own comic books…. So my illness as a child, which kept me from going outside to play, became a blessing."
- Raúl Colón
August 28, 2018
Let's Talk Illustrators #79: Raúl Colón
Raúl Colón's second picture book as author-illustrator is the wordless story of a boy who experiences a day at a museum that changes the way he sees the world. Imagine! is a celebration of paintings that exist in museums, yes, but it's also a celebration of the spirit of art, of what art can bring into everyone's lives in terms of imagination. I talked to Raúl about this book––and others he's worked on––and got a chance to peel back some of the layers of this emotionally inspiring story. Have a read!
About the book:
After passing a city museum many times, a boy finally decides to go in. He passes wall after wall of artwork until he sees a painting that makes him stop and ponder. Before long the painting comes to life and an afternoon of adventure and discovery unfolds, changing how he sees the world ever after.
Peek underneath the dust jacket:
Let's talk Raúl Colón!
LTPB: Can you talk a little bit more about where the idea for Imagine! come from? What was it like putting yourself in younger shoes and creating this story from the point of view of a young child? What kind of research did you do for that process?
RC: The idea for Imagine! was triggered by a suggestion from my editor, Paula Wiseman at Simon & Schuster. Maybe a follow up to my previous wordless picture book Draw! A story about the same or similar character. We wanted it to be about some sort of “epic” journey where by the end of the story the character’s perspective is changed somehow.
I thought about it and wondered about the boy visiting a major art museum all by himself. Of course I was asking that about myself. What would have happened if I made it to the Met as a child long before I did? Children traveling on their own in the city was not unheard of years ago, maybe even today.
The only research was using my memory of the city at the time, and then visiting some of the streets and places where the boy might journey through today. I did stop by some neighborhoods in Brooklyn and took some photos. Brooklyn was chosen because I wanted the boy to travel across one of the iconic bridges in town.
I also visited the major museums in New York, took notes and decided to place the action in the Museum of Modern Art. MOMA had they right combination of art I needed for this particular story. (It also had Van Gogh’s Starry Night which turned out I couldn’t use due to legal concerns).
LTPB: How did real-life paintings influence the creation of this book, like the color palette (which is very evocative of Starry Night!), or the characters you chose to include in the spreads?
RC: The real life paintings I focused on, helped move the narrative along. Everything was supposed to be about art––all kinds. Music had a big influence in me. Having dancers and musicians as part of the story fit the bill. Also they would provide movement and visual excitement which was supposed to be celebratory. Eventually at Central Park some of the characters have books they were reading, which covered the reading and writing side of art––the actual young readers are also joining in this activity as they look at the wordless visuals in the book.
LTPB: This is your second wordless book, correct? How do you come up with story ideas for your wordless books? How do you work to convey tone and emotion without a text?
RC: Yes, it is my second wordless picture book. The ideas come in spurts. There is always the basic story idea: a duck rides a bike and barks like a dog. Then you take it from there. By the way, I just thought that one up. Art Speigelman wrote that silent movies triggered the first wordless graphic novels. I’ve always admired Charlie Chaplin's, Buster Keaton's, and Harold Lloyd's work in film. You can convey a lot of emotion through simple pictures without saying a word. Many of my fellow illustrators and I have learned a lot from watching these “old” movies.
Of course, facial expressions, shape, light and darkness, as well as color, set the mood for the kind of emotions you want to depict.
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in Imagine!? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from book to book?
RC: In the case of Imagine! and Draw!, I mostly used Prismacolor pencils on colored paper. I still etch into the paper with my trademark “Scratcher,” which was supposed to be used mainly for scratch board art. I had photo reference for the cityscape and made up other places. Watercolor and colored pencils work the best for me. A bit tedious, but it gives me versatility. Plus I like the feel of putting down marks on a surface, adding or subtracting pressure, blending colors and letting accidents happen. Like Wendell Minor once told me about human nature. “We’re analog.”
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?
RC: I’m working on another bio picture book, and after that, a book about a little girl and her place in the universe. That last one is right down my alley (I'm a big 2001: A Space Odyssey fan).
LTPB: If you were to write your picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
RC: Barbara McClintock. She would simplify my looks with an exact precision of line and color.
A huge thank you to Raúl for talking to me about his new wordless book! Imagine! publishes September 11, 2018 from Simon & Schuster!
Special thanks to Raúl and Simon & Schuster for use of these images!
An interview with Raúl Colón, the illustrator behind this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival poster
July 31, 2019 Mary Frost
Raúl Colón/Brooklyn Book Festival
Raúl Colón/Brooklyn Book Festival
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The Brooklyn Book Festival has unveiled this year’s poster, created by author and artist Raúl Colón. As the illustrator of more than 30 books for children, Colón has received numerous awards, including the Golden Kite Award, Pura Belpré Award, and gold and silver medals in the Original Art show. His picture books “Draw!” and “Imagine!” were chosen as American Library Association Notable Books.
The festival takes place Sept. 22, with Children’s Day on Sept. 21. Colón spoke to the Brooklyn Eagle on Tuesday about his artwork, his sources of inspiration and how he created the Book Festival poster.
Magical artwork created by artist Raúl Colón illustrates the Brooklyn Book Festival’s poster this year. The poster was unveiled this morning. Graphic courtesy of Brooklyn Book Festival
A magical piece of artwork created by artist Raúl Colón illustrates the Brooklyn Book Festival’s poster this year. Graphic courtesy of Brooklyn Book Festival
There’s a hint of magic in this year’s poster for the Brooklyn Book Festival — a golden glow that suffuses the travelers in their little paper boat, sailing towards adventure.
This is the signature style of artist Raúl Colón. The elusive glow can’t be created digitally, and that’s one reason why he is sought after as an illustrator.
When the Book Festival representatives called him, it was a privilege, Colón said.
“I decided OK, I’ll do it. They know my style. I started thinking about Brooklyn, and how people enjoy books. I sent them a few ideas, and they chose this one,” he said.
“I wanted to show people coming across the East River, going to Brooklyn. There’s nothing better than the [Brooklyn] Bridge” to represent the borough, he said. “And the people — I wanted diversity, and I know the Book Festival people did too.”
Award winning illustrator Raúl Colón created this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival poster. Photo by Photo by Gail Gaynin / Morgan Gaynin Inc.
Award-winning illustrator Raúl Colón. Photo by Photo by Gail Gaynin / Morgan Gaynin Inc.
“The boat symbolizes people going on an adventure. It’s a paper boat, to make it a page with words and text. The quotes are from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ Colón said. “A little fantasy, a journey. All these folks reading in a little boat going to Brooklyn.”
The poster also can be seen as representing a group of people, refugees, trying to reach another shore, to find a new world, he said.
“This country was founded this way. When you read a book, you are going to another land.”
Colón creates his artwork using colored pencils over watercolor washes. The wash under-painting is almost monochromatic, he said, with just a few color varieties — sepias, golden yellow, ochres and brown washes. “On top, I draw images in half tones. After that dries, I draw in layers of colored pencil. I finish with lithograph pencil to put some darks in it. It takes a while.”
Colón spent a week working out the colors and sent festival organizers three or four sketches. It took him another week to “put down the color.”
“My first thought was which colors would work,” he said. Blues predominate.
Life as an illustrator
“I got my start in editorial illustrations, posters and novel covers — if you remember those,” Colón said. He illustrated his first picture book in 1995.
While he now works mostly with books, Colón will occasionally create an illustration for a magazine or poster. With a tile setter, he created a ceramic mosaic wall mural at the 191 Street subway station (for the 1 and 9 train stop.)
When trying to decide if he wants to illustrate a book, Colón sees if he can visualize it while reading the manuscript. “Images start popping into my head. I’ll take a job if I feel the images are interesting.”
One thing that people may not realize is when a writer and an artist work together on a book project, they seldom get together, Colón said.
“In picture books, the artist and writer stay separated a long time. Editors give everybody free range. Usually writers depend on us,” he said. If it’s not working out, however, “They can have their say. Editors like it that way.”
There are exceptions to this rule. When Colón worked with author Frank McCourt, “He had his say on that. Certain writers get theirs.” He added, “He was easy to work with.”
While Colón is making a good living at his art, being an illustrator is harder now that it used to be, he said.
“Album covers have disappeared, and print also in many areas. And there are a lot more people illustrating,” he said.
“However, a new area is video games. Hopefully, new venues will open,” he said.
Colón’s inspirations
Comic books were his first inspiration as a kid, Colón said. He admired Steve Ditko, the original artist who illustrated the “Spider Man” comics (with writer Stan Lee). He once saw an ad for the Famous Artist School and learned about Norman Rockwell, who was on the board.
“I said, ‘Wow, I’d love to do that when I grow up.”
Later, he admired editorial illustrator Brad Holland and illustrator Ralph Steadman (who famously collaborated with Hunter S. Thompson).
Movies also have a big influence on his art, including the work of Stanley Kubrick. (While he can’t go into details, Colón hinted that he hid a small tribute to Kubrick inside a new book he’s working on about stars.)
“Music and film inform what you do as an artist,” he said. “It’s another way to stay creative.”
A brief stint in Brooklyn
Colón was born in New York City in 1952 and moved with his parents at the age of 10 to Puerto Rico. He studied commercial art there in a U.S government-funded program. In 1978, Colón moved to Florida, working at an educational television center. He also lived in College Point, Queens for a year and a half.
“It was very expensive — $600 a month,” he laughed.
Colón even lived in Brooklyn for a couple of months with his cousin. He enjoys visiting the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and the Transit Museum “with all those old trains,” he said. “Brooklyn has changed so much,” he noted. “It’s more interesting than it used to be.”
He moved in 1991 with his family — a wife and two sons — to New City in Rockland County, where he lives today. He’s got six young grandchildren.
Brooklyn Book Festival
Colón joins the ranks of cartoonist Julia Wertz, illustrator Adrian Tomine and author and designer Chip Kidd, who created the art for past festival posters. The poster will be on sale on Children’s Day and Festival Day, as well as online, with all proceeds supporting the not for profit festival.
Colón will be appearing with other picture book authors, illustrators and performers at on Children’s Day, September 21, where he will give children a look at one of his “wordless” books, “Imagine!” or “Draw!”
“Wordless books are like silent movies,” he said. “The children provide the stories. They come up with them better than I do.”
Don’t Take a Pass On This One. A Talk with Susanna Reich and Raúl Colon on Pass the Baby and Cover Reveal
April 7, 2023 by Betsy Bird 1 comments
It’s happened again. A picture book is about to be released that taps into something universal, yet has never been exclusively featured in a title for kids before. The adorable creation in question is none other than the upcoming Pass the Baby by Susanna Reich with marvelous art by Raúl Colon. Utterly adorable and inarguably entrancing, this is a rhythmic little wonder just begging to be said aloud. And today, I am so pleased to not only be revealing its cover, but to also provide an interview with its creators:
Betsy Bird: Hi Susanna! Thanks so much for taking my questions today. And what a rollicking, bouncy little book this is! I have to assume there was some real life influence on this title. Where did the idea of it come from for you?
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Susanna Reich: Hi Betsy! Thank you for hosting us. I’m excited to share Pass the Baby, because it’s my first fictional picture book and was so much fun to write. The idea came from a family dinner at which a baby was passed around the table. Everyone took turns holding her, and she was delighted by all the attention. The dog at our dinner was fast asleep under the table, unlike the dog in the book. The rest came from my imagination, inspired by many happy family meals—and by memories of how much energy babies have!
BB: Oh yeah. I remember that. And Raúl! So lovely to talk to you! So this is a much younger title than I’m accustomed to seeing from you. How did you come to be attached to this project?
Raúl Colon: I became attached to this project (“Pass the Baby”) through my editor, Neal Porter, who had seen other pieces from me. They made him think that I could tackle this.
He also knew that Susanna and I had worked together before.
BB: Makes sense. And Susanna, did you have any specific illustrators in mind when you created the book? What did you think of the final product from Raúl?
SR: When our editor chose Raúl, I knew Pass the Baby was in good hands, because we’d worked together before, on José! Born to Dance. I adore the lyricism of Raúl’s work and was happy to give him a text that brought out his humorous side. Every time I look at the finished art, it makes me laugh in delight.
BB: Right? Raúl, I was particularly interested in how you dealt with the repetition in the text visually. More than one you handle the “pass the baby” chorus of the book with similar images, which I thought was really nice. Where did you get the idea to handle it this way?
RC: Good question. The idea of reusing certain visuals repeatedly (one reversed), actually came from watching certain film comedies, and slapstick performances, where a certain physical action is repeated throughout the story. Usually someone tripping or falling down the stairs, or running into trouble with the same policeman, over and over, say, like Chaplin or Buster Keaton would.
BB: Ahhh! I love that Keaton was, in some way, an inspiration. How about you, Susanna? Were there any particular baby books that served as an inspiration in any way?
SR: Even though the main character is a baby, I don’t think of this exclusively as a baby book. It’s also for pre-K and early-elementary readers. That’s one reason the baby’s older brother and sister are present throughout the book, and why the brother is brought forward at the end. As for literary inspirations, I spent a lot of time with A.A. Milne and Dr. Seuss as a child. Their words really dance for me.
BB: And when writing a book like this, do you constantly have to read it aloud so that you get the cadences right? Or do you work entirely in your head? Do you ever read it aloud to anyone else while you’re working on it?
SR: No matter what I’m writing, I listen to the phrases as if I’m writing music. For most of the process, I hear the words in my head. Actually, I hear/feel them with my whole body. As the book gets more polished, I read it aloud to myself. Then I ask others to read it and point out anything that feels off, because not everyone hears the rhythm of language in the same way.
BB: Well, Raúl, that baby is adorable and just a little bit too real. I have to assume you’ve handled a baby in your time that was an inspiration. Did you have any specific babies in mind as you created this particular one? (The feet kicking well-meaning adults in the face was a little too real)
RC: I had seen a few photos in a book from Edward Steichen’s exhibit titled “The Family of Man”. There were a few pictures in the book that gave me an idea for the baby’s “look”. Plus a few cartoons added a bit of the quirkiness.
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BB: Having studied photography in college, I remember “The Family of Man” well. It makes me wonder what other books for children it may have inspired. Finally, to round us out today, what are you two working on next? What’s coming up for you?
SR: I have a few picture book biographies out on submission. One is a sibling story about the Gershwin brothers, who wrote hundreds of songs together (George, the music; Ira, the words). Another is about the nurse and social activist Lillian Wald. Right now I’m working on a middle-grade nonfiction called West Side Story Story. It’s about the making of the original Broadway musical and the four gay, Jewish men who created it—Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, and Stephen Sondheim. The music and dance parts of my brain are all lit up, and my inner Jewish New Yorker is having a ball with the language.
RC: I’m working on a bio about a teacher in Puerto Rico, under Spanish rule, in the 19th century –and another- about a character in a famous cuban song. In April of this year, I will be at the LA Times Book Fair, announcing that The (George) Lucas Museum of Narrative Art bought the art for my book “Imagine!” in it’s entirety. A grand opening is scheduled to take place in 2025.
Looks like congrats are in order for both Susanna and Raúl today, above and beyond this book! By now we’ve teased you long enough. Take a gander at this:
Many thanks to Bree Martinez and the folks at Holiday House for arranging this interview and cover reveal today. Pass the Baby is on bookshelves everywhere October 17th. Be sure to look for it then!
Interview: Pat Mora and Raul Colón On Bookjoy and Wordjoy
On: August 16, 2018 By: Lee & Low Books
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As a children’s book publisher, we know how powerful and influential words are, which is why we’re so excited to have announced the release of our new title, Bookjoy, Wordjoy this month! Whether we are collecting words, reading favorite books in the library, celebrating holidays, writing poems, sharing secrets, or singing a jazzy duet, words and books can take us on wonderful adventures and bring us joy. Poet Pat Mora and illustrator Raul Colón, two of the biggest names in the Latinx children’s book world, have teamed up to bring bookjoy, the fun of reading, and wordjoy, the fun of listening to words, combining words, and playing with words, to readers everywhere. In a starred review from Booklist, this title was called a “joyous invitation to put pen (or paintbrush) to paper.”
We interviewed Pat Mora and Raul Colón on their favorite words, poetry, and their upcoming projects.bookjoy wordjoy
Bookjoy, Wordjoy is a celebration of words and books. What are some of your favorite words and/or books, and why?
Pat Mora: I feel mighty lucky to have been a reader since I learned to read. Books entertain me, teach me, relax me, and make me a better person. I have happy memories of myself reading throughout my life. I loved biographies and poetry. I continue to read and love poetry, reflective books, books that are beautifully written and expand my vision. I don’t read mysteries or thrillers. I recently re-read HABIBI and was grateful to Naomi Shihab Nye for teaching me again about the Palestinian reality from the perspective of a delightful teen. I love poetry by Mary Oliver and Pablo Neruda.
Favorite words: montañas, mountains of words in English and Spanish. Many are in Bookjoy, Wordjoy: lullaby, spirals, sashay, canta, sparkling.
Raul Colón: A few of my favorite books: Where the Wild Things Are (I learned a lot about how Maurice Sendak put it all together: the writing, and the visuals). David Weisner’s wordless picture books also are some of my favorites. However, I read everything from classic novels, to historical novels, including the likes of Cervantes, Joseph Heller, Garcia Márquez.
Raul, your illustrations are perfect for Pat’s poetry! How did you decide on what colors to use and people to portray?
RC: The colors, and we could say style I used for Pat Mora’s poems were inspired by the works of some Central American artists, including Rufino Tamayo. I also tried to suggest diversity though the use of many different tones or hues for a lot of the characters in the book, not just natural skin colors.bookjoy wordjoy spread
Pat, you have written numerous poetry picture books for children. Is there a place where you go for inspiration? Is it possible to learn to write poetry “better”?
PM: I loved nursery rhymes when I was little, loved reading them to my three children, and like reading them to my granddaughter (when she’ll sit still). Because of the presence of too much media in our lives, it’s hard to hear our inside selves, the place poetry begins. I like quiet and let myself doodle. I believe in my work and let myself explore on the page. No negative talk. We all learn to do things better by studying, looking at what others with more experience do. I try to read poetry daily for the sheer pleasure of it.
There are Spanish words sprinkled throughout in Bookjoy, Wordjoy, which is a wonderful way to learn about a new language. What would you say to someone who claims that people don’t need to see words in a different language, especially since “we’re in America”?
PM: Hundreds of Native languages were spoken in what is the United States before European Americans arrived. Some people seem to be forgetting American history. I’m going to Sweden this fall and look forward to learning new words and phrases. I feel very lucky to be bilingual and wish I were trilingual.
RC: Many folks from different countries can speak multiple languages. We should never disparage anybody for being multi-lingual as opposed to simply mono-lingual. Europe has no problem with this, nor should America.
What new projects do you both have coming up?
PM: Encantado: Desert Monologues comes out this fall. I enjoy writing for all ages. I’m always working on a few projects. Shsh, secretos, secrets.
RC: I’m finishing visuals for a biography and starting another on a little girl who learns about her place in The Universe. Big theme, I guess.
Purchase a copy of Bookjoy, Wordjoy here.
Imagination Inspires Imagery: Illustrator Raúl Colón
Illustrator Raúl Colón is a featured faculty member of the 2019 SCBWI-WWA Conference May 18-19. Get to know him through this interview by Kary Lee.
Raúl Colón will be a keynote speaker at the WWA Conference May 18-19th, 2019. He will hold a breakout session included in Saturday’s event as well as a master class on Sunday, May 19, 2019. He lives in New York City and is busy working on new visual projects and excited about his first visit to Seattle.
KARY LEE: One way to introduce author/illustrator Raúl Colón might be to quote a memorable line from his latest picture book, Imagine! But that book is wordless, which leaves his beautiful visual storytelling illustrations to speak for themselves.
Through Raul’s vibrant images, Imagine! pulls you in and inspires you to turn the page. So much, that it became the inspiration for our upcoming Western Washington SCBWI Conference, Imagine That! held next month at Seattle Pacific University.
Imagine!, so beautifully depicted through his unique colored pencil and watercolor technique, is not the exception to Raul’s work, but the rule; as one can see in his impressive body of work spanning over many years in both books and magazines.
My first queston to Raúl Colón is: Describe your most recent release in one sentence.
Raúl: My most recent release is The Night Library. It’s a story about a boy who one night interacts with the lions at The New York City Library.
Kary: What made you want to become an illustrator?
Raúl: I was interested in art ever since I can remember. I always loved to draw as much as any child does, except that I never stopped. When I became a professional illustrator and had illustrated a few picture books, an editor asked me to write and illustrate an original story. That’s how I came to the writing part of it, my first story: ‘Orson Blasts Off.”
Kary: What books helped form you as a reader?
Raúl: I read plenty of comic books as a kid. But the one story that really got me was in one of my sister’s text books from school. I was about eight years old, she was a few years older than me. The story was ”The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. It scared me to death but it made an impression and became a favorite childhood story for me. Today I actually live a few miles from Washington Irving’s place, as well as Sleepy Hollow.
Kary: What inspires you?
Raúl: A good story rich in imagery, inspires me. That’s how I choose what to illustrate when I read a manuscript – I can see interesting images in my head.
A sample of thumbnails from Raúl Colón’s book.
Here is a link to a short video about his book, Imagine.
Kary: Do you follow a career plan?
Raúl: I only had a career plan when I decided to become a full time freelance illustrator.
I spent a year or two preparing a portfolio. I read everything I could on how to promote my work. I saved as much money as I could, wrote letters, sent postcards and I moved to where the action was – back to New York. I did not give myself six months to make it. I had no limit.
Kary: What aspect of illustrating do you find the most challenging?
Raúl: Deadlines are impossible, but with books you have some leeway. Each project is different in some way. Some may take longer than others. I loose a lot of sleep sometimes. But a book can take months to produce and that’s understood in the industry. By the way. I always work with a signed contract in place. I was fortunate to enter the picture book field by invitation. So I never submitted a project that I wasn’t hired to do. Not yet…
Kary: Do you have any rituals, superstitions, or preferred materials for creative work?
Raúl: I don’t have a ritual or superstition per se. I do listen to music when I work. I realize that It speeds up the process when I have music playing. I can actually lose myself in my work with the radio blasting. Also, when I need to take a break, or need to clear my head for so-called “inspiration,” I take a walk outside, play a musical instrument or watch music videos to get going. However, art is work. After years of doing creative work, the mind is prepared to produce something new with built-in tools.
Kary: Who is your favorite children’s literature character?
Raúl: My favorite character in children’s literature is The Tin Soldier. I just realized that now.
Kary: What’s next for you?
Raúl: I’m currently trying to finish a book about a child and her place in the universe. Epic.
Kary: Do you have any final words of advice?
Raúl: What I would like to remind the folks when they look at picture books. Don’t forget about the ART.
Kary: Raúl Colón will be a keynote speaker at the Saturday, May 19th WWA Conference, and will hold a breakout session included in Saturday’s event as well as a master class on Sunday. He lives in New York City and is busy working on new visual projects and excited about his first visit to Seattle.
Thanks Raul!
PROFILES OF CONTRIBUTORS
KARY LEE, the interviewer, is a visual storyteller who splits her time between her passion as an editorial/book illustrator and her day job as a graphic designer for UW Medicine. Her work has been featured in various magazines and picture books including DIZZY, a Mom’s Choice Award winner for Best Picture Book adventure. She has a Communications degree from Washington State University and lives in Seattle in a little apartment on the west shore of Lake Washington with her husband, Charles, under an eagles nest.You can learn more about her work on her website, www.karyleeillustration.com.
RAÚL COLÓN studied commercial art in high school, where he received his first formal training in art, including photography and advertising art. He worked as a freelance illustrator for such clients as The New York Times Book Review, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and New York Magazine. MAMA HAD A DANCING HEART, which Colón illustrated, was named on The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books list. Mr Colón wrote and illustrated the picture book DRAW! which The New York Times chose as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books for 2015. The industry has recognized Colón with a Golden Kite Award and a Pura Belpré Award.
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The stunning new picture book Miguel’s Brave Knight introduces the life of young Miguel de Cervantes and his inspiration for creating one of the greatest works of modern literature, Don Quixote. To celebrate and honor Miguel de Cervantes’s 470th birthday today, we asked author and Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle and award-winning artist and illustrator Raúl Colón some questions about their celebrated careers and what inspired them to create Miguel’s Brave Knight.
Q: Margarita, what inspired you to write Miguel’s Brave Knight as a collection of poems?
M: The first draft was one simple poem for younger children, similar to Drum Dream Girl. All I wanted to do was honor the comforting power of imagination found in the life and work of Cervantes. Margaret Quinlin, the editor, suggested including more information, to make the book suitable for older children. So I began to experiment, and decided on the format of separate poems for various stages in the childhood and youth of Cervantes. I’m thrilled with the end result. Combined with the incredible artwork of Raúl Colón, I think that in its final form, Miguel’s Brave Knight can be read on many levels, depending on the age of the child or teen.
Q: Raúl, what part of Miguel’s Brave Knight did you most respond to?
R: The parts of the story I most responded to was whenever young Miguel was imagining Don Quixote’s character. There are two pieces where both Miguel as a boy and Don Quixote appear together. I really enjoyed working on those.
Q: Who is Miguel de Cervantes to you?
R: Miguel de Cervantes is a hero to me. I had heard about him since I was quite young, but I really came to know him while working on this book. I decided to read his masterpiece Don Quixote in its original language (Spanish) and realized that Cervantes could have been a best-selling contemporary writer today, chock full of wit and stinging satire—maybe even been an HBO limited series writer.
Q: Margarita, you were trained as a botanist and agronomist before becoming a writer. What made you make the switch? How do you still use your scientific skills today?
M: It was a gradual transition. As a child, I wrote poetry. As an adult, I alternated between poetry, fiction, opinion columns for Hispanic Link News Service, and scientific nonfiction articles for agricultural and landscape magazines. My first feeble efforts to write novels occurred while I was taking a graduate creative writing seminar from Tomás Rivera, the first Latino Chancellor of a University of California campus. Eventually, beginning in 1991 when I was finally able to start returning to Cuba, I decided to focus on fiction. Some of the reviews said my novels were “too poetic,†so a light bulb went off in my mind, and I returned to poetry. Nevertheless, several of my picture books are about scientists, and forests and farms often appear in my verse novels for older children. In some of my verse novels, such as Forest World, The Surrender Tree, Mountain Dog, and Silver People, wilderness actually feels like one of the characters in the story. In my verse memoir, Enchanted Air, I showed how I became both a writer and a scientist, by falling in love with tropical nature during childhood summers spent with relatives in Cuba.
Q: As the national Young People’s Poet Laureate, you have the opportunity to inspire a new generation of poets. What poets have inspired you?
M: Most of my favorite poets are from Spain and Latin America: José MartÃ; Rubén DarÃo; Juan Ramón Jiménez; Antonio Machado; Miguel Hernández; Gabriela Mistral; Octavio Paz; Dulce MarÃa Loynaz. I also love nature poets, especially Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver.
Q: Raúl, what other illustrators inspire you?
R: Well, when I was very young comic book illustrators such as Steve Ditko (Spiderman-Marvel Comics), Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock- DC Comics), and others really got me started drawing my own characters.
A bit later I learned who Norman Rockwell was, and that’s when I knew that I might try to do what he did. Finally when I grew up, illustrators like Brad Holland, Mark English, and Matt Mahurin were an inspiration to me.
Â
Q: How is your work with children’s illustrating different from your “grown-up†murals and covers?
R: Illustrating for children is not necessarily much different than illustrating for adults, except for the mature themes you may create for an adult audience. There is a good deal of fantasy involved in all art. Children tend to remember this much better than adults do.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your art in Miguel’s Brave Knight?
R: My wish is that young readers can enhance their own mental images of Miguel’s world by reading Margarita’s words and looking at the visuals I put together. I hope that at some point in their lives they’re inspired to learn more about this Don Quixote character and decide to read Cervantes’s novel.
Q: How do you hope Miguel’s Brave Knight will be used in the classroom and elsewhere?
M: Cervantes is just as famous in Latin America as Shakespeare is in the US. I hope teachers will help children see that they can learn about the whole world, that they are not limited by borders. Stories travel, and they time-travel. Poetry is like a magic carpet that can take us anywhere.
With respect to the power of imagination, maybe teachers could talk about the importance of daydreaming in the writing process. Daydreaming is at the heart of creativity, and from early childhood, Cervantes was a master of this essential skill.Q: What do you hope young children will learn from this book?
M: I hope they’ll see that the human imagination is more powerful than any monster, including the Spanish Inquisition, which tried to prohibit imaginative literature.
Miguel’s Brave Knight will be at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble on October 1st! To learn more, check out our New Book News post.
Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.
Author & Illustrator Interview: Margarita Engle and Raúl Colón
The stunning new picture book Miguel’s Brave Knight introduces the life of young Miguel de Cervantes and his inspiration for creating one of the greatest works of modern literature, Don Quixote. To celebrate and honor Miguel de Cervantes’s 470th birthday today, we asked author and Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle and award-winning artist and illustrator Raúl Colón some questions about their celebrated careers and what inspired them to create Miguel’s Brave Knight.
Q: Margarita, what inspired you to write Miguel’s Brave Knight as a collection of poems?
M: The first draft was one simple poem for younger children, similar to Drum Dream Girl. All I wanted to do was honor the comforting power of imagination found in the life and work of Cervantes. Margaret Quinlin, the editor, suggested including more information, to make the book suitable for older children. So I began to experiment, and decided on the format of separate poems for various stages in the childhood and youth of Cervantes. I’m thrilled with the end result. Combined with the incredible artwork of Raúl Colón, I think that in its final form, Miguel’s Brave Knight can be read on many levels, depending on the age of the child or teen.
Q: Raúl, what part of Miguel’s Brave Knight did you most respond to?
R: The parts of the story I most responded to was whenever young Miguel was imagining Don Quixote’s character. There are two pieces where both Miguel as a boy and Don Quixote appear together. I really enjoyed working on those.
Q: Who is Miguel de Cervantes to you?
R: Miguel de Cervantes is a hero to me. I had heard about him since I was quite young, but I really came to know him while working on this book. I decided to read his masterpiece Don Quixote in its original language (Spanish) and realized that Cervantes could have been a best-selling contemporary writer today, chock full of wit and stinging satire—maybe even been an HBO limited series writer.
Q: Margarita, you were trained as a botanist and agronomist before becoming a writer. What made you make the switch? How do you still use your scientific skills today?
M: It was a gradual transition. As a child, I wrote poetry. As an adult, I alternated between poetry, fiction, opinion columns for Hispanic Link News Service, and scientific nonfiction articles for agricultural and landscape magazines. My first feeble efforts to write novels occurred while I was taking a graduate creative writing seminar from Tomás Rivera, the first Latino Chancellor of a University of California campus. Eventually, beginning in 1991 when I was finally able to start returning to Cuba, I decided to focus on fiction. Some of the reviews said my novels were “too poetic,†so a light bulb went off in my mind, and I returned to poetry. Nevertheless, several of my picture books are about scientists, and forests and farms often appear in my verse novels for older children. In some of my verse novels, such as Forest World, The Surrender Tree, Mountain Dog, and Silver People, wilderness actually feels like one of the characters in the story. In my verse memoir, Enchanted Air, I showed how I became both a writer and a scientist, by falling in love with tropical nature during childhood summers spent with relatives in Cuba.
Q: As the national Young People’s Poet Laureate, you have the opportunity to inspire a new generation of poets. What poets have inspired you?
M: Most of my favorite poets are from Spain and Latin America: José MartÃ; Rubén DarÃo; Juan Ramón Jiménez; Antonio Machado; Miguel Hernández; Gabriela Mistral; Octavio Paz; Dulce MarÃa Loynaz. I also love nature poets, especially Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver.
Q: Raúl, what other illustrators inspire you?
R: Well, when I was very young comic book illustrators such as Steve Ditko (Spiderman-Marvel Comics), Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock- DC Comics), and others really got me started drawing my own characters.
A bit later I learned who Norman Rockwell was, and that’s when I knew that I might try to do what he did. Finally when I grew up, illustrators like Brad Holland, Mark English, and Matt Mahurin were an inspiration to me.
Â
Q: How is your work with children’s illustrating different from your “grown-up†murals and covers?
R: Illustrating for children is not necessarily much different than illustrating for adults, except for the mature themes you may create for an adult audience. There is a good deal of fantasy involved in all art. Children tend to remember this much better than adults do.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your art in Miguel’s Brave Knight?
R: My wish is that young readers can enhance their own mental images of Miguel’s world by reading Margarita’s words and looking at the visuals I put together. I hope that at some point in their lives they’re inspired to learn more about this Don Quixote character and decide to read Cervantes’s novel.
Q: How do you hope Miguel’s Brave Knight will be used in the classroom and elsewhere?
M: Cervantes is just as famous in Latin America as Shakespeare is in the US. I hope teachers will help children see that they can learn about the whole world, that they are not limited by borders. Stories travel, and they time-travel. Poetry is like a magic carpet that can take us anywhere.
With respect to the power of imagination, maybe teachers could talk about the importance of daydreaming in the writing process. Daydreaming is at the heart of creativity, and from early childhood, Cervantes was a master of this essential skill.Q: What do you hope young children will learn from this book?
M: I hope they’ll see that the human imagination is more powerful than any monster, including the Spanish Inquisition, which tried to prohibit imaginative literature.
Miguel’s Brave Knight will be at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble on October 1st! To learn more, check out our New Book News post.
September 29th, 2017
Borden, Louise BASEBALL IS . . . McElderry (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 2, 18 ISBN: 978-1-4169-5502-3
Baseball is more than a sport; in Borden's unabashed celebration, it embodies the essence of the social, historic and emotional fabric of our nation. Baseball has played a part in wars, social upheaval, urban and suburban development, immigration demographics, business conglomerates and investment swindles. It is also myth and mystery and the stuff of the American dream. People who love the game feel it in every sense, and to them, the minutiae are as elemental as the heroes, the great plays and the spectacle. Borden attempts to capture all of it in a lovely evocation of everything that is conjured up when a devoted fan hears the words "baseball is...." She employs deceptively simple language and the briefest of phrases filled with instant imagery that mingles past and present, spectators and players. Readers see, hear, smell and taste every aspect of the game. Nothing is forgotten or minimalized. The ballparks, the souvenirs and the hot dogs are all here from the major leagues to Little League. Col�n's exuberant colored-pencil illustrations are lovingly matched to the text and bring it to glorious life. The game is seen from every perspective on double-page spreads that incorporate vignettes in frames of every shape as well as a gatefold with the likes of Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente. Love of our national game shines in every word and picture. A grand slam. (Picture book. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Borden, Louise: BASEBALL IS . ." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A357032965/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=88975d0b. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Dorros, Arthur ABUELO Harper/HarperCollins (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 4, 22 ISBN: 978-0-06-168627-6
More than 20 years after Abuela, illustrated by Elisa Kleven (1991), Dorros offers a gentle story of the lessons a grandfather imparts to his grandson while riding horses together on the plains before the boy moves to the city. This picture book also calls to mind the author's Pap� and Me, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (2008), as it lovingly expresses the lasting impact that time spent with a caring adult family member can have on a young child. The brief English text weaves in Spanish words and phrases with literal translations immediately provided (" 'No te preocupes,' don't worry, Abuelo told me..."). Though this technique is somewhat redundant, it may be helpful for readers who do not know Spanish. Col�n's watercolor-and-pencil illustrations expertly bring to life both expansive landscapes and subtle emotions, as the grandson transitions to city life. The lessons learned on the open plains help the young boy come to feel at home in the city-laughing when he feels fear, standing strong against a bully and finding comfort in gazing at the city stars. This book succeeds at both specificity and universality, presenting the distinct culture of the gaucho cowboy and the plains of South America through a story that will resonate broadly with many children and families. (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Dorros, Arthur: ABUELO." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A359847899/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b53bd99c. Accessed 12 June 2025.
DRAW!
By Raul Colon
Simon & Schuster / Paula
Wiseman
$17.99, 40 pages
ISBN 9781442494923
eBook available
Ages 4 to 8
PICTURE BOOK
Numerous legendary author-illustrators have likened picture books to film, as both mediums tell their stories through visible action. Some illustrators construct their stories in ways similar to film in even more creative and dramatic ways, as Raul Colon does in his dynamic new picture book, Draw!
A young boy sits in his room, sketchbook nearby, while reading a giant book about Africa. By the next spread, we see he's been inspired; his sketchbook is now in hand, and he's drawing. In a series of drawings emanating from near the boy's head, he imagines himself heading to a safari with his paints and easel in hand. We are treated to multiple spreads of the boy's fantasy: He's painting various safari animals, from elephants to zebras to majestic lions, and every scene pops with color and action. In the end, we're drawn back (in more ways than one) to the boy's room, and at the book's close we see him sharing his drawings with his classmates.
Colon puts to good use perspective, compelling page turns and cinematic techniques. In one spread, we're treated to two illustrations similar in many ways, yet one is suddenly closer to the reader. Another illustration is divided into panels, showing an encroaching, angry rhino. These successive pictures and dramatic cuts mimic film and make Draw! a magnetic tale.
One go-around on this safari, and you'll want to immediately return.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 BookPage
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Danielson, Julie. "Draw!" BookPage, Oct. 2014, pp. 30+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A419148980/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9a9a740a. Accessed 12 June 2025.
* Draw!
by Raul Colon; illus. by the author
Primary Wiseman/Simon 40 pp.
9/14 978-1-4424-9492-3 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-1-4424-9493-0 $10.99
A young artist, inspired by his books about African animals, is transported to an imaginary safari in this dreamy wordless book. Armed only with his pencil, sketch pad, and easel, this budding Leonardo finds his models in the African landscape--an elephant, zebras, giraffes, lions, gorillas (one of whom snatches the boy's pith helmet and lunch)--and all willing to pose. He has some adventures--a rhino charges him but is quickly placated when the boy shows it (from the safe distance of a tree branch) the portrait he drew. Then a group of baboons take the boy's drawing implements and turn the tables by sketching him (and it's not a terribly flattering portrait!). Ultimately he ends up back in his own bedroom, surrounded by the books that inspired him and the sketches we saw him make on his safari. The story line is engaging and easy to follow, and, while it's whimsical, the majesty of the animals comes through in both the boy's sketches and the main illustrations. Colon's pen-and-ink, watercolor, colored-pencil, and lithograph pencil pictures are nicely textured and tinged with golden hues. A final illustration shows the boy sharing his artwork in a class presentation; an appended author's note describes Colon's "aha moment" for the book. KATHLEEN T. HORNING
* indicates a book that the editors believe to be an outstanding example of its genre, of books of this particular publishing season, or of the author's body of work. For a complete key to the review abbreviations as well as for bios of our reviewers, please visit hbook.com/horn-book-magazine
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Horning, Kathleen T. "Draw!" The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 90, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2014, p. 81. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A382084529/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=72ff6348. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Weatherford, Carole Boston LEONTYNE PRICE Knopf (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 12, 23 ISBN: 978-0-375-85606-8
Rising from the Mississippi Delta to the stages of the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala, Price had a groundbreaking operatic career.Weatherford introduces a less familiar name to children, laying out the major events in her life with poetic brevity. Encouraged by her musically gifted parents, the young Price played the piano and listened to Saturday-afternoon opera broadcasts. She heard Marian Anderson's legendary 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, but even so, she did not believe that she could become a performer because of her color. The turning point came when a college teacher encouraged her to study music, and gradually a career took shape. Porgy and Bess on Broadway was among her first national performances, and Aida on the opera stage was her triumph. Awards and accolades followed. The poetic text highlights Price's firsts as an African-American opera singer. Colón employs his signature watercolor, crayon and pencil paintings with scratchboard texturing and a palette of warm teals, greens and oranges that swirl across the pages to capture the grandeur of her performances. One beautiful double-page spread features Price in the costumes of three major roles: the regal Cleopatra from Antony and Cleopatra, the tragic Cio-Cio from Madame Butterfly and Minnie, the feisty saloon keeper from The Girl of the Golden West. Weatherford and Colón's beautiful book does children a service by giving them one more African-American performer to applaud. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Weatherford, Carole Boston: LEONTYNE PRICE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A387951446/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=09135759. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Winter, Jonah HILLARY Schwartz & Wade/Random (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 1, 5 ISBN: 978-0-553-53388-0
She is a powerful force in current American politics and immediately identifiable by her first name. Veteran picture-book biographer Winter pulls out all the stops in his very laudatory overview of the life of a fighter for women's rights and health care. Placing her directly in line with Elizabeth I, Joan of Arc, and Rosie the Riveter, he flies through her childhood, college years, and marriage, followed by her time as first lady, New York senator, secretary of state, and presidential hopeful. Colón's signature, textured artwork--made with watercolor, colored pencils, and lithograph crayons--features Clinton in action on the podium, writing, and speaking. A final double-page spread borders on the hagiographic, with a silhouetted face in the foreground and golden rays of sun radiating across the pages. All in all, this is presented as an inspirational title about a woman who "may soon change the world--into a place where a girl can dream of growing up to be president, a place where men and women are equal." Hillary Rodham Clinton's serious and stylish face fills the jacket cover, the Capitol Dome in the background, inevitably prompting readers to imagine the White House in the forefront. This book's audience will select itself; red staters will avoid it, but Clinton's fans will love it. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Winter, Jonah: HILLARY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2015. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A434352215/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4c9cffdc. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Lang, Heather FEARLESS FLYER Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 3, 8 ISBN: 978-1-62091-650-6
Lang's portrait commemorates the centennial of Ruth Law's record-breaking flight from Chicago to New York. Law, who performed daredevil tricks for spectators in her Curtiss Pusher biplane, set a higher goal: to best the new nonstop-flight record just set by Victor Carlstrom. Law petitioned Glenn Curtiss for his newest model, which Carlstrom had flown--a large one, with a 205-gallon fuel tank. Curtiss refused, doubting Law's ability to handle the powerful plane and long flight. Instead, Ruth and her mechanics modified her little open-cockpit biplane, installing a metal wind guard and extra fuel tanks that increased capacity from 16 gallons to 53. (Oddly, Lang omits a significant detail: the plane's lights were removed to lighten it.) Effectively employing short, staccato phrases, Lang creates a riveting, "you are there" narrative. Law correctly interprets her engine's sounds, gauges, compass, map, and landmarks, prudently touching down twice before reaching New York City--but after besting Carlstrom's record. Well-chosen quotes from Law further enliven the text (though two, inserted within the flight's narrative, predate it). Colón's rich compositions--in colored pencil and crayon on paper "etched" with swirling lines--use a primary palette of gold and charcoal brown, with layers of turquoise for water and sky. Colón correctly depicts Law's lever controls; there's a captioned photo highlighting the detail. Readers may feel the absence of a contextualizing timeline. A well-crafted tribute to a fascinating aviation pioneer. (author's note, photographs, bibliography, collections and exhibits, websites, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Lang, Heather: FEARLESS FLYER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2016. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A438646661/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ec2f631e. Accessed 12 June 2025.
SOLVING THE PUZZLE UNDER THE SEA
By Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by Raul Colon
Paula Wiseman
$17.99, 40 pages
ISBN 9781481416009
eBook available
Ages 4 to 8
PICTURE BOOK
In the opening of this spirited picture-book biography, young Marie Tharp declares her love of maps. It's a passion that comes honestly: Her father makes soil maps for farmers, and she follows him as he draws, often holding his pads and pencils. As a result of his work, Tharp's family travels a great deal, and her love only intensifies.
After graduating from college, Tharp is met with the limitations placed on female scientists during the 1940s. But she persists, growing curious about the terrain of the ocean floor and working with a colleague to map it using sound waves. Her research leads to the confirmation of plate tectonics.
Robert Burleigh's writing is intimate, almost chummy. Just before he tells readers about Tharp's discovery of the deep rift running along the mid-Atlantic ocean floor, which offered proof of continental drift, Burleigh writes simply: "But there was even more. Listen." It's as if he's present with readers, drawing us in with his own wonder for her work. He knows that Tharp changed the way people looked at the Earth, no small feat indeed. And his reverence for her accomplishments makes the story even more compelling.
Raul Colon's illustrations accentuate Tharp's curiosity; in many of the opening spreads, we see her from behind, always staring out--at her father at work, at a map on the wall in school and at the ocean, wondering why science wasn't yet free of discrimination against women. After Burleigh's charge for readers to stop and "listen," readers find a beautiful wordless spread, showing a vessel at sea with a glimpse of what the ocean floor looks like beneath it.
It's an inviting story of gender equality and one of science's brightest minds.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 BookPage
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Danielson, Julie. "Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea." BookPage, Jan. 2016, p. 30. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A437879449/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=785183df. Accessed 12 June 2025.
"Da Vinci and Michelangelo, they were architects; they were very scientific minds that just happened to work in the art field. There is a correlation. When you use colors, color changes moods, that's a very scientific process. You think that way when you work."
In the background of our conversation, I can hear Raul Colons etching tool methodically scratching across the watercolor-and-pencil illustration he is creating. Colon is an artist who rarely rests. Publishers seem to be knocking down his door to illustrate their latest picture books, and the result is some of the industry's most stunning visual displays in recent years. His artistic creations have graced the pages of numerous award-winning books, among them are As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March toward Freedom (2008), by Richard Michelson, and Colons own whimsical wordless picture book, Draw! (2014), which is loosely based on his childhood self.
Colon has been an artist since his earliest days, and his creative sensibilities make him a keen observer of the world around him. He is a man who loves learning, and interpreting people and ideas from all walks of life in his work. Most recently, Colon has contributed his artistic lens to a number of biographies for children, illustrating famous faces like Hillary Clinton, Pete Seeger, and Roberto Clemente, as well as lesser-known, yet enormously influential, female scientists and engineers such as Ruth Law, Marie Tharp, and Henrietta Leavitt.
Colon was happy to share his thoughts on the science of art and creativity, his most recent subjects, and upcoming personal and professional works.
VANDER PLUYM: Flow did your artistic childhood impact your worldview as an adult?
COLON: Most people I know who are involved in the arts--and this could be writers and musicians and illustrators--we have an intellectual curiosity. We like to learn a lot about many things. I guess that's one of the things that I learned to do as a child. My parents always read a lot. My mom was very religious and was into reading and learning, and I acquired that, too. All of that has informed who I am today.
VANDER PLUYM: What advice do you have for children who aspire to become illustrators like you?
COLON: When I speak to young people, I tell them that one of the things that I did--and I've got to thank my parents for this--I always read a lot. My mom made sure I learned to speak both English and her language, which was Spanish, so I learned to read and write at a very young age--two languages. I've always been interested in reading as well. Reading lead me to become an illustrator. I found out what an illustrator was by reading comic books. I knew that the art from the comics came from artists, but illustrator isn't necessarily the term you use for artists in comics. I found out in comic books that there was a group called illustrators, and I would also see magazine illustrations. I associated illustrators with the work I saw. Reading led me to learn about different artists and different things in life.
VANDER PLUYM: How do you begin your creative process?
COLON: I read the text and then I reread it. When I first get a few images in my head, I do a few quick thumb sketches. People probably find that they're more like scribbles, but I know what they mean. Once I feel like I have an idea of what I'd like to do, I divide everything into 32 picture-book pages and leave space (or whole pages) for text. I do these little squares about an inch wide and number them, and then I know how to illustrate them. That's how I realize where to do a spread or silhouettes or vignettes. Then I proceed to work on sketches where I try to draw a whole scene and see how it looks. It doesn't have to be in order. There's a scene I might see right away--an ocean, mountains, a plane flying over. I do the ones that are interesting first to get a feel for it and then I move on to other scenes.
VANDER PLUYM: Your use of color is striking. In particular, lam thinking about your coloration of the image on the cover of As Good as Anybody, which is drawn from the original black-and-white photograph of MLK and Abraham Joshua Heschel marching in Selma. How do you go about deciding which color scheme is best for your subject?
COLON: For Heschel's life, I used a lot of blue combinations. When it came to King's story, I used more sepias and browns. I divided it into two sections. Warm and cooler tones. I decided on those two basic colors, and it fit the story because I wanted Heschel's part of the story to be this blue, dark period when Nazism was taking over Germany. And, of course, King didn't have an easy life either, but he was in the South. It happened long ago, so I wanted to give it more of an antique feeling--more nostalgic. Other books, if set on a colorful island--like Sugar Cane (2007)--in the tropics, use lots of colors. Others, I subdue the colors, depending on the mood.
VANDER PLUYM: You have illustrated a number of biographies. Is there something in particular that draws you to this genre?
COLON: My editors! They send me a lot of biographies. I don't know if you've noticed, but a lot of them are women. A lot of them are about women who aren't necessarily well-known, which I feel compelled to do. I do have a few that are coming out that aren't biographies, except for Pete Seeger and Cervantes. I have a sequel to Draw! that's a whimsical story, not a biography. I also have a book about a boy who goes to a library. Something is coming up that is poetry, and I am free to do whatever I want, so several books coming are not biographies.
VANDER PLUYM: You have such a gift for capturing the sense of wonder that drove so many of the scientific figures you have illustrated. What are some of your methods for demonstrating this curiosity to the reader?
COLON: I guess it's instinctual. I do research. Marie Tharp from Solving the Puzzle under the Sea (2016)--I had no clue about the stuff she was doing. I did a book called Look Up! (2013), about a woman who studied the night sky and measured the distance between the Earth and the stars (Henrietta Leavitt). I had no clue, so I went to Harvard to find out where she worked and how it was done. Research is part of the deal. Since it's about discoveries and accomplishments, I try to focus on the things that are wondrous about it.
VANDER PLUYM: Do you see any relationship between the art that you do and science?
COLON: There's a book called Einstein, Picasso (2002) that I read a few years ago. It correlates how these two individuals were scientists and artists at the same time. Picasso started experimenting with compressing time by trying to visualize a three-dimensional world into two-dimensional space. Which is why you see his signature work, his face in profile but full portrait at the same time. He was trying to show another dimension. When Einstein came up with his thought experiments, they were very visual. Most people think of math and numbers, but he was very visual; he started with pictures and ideas and visuals. Da Vinci and Michelangelo, they were architects; they were very scientific minds that just happened to work in the art field. There is a correlation. When you use colors, color changes moods, that's a very scientific process. You think that way when you work.
VANDER PLUYM: Other than visual art, are there any other types of art in your life?
COLON: For a while, when I was 15 or 16 years old, I was gonna be the greatest rock 'n roll star on earth, but that didn't pan out. I told my mother that I was planning to play my first gig at a club, and she said, "WHAT?! What are you doing? When is this? What time?" I told her that we started at midnight, and she was like, "I don't think so!" I think that ended my career right there. I've always played music and enjoyed it a lot. I'll tell you--it's not a secret--90 percent of illustrators are frustrated musicians, too! A lot of us were born in the sixties and seventies, and we all wanted to be musicians.
VANDER PLUYM: Does music ever inspire your art?
COLON: Oh, definitely, yes. Another thing about it is, I play music as I work. Although, this year, I've been listening to too much NPR and it's driving me nuts with this election. Enough already!
VANDER PLUYM: What's next for you?
COLON: I am trying to put together my own personal work. I have dozens of sketchbooks with a bunch of ideas that I would like to put out there. I'm thinking about displaying them. I do have a couple of galleries that I work with that are asking me for more personal work. Books have given me other work, but I'm trying to introduce more of this personal work into the books I'm doing. With that book of poems, I am hoping to unleash some ideas that I've had that I haven't used, and that will keep me going.
Sampling Colon
As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March toward Freedom. By Richard Michelson. 2013. Knopf, $16.99 (9780385753876). Gr. 2-4.
Draw! 2014. Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman, $17.99 (9781442494923). PreS-K.
Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine. By Heather Lang. 2016. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek, $16.95 (9781620916506). K-Gr. 3.
Hillary. By Jonah Winter. 2016. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (9780553533880). Gr. 1-3.
Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century. By Carole Boston Weatherford. 2014. Knopf, $17.99 (9780375856068). K-Gr. 3.
Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer. By Robert Burleigh. 2013. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $16.99 (9781416958192). PreS-Gr. 3.
Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes. By Juan Felipe Herrera. 2014. Dial, $19.99 (9780803738096). Gr. 3-7.
Solving the Puzzle under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor. By Robert Burleigh. 2016. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $17.99 (9781481416009). Gr. 1-3.
Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel. By Patricia Storace. 2007. Disney/ Jump at the Sun, o.p. K--Gr. 3. CS Lauren Vander Pluym works as a Technology Coordinator at the Logan School for Creative Learning in Denver, Colorado.
Lauren Vander Pluym works as a Technology Coordinator at the Logan School for Creative Learning in Denver, Colorado.
Classroom Activities: Focus on STEM
Colon's books easily lend themselves to STEM activities. Try the following when sharing these titles.
Great Women in Science and Engineering
Read aloud Look Up!, Solving the Puzzle under the Sea, and Fearless Flyer. Using the additional resources listed below, students can work in small groups to learn more about one of these amazing female pioneers in STEM. Ask students to compare these resources with the stories told in the picture books and find additional facts and images of these women to compile into a presentation or poster. The following resources may be helpful for each:
* Look Up! and Henrietta Leavitt:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/ entries/baleav.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/ Henrietta-Swan-Leavitt
https://www.spaceanswers .com/astronomy/heroes-of-space henrietta-swan-leavitt-2/
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2FrY6gRPC7k
* Solving the Puzzle under the Sea and Marie Tharp:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ history-of-geology/july-30-1920-marie tharp-the-woman-who-discovered-the backbone-of-earth/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ seeing-believing-how-marie-tharp-changed-geology-forever-180960192/?no-ist
http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/ science-and-technology/geology and-oceanography-biographies/ marie-tharp
http://www.nytimes.com/video/ magazine/1194817114284/marietharp-b-1920.html
* Fearless Flyer and Ruth Law:
https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and learn/topics/women-in-aviation/law.cfm
http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/ law.html
http://mashable.com/2015/03/04/ women-aviators/#nMKhJ2GQSkqP
https ://www.youtube .com/ watch?v=ABLNKINAcrM
When students have completed research presentations and shared with the group, consider discussing the following questions:
Are there any characteristics that these women seem to have shared? What made them unique?
What drove these women to succeed in such male-dominated fields?
How do you think their experiences in STEM would be different if they were working in today's world?
Because of their achievements in STEM, what other developments have been possible?
Engineering and Technology
After reading the aforementioned picture books and delving further into the lives of these three scientists, ask the students to return to the picture books and their additional resources to find what kinds of tools each of these women used in their findings. Examples: What type of plane did Law fly? What did Tharp use to create her maps? What tools were required for Leavitt to see the stars? Students can then conduct further research into these tools. For an additional engineering challenge, students can use classroom materials to build a scale model of their figure's important tools.
Math
To further explore the respective fields of these three scientists, engage students in mathematical activities on astronomy, oceanography, and flight, developed by NASA and NOAA, through the following links:
Astronomy: https://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Oceanography: http://oceanservice.noaa .gov/education/lessons/welcome.html
Flight: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ education/programs/national/summer/ education_resources/physicalscience_grades4-6/PS_four-forces-flight.html# .WBKmyZMrKRs
Bridging Art and Science
Read students the following segment from Colon's interview about the relationship he sees between art and science:
There's a book called Einstein, Picasso
(2002) that I read a few years ago. It
correlates how these two individuals
were scientists and artists at the same
time. Picasso started experimenting
with compressing time by trying to
visualize a three-dimensional world into
two-dimensional space. Which is why you
see his signature work, his face in profile
but full portrait at the same time. He
was trying to show another dimension.
When Einstein came up with his thought
experiments, they were very visual. Most
people think of math and numbers, but he
was very visual; he started with pictures
and ideas and visuals. When you read
about Da Vinci and Michelangelo, they
were architects; they were very scientific
minds that just happened to work in the art
field. There is a correlation. When you use
colors, color changes moods, and that's a
very scientific process. You think that way
when you work.
Discuss with students where they personally have seen or experienced this same bridge between art and science. Consider examining Leonardo da Vinci's sketches as a class and analyzing how they are both art and science simultaneously (http://www .drawingsofleonardo.org/).
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
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Pluym, Lauren Vander. "Talking with Raul Colon: the prolific illustrator speaks about his latest works, his love of learning, and the intersections of art and science." Booklist, vol. 113, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2017, pp. S25+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A479078193/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=58bd9aee. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing
by Leda Schubert; illus. by Raul Colon
Primary Porter/Roaring Brook 40 pp. g 6/17 978-1-62672-250-7 $17.99
This picture-book biography of folk legend Seeger lays out the events of his adult life with a focus not on dry facts but on helping child readers understand his essential spirit. The title repeats throughout ("Listen ... Pete sang old songs, / new songs, / old songs with new words, / and songs he made up") and the text captures the singer's unmistakable speaking cadence. Schubert outlines Seeger's singing career with Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, and many others; his participation in marches and protests; and his work, toward the end of his life, to get people to care about cleaning up the Hudson River. She also succinctly sums up the "trouble" he got into: "The House Un-American Activities Committee of the United States Congress / questioned whether Pete was a true American. / Pete said, 'I love my country very deeply.'" Throughout, Schubert inserts into the text the titles of Seeger's many songs that fit with whatever he was doing at the time. ("He joined rallies to support the work of unions. 'Which Side Are You On?' 'Joe Hill.' 'Union Maid.'") Colon's illustrations in his familiar warm style show Pete looking open and engaged with the people who surround him from youth to old age, and lovingly depict the American landscape, too. The thorough back matter includes an author's note, a detailed timeline, and well-chosen further reading and recordings. An inspiring and heartfelt tribute to, as Schubert calls him, a "true American hero." SUSAN DOVE LEMPKE
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Lempke, Susan Dove. "Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 93, no. 3, May-June 2017, p. 121. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A492995653/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dac75cc3. Accessed 12 June 2025.
* Miguel's Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote. By Margarita Engle. Illus. by Raul Colon. Oct. 2017. 32p. Peachtree, $17.95 (9781561458561). 811. Gr. 3-6.
Fifteen brief poems introduce readers to the early life of Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes. Through themed verses, Engle emphasizes the stories told by Cervantes' mother that sparked his imagination; the hunger his family experienced after Miguel's father was sent to debtors prison; Miguel's pleasure whenever he was able to attend school; and his daydreams about a brave, helpful knight that helped him to anticipate a better future. Engle's poems are lyrical yet direct, each describing a single significant event. "Disaster," for example, addresses the plague: "No school. / No teacher. / No books. / Just sorrowful / prayers. / But I still carry invisible stories / in my head, my daydreamed tales / help calm / my worries." Colon's pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations (inspired by the prints of Gustav Dore) accompany every poem, bringing Engle's words into sharp focus. Some depict actual places and events, while others represent scenes from Cervantes' novel. The use of a limited palette (earth tones with blue and yellow accents) and distinctive costuming will help readers to better appreciate the sixteenth-century Spanish setting. Author and illustrator notes (as well as historical and biographical information) further clarify Cervantes for the intended audience. An intriguing, lightly fictionalized introduction to an iconic author, this will encourage readers to learn more about the first modern novel.--Kay Weisman
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
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Weisman, Kay. "Miguel's Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote." Booklist, vol. 113, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2017, p. 48. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A501718866/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=90df153c. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Colon, Raul IMAGINE! Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 11 ISBN: 978-1-4814-6273-0
In Colon's newest wordless tribute to creativity, a young child kindles his imagination during an art museum visit.
A boy (gendered in the author's note) emerges onto the city street with a skateboard in hand. The young skateboarder drifts through the city and over a bridge, ending up at the Museum of Modern Art. Inside, he surrenders his skateboard at a checkroom and strides into the museum. Similar to his previous reflection on imagination, Draw! (2014), Colon's latest again challenges readers to discover inspiration through ingenious means. Wonder fills the boy's face as he observes the artworks adorning the museum walls, including Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians, Henri Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy, and Henri Matisse's Icarus. When the larger-than-life characters from these paintings break free from the canvas and join him, the boy and his newfound company dance their way out of the museum and onto the streets of New York City. What follows is a series of merry adventures sweeping past familiar landmarks like Times Square and the Statue of Liberty. Inspired by the author's museum experiences, the story leaps off every page thanks to the textured artwork brimming with buoyant body movement and cast in muted colors and striking patterns. It's over all too soon. A few goodbyes back in the museum, and the boy goes on his way, stopping briefly to leave his mark on the city's walls.
Beautifully euphoric. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Colon, Raul: IMAGINE!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A546323082/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c1f6bdf3. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Mora, Pat BOOKJOY, WORDJOY Lee & Low (Children's Poetry) $17.95 7, 10 ISBN: 978-1-62014-286-8
The virtues of reading and playing with words collide in Mora and Colon's latest collaboration.
Mora begins with an appeal: "Let's read, let's write, let's explore galore!" The subsequent series of poems demonstrates the dual importance of bookjoy, "the fun of reading," and wordjoy, "the fun of writing." For the latter, see the second poem, entitled "Collecting Words," which encourages readers to treasure words like "ding-dong" and "sssssssssssssnake." Some poems follow a didactic arc ("Writing Secrets," for example, aims to reassure budding writers), but most bask in wordplay and whimsy with aplomb. "Our Cottage in the Woods" focuses on a mother and her child in the woods, the garden, the "cool creek" as they watch hummingbirds and bake and read together. In the wonderful "Antelope Canyon," the author describes the creation of a canyon, with "waterfalls / buffing sharp corners into curves, / careening around boulders." In the accompanying illustration, Colon's artwork shows a dark-skinned child at the bottom of a vibrant canyon gazing up at the night sky while an antelope does the same from above. Overall, the superb pictures feature a racially diverse cast--often with elongated, lively bodies--and landscapes full of curves and curls in bright, earthy colors. Not all poems hold up well, but the author peppers Spanish phrases here and there to add some new layers to a gratifying collection.
Joy indeed. (Picture book/poetry. 6-12)
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"Mora, Pat: BOOKJOY, WORDJOY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A543008806/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5b4d2890. Accessed 12 June 2025.
The Night Library
David Zeltser, illus. by Raul Colon. Random House, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5247-1798-8
Zeltser (Stinker) and Colon (Imagine!) contribute to the shelf of stories about the New York Public Library's famous lions, Patience and Fortitude. A boy wakes in the middle of the night before his eighth birthday, disappointed at his parents' birthday present, a book: "My parents knew that I liked toys, games, and movies--not books." He hears a "deep purring" outside, and a majestic marble lion appears outside his window and invites him to come and "meet Patience." At the great library, the boy is greeted by flying books that take the shapes of picture book characters the boy recalls from readaloud sessions with his grandfather, whose death he still mourns. Handsome, clearly drafted drawings by Colon succeed in making the book formations recognizable as Peter Rabbit, the Cat in the Hat, and the Polar Express. Predictably, the dream rekindles the boy's interest in reading. The first-person narration can sound more like an adult writer's than a boy's ("Fortitude turned and regarded me, eyes twinkling"), and extolling the value of books is a well-trod message, though Zeltser's tale, and Colon's renderings of the library's magnificent rooms, may well prompt its neighbors to plan a visit. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)
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"The Night Library." Publishers Weekly, vol. 266, no. 6, 11 Feb. 2019, pp. 65+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A575753398/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=98205ba2. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Cline-Ransome, Lesa COUNTING THE STARS Simon & Schuster (Children's Informational) $17.99 10, 8 ISBN: 978-1-5344-0475-5
This biography of renowned mathematician Katherine Johnson featuring illustrations by Colon aims for elementary-age readers.
Cline-Ransome (Finding Langston, 2018, etc.) traces Johnson's love of math, curiosity about the world, and studiousness from her early entry to school through her help sending a man into space as a human computer at NASA. The text is detailed and lengthy, between one and four paragraphs of fairly small text on each spread. Many biographies of black achievers during segregation focus on society's limits and the subject's determination to reach beyond them. This book takes a subtler approach, mentioning segregation only once (at her new work assignment, "she ignored the stares and the COLORED GIRLS signs on the bathroom door and the segregated cafeteria") and the glass ceiling for women twice in a factual tone as potential obstacles that did not stop Johnson. Her work is described in the context of the space race, which helps to clarify the importance of her role. Colon's signature soft, textured illustrations evoke the time period and Johnson's feeling of wonder about the world, expressed in the refrain, "Why? What? How?" The text moves slowly and demands a fairly high comprehension level (e.g., "it was the job of these women computers to double-check the engineers' data, develop complex equations, and analyze the numbers"). An author's note repeats much of the text, adding quotes from Johnson and more details about her more recent recognition.
A detail-rich picture book best for readers who enjoy nonfiction and are interested in history or science. (Picture book/biography. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Cline-Ransome, Lesa: COUNTING THE STARS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A594857430/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9e30bb9f. Accessed 12 June 2025.
McCourt, Frank ANGELA'S CHRISTMAS Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 17 ISBN: 978-1-5344-6122-2
A reissue of McCourt's Irish Nativity story.
Like his Pulitzer Prize-winning title, Angela's Ashes (1996), McCourt's picture book (first published in 2007 as Angela and the Baby Jesus) draws on his mother's life. Recently adapted as a Netflix animated film, the story is now rereleased with a new title. In both versions, Colon's delicate, sure watercolor, colored pencil, and lithograph pencil illustrations lend light and warmth to the story of a little girl's worry that the baby Jesus in her church's Nativity is cold. Filled with good intentions, she absconds with the figurine and hides it in her warm bed. Rich dialogue that captures the characters' Shannonsider brogue enlivens McCourt's storytelling while subtle characterization evokes tender familial dynamics. Angela's elder brother, Pat, characterized as mentally disabled, sees her with the baby Jesus and tells their mother, who initially says he has "a great imagination." Angela is upset when he persists and gives away her secret. Alarmed, but sure of her daughter's benevolence, Mammy marches the family to the church to return the baby Jesus, where they encounter the priest and a policeman searching for the thief. The resolution hinges on Pat's benevolence when he misunderstands the policeman's gentle ribbing that his sister will go to jail and offers himself in her stead.
Warm indeed. (Picture book. 4-8)
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"McCourt, Frank: ANGELA'S CHRISTMAS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A597739394/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bc443ba7. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Already a Butterfly
Julia Alvarez, illus. by Raul Colon. Holt/
Ottaviano, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-62779-932-4
Mari, the butterfly of the title, is a dazzling creature, a brown-skinned fairylike girl whose resplendent blue wings allow her to soar. But between exercises and work to "pollinate the whole field, she can't find time to slow herself or rest. "You just have to learn a way to get rid of the hurry and worry that keep you from knowing who you really are," Bud tells her. He's a fat lily bud whose beaklike smile and friendly eyes make him an engaging guru. He invites Mari to remember a time when she was still in her chrysalis, "all soft and warm," then coaches her to breathe: "Breathing in, you are a butterfly. Breathing out, you feel happy." Mari stretches out her human arms, then launches into joyful flight--not doing, just being. Alvarez (Return to Sender) pens this introduction to meditation with advisory zeal, focusing on explanations that will appeal to caretakers who seek to support young meditation practitioners. Jewel-toned spreads by Colon (Imagine!) provide scope for dreaming: Mari's distinctive features--her black braids, her elflike shoes, her golden crown--give readers a fantasy heroine to linger over. An afterword provides information about the story's origin. Ages 5-9. Author's agent: Stuart Bernstein, Stuart Bernstein Representation for Artists. Illustrator's agent: Gail Gaynin, Morgan Gaynin. (June)
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"Already a Butterfly." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 18, 4 May 2020, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A624294073/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ff0f63c5. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Jayawardhana, Ray CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE Make Me a World (Children's Fiction) $17.99 3, 17 ISBN: 978-1-5247-1754-4
A child "made up of stars" finds their place in the universe.
"The universe conspired to make you," a father tells his child as they gaze out at the moon one night from the child's bed. As the father goes on to wax poetic about his love, the art takes readers on an intergalactic journey. Nebulae, galaxies, planets, and stars populate breathtaking, high-contrast double-page spreads that feature the curly-haired, brown-skinned child out in the universe. One spread depicts a silhouette of the child while the text reads, "The iron in your blood, the calcium in your bones, / are made up of stars that lived long ago." Another, wordless spread depicts the child at the center of a giant atom. Astrophysicist Jayawardhana's picture-book debut effectively and eloquently affirms the importance of a single life amid the vastness of the universe--a small lesson under the blanket of parental love. Though framed by the child's first-person narration, the story is primarily driven by the father's monologue. Colon's art, created in his signature scratched-colored pencil technique, revels in the details. The soft, cool tones of the Earth scenes provide a wow of a page turn as the colors explode with warmth in subsequent spreads. Gold foil stars speckle the cover. There's hardly room--or need--for white space in a book this grand and glorious.
Out of this world. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book. 4-8)
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"Jayawardhana, Ray: CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A611140219/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=823c19ae. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Light for All. By Margarita Engle. Illus. by Raul Colon. Dec. 2021.40p. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $17.99 (9781534457270). PreS-Gr. 2.
This picture book shares the general perspective of immigrants with young readers, shining a spotlight on the Statue of Liberty, often revered as a symbol of freedom, equality, and American pride and dreams. On the one hand, Lady Liberty upholds those values here, providing a land of promise and opportunity for immigrant children and families, who are depicted in a range of diverse backgrounds, shapes, and sizes. But Engle, through brief poetic lines, also gives space to the fact that the U.S. has a complicated history of disenfranchising and mistreating marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples and African Americans. Colons dreamy, textured, and vibrant illustrations, which have a colored-pencil feel, will help readers imagine both the positive and negative aspects of immigration and gain understanding of how young immigrants might feel. Ultimately, the text makes the case that the Statue of Liberty and America provide a beacon of hope for those searching for new opportunities and that, despite the hardships, it's a beautiful thing to love both your homeland and your new country.--Stephanie Cohen
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Cohen, Stephanie. "Light for All." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 3, 1 Oct. 2021, p. 73. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A695507227/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=697f6214. Accessed 12 June 2025.
The Little House of Hope
Terry Catasus Jennings, illus. by Raul Colon. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4716-9
A casita offers "a safe place, in a new land" in this warmly communal picture book that centers a dwelling's residents over time. When Esperanza and her family move from Cuba to the United States, they look for an affordable house to call home and find la casita, where they're together, safe, and happy, even if the small residence "smelled like old, wet socks" and had "rickety, tattered furniture/ from a church basement." As they settle into a rhythm--Papi painting houses and stocking shelves while Mami works at a laundromat and diner, and everyone pitches in domestically--the family remembers home through food: "cafe con leche with buttered/ toasts" and "beans/ and sofrito/ and plantains." Soon, they open their home to Mami's sister, Conchita, and her baby, who "had no other place to go," and then to a family from Mexico, who had "ridden buses and trucks/ and walked for miles/ in search of a bettet life." Colon's signature art, which portrays individuals of varying skin tones, and gently revelatory prose by Catasiis Jennings create a feeling of tefuge in this gently bustling, expansive story about building home in a new place. Ages 4-8. (June)
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"The Little House of Hope." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 27, 27 June 2022, p. 62. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A709507487/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=85c30f86. Accessed 12 June 2025.
* Pass the Baby. By Susanna Reich. Illus. by Raul Colon. Oct. 2023. 32p. Holiday/Neal Porter, $18.99 (9780823450855). PreS-Gr. 1.
Babies make family gatherings fun, and the little girl in Reich's day-in-the-life tale is no exception. Presented in an upbeat rhyming text, the child's high jinks and her family's attention and playfulness create a happy, festive environment. Dinner with the extended family includes Mommy, Papi, Grandma, Grandpa, T10, Tia, a sister, and more. A young brother or cousin appears to giggle at all the mischief created by the little one, and the entire group is indulgent of the baby's antics, from throwing food on the floor to spilling coffee on her grandmother's dress. A refrain appears throughout the story: "Baby, baby, pass the baby! Baby wants a little bite. Pass the baby round the table, filled with faces shining bright." Though a couple of illustrations show a bit of consternation on family members' faces at the constant activity, there are no reprimands, just acceptance of the mess a youngster can make. The feast is as varied as the family members, including guacamole, ravioli, enchiladas, meatballs, peanut pie, and cheesecake. As usual, the adults collapse after their delicious meal but the energy of the two youngest family members continues the fun. Adults will recognize the scenario while children delight in the baby's (mis)behavior. --Maryann Owen
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Owen, Maryann. "Pass the Baby." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 4, 15 Oct. 2023, p. 58. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770323983/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c26b1d42. Accessed 12 June 2025.
* The Peanut Man
Carmen Agra Deedy, illus. by Raul Colon.
Peachtree/Quinlin, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-68263-568-1
Drawing from personal memories, per an afterword, Agra Deedy (Carina Felina) kicks off this relational telling focusing on the friendship between a child, Coqui, and Emilio, the peanut man of Old Havana. Every night on his route, he stands under Coqui's balcony and the two exchange funny faces and sounds: "Thiddle, thiddle, thiddle!" they call back and forth. In golden, sunny hues, colored pencil and lithograph crayon drawings by Colon (Child of the Universe) imbue the neighborhood with the feel of Havana. When Coqui's family leaves Cuba for the U.S. ("Your gentle father is a man with opinions," Mami says, "And in our country, that can be dangerous"), and arrives in Georgia, "no Peanut Man sang that night, nor any night that followed." But baseball reminds the child narrator of home, and when Papi gets tickets for a game, they cheer for Hank Aaron--and Coqui connects with a ballpark peanut vendor in a homecoming moment that mixes grief and mischief. It's a personal-feeling telling that weaves together tradition, experiences of a new life, and a joyful revelation of commonality. Background characters are portrayed with a variety of skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
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"The Peanut Man." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 46, 2 Dec. 2024, p. 59. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A819405240/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8bdb0f94. Accessed 12 June 2025.