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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: The Aliens Do Not Want to Go Home
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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: www.adamgustavson.com
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NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 304
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in NJ; married; wife’s name Denise; children: two sons.
EDUCATION:Rowan University, B.F.A., 1996; attended Illustration Academy, 1996; School of Visual Arts (New York), M.F.A., 1999.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Illustrator and educator. Freelance illustrator, beginning c. 1998. Member of adjunct faculty teaching drawing at Passaic County Community College, Patterson, NJ, 2002-12, and Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, 2002-10; senior lecturer at University of the Arts, 2010-13; Renaissance Art Studio, Millburn, NJ, coowner, 2014–; speaker at schools. Also performs as a musician. Exhibitions: Work exhibited at Society of Illustrators—New York annual exhibition, 1998, 2003; Art Directors Club group shows, New York, NY, 1999; School of Visual Arts Alumni Exhibition, 2003, and Irving Goldman Community Gallery, Jersey City, NJ, 2003.
AWARDS:Christopher Award, Capital Choices award, and Honor designation, Society of School Librarians International Book Awards, all 1999, Best Children’s Book designation, Bank Street College of Education, 2000, and several state award nominations, all for Good Luck, Mrs. K.! by Louise Borden; Best Children’s Book designation, Bank Street College of Education, 2002, for Where The Big Fish Are by Jonathan London; Best Children’s Book designation, Bank Street College of Education, 2002 and Michigan Reader’s Choice Award nomination, 2003, both for The Day Eddie Met the Author by Borden; Best Children’s Book designation, Bank Street College of Education, 2004, and Choice designation, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 2005, both for The A+ Custodian by Borden; Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor Book selection, Association of Jewish Libraries 2010, for Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber; Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2013, for Hannah’s Way by Linda Glaser.
WRITINGS
Contributor of illustrations to periodicals, including Cricket, Girl Friends, and Good Housekeeping; author of a blog.
The Last Day of School was released on DVD, 2005.
SIDELIGHTS
Recognized for his detailed and expressive oil paintings, Adam Gustavson has provided the artwork for dozens of children’s books. His illustration projects include several award-winning storybooks written by Louise Bordon, among them Good Luck, Mrs. K.! and The Lost-and-Found Tooth. Gustavson’s art has also been paired with texts by Susanna Reich, Bill Harley, Jonathan London, Janet Tashjian, Bill Wise, Jean L.S. Patrick, Margaret Muirhead, Donna Janell Bowman, and Diane Arnold, among other authors. Gustavson also self-illustrated his own story, The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep, in 2021.
In Good Luck, Mrs. K.! the narrator is part of a third-grade class that is saddened when their popular teacher is suddenly stricken with cancer. Noting the emotional nature of Borden’s subject, a Publishers Weekly critic wrote that Gustavson’s “slightly somber palette of grays and earth tones sets the mood without dampening the affection” in the “thoughtful” story. In Booklist, Carolyn Phelan maintained that the illustrator’s “textured” paintings for Good Luck, Mrs. K! contribute to a book that “approaches a dark subject with integrity and buoyancy of spirit.”
In The A+ Custodian one of Dublin Elementary School’s unsung heroes is honored by school students through posters, banners, and words of appreciation. Bringing Borden’s story to life, Gustavson’s “realistic” paintings are designed to “keep readers focused on the people rather than the place.” wrote a critic in Kirkus Reviews. A third grader bids his teacher and classmates goodbye in Bordon’s The Last Day of School, and here the artist’s “realistic illustrations” and “evocative details,” according to another Kirkus Reviews writer.
London’s story in Where the Big Fish Are is paired with images that School Library Journal contributor Kay Bowes praised for highlighting the “real adventure” enjoyed by the two main characters as they construct the raft that will enable their fishing dreams to come true. In her Booklist review of the same work, GraceAnne A. DeCandido cited Gustavson’s “dappled, impressionistic” paintings here for giving a nostalgic “Norman Rockwell glow” to vivid views of a Florida mangrove swamp.
Gustavson’s work for Bad Dog, Dodger!, a story by Barbara Abercrombie about a boy who loves an unruly pup, “lends warmth and depth” to what a Kirkus Reviews writer described as “a perfect cautionary tale.” In School Library Journal Dorian Chong characterized the artist’s portrait of the titular hound as a “quirky but lovable puppy that dog lovers of all ages will find irresistible.” A lonesome youngster tries to tame a stray canine in Deborah Blumenthal’s Blue House Dog, and a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that “Gustavson’s paintings capture the big dog’s skittishness and the boy’s protective instincts.”
As Carol L. MacKay noted in her School Library Journal review of Trudy Ludwig’s Just Kidding, in bringing to life Ludwig’s story about a boy troubled by a bullying classmate, Gustavson is “adept at revealing the subtle emotions of his characters.” Lost and Found, a tale by Harley, centers on a boy’s frantic search for a beloved hat, a search that leads to an encounter with the crusty old school custodian. “Gustavson’s well-composed paintings bring the story to life on the page through expressive character portrayal,” Carolyn Phelan observed inher appraisal of Lost and Found for Booklist.
In Snow Day Gustavson’s “sumptuous oil paintings bring life to the spare text” by author Lester Laminack, according to Laura Scott in School Library Journal. In this quiet story, a boy plans what to do during the probable snow day resulting from an approaching winter storm. Featuring visions of everything from sledding and having snowball fights to cozying up inside with a cup of hot cocoa, books, and the television, Laminack’s story gains what a Kirkus Reviews contributor described as a “festive mood” due to Gustavson’s “luxurious” paintings. In Booklist Randall Enos noted that the artist’s use of varied “perspectives … add … to the excitement and chaos” of Snow Day.
A Very Improbable Story: A Math Adventure, a tale by Edward Einhorn, uses what Booklist contributor Abby Nolan described as a “funny, fantastical premise” to introduce early-elementary-grade readers to the concept of mathematical probability. Einhorn’s story focuses on Ethan, who is goaded into an outcome-guessing game by chatty cat Odds, which perches on the lad’s head. Gustavson’s “appealing oil paintings…. are full of energy, odd angles, and offbeat perspectives,” noted Nolan. Another fantasy-tinged tale, Magic by Heart by Amy Gordon finds the versatile Gustavson switching to a monochromatic medium, using pen and ink to bring to life what School Library Journal contributor Carole Phillips described as an “eccentric fantasy … full of quirky characters.”
The Yankee at the Seder, a U.S. Civil-War-era story by Elka Weber, finds a Union Army corporal invited to share a Jewish Confederate family’s Passover celebration. Here the artist adds “a cinematic flair” in his “rich, realistic oils,” according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Set during the Great Depression, Hannah’s Way by Linda Glaser finds a Jewish girl facing difficulty while adjusting to life in rural Minnesota. In Booklist, Ann Kelley applauded “Gustavson’s painterly illustrations, which play with shadow and light to effectively capture emotion.” Based on a true story, Susan Lendroth’s Calico Dorsey: Mail Dog of the Mining Camps takes place during the California silver rush of the 1880s. “The vitality of the characters is enhanced by the artist’s accurate, yet expressive details,” Tina Hudak noted in appraising this story for School Library Journal.
Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!, a picture-book biography by Leslie Kimmelman, explores the relationship between early-twentieth-century U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Roosevelt’s mischievous eldest daughter. “Gustavson … adeptly captures the young woman’s shenanigans—and her irrepressible spirit—in lifelike oil paintings,” a writer explained in Publishers Weekly. Wise introduces young readers to an exceptional nineteenth-century baseball player in Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy. Here Gustavson’s paintings “complement the text nicely, providing historical details … that will put readers in the games alongside Hoy,” remarked Horn Book critic Dean Schneider.
Gustavson’s work has also graced the pages of several picture books that delve into musical history. Regarding his contributions to John Harris’s Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be, a fictionalized version of events that occurred in 1857, a Publishers Weekly critic noted that the “period oil paintings are impressively realistic and emotive.” Rock and Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story concerns the early life of the influential guitarist best known for his efforts with The Band. As Daniel Kraus wrote in Booklist, Gustavson’s pictures here “have an earthy grit just perfect for this story of the roots of Americana music.” In Reich’s Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became Beatles, he contributes “luminous oil paintings [that] capture likenesses and personalities that are utterly recognizable,” asserted Thom Barthelmess in his Booklist appraisal.
(open new)With Stand Up and Sing!, Pete Seeger’s life as an American folk musician is covered in picture-book format. The book shows Seeger’s early influences, his activism, and the legacy he created through his music. A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated: “While not a comprehensive treatment of Seeger’s life, this is an excellent introduction; read and sing along–loudly.”
Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics covers the life and accomplishments of Ludy Godbold, who had unnaturally long arms. She used this to her advantage, though, by joining the U.S. Women’s Olympic team in 1922 and winning a gold medal for the shot put. Writing in School Library Journal, Tamara Saarinen called it “a charming, down-home introduction to a female athlete, and a great addition to any public or school library.”
In Charlie Bumpers vs. the End of the Year, Charlie is tired of being bullied by the Jerzollies of Darkness. Without much help from adults, he and his friends decide to take matters into their own hands to stop the bullies. A Kirkus Reviews contributor pointed out that “the series ends with the feeling of a completed arc for this fourth-grade year. Fans will feel satisfied.”
King of the Tightrope discusses Jean-Francois Gravelet’s historic tightrope walk cover Niagara Falls in 1859. He honed his craft throughout his childhood while growing up in a family of gymnasts, acrobats, and tightrope walkers. However, after traveling to the United States and seeing Niagara Falls in person, he knew that he needed to try to cross it on his tightrope. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found the story to be “awesome, astounding, death-defying.”
Flip!: How the Frisbee Took Flight looks at the multiple origins of the frisbee. It shows how the design went from being a cake pan to the plastic disc that become popularized. In a review in Horn Book, Eric Carpenter explained that the “gouache illustrations” are reminiscent of “Norman Rockwell’s Americana style while effectively situating readers in pre- and post-World War II settings.”
The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep features a group of frogs that come up with all sorts of things they would rather do than sleep. This ranges from practicing their accordions to singing opera while being shot out of a cannon. Booklist contributor Becca Worthington noted that “there’s a mesmerizing playfulness to the spreads,” adding that “Gustavson’s mastery of foreshortening, close-ups, and color are stunning.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to it as “a zany, rib-tickling bedtime tour de force.” In a review in Horn Book, observed that “vivid gouache and watercolor illustrations feature bold, energetic brushstrokes.”
UFOhs!: Mysteries in the Sky describes real documented cases of unidentified aerial phenomena for young readers. Cases are presented from around the world and from a range of sources. A Children’s Bookwatch contributor claimed that the “beautifully illustrated” book “is an engaging, informative, thought-provoking picture book that is unreservedly recommended.”
With the anthology, Wink, a range of authors present young adult science fiction stories that are loosely based on a literary classic. A Kirkus Reviews contributor labelled it “a superb collection of genre stories that prove just as rousing as their inspirations.” The same contributor opined that the writing across the stories “is pithy throughout, instantly dropping readers into narratives that thrive on engaging characters and unpredictable, diverting turns.”
In The Aliens Do Not Want to Go Home, a group of aliens are vacationing in a small farming town on Earth. After having much fun, they are told they need to get ready to leave. The problem is that they don’t want to go and would rather keep having fun there. A Kirkus Reviews contributor described the book as being “goofy, highly imaginative, and immense fun.”
Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team: The World’s Largest Steam Engine Roars Back to Life! tells the story of Big Boy 4014, one of the largest steam locomotive engines in operation. After being restored for its 150th anniversary in 2019, a nine-man team took it 8,000 miles across the country to show off to eager bystanders. Booklist contributor John Peters mentioned that Gustavson shows “the burly monster in loving detail and from dramatic angles.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, July 1, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of Good Luck, Mrs. K.!, p. 1942; July 1, 2001, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Where the Big Fish Are, p. 2020; September 1, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of The A+ Custodian, p. 129; February 1, 2006, Karin Snelson, review of The Last Day of School, p. 53; April 15, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of Just Kidding, p. 52; May 1, 2007, Carolyn Phelan, review of The John Hancock Club, p. 94; June 1, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Rough, Tough Charley, p. 94; October 1, 2007, Randall Enos, review of Snow Day!, p. 66; February 1, 2008, Abby Nolan, review of A Very Improbable Story: A Math Adventure, p. 48; July 1, 2008, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Lost-and-Found Tooth, p. 72; August 1, 2009, Kay Weisman, review of Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!, p. 80; July 1, 2010, Diane Foote, review of The Blue House Dog, p. 64; October 15, 2010, Hazel Rochman, review of Calico Dorsey: Mail Dog of the Mining Camps, p. 49; March 1, 2011, Andrew Medlar, review of The Trouble with May Amelia, p. 61; October 1, 2011, Randall Enos, review of Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be, p. 92; March 15, 2012, Ann Kelley, review of Hannah’s Way, p. 64; June 1, 2012, Linda Perkins, review of Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy, p. 88; November 1, 2012, Carolyn Phelan, review of Lost and Found, p. 76; June 1, 2014, Daniel Kraus, review of Rock and Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story, p. 86; October 1, 2014, Abby Nolan, review of Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull, p. 75; July 1, 2015, Thom Barthelmess, review of Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles, p. 52; July 1, 2021, Becca Worthington, review of The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep, p. 88; April 1, 2025, John Peters, review of Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team: The World’s Largest Steam Engine Roars Back to Life!, p. 71.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April 1, 2001, review of The Day Eddie Met the Author, p. 298.
Children’s Bookwatch, June 1, 2023, review of UFOhs!: Mysteries in the Sky.
Horn Book, May 1, 2011, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of The Trouble with May Amelia, p. 94; November 1, 2011, Lolly Robinson, review of Jingle Bells, p. 69; May 1, 2012, Dean Schneider, review of Silent Star, p. 121; July 1, 2015, Dean Schneider, review of Fab Four Friends, p. 161; July 1, 2021, Eric Carpenter, review of Flip!: How the Frisbee Took Flight, p. 138; September 1, 2021, Patrick Gall, review of The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep, p. 66.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2002, review of Bad Dog, Dodger!, p. 560; June 15, 2004, review of The A+ Custodian, p. 576; January 1, 2006, review of The Last Day of School, p. 38; April 15, 2007, review of Rough, Tough Charley; June 15, 2007, review of The John Hancock Club; August 1, 2007, review of Magic by Heart; August 15, 2007, review of Snow Day!; June 1, 2008, review of The Lost-and-Found Tooth; March 1, 2009, review of The Yankee at the Seder; August 15, 2009, review of Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!; July 15, 2010, review of The Blue House Dog; August 1, 2012, review of Lost and Found; September 1, 2013, review of Charlie Bumpers vs. the Teacher of the Year; March 1, 2014, review of Charlie Bumpers vs. the Really Nice Gnome; June 15, 2015, review of Fab Four Friends; December 15, 2016, review of Stand Up and Sing!; March 1, 2019, review of Charlie Bumpers vs. the End of the Year; July 15, 2019, review of King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara; April 1, 2021, review of The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep; September 15, 2024, review of Wink; April 1, 2025, review of The Aliens Do not Want to Go Home.
New York Times Book Review, June 18, 2006, review of The Last Day of School, p. 15.
Publishers Weekly, May 7, 2007, review of Rough, Tough Charley, p. 58; January 19, 2009, review of The Yankee at the Seder, p. 59; September 7, 2009, review of Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!, p. 43; July 26, 2010, review of The Blue House Dog, p. 73; September 26, 2011, review of Jingle Bells, p. 72; January 16, 2012, review of Hannah’s Way, p. 59; November 17, 2014, review of Dirty Rats?, p. 51.
School Library Journal, May 1, 1999, Jackie Hechtkopf, review of Good Luck, Mrs. K.!, p. 86; May 1, 2001, Lee Bock, review of The Day Eddie Met the Author, p. 110; August 1, 2001, Kay Bowes, review of Where The Big Fish Are, p. 156; November 1, 2002, Dorian Chong, review of Bad Dog, Dodger!, p. 110; March 1, 2006, Mary Elam, review of The Last Day of School, p. 175; June 1, 2006, Carol L. MackKay, review of Just Kidding, p. 121; August 1, 2007, Mary Hazelton, review of Rough, Tough Charley, p. 100; October 1, 2007, Laura Scott, review of Snow Day!, p. 120; November 1, 2007, Carole Phillips, review of Magic by Heart, p. 92; February 1, 2008, Mary Elam, review of A Very Improbable Story, p. 88; August 1, 2008, Lisa Glasscock, review of The Lost-and-Found Tooth, p. 83; January 1, 2009, Heidi Estrin, review of The Yankee at the Seder, p. 88; September 1, 2009, Lisa Egly Lehmuller, review of Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!, p. 127; September 1, 2010, Tina Hudak, review of Calico Dorsey, p. 138; October 1, 2011, Joanna K. Fabicon, review of Jingle Bells, p. 94; November 1, 2011, Maryann H. Owen, review of Better than You, p. 88; February 1, 2013, Blair Christolon, review of Lost and Found, p. 76; April 1, 2015, Mahnaz Dar, review of Fab Four Friends, p. 180; July 1, 2017, Tamara Saarinen, review of Jean L.S.: Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics, p. 201.
ONLINE
Adam Gustavson website, http://www.adamgustavson.art (November 8, 2025).
Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/ (July 7, 2025), Deborah Kalb, author interview.
Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts, Rowan University website, https://ccca.rowan.edu/ (November 8, 2025), author profile.
Adam Gustavson's paintings and drawings have appeared in over thirty highly praised and award winning books for children, as well as magazines, educational materials, advertising campaigns and galleries. He holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and a BFA from Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.
His career in art education has led him to serve on the faculty of Seton Hall University and Philadelphia's University of the Arts. Since 2014, he has co-owned the Renaissance Art Studio in Millburn, NJ, with his wife (and manager) Denise, offering individual art lessons in a variety of media.
He lives in New Jersey with his family and a somewhat neurotic poodle, and spends his nights singing, writing, playing a couple instruments in any number of area bands.
Adam Gustavson
Instructor
Adam Gustavson
Art
Contact Info
gustavson@rowan.edu
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View Research Profile
Biography
Website: www.adamgustavson.art
Research Interest
Children's Books (author and illustrator), Historical Illustration, Advertising and Institutional Art, Educational illustration, Cartooning, Sequential Art, Public Murals; Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Digital Media
Courses
Illustration, Professional Practices in Art
Publications
Gustavson, A. (2023). The Exploding Whale of Brant Beach (Excerpt). American Illustration 42. Chosen Winner. https://www.ai-ap.com/slideshow/AI/42/?status=chosen#173
Gustavson, A. (2023). Swimmer (Peregrine). Adirondacks National Exibition of American Watercolors. Blumenthal, R., Blumenthal, D., Gustavson, A. (ill.). (2023). UFOhs!: Mysteries in the Sky. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0826364951
Gustavson, A., Moran, M. (ed.). (2023). Ghosts of the Garden State (Limited edition poster). Weird NJ, 58.
Gustavson, A., Moran, M. (ed.). (2022). The Exploding Whale of Brant Beach. Weird NJ, 58.
Gustavson, A. (2022). "They are too busy flying their rocket ships..." The Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators.
Gustavson , A. (2021). The Froggies Do NOT Want To Sleep. Charlesbridge. ISBN 978-1580895248 Muirhead, M.,
Gustavson, A. (ill.). (2021). FLIP! How the Frisbee Took Flight. Charlesbridge. ISBN 978-1580898805
Monday, July 7, 2025
Q&A with Adam Gustavson
Adam Gustavson is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go Home. His other books include The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep. He lives in New Jersey.
Q: What inspired you to create The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go Home?
A: The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go Home is a follow up to The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep, published by Charlesbridge in 2021. I’m a big fan of what I might call the anti-bedtime story… books that are perfect gifts for (often single) aunts and uncles to give.
To be a child is to be subject to the controlling whims of adults. Somewhere in that sea of schedules, manners, and mealtimes there is almost always a family friend or relative who is on the pro-kid team, who admits that no one wants to go to bed or stop the game or sit still.
The bookshelves that parents curate probably reinforce the values and structures of your immediate family. The books that the Fun Aunt gives you are allowed to push against that.
My kids’ favorite books — and mine — were always the books that my older brother bought. These were stories that wound everyone up at bedtime and that needed to be read in different voices and accents, and it was as if they just fell out of the sky. We bought books carefully; he bought them with a really wonderful recklessness.
In The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go Home, I wanted to get to the feeling of a family party where all the cousins are together and time has no meaning — right up until that moment when you’re plucked up and strapped into the minivan.
The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep got at a basic truth through increasingly ridiculous and impossible examples. It was really a metaphor for play and creativity, the way that ideas lead to ideas that lead to games and discoveries that weren’t there before. Structure wise, it’s basically a list.
For the follow up, I didn’t want to make the froggies more than they were--make-believe avatars who live in a book--so I focused on an alien being they drag back to earth through play.
The way it plays out is different, though: there’s nothing unusual in the text. It’s a riff on the “unreliable narrator.” The list of excuses for not going home is perfectly reasonable, but the images unwind into a full-on space invasion.
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: I worked on the text first, for the most part, but was constantly auditioning little alien monsters in sketchbooks along the way. Since the narrative is mostly a list of excuses for not going home yet, it was important to figure out what species of creature was the best choice for a given excuse.
Likewise, alien invasions come in two main forms, don’t they? There’s the classic War of the Worlds rural landing, and there’s the rampant destruction of a downtown area. The excuses needed to somehow get us from one to the other and back.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it “[g]oofy, highly imaginative, and immense fun.” What do you think of that description?
A: I thought that was some pretty high praise.
Okay, I really liked those three summations for two reasons: the first is that I am definitely goofy, but I was absolutely aspiring to create something imaginative and fun.
The second is that books are pretty hard; ideas are hard to corral, stories are hard to write, and this one took almost a year to do the paintings for. (I take my silliness seriously.) I also gave myself a dozen main characters of different species who had to stay consistent as the sun set and the lighting and colors shifted.
The hope is that work that might take years to complete becomes an immersive 15-minute experience… but one continues to reveal its secrets with repeat readings.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: I hope they laugh. I hope they come up with voices for the monsters. I hope they take Barbie dolls and stuffed animals and toy trains, LEGO sets, Hot Wheels cars, and old Fisher-Price castles and mash them all together into the same storyline. I hope they put on space helmets and ride rocking horses to pick up groceries for imaginary guests.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m slowly figuring out what happens to the pig and the chicken who get swooped up in the alien invasion.
Purely as an illustrator, I’m also getting to work on a new nonfiction children’s book about parachuting in the early 1900s.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: One big thing that crept up on me while I was working on this book was that aspect of creating so many characters and keeping them consistent. There were a few I had to just break down and make models of, so I could draw them from life and examine them from different angles.
I also drove around the countryside and wandered though Google Maps looking for the right sort of farm, and eventually constructed it out of paper so I could plot out the action and vantage points for the book.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team: The World's Largest Steam Engine Roars Back to Life! By Marsha Diane Arnold. Illus. by Adam Gustavson. May 2025. 40p. Sleeping Bear, $18.99 (9781534113145). Gr. 1-4. 625.26.
Lovers of big trains and big dreams will be over the moon for this full-throttle account of how a nine-man "Steam Team" took a Big Boy--one of the largest steam locomotives ever built--and restored it to full working order. Before roaring off for an 8,000-mile tour and a starring role in 2019's 150th anniversary of the "Golden Spike" completion of our first transcontinental railroad, the behemoth had to be towed nearly a mile to the nearest tracks, transported to a special shop halfway across the continent, then totally disassembled and refurbished. Depicting the burly monster in loving detail and from dramatic angles, Gustavson makes it look really, really big as it barely squeaks beneath modern overpasses, chuffs past crowds of tiny onlookers, or, swathed in clouds of steam, barrels through steep mountain passes and wide-open countryside. Arnold finishes with additional facts about the awe-inspiring engine, its long history, the experts who repaired it, and the painstaking work of making sure it would actually fit the tracks and tunnels along each leg of its continuing travels.--John Peters
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Peters, John. "Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team: The World's Largest Steam Engine Roars Back to Life!" Booklist, vol. 121, no. 15-16, Apr. 2025, pp. 71+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847030347/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9901ef82. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Gustavson, Adam THE ALIENS DO NOT WANT TO GO HOME Charlesbridge (Children's None) $17.99 6, 3 ISBN: 9781623544942
Nothing's more fun than a playdate--and nothing's more frustrating than being told it's time to go home.
Creatures from far-off planets have convened for an excursion in a small farming town on Earth. The good times must come to an end now, but the young participants make excuses to prolong the amusement. They have to put their shoes on--which could take a while, given how many feet some of them have. Besides, it isn't even dark yet, and they're in the midst of a complicated game; the accompanying image depicts the youngsters inadvertently creating crop circles as they romp through a cornfield. As the extraterrestrials ask to watch a film, the illustrations portray them donning 3-D glasses at a drive-in movie. Could this playdate turn into a sleepover? Pretty please? The narrative consists of the simplest of prose--the young aliens' pleas to stay just a little bit longer--while the highly detailed, painterly artwork does the heavy lifting, imbuing the story with action, humor, and a bit of mystery. From a hairy creature who looks like a mashup of theAddams Family's Cousin Itt andStar Wars' Chewbacca to a purple spotted fellow with a single eye, each alien is strange but thoroughly delightful; luckily, humans aren't around to witness the havoc they inadvertently wreak. At last, searchlights from an array of spaceships beam up the miscreants, who just might have carried some surprising Earth treasures with them.
Goofy, highly imaginative, and immense fun.(Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Gustavson, Adam: THE ALIENS DO NOT WANT TO GO HOME." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A832991853/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e3fc9baf. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Gustavson, Adam WINK Brigids Gate Press (Teen) $16.99 6, 29 ISBN: 9781957537887
In this anthology, a bevy of authors deliver a collection of YA SF and fantasy tales, each inspired by a literary classic.
In Leah Cypess' "The Scent of Cotton Candy," Julia is worried about her teenage brother, who's seemingly obsessed with tracking down their former nanny. Julia can't help but wonder why this nanny, who's capable of magic, is so invested in children. This story, like the others in the book, takes ideas from a "childhood classic" and spirals off into a markedly different direction. The new takes often go darker; for example, Seanan McGuire's "Special" follows a narrator who believes "Bad People" don't share--and their way ofmaking others share leads to a spine-chilling turn ("we're going to play the biggest game of Secret Laboratory there's ever been"). In some cases, the inspiration (cited at the end of each tale) isn't immediately clear. That's certainly true for Stacia Deutsch's "Other Earth," in which people have evacuated Earth to survive inside the Bubble, an artificial atmosphere (not everyone agrees with the plan to expand the Bubble when it involves cutting down oxygen-providing trees). The stories are also linked by similar genres and themes: The SF/fantasy yarns smartly cover such topics as artificial intelligence, post-apocalyptic worlds, and alternate dimensions. It's not all doom and gloom, however; the clever "My Science Project," courtesy of editor Herz, zeroes in on high school science/SF nerd Wes. One day, he video chats with two cosplayers in top-notch froglike masks, only to discover that they may actually be the aliens they claim to be. This impressive gathering of authors includes Maggie Stiefvater, Jonathan Maberry, Kendare Blake, and Nancy Holder. The writing is pithy throughout, instantly dropping readers into narratives that thrive on engaging characters and unpredictable, diverting turns. Gustavson's striking black-and-white artwork prefaces each tale and often hints at the source of inspiration, like a familiar hat for Stiefvater's "State of Mind."
A superb collection of genre stories that prove just as rousing as their inspirations.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gustavson, Adam: WINK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A808343013/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2f7d64e2. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
UFOhs! Mysteries in the Sky
Deborah & Ralph Blumenthal, authors
Adam Gustavson, illustrator
University of New Mexico Press
www.unmpress.com
9780826364951, $19.95, HC, 40pp
https://www.amazon.com/UFOhs-Mysteries-Barbara-Science-Readers/dp/0826364950
Synopsis: "UFOhs! Mysteries in the Sky" is the first book to explore the strange, exciting, and unknown world of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena for kids. "UFOhs!" cuts through speculation and pseudo-science to describe real phenomena as observed and documented by pilots, ship captains, scientists, and ordinary men, women, and children from around the world. Playful, probing, and beautifully illustrated, "UFOhs!" prompts kids and their parents to talk about the moon, the stars, the planets, and all the things they see in the sky, and to wonder about those we can't yet explain.
Critique: Ancient aliens, UFOs, Flying Saucers, these were once the sole province of science fiction shows--but now there are many who take such things seriously--including a recent Congressional hearing on the subject. The collaborative effort of co-authors Deborah and Ralph Blumenthal, "UFOhs! Mysteries in the Sky" is beautifully illustrated by the artwork of Adam Gustavson. The result is an engaging, informative, thought-provoking picture book that is unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library UFO and Space Science collections for young readers ages 6-9. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "UFOhs! Mysteries in the Sky" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Deborah Blumenthal (http://deborahblumenthal.com) is an award-winning journalist and the author of fifteen picture books for children, including Saving Stella: A Dog's Dramatic Escape from War and The Blue House Dog. She is also the author of numerous YA novels and four adult novels.
Editorial Note #2: Ralph Blumenthal (https://ralphblumenthal.com) was an award-winning reporter for the New York Times. He is the author of several books, including Miracle at Sing Sing: How One Man Transformed the Lives of America's Most Dangerous Prisoners and The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack (UNM Press). A distinguished lecturer at Baruch College, he lives in New York City.
Editorial Note #3: Adam Gustavson (https://www.adamgustavson.art) is the illustrator of over thirty children's books and the author and illustrator of The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"UFOhs! Mysteries in the Sky." Children's Bookwatch, June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A756905825/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=425bc837. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep
by Adam Gustavson; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary Charlesbridge 40 pp. g
6/21 978-1-58089-524-8 $16.99
e-book ed. 978-1-63289-839-5 $9.99
This fancifUl yarn begins with a small army of long-legged, yellow-eyed frogs mischievously slinking out of their collective bed. "The froggies do NOT want to sleep. They want to hop." A joyous double-page spread showcases the amphibians leaping in every direction across an all-white background. From here things get weird, fast. The frogs' interests quickly escalate in both scale and plausibility, from playing the accordion to jousting to blasting into outer space. The brief, straightforward text is cleverly incorporated into the book's design to reinforce meaning, maximize page-turns, and steer viewers' eyes through the illustrations. The visual climax of the tale features the frogs crash-landing into a "giant jelly-headed space monster" who tickles them, sending them back to Earth and ultimately back to bed. Vivid gouache and watercolor illustrations feature bold, energetic brushstrokes. Secondary action (a one-eyed alien hitches a ride to Earth with the frogs) and amusing details (the frogs drink a soda called "Croak") abound, adding an extra layer of whimsy.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Gall, Patrick. "The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 97, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2021, p. 66. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673853023/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=626627fa. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Gustavson, Adam THE FROGGIES DO NOT WANT TO SLEEP Charlesbridge (Children's None) $16.99 6, 8 ISBN: 978-1-58089-524-8
Eschewing sleep, the froggies engage in bizarre nighttime capers.
This unusual bedtime book alerts readers with the bold opening message that “the froggies do NOT want to sleep.” Indeed! Instead, the froggies want to hop. Reasonable. They also want to practice the accordion, ride unicycles, and play dress up! Hmmm? They want to go on long country drives and “joust like knights.” OK. And they want to perform underwater ballet and “tame ferocious beasties”! Really? Pushing the envelope totally, the froggies want to sing opera while being shot from a cannon, fly spaceships, and engage in burping contests with ETs. But they absolutely do not want to sleep…maybe. Beginning with the froggies’ surreptitious exit from bed on the front endpapers, the realistically executed, fantastically conceived illustrations track the froggies’ nocturnal activities from the sublime to the ridiculous in a series of increasingly dramatic double-page spreads. Early images show leggy amphibians tiptoeing across the page before exuberantly hopping frogs jam-pack the spread. Hilarious scenes of frogs playing accordions, spinning on unicycles, dressing up in period costumes, speeding like Mr. Toad in a flashy red roadster, aerially jousting with toilet plungers, performing ballet lifts underwater, riding a submerged alligator (backward), operatically exploding from a cannon, and zipping through galaxies in a spaceship appropriately culminate on the rear endpapers with the exhausted froggies finally crashing into bed.
A zany, rib-tickling bedtime tour de force. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gustavson, Adam: THE FROGGIES DO NOT WANT TO SLEEP." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A656696541/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0e8a811f. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep. By Adam Gustavson. Illus. by the author. 2021. 40p. Charlesbridge, $16.99 (9781580895248). PreS-Gr. 2.
The froggies want to do anything other than sleep. Their desires start simple (hopping, playing the accordion, riding their unicycles) but then grow odder (dancing underwater ballets, singing opera while flying out of a high-speed cannon, drinking fizzy soda and holding burping contests with aliens). Finally, when a jelly-headed space monster sends them tumbling through fluffy clouds and back into their beds, the froggies--despite their wild desires--find sleep after all. Gorgeously illustrated in gouache and watercolor, the near-photorealistic depictions of the spindly green frogs with their bulging yellow amphibious eyes in such nonsensical and increasingly absurd dreamscapes create a surrealist adventure that will delight readers and call to mind David Wiesner's Caldecott-winning Tuesday. The plot is thin, and yet the story surprises, page after page, and the minimal language used is charming. There's a mesmerizing playfulness to the spreads, and Gustavson's mastery of foreshortening, close-ups, and color are stunning. And keep your eyes peeled for a surprise ending that turns the book delightfully on its already-spinning head.--Becca Worthington
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Worthington, Becca. "The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 21, 1 July 2021, p. 88. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669809532/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4e2adcd2. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Flip!: How the Frisbee Took Flight
by Margaret Muirhead; illus. by Adam Gustavson
Primary, Intermediate Charlesbridge 32 pp. g
4/21 978-1-58089-880-5 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-1-63289-736-7 $9.99
Stories of inventions usually have a single starting point. But when it comes to the origin of the flying disc, more than one individual has a claim. Muirhead's text provides a few possible answers but focuses on the one individual with enough entrepreneurial gumption to create the product seen flying through the air at beaches and parks today. In 1937, California high schooler Fred Morrison happened to be tossing a flat popcorn lid with his girlfriend. Something about the way the lid flew grabbed hold of Morrison, and soon the lid was replaced by a better-flying cake pan. Muirhead describes the many iterations of Morrison's invention, from five-cent cake pans sold at the beach for a quarter to specially designed and molded plastics that led to the durable Frisbee we know today. Gustavson's gouache illustrations (a bit static-looking for capturing the excitement of a disc's gliding flight) allude to Norman Rockwell's Americana style while effectively situating readers in pre-- and post--World War II settings. An author's note and sources are appended. Fans of Barton and Tate's Whoosh! (rev. 7/16) and McCarthy's Earmuffs for Everyone! will flip for this unique invention tale.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Carpenter, Eric. "Flip!: How the Frisbee Took Flight." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 97, no. 4, July-Aug. 2021, p. 138. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817106174/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c5df84b6. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Bowman, Donna Janell KING OF THE TIGHTROPE Peachtree (Children's Informational) $17.95 10, 1 ISBN: 978-1-56145-937-7
How famous French funambulist Jean-Francois Gravelet daringly traversed a tightrope spanning Niagara Falls in 1859.
Born into a family of acrobats, gymnasts, and funambulists, or tightrope walkers, Jean-Francois learned to balance on a thick board at age 4 and "took to the rope like a spider takes to its web." Performing with his family throughout France, Jean-Francois twirled, flipped, leaped, and skipped across the high wire, inventing extreme balancing feats. Calling himself "the Great Blondin," he traveled to America in 1851, pushing his act to be ever more "merveilleux." Viewing Niagara Falls in 1858, Blondin imagined a tightrope stretched across it. Crossing "those roaring waters" became his life's ambition. Peppered with French words and phrases, Bowman's well-researched documentary text re-creates the energy, tactics, skill, engineering, unflinching optimism, and sheer grit of Blondin's preparations to cross Niagara as well as the skepticism and wonder of all who witnessed his legendary endeavor. Bold, colorful watercolor-and-gouache illustrations capture Blondin's high-wire escapades, from tottering childhood steps through his sure-footed Niagara crossing, with a dramatic, almost photographic realism. Theatrical lighting, stunning perspectives, and arresting close-ups convey the intensity of Blondin's feats, either high above the viewer on a rope spanning both pages or below the viewer perched over Niagara's turbulent waters. Historical notes, timeline, and photos complete the experience.
Awesome, astounding, death-defying. (author's notes, photos) (Informational picture book. 6-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Bowman, Donna Janell: KING OF THE TIGHTROPE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A593064419/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bcfdefb9. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Harley, Bill CHARLIE BUMPERS VS. THE END OF THE YEAR Peachtree (Children's Fiction) $14.95 4, 1 ISBN: 978-1-68263-042-6
As the end of the school year fast approaches, Charlie learns that his friend Hector will be moving back to Chile. Can Charlie cook up a scheme to keep Hector at school?
In this seventh and final book of the Charlie Bumpers series, Grammy-winner Harley reveals the conflict that bullying creates in the mind of a fourth-grader. Narrated in a balance of warmhearted insight and wacky naivete, Charlie's life will resonate with readers trying to navigate the simple but realistic perils of elementary school. Making friends, getting along with siblings, avoiding trouble at school--these situations matter to young readers, and Harley captures these emotions with a light and humorous touch. The Jerzollies of Darkness (three boys who are all jerks, bozos, and bullies) have been seriously bullying Hector. When adult support disappoints, Charlie and friends take matters into their own hands with mixed results. This young, white male protagonist, in his suburban, middle-class setting, nonetheless taps into universal feelings, and Charlie's genuine friendships with Hector and Tommy, who's black, keep diversity on the table. Gustavson's illustrations, rendered in India ink and watercolor, deftly cover friend and foe alike, giving shape to Charlie's world.
The series ends with the feeling of a completed arc for this fourth-grade year. Fans will feel satisfied but will find themselves hoping another year's in the offing. (Fiction. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Harley, Bill: CHARLIE BUMPERS VS. THE END OF THE YEAR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A575952051/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1c4242f4. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
PATRICK, Jean L.S. Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics. illus. by Adam Gustavson. 32p. bibliog. photos. Charlesbridge. Aug. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781580895460.
Gr 2-4--"No one really knows how Ludy's arms got so long," begins the story of the tall and long-limbed Lucille "Ludy" Godbold, whose physical build led to a successful stint as a shot-putter. At Winthrop College in South Carolina, Godbold's track coach suggested she try the shot put. Godbold enjoyed and excelled at the sport and made the U.S. Women's Olympic team in 1922. However, when she lacked the funds to travel to France, college staff and students donated money so she could go. Godbold traveled to Paris and took home the gold. Folksy, descriptive text, which includes regional colloquialisms, will entertain readers. The acrylic illustrations are energetic, and the palette and style of dress of the depicted individuals are appropriate for the time period. Godbold's arms are often shown extended in activity, making them appear even longer. Most drawings fill a single page, with text and smaller inset pictures on the facing page. Full spreads are devoted to big events, such as Godbold winning the gold. Though stylized, Gustavson's artwork deftly captures Godbold's likeness. More information about the athlete and the Women's Olympics, an author's note, and a couple of black-and-white pictures are appended. VERDICT A charming, down-home introduction to a female athlete, and a great addition to any public or school library.--Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA
Caption: Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics (Patrick)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Saarinen, Tamara. "Patrick, Jean L.S.: Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics." School Library Journal, vol. 63, no. 7, July 2017, p. 102. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A497611226/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=67dc27f1. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.
Reich, Susanna STAND UP AND SING! Bloomsbury (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 3, 21 ISBN: 978-0-8027-3812-7
In the world of American folk music, Pete Seeger stood tall and proud in his unflinching, lifelong commitment to human rights and dignity. Reich opens with a typical Seeger sing-along moment and then proceeds to trace his childhood, when his father exposed him to the troubles of the Great Depression. A trip to North Carolina introduced him to the five-string banjo. The following years produce a litany of musical activity, with Alan Lomax, Woody Guthrie, the Almanac Singers, and the Weavers. Then came years of blacklisting and Seeger's steadfast refusal to accede to Congressional scare tactics. Protests against the Vietnam War, support of the civil rights struggle, and then a commitment to clean up the Hudson River kept his music steadily flowing. He remains a powerful influence on many musicians and left a legacy of children's songs and protest songs that should be part of everyone's listening. In his passionate and timely foreword, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary exhorts readers to follow Seeger's "spirit" and "turn challenge and adversity into greater determination and love for one another." Gustavson's digitized gouache, watercolor, pencil, and oil paintings offer scenes from Seeger's life in both full-page color and spot-art accompaniments. While not a comprehensive treatment of Seeger's life, this is an excellent introduction; read and sing along--loudly. (author's note, quotation sources, selected sources) (Picture book/biography. 7-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Reich, Susanna: STAND UP AND SING!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2016. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A473652269/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ab5f0f93. Accessed 16 Aug. 2025.