SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: The Cookie Vote
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.gbriankaras.com/
CITY:
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 310
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born September 1957, in Milford, CT; married; wife’s name Sue (an artist); children: Bennett, Zachary.
EDUCATION:Paier School of Art, degree, 1979.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator of children’s books. Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, MO, card artist, 1979-82; freelance illustrator, 1982–. Judge, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books, 2016. Exhibitions: Work exhibited by Society of Illustrators—New York, 2004; and at San Francisco Main Library, San Francisco, CA, 2007.
AWARDS:Choice designation, International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council (IRA/CBC), 1991, for The Holiday Handwriting School by Robyn Pulver; IRA/CBC Choice designation, for If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos; American Booksellers Pick of the Lists designation, 1993, for Odds ‘n’ Ends Alvy by John Frank, 1994, for Truman’s Aunt Farm by Jama Kim Rattigan, 1996, for Sleepless Beauty by Frances Minters, My Crayons Talk by Patricia Hubbard, and Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley, and 1997, for Elevator Magic by Stuart J. Murphy; Parent’s Choice Honor designation, 1995, for I Know an Old Lady; New York Public Library 100 Books for Reading and Sharing designation and Capitol Choices designation, both 1996, both for Saving Sweetness; Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book designation, 1997, for Home on the Bayou; Smithsonian Notable Children’s Book designation, 1999, and American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book designation, 2000, both for Raising Sweetness, by Stanley; ALA Notable Book designation, 100 Books for Reading and Sharing designation, and Children’s Literature Choice designation, all 2002, all for Car Wash by Sandra and Susan Steen; 100 Books for Reading and Sharing designation, 2002, ALA Notable Book designation, 2003, and California Young Readers Medal, 2005, all for Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming; Book Links Lasting Connections selection, 2002, and ALA Notable Book designation, 2003, both for Atlantic; ALA Notable Book designation, 2003, for 7 x 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills; Bay Area Book of the Year designation, 2003, and Capitol Choices selection, 2004, both for Oh, No, Gotta Go! by Sarah Middleton Elya; ALA Notable Book designation, 2005, for On Earth; New York Times Best Illustrated Book designation, 2005, for Are You Going to Be Good? by Cari Best; Cooperative Children’s Book Council Choices selection, 2008, for Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley; Christopher Award, 2008, for How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara; Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award, 2013, for Young Zeus; Please Touch Museum’s 28th Annual Book Award, 2013, for Neville, by Norman Juster.
WRITINGS
Author’s work has been translated into several languages, including French, Italian, Japanese, and Korean.
Works featuring Karas’s art have been adapted for DVD.
SIDELIGHTS
G. Brian Karas has channeled his early interest in art into a successful career as an award-winning illustrator and author of children’s books. Karas’s distinctive, child-centered illustrations—a blend of pencil, gouache, and pastel—have garnered accolades for their energy and inventiveness and have appeared in books ranging from Katherine Applegate’s poignant Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla to Franny Billingsley’s humorous Big Bad Bunny. He moreover has a number of self-illustrated works to his credit, including Young Zeus, As an Oak Tree Grows, and On the Farm, at the Market.
Raised in Connecticut, Karas enjoyed drawing as a child, and his semi-autobiographical picture book The Class Artist recalls his growing confidence while making his somewhat wobbly “first steps” as an elementary-school-aged Rembrandt. After finishing high school, he decided to pursue a career in the creative arts and enrolled at the Paier School of Art. Karas found a job as a greeting-card artist at Hallmark Cards shortly after graduation.
Three years later, Karas moved to New York City and started his career as a freelance commercial illustrator. He made the rounds of the city’s publishing companies and acquired his first book contract, creating art for Lori Miescke’s Shaggy Dog Riddles. Once Shaggy Dog Riddles was published in 1983, Karas began illustrating full time, ultimately bringing to life stories by writers such as Cynthia Rylant, Candace Fleming, Norton Juster, Emily Jenkins, and Judy Sierra, among others.
[open new/revised]More than a decade and dozens of titles after launching his picture-book career, Karas made his debut as an author-illustrator with Home on the Bayou: A Cowboy’s Story. An aspiring young cowboy, Ned is disheartened to be stuck in swamplands because his mother wanted them to move closer to Granpa. With a garden hose replacing his broken lasso and a bully nicknaming him after manure, Ned hopes to prove his Wild West mettle during a showdown. A Publishers Weekly reviewer affirmed that Karas “scores a bull’s eye” with his first authored story, as he wields a “cowpoke wit” and gets readers laughing as well as cheering, all while “sympathizing wholeheartedly” with the beleaguered boy. The reviewer added that the “wry” earth-toned drawings are the “icing on the cake.”[suspend new]
“Lights out!” is the signal for a space-alien invasion in Karas’s humorous Bebe’s Bad Dream, as a young girl tries to redirect some green-skinned visitors across the hall to the bedroom of her annoying and now-asleep older brother. Bebe’s bedtime ritual involves donning homemade armor as well as turning down the sheets, and her pragmatic and self-reliant approach to her nighttime problem is brought to life by Karas in “childlike art that captures the full range of emotion,” according to a Horn Book critic. Praising the book as a bedtime tale with a “twist,” Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper added that Bebe’s Bad Dream features “witty dialogue, clever asides, and artwork that … goes for the laughs.“
Called “a unique presentation of the story of the Atlantic Ocean” by a Kirkus Reviews writer, Atlantic draws on Karas’s familiarity with the body of water that borders the east coast of the United States. Narrated by the vast ocean in what Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan dubbed a “pithy text,” he describes the ocean’s ability to generate weather, the many creatures living beneath its mercurial surface, and its role in human history. The “skewed perspectives and textured layers of color keep the paintings varied and interesting,” noted a Publishers Weekly writer in appraising Atlantic , the critic adding that Karas’s “folksy humor” and artwork featuring “wistful, cartoon-like children” should sustain the interest of young readers.
In his self-illustrated As an Oak Tree Grows, Karas presents “a charming cycle-of-life story and an engaging chronicle of American urban history,” in the words of a Publishers Weekly contributor. Beginning in 1775, when a Native American youth plants an acorn, the tale chronicles the growth of a towering oak as well as the dramatic transformation of the surrounding landscape over the next two centuries. “Karas’s straightforward narration is informative and reflective,” remarked Linda Ludke in School Library Journal. “The sweep of Karas’s pencil and gouache full-bleed spreads has all the majesty of good landscape, … but his homey and accessible draftsmanship keeps the details human as well as intricate,” opined Deborah Stevenson in her appraisal of As an Oak Tree Grows for the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
In Young Zeus he humorously chronicles the childhood adventures of the ruler of Mount Olympus, including the lad’s showdown with his father, Cronus, who swallowed all of Zeus’s siblings. “Karas renders myth into farce, with cartoon-like characters ranging from the appealing boy god to his monstrous dad,” Joanna Rudge Long observed in appraising Young Zeus for Horn Book. As Engberg commented in her Booklist critique, readers “will see their own family members among the cast of Karas’s humanlike gods.”
The multi-seasonal tasks of a town road crew are the focus of The Village Garage, “a simple yet effective book,” in the words of School Library Journal critic Grace Oliff. Here Karas shows workers plowing roads during the winter, patching potholes during warmer months, and collecting leaves in the fall. In Booklist, Phelan noted that the “appealing pencil, gouache, and acrylic illustrations offer wonderfully childlike depictions of the workers and their machines.”
The author/illustrator provides a behind-the-scenes look at a busy farmer’s market in On the Farm, at the Market. Focusing on the activities of a vegetable farmer, a cheesemaker, a mushroom grower, and the cook at a local café, this work offers a “simple and upbeat text,” according to a Kirkus Reviews writer. Karas’s pencil, gouache, and acrylic illustrations drew praise from a number of critics, with Phelan asserting in Booklist that “the artwork has an inviting look.”
[resume new]Karas teaches young readers all about the atmosphere in Our Air, narrated by the air itself. Distinguishing air from the particles it carries—with the likes of soot and spores clarified in a gallery—Karas covers ozone protection, jet streams, prevailing winds, wind energy, and more. Appreciating the message that it’s “vital to care for” the air that everyone shares, a Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that Karas “deftly adds informational content visually” to help produce a “simple introduction” that proves “light, refreshing, and clear.”[suspend new]
Among Karas’s later efforts as an illustrator were Fleming’s Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! and sequel Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide!, about three mischievious young rabbits, drawn with colored pencils. In School Library Journal, Martha Topol described Karas’s “folksy artwork” in the latter title as “full of changing perspectives and charming detail, … captur[ing] … all of the action with warmth and humor.” In Billingsley’s Big Bad Bunny a tiny mouse dons a rabbit costume, flees her home at bedtime, and imagines herself to be a fearless creature roaming the dark woods. “Karas strategically deploys mixed media to render the id-gone-wild scenes with comic abandon,” remarked a contributor to Publishers Weekly.
Today and Today, featuring the writings of eighteenth-century Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa, follows one year in the life of a modern family. Employing mixed-media illustrations, “Karas creates a memorable feast of images that portray both the joy and sorrow of existence,” as a Publishers Weekly critic stated of the book. “Like haiku,” Jennifer M. Brabander asserted in Horn Book, “Karas’s art captures moments in time and conveys, with color and light, sensory detail” amidst the changing of the seasons.
A satiric look at sibling rivalry, Susan Orlean’s Lazy Little Loafers questions the usefulness of babies through the eyes of an exasperated and, to her mind, underappreciated schoolgirl. “Karas’s gouache, pencil, acrylic and photographic collages build an appealing cityscape full of hilarious details and baby-coddling New Yorkers,” Jessica Bruder observed in the New York Times Book Review. “The book’s images also build the big sister’s bravado into a narrative journey: the story of a girl who comes to terms with her new baby brother.” Another family-oriented tale, Mary Ann Rodman’s Surprise Soup concerns the efforts of a middle child to create a special meal for his mother. The artist’s “collage artwork combines thickly lined, expressive figures with patterned details that emphasize the cozy domestic setting,” noted Gillian Engberg in Booklist.
Karas’s work in Fleming’s original folktale Clever Jack Takes the Cake also garnered praise, School Library Journal writer Heidi Estrin stating that the “scratchy gouache and pencil cartoon illustrations are as detail-rich as the text itself.” Commending his artistic contributions to Juster’s Neville, about a lonely youngster who has just moved into a new town, Booklist reviewer Thom Barthelmess affirmed that “Karas’s deft mixed-media sketches carry remarkable weight.” “With just a few simple strokes,” the critic added, he “imbues his cartoonlike figures with deep and subtle emotion.”
In Ivan, Applegate relates the incredible tale of a silverback gorilla kept in captivity in a shopping center for almost three decades. “Using pencil-line drawing and washes of pastel, Karas feelingly depicts Ivan’s gentle and loving personality,” as Lolly Gepson observed in Booklist. In the words of a Kirkus Reviews writer regarding Lesa Cline-Ransome’s Whale Trains, Before and Now, which explores the history of the whaling industry, “Karas’s pencil drawings, colored with gouache and acrylics, add intriguing detail.”
Regarding Dori Kleber’s More-igami, a writer in Kirkus Reviews stated that Karas’s “art shows his hand, the textured pencil, and pastel strokes evident on the page, which gives the book a gentle, handmade feel.” A classroom full of book-loving creatures is the focus of Sierra’s Make Way for Readers. According to a Publishers Weekly critic, here “Karas’s wispy colored pencils capture the animals’ bountiful enthusiasm.”
[re-resume new]A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story about Knitting and Love, by Michelle Edwards, portrays an elderly woman who kindly knits hats, mittens, and more for folks in her neighborhood. Usually adding pom-poms to the hats, Sophia gives knitting a try for herself when she realizes the elder’s head is bare. Horn Book reviewer Robin Smith remarked that Karas’s “precise, unfussy mixed-media illustrations in muted hues enhance Edwards’s ode to intergenerational friendship.”
Father-son bonding is at the center of Night Job, by Karen Hesse, in which a youth accompanies his father to hang out and help out during his night shift as a school custodian. In Booklist, Shelle Rosenfeld observed that Karas’s “charming, fine-lined artwork … uses a soft, muted palette as well as careful shadows and light” to depict the pair’s “sweet affection.” Almost Time, by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, finds a father and son patiently awaiting spring to tend their maple trees and make syrup. “Through muted colors with pops of red and well-considered details,” remarked Julie Roach in Horn Book, Karas’s illustrations “artfully … capture the relentlessness of winter, the budding of spring,” and the loving filial relation.
For The Village Blacksmith, Karas adapted and illustrated a poem written in 1840 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Scenes from the village were modeled after the quaint New York hamlet where Karas had purchased a home, and he also took inspiration from the endeavors of his son, an artisan metalworker. The back matter includes a history of blacksmithery and Longfellow’s full original poem. In Booklist, John Peters admired Karas’s “celebration of an ancient but still worthy craft.”
The Boy Who Loved Maps is author Kari Allen’s picture-book debut. The perspective of a young cartographer, who draws cities and countries alike in his treehouse studio, is refreshed when a girl asks for a map of a fantastical-sounding place—and then takes him on a neighborhood tour to show how close to home it is. A Publishers Weekly reviewer observed that Karas’s illustrations in “warm, loose gouache and pencil in muted greens and earth tones” help show boy and reader alike “another way to look at the world.” Concerning The Cookie Vote, about a lively class trip to the state capitol to propose an official state cookie, a Kirkus Reviews writer declared that Karas’s “distinctive, mellow gouache and pencil illustrations depict energetic, engaged diverse children and detailed background scenes.”[close new]
“In a way, there was never a question in my mind of what to do in the field of art,” Karas stated in an essay on the Penguin Random House website. “There was never a defining moment when I said, I want to be a children’s book artist. I just was.” “Aside from watching my children grow,” he added, “creating books for children is the most gratifying and worthwhile thing I can do.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August, 1996, Hazel Rochman, review of Sid and Sam, p. 1910; September 15, 1996, Lauren Peterson, review of Home on the Bayou: A Cowboy’s Story, p. 247; June 1, 2000, Ilene Cooper, review of Bebe’s Bad Dream, p. 1909; November 15, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of The Class Artist, p. 582; April 15, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of Atlantic, p. 1398; August, 2003, Kay Wessman, review of Put Your Eyes up Here, and Other School Poems, p. 1992; September 1, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Barfburger Baby, I Was Here First, p. 130; May 1, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of On Earth, p. 1588; July, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Tiny Tortilla, p. 1931; February 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of F Is for Fiesta, p. 54; January 1, 2007, Carolyn Phelan, review of If It Weren’t for You, p. 118; April 1, 2007, GraceAnne A. DeCandio, review of Today and Today, p. 50; June 1, 2007, Debbie Carton, review of How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, p. 81; September 1, 2008, Thom Barthelmess, review of Lazy Little Loafers, p. 105; March 15, 2009, Gillian Engberg, review of Surprise Soup, p. 61; February 1, 2010, Gillian Engberg, review of Young Zeus, p. 40; April 15, 2010, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Village Garage, p. 54; October 15, 2011, Thom Barthelmess, review of Neville, p. 44; June 1, 2014, Lolly Gepson, review of Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla, p. 73; September 15, 2014, Carolyn Phelan, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 58; March 15, 2016, Carolyn Phelan, review of On the Farm, at the Market, p. 65; October 1, 2016, Ilene Cooper, review of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story about Knitting and Love, p. 78; September 1, 2018, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Night Job, p. 120; April 1, 2020, John Peters, review of The Village Blacksmith, p. 38; June 1, 2024, Miriam Aronin, review of A Big Day for Bike, p. 94.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, June, 2000, review of Bebe’s Bad Dream, p. 361; September, 2001, review of The Class Artist, p. 22; April, 2002, review of Atlantic, p. 283; July-August, 2005, review of On Earth, p. 493; February, 2010, Elizabeth Bush, review of Young Zeus, p. 250; July-August, 2010, Elizabeth Bush, review of The Village Garage, p. 486; December, 2014, Deborah Stevenson, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 210.
Horn Book, May-June, 1996, Marilyn Bousquin, review of Mr. Carey’s Garden, p. 322; July-August, 1996, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of The Nature of the Beast, p. 445; March-April, 1998, Susan P. Bloom, review of The Windy Day, p. 214; July, 2000, review of Bebe’s Bad Dream, p. 436; September-October, 2005, Betty Carter, review of On Earth, p. 602; March-April, 2007, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Today and Today, p. 209; March-April, 2008, Christine M. Heppermann, review of Big Bad Bunny, p. 200; March-April, 2010, Joanna Rudge Long, review of Young Zeus, p. 78; July-August, 2010, Kitty Flynn, review of The Village Garage, p. 91; September-October, 2014, Betty Carter, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 133; September-October, 2016, Robin Smith, review of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman, p. 82; March-April, 2017, Martha V. Parravano, review of Anywhere Farm, p. 75; January-February, 2020, Julie Roach, review of Almost Time, p. 79.
Horn Book Guide, fall, 2010, Kitty Flynn, review of The Village Garage, p. 283, and Joanna Rudge Long, review of Young Zeus, p. 400; spring, 2015, Betty Carter, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 34; fall, 2016, Pam Yosca, review of On the Farm, at the Market, p. 41.
Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2001, review of Skidamarink: A Silly Love Song to Sing Together, p. 1551; March 15, 2002, review of Atlantic, p. 414; July 14, 2004, review of Barfburger Baby, I Was Here First, p. 683; May 15, 2005, review of On Earth, p. 591; September 1, 2005, review of Are You Going to Be Good?, p. 968; January 1, 2006, review of F Is for Fiesta, p. 39; June 1, 2006, review of A Place Called Kindergarten, p. 573; September 15, 2006, review of If It Weren’t for You, p. 971; June 15, 2007, review of How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?; December 15, 2009, review of Young Zeus; May 1, 2010, review of The Village Garage; August 1, 2014, review of As an Oak Tree Grows; November 1, 2014, review of Whale Trails, Before and Now; January 1, 2016, review of One the Farm, at the Market; February 1, 2016, review of More-igami; February 1, 2021, review of Peter Easter Frog; September 15, 2022, review of I Love You Little, I Love You Lots; July 15, 2023, review of The Power of Yeti; December 1, 2024, review of The Cookie Vote; June 15, 2025, review of Our Air.
New York Times Book Review, September 10, 2006, review of A Place Called Kindergarten, p. 19; November 9, 2008, Jessica Bruder, review of Lazy Little Loafers, p. 39; November 9, 2014, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 38.
Publishers Weekly, August 26, 1996, review of Home on the Bayou, p. 97; May 11, 1998, review of The Windy Day, p. 67; May 15, 2000, review of Bebe’s Bad Dream, p. 117; July 23, 2001, review of The Class Artist, p. 76; December 3, 2001, review of Skidamarink, p. 59; January 28, 2002, review of Atlantic, p. 290; August 23, 2004, review of Barfburger, Baby, I Was Here First, p. 53; June 12, 2006, review of A Place Called Kindergarten, p. 51; December 18, 2006, review of Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide!, p. 62; February 5, 2007, review of Today and Today, p. 57; February 4, 2008, review of Big Bad Bunny, p. 55; January 4, 2010, review of Young Zeus, p. 45;June 30, 2014, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 61; August 29, 2016, review of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman, p. 89; May 23, 2022, review of The Boy Who Loved Maps, p. 59.
School Library Journal, June, 1998, Nina Lindsay, review of The Windy Day, p. 111; June, 2000, Tana Elias, review of Bebe’s Bad Dream, p. 116; September, 2001, Lisa Gangemi Kropp, review of The Class Artist, p. 192; January, 2002, Shara Alpern, review of Skidamarink, p. 124; June, 2002, Margaret Bush, review of Atlantic, p. 98; November, 2004, Julie Roach, review of Barfburger Baby, I Was Here First, p. 96; July, 2005, Coop Renner, review of Oh No, Gotta Go!, p. 44; August, 2005, Anne Knickerbocker, review of Tiny Tortilla, p. 108; May, 2006, Lauralyn Persson, review of On Earth, p. 110; August, 2006, Suzanne Myers Harold, review of A Place Called Kindergarten, p. 88; January, 2007, Martha Topol, review of Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide!, p. 92; September, 2005, Kathy Piehl, review of Are You Going to Be Good?, p. 165; October, 2006, Donna Cardon, review of If It Weren’t for You, p. 132; April, 2008, Ieva Bates, review of Big Bad Bunny, p. 103; October, 2008, Lisa Glasscock, review of Lazy Little Loafers, p. 118; March, 2009, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of Surprise Soup, p. 126; June, 2010, Grace Oliff, review of The Village Garage, p. 76; July, 2010, Heidi Estrin, review of Clever Jack Takes the Cake, p. 59; July, 2014, Linda Ludke, review of As an Oak Tree Grows, p. 119; January, 2016, Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, review of On the Farm, at the Market, p. 72; April, 2016, Julie Roach, review of More-igami, p. 133; September, 2016, Samantha Lumetta, review of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman, p. 120.
Today’s Parent, April, 2010, Stephanie Simpson McLellan, review of Young Zeus, p. 28.
ONLINE
G. Brian Karas website, https://www.gbriankaras.com (May 22, 2025).
Penguin Random House website, http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ (December 15, 2016), autobiographical essay by Karas.
Publishers Weekly, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (September 6, 2012), Carolyn Juris, interview with Karas.
R. Michelson Galleries website, https://www.rmichelson.com/ (May 22, 2025), profile of Karas.
Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast, http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/ (October 10, 2007), Julie Danielson, interview with Karas; (May 19, 2020), “G. Brian Karas on The Village Blacksmith.”
G. Brian Karas
Just the Facts
G. Brian Karas was born in September 1957 in Milford, CT. In 1979 he graduated from Paier School of Art in Hamden, CT. From 1979 to 1982 he worked at Hallmark Cards as a greeting card artist in the Humorous Department. He has been a freelance artist since 1982 and has written and illustrated many books which have won numerous awards. He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.
want to know more?
some Q’s & A’s
head
Q: When did you start being an artist?
Q&AA: It’s hard to say. I remember that in kindergarten I liked finger painting a lot. And I remember that later on, in third grade, I liked to draw pictures of my favorite comic book and cartoon characters, namely Peanuts and a variety of monsters, and I got pretty good at it. At some point (around the fourth or fifth grade) I realized I could make other kids laugh at my drawings, which I liked. And even though I didn’t sell my drawings I think of that as my first steps on the path to becoming a professional artist. I went on to be the background artist of many a school play and even designed a tile mosaic that was in the front showcase of my elementary school. So I think I became an artist the very first time I opened my eyes.
Q: Where did you learn how to draw?
Q&AA: Art school (Paier School of Art in Hamden CT) followed high school. Suddenly I was with other artists (the entire school!) and I learned not only how to draw and paint but how sharing creative ideas with other artists helped me and my art grow.
I also learned early on that I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. Several fine children’s book illustrators taught at my school. Personally, I loved to read and this seemed a perfect fit to me. Once that idea took hold I didn’t let go.
Q: Did you start making children’s books right after art school?
Q&AA: It was many years before my first book became published. Hallmark Cards hired me right out of art school. I was an artist (one of many) and worked in the Humorous Cards department. I illustrated hundreds of cards. It was a great education in learning how to draw many different emotions, not just humor. It wasn't picture book publishing like I had hoped but I was making a living at doing what I liked so much – getting people to laugh at my drawings.
Q: When was your first book published?
Q&AA: I left Hallmark after three years and moved to New York to become a freelance illustrator, which I’ve been ever since. At first most of my work was editorial – in magazines and newspapers, for textbooks and (ironically) greeting cards. Throughout this time I continued to work on my picture book portfolio and in 1991 my first illustrated book, THE HOLIDAY HANDWRITING SCHOOL by Robin Pulver, was published.
Q: Do you like your job?
Q&AA: I like it when my work makes people laugh. And cry. And think and feel. When it makes me laugh, cry, think or feel then I know I have done a good job.
Brian was born George Brian Karas in Milford, Connecticut in 1957. He is the prolific and versatile illustrator and writer of many children’s books including Atlantic, an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book, Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley, and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor title, Home on the Bayou. The New York Times describes his work as “…depicted in a childlike style that belies the sophistication of the drawings. Exquisite and moving in its subtlety.” He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with his family.
G. Brian Karas on The Village Blacksmith
h1May 19th, 2020 by jules
“They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar.
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.”
(Click spread to enlarge)
Illustrator G. Brian Karas visits today to talk a bit about his newest picture book, an adaptation of a poem originally written in 1840 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Village Blacksmith (Candlewick, April 2020) tells the story of a strong but humble village smithy, “his brow … wet with honest sweat.” He works, building a fence for a neighbor; worships at church; rests; and works again, “[w]eek out, week in, from morn till night.” Karas brings his world to vivid life with his soft mixed media illustrations, and he beautifully depicts the light and shadows of the smithy’s work (particularly its glowing embers and shining sparks), while we follow him through his days at the “flaming forge” and beyond, “[t]oiling — rejoicing — sorrowing — / Onward through life he goes.”
The book’s backmatter includes tools of a blacksmith’s trade and a brief history of blacksmiths, and Longfellow’s poem in its entirety is printed in the back as well.
Brian is here to share some of the personal backstory behind this warm and intimate book, which he places in a contemporary setting, as well as share some images and some final art. I thank him for sharing.
* * *
Brian: Illustrating Longfellow’s poem, written 180 years ago, was surprisingly relevant to me. That allowed me to bring much of my personal life to the story.
At the time I started working on this book, I had recently purchased a 150-year old home in a small village — technically, a hamlet, an administrative division in New York State. Hamlets are smaller than villages.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
Back in the day, Smokey Hollow, as it was then known, was a self-sufficient community that I modeled the village in the book after. The red building across the street from me was owned by the man who built my house and was the “trading post” for the local tradespeople in the hamlet.
(Click to enlarge)
Though there is no spreading chestnut tree overhead [as in the poem], my house was built with hand hewn chestnut beams. Who knows, maybe the builder chopped down his own spreading chestnut tree!
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What made this book most meaningful to me, though, is that my son is an artist, and his medium of choice is metal. Blacksmithing is one of the skills he uses to create his work. He was always fascinated with blacksmithing and built his own forge at a young age.
(Click to enlarge)
This is his workshop and smithy today — not red, as in the book (but possibly red when it was built to match the trading post?).
(Click to enlarge)
A final spread from the book: “Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands …”
(Click spread to enlarge)
Blacksmiths keep their smithies dark so that they can tell by the color of the heated metal when it’s hot enough to shape.
Here is an example of my son’s work:
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My iron gate (still waiting to be repaired — LOL):
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Here is a bit more from the book:
(Click either image above to see spread in its entirety)
(Click cover to enlarge)
* * * * * * *
THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from The Knickerbocker or New York Monthly Magazine vol. XVI. New York; 1840. Illustrations copyright © 2020 by G. Brian Karas and reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. All other images here reproduced by permission of G. Brian Karas.
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman:
A Story About Knitting and Love
by Michelle Edwards;
illus. by G. Brian Karas
Primary Schwartz & Wade/Random 40 pp.
10/16 978-0-553-49710-6 $17.99 (g)
Elderly Mrs. Goldman and her young next-door neighbor Sophia are a winning pair of friends. Mrs. Goldman loves to make little hats for all the little keppies (heads) of the babies in their neighborhood, and Sophia embellishes each of the hats with pom-poms. It's their mitzvah, or "good deed" (as defined in the text). But Mrs. Goldman's mitzvahs go beyond baby hats: she knits dog-sweaters, plus mittens, scarves, and hats for big kids and adults, too. One cold, windy day, Sophia wonders where Mrs. Goldman's own hat is ("'I gave it to Mrs. Chen,' she explains"). "'Mrs. Goldman's keppie must be cold,' worries Sophia," and she decides to knit a hat for her friend. There are bumps along the way (and on the hat!), but through perseverance and creativity Sophia is able to present Mrs. Goldman with a thing of beauty and love. Karas's precise, unfussy mixed-media illustrations in muted hues enhance Edwards's ode to intergenerational friendship. Pom-pom shapes adorn many pages: as the background for Mrs. Goldman holding a newborn Sophia, as text boxes, and as endpapers. (The opening endpapers show knitted stitches with many mistakes, and the closing ones show all of the errors now filled with pom-poms.) Any child would be lucky to have a next-door grandmother stand-in like Mrs. Goldman.
(g) indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the suggested retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Smith, Robin. "A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 92, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2016, pp. 82+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A469641268/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b95a5416. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Anywhere Farm
by Phyllis Root; illus. by G. Brian Karas
Primary Candlewick 32 pp.
3/17 978-0-7636-7499-1 $16.99 g
"For an anywhere farm,/here's all that you need:/soil/and sunshine,/ some water,/a seed." Root's upbeat Green Eggs and Ham--esque rhyming text details all the places one can grow things: "Plant a farm in a crate!/ Plant a farm in a cup!/In a box on a balcony/ten stories up!/Plant a farm in a truck!/In a box on a bike!/Plant an anywhere farm/anywhere that you like." The book then goes on to suggest what one might plant ("Kale in a pail./Corn in a horn") and who might come to visit one's "anywhere farm" (bees, butterflies, birds--and neighbors). Karas's mixed-media illustrations focus on one little girl who starts everything off with a single plant but eventually include a whole neighborhood that participates in transforming a barren urban space into a lush, flourishing garden. The diverse cast features a variety of skin colors as well as an infant-toting dad, a man in a wheelchair, and a bunch of pets; the group includes active children, old people content just to sit in a chair in the sunshine, and everyone in between. Inspiring and empowering; friendly and inviting.
Caption: Anywhere Farm. Illustration [c] 2017 by G. Brian Karas.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Parravano, Martha V. "Anywhere Farm." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 93, no. 2, Mar.-Apr. 2017, p. 75. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A485970938/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9e060a77. Accessed 2 May 2025.
* Night Job.
By Karen Hesse. Illus. by G. Brian Karas.
Sept. 2018.32p. Candlewick, $16.99 (9780763662387). PreS-Gr. 1.
A young boy relates his experiences accompanying his father, a school custodian, to work in this eloquent, lovely picture book. Atop a motorcycle, the two (wearing helmets) set off "over the darkening bay, riding the dusky highway." Once there, the boy joins his father, from the gym ("I shoot baskets in the half-light, the ball's bounce mingling with the shoosh of Dad's broom") to the cafeteria to the library, where the boy shares a book and then naps while his father finishes up. Eventually, they head home at sunrise, where sleep and dreams await. In lyrical language, Hesse vividly describes the details of what the father's job entails, all the while conveying the joy of spending time together, from helping clean--"We tack back and forth down the hallway, sweeping the school from stem to stern"--to taking a break in the courtyard and eating homemade sandwiches. Its clear from the pictures that the boy and his father aren't wealthy, but the matter-of-fact story instead focuses on adventuresome details of the work, from the motorcycle ride to the revered ring of keys to the baseball game on the radio. Karas' charming, fine-lined artwork, in panels and full-page spreads, uses a soft, muted palette as well as careful shadows and light to highlight both their nighttime routine and the sweet affection of a special father-son relationship. Quiet, warmhearted, and endearing.--Shelle Rosenfeld.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
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Rosenfeld, Shelle. "Night Job." Booklist, vol. 115, no. 1, 1 Sept. 2018, pp. 120+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A554041322/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cc048cf5. Accessed 2 May 2025.
The Dinosaur Expert
Margaret McNamara, author
G. Brian Karas, illustrator
Schwartz & Wade
c/o Random House Children's Books
1745 Broadway, 10-1, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com/kids
9780553511437, $17.99, HC, 40pp, www.amazon.com
Mr. Tiffin and his students are back in another picture book, and this time the focus is on dinosaur-loving Kimmy. During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus and the Archaeopteryx and even the ginormous Titanosaurus. That changes when one of her classmates questions whether girls can be paleontologists. Kimmy starts to feel shy. What if they can't? What if no one wants to hear what she has to say? It will take some help from Mr. Tiffin--and from a famous scientist--for Kimmy to find her voice again. Young readers ages 4 to 8 will enjoy joining Mr. Tiffin's class as they learn about dinosaurs big and small, feathered and scaly, winged and ocean-dwelling. And root for Kimmy, the dinosaur expert--who might just learn something about herself! "The Dinosaur Expert" is very highly recommended, especially for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4 to 8.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Midwest Book Review
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"The Dinosaur Expert." Children's Bookwatch, Oct. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A562049995/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=12873846. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Almost Time
by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney; illus. by G. Brian Karas
Preschool, Primary Clarion 32 pp. g 1/20 978-0-544-78581-6 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-0-358-16693-1 $12.99
Waiting for spring can wear on one's patience, but readers may find comfort sharing the burden with Ethan and his (apparently single-parent) father, who go through their daily routines looking forward to warmer days, shorter nights, and running sap in their maple trees. Still, Ethan has quite a wait yet, and as time passes, the illustrations show the stark contrasts of dark skies and long shadows with indoor lights and white snow. And, week after week, Ethan faces Sunday breakfast sans maple syrup, while the nights remain long and the days cold. A loose tooth provides a break in the monotony but ultimately creates yet another thing to wait for. Through muted colors with pops of red and well-considered details, artfully placed illustrations ranging from spot art to double-page spreads capture the relentlessness of winter, the budding of spring, and the easy comfort of this father-and-son relationship. Crisp text supplies just the right pace for the story and clearly explains the sugaring process without disrupting the flow of the narrative. The subtle visual cues that the season is slowly changing become more evident with every page-turn until the sweet and satisfying conclusion. JULIE ROACH
g indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the suggested retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Roach, Julie. "Almost Time." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 96, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2020, pp. 79+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A616788622/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ae91c73a. Accessed 2 May 2025.
The Village Blacksmith. By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. May 2020. 32p. Candlewick, $16.99 (9781536204438). Gr. 2-5.811.
Here, Karas takes a rarely reprinted poem from the Norman Rockwell of American poets and sets it in a modern smithy (based on his own son's), showing a young artisan using both contemporary and traditional tools. Viewers may see a disconnect between the slender figure in the illustrations and Longfellow's description of him as "a mighty man" with "brawny arms." Otherwise, the art follows the poem fairly closely, including in its depictions of children. If the verses come down heavy on the heart strings and tend strongly toward a moralistic tone, even younger audiences should find neither the language nor the overall character portrait of a sturdy worker who "looks the whole world in the face, / For he owes not any man" beyond comprehension. Closing out with closer looks at a blacksmith's gear and a second iteration of the poem, this performs double duty as both a celebration of an ancient but still worthy craft and a reminder that there is far more to this poet than "Paul Reveres Ride" and "Song of Hiawatha."--John Peters
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Peters, John. "The Village Blacksmith." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 15, 1 Apr. 2020, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A621474384/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e9d5f53d. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Dealey, Erin PETER EASTER FROG Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Children's None) $9.99 1, 19 ISBN: 978-1-4814-6489-5
You may know the Easter Bunny, but get ready to meet Peter Easter Frog!
Peter loves Easter, and he’s not going to let the fact that he’s a frog and not a bunny stop him, especially when he’s so good at hopping! He looks absolutely delighted to be hopping around delivering Easter eggs. As he hops along, so does a repeated refrain, which always begins with two words ending with “-ity” coupled with “Easter’s on its—” (“Squishity, squashity, Easter’s on its—”; “Yippity, yappity, Easter’s on its—”); each page turn playfully upends the expected conclusion of the line. Karas’ cheery art portrays a growing array of animals: a turtle decked out in lipstick and a spiffy Easter bonnet, a cow with flower choker necklace, and a sheepdog and a chipmunk sans finery. As Peter gives out colorful, patterned Easter eggs to the other animals, they are, at first, shocked to see an Easter frog but soon join him in his charitable mission to spread Easter cheer. The moment when the cow responds to the dog’s challenge that she is not a cow-bunny by pointing out its own breed as a “sheepdog” may elicit laughs, especially from adult readers. When the group finally meets the real Easter Bunny—hilariously, at the end of a dark tunnel—it seems that things may go awry, but all ends hoppily, happily, and inclusively. The text does not use dialogue tags, instead setting narration and dialogue in separate, distinctive typefaces; unfortunately, this design is not consistently applied, which may confuse readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 26.8% of actual size.)
Charming Easter fun. (Picture book. 3-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Dealey, Erin: PETER EASTER FROG." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650107399/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0581d011. Accessed 2 May 2025.
The Boy Who Loved Maps.
Kari Allen, illus by 6 Brian Karas Random House/Schwartz, $17.99 (44p) ISBN 978-1-984852-30-4
In Allen's picture book debut, a studious boy who loves maps works in a charming tree-house studio, drawing "cities with their grid-like lines and countries with their squiggly borders " Soon, agirl appears with a request for a personalized map of "the perfect place," describing a location that's "toes-in-the-sand, wrapped-up-ina-towel warm " When his drawings and knowledge of the globe don't align with her variable vision ("It's a place where I can zip like a dragonfly"), she leads him through their neighborhood, showing him its familiar features through new eyes Working in warm, loose gouache and pencil in muted greens and earth tones, Karas (A Hat for Mrs Goldman) plots their journey, following the path of the duo, who read as white, from library to bakery to playground to home, as the boy sees how the girl's words describe the world he already knows, and make it new A notable feature of this telling is the way authority shifts from the boy--whose rational take makes the girl's expanding requests seem capricious--to the girl, who shows the boy another way to look at the world Back matter defines maps and suggests activities Ages 4-8 Author's agent: Erzsi Deak Hen&lnk Literary Illustrator's agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group (July)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Boy Who Loved Maps." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 22, 23 May 2022, p. 59. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A706389786/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=30693b50. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Wood, Douglas I LOVE YOU LITTLE, I LOVE YOU LOTS Scholastic (Children's None) $17.99 11, 1 ISBN: 978-0-545-44193-3
A love poem, told in dialogue.
"My love for you would fill 10 pots / 15 buckets and 16 cans / 3 teacups and 4 cakepans," a gray cat informs a brown dog while ladling hot chocolate into the enumerated vessels. The sweet image and statement allude to the unquantifiable nature of love. Earnest pencil and digitally drawn art looks like it could be placed on a refrigerator alongside well-loved handmade notes and drawings. The anthropomorphic animals' attachment to each other is without label, making for an inclusive tale that just about any caregiver could easily share with little ones at bedtime. At one point, the cat states, "I love you up," while the dog, suspended in the air while flying a kite, responds, "I love you down / My love for you / can touch the ground"--a page that makes effective use of perspective and movement. Wood and Karas also root the poem in the tangible as the characters reference the rainbow and trains to express their love. There are no bumps in the road here, and some may find the lack of narrative or drama unfulfilling, but most will fall into the declarations heart-first. Fans of Salina Yoon's Penguin and Pinecone (2012) or Kathryn Cristaldi's I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home (2018), illustrated by Kristyna Litten, will find new companions in these pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
There's a lot of love here, and it's all good. (Picture book. 3-5)
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"Wood, Douglas: I LOVE YOU LITTLE, I LOVE YOU LOTS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A717107435/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4a1119a8. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Van Slyke, Rebecca THE POWER OF YETI Nancy Paulsen Books (Children's None) $18.99 9, 5 ISBN: 9780399169588
A child builds confidence and skills alongside a Yeti.
"Look at those feet! Those muscles! I wish I was like that!" A light-skinned child excitedly observes Yeti, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Abominable Snow Monster as they romp in a grassy field. The legendary characters can lift giant boulders with gleeful ease, but the discouraged protagonist is still struggling to get the hang of shoelace-tying. Yeti offers to share "THE POWER OF YETI" with the young narrator. "Instead of 'I can't tie my shoes,' try saying 'I can't tie my shoes YETi!' " The others agree, noting that the mantra helped them learn to ride a bike and jump-rope. After a brief shoe-tying lesson, the narrator tries and success! Chunky block lettering for exclamations, varied layouts, and action-focused illustrations of the other creatures using the power of YETi do double duty as entertainment and inspiration. Even though the big concepts about learning life skills and loving who you are come into play, the banter between the Yeti and the child is hilarious and effortless. Readers will start thinking about new talents to master and will be sure to adopt a positive learning mindset with Yeti on their side. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Equal parts silly and seriously motivating. (Picture book. 4-7)
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"Van Slyke, Rebecca: THE POWER OF YETI." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A756871982/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4083fd0e. Accessed 2 May 2025.
A Big Day for Bike. By Emily Jenkins. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. June 2024. 32p. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano, $18.99 (9780316340175). PreS-Gr. 2.
A Big Day for Bike introduces a personified young bicycle just beginning her career as an urban rental bike from Beep Beep Bicycles in what later becomes identifiable as Seattle. Big-eyed Bike starts out nervous, but she is reassured by a friendly older bicycle and soon begins helping a diverse group of riders (and their young children and pets) reach destinations around the city. Bike marvels at the sights, including Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, and Space Needle. She also makes it through the rain, experiences traffic, and en joys getting to know all the riders. The muted illustrations evoke the cityscape, and the riders are consistently shown wearing helmets. In addition to the story, the book provides upbeat information about what rental bikes are: "After you pay, you borrow a bicycle like you might borrow a library book." The back matter includes a page of tips for safe biking. A fun story that promotes bike renting and riding.--Miriam Aronin
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
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Aronin, Miriam. "A Big Day for Bike." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 19-20, 1 June 2024, p. 94. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804018377/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3e757e64. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Karas, G. Brian THE COOKIE VOTE Random House Studio (Children's None) $18.99 2, 25 ISBN: 9780593173305
Mr. Tiffin's students brainstorm an idea to turn into a bill in anticipation of a trip to the state capitol.
After a vote, the kids decide that their state needs an official cookie. But what kind of cookie? Though Jeremy initially proposed the maple syrup cookie--an ingredient their state is famous for--the kids have other ideas. Some want triple chocolate fudge; others champion apple cinnamon maple syrup oatmeal. Feeling that the class has strayed too far from his original vision, Jeremy joins the triple chocolate fudge faction. The divided class heads to the capitol building, where Representative Mariam Noor gives them a tour; finally, they hold a vote. In a nail-biting moment, Jeremy is the last to vote--apple cinnamon maple syrup oatmeal is the winner! The idealistic Jeremy explains that he didn't vote for his favorite, but for which cookie best represented the group. The class's idea becomes a real law when Rep. Noor introduces the bill at the state capitol. Karas' distinctive, mellow gouache and pencil illustrations depict energetic, engaged diverse children and detailed background scenes. Mr. Tiffin is light-skinned, Rep. Noor has light brown skin and wears a headscarf, and Jeremy is brown-skinned and curly-haired. Detailed backmatter about several state cookies offers kid-friendly context, with a cookie recipe that's sure to please. This is a delicious addition to the series that stands alone as an excellent democratic primer.
Educational, accessible, and fun.(Picture book. 5-7)
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"Karas, G. Brian: THE COOKIE VOTE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817945836/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bb648e7d. Accessed 2 May 2025.