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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Harold Hates to Hibernate
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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.vernkousky.com
CITY: Brooklyn
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 406
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PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Vern Kousky is a children’s book author who writes and illustrates his own work. Although he enjoyed drawing when he was young, he stopped when he realized he was not good at traditional representation. As he described in an interview with Jena Benton on her personal website, “my band logos and cartoon characters were always horribly malformed.” When he started doodling, however, he saw that those drawings had things in common with modern art, and he started transforming those creations into children’s book characters and motifs. Kousky describes his approach as “something like improvised collage,” as he combines a variety of media, including colored pencil, and then digitally manipulates the various parts. He credits a friend for submitting his first story to an agent, which then launched his career.
That story, Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry, features the titular character who loves not just any poetry but the classics of Keats, Eliot, and Dickinson. He enjoys it so much that he neglects roosting and hunting to spend his time reading and reciting instead. This leads to the other owls making fun of Otto, and he has to go on a journey to find others who will accept him for what he loves.
“Simple and clearly told, with a wonderfully engaging protagonist,” wrote a reviewer in Kirkus Reviews. The reviewer pointed out that the book encourages children to see poetry as “a way into relationships” rather than “isolation in a solitary creative world.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly picked up on that theme but noted that Otto’s “forlorn and mournful” appearance “seems at odds” with the message that poetry can inspire and bring joy. The writer also criticized Kousky’s artwork for how the style used in the creatures “clashes” with the style of the backgrounds.
The Blue Songbird is also about a bird trying to find its voice. In this case, the blue songbird wants to sing like her sisters but cannot find the right tune, so her mother sends her off to find her own song. On that journey, the blue songbird takes advice from other birds such as a crane, a crow, and an owl to discover what she sings best.
Gretchen Crowley, writing in School Library Journal, acknowledged that the story’s theme is familiar but called it a “lovely rendition that is sure to please” readers of all ages. Crowley particularly appreciated how “the voice of the young bird is perfectly captured,” and she wrote that the drawings give wonderful facial expressions to the main characters. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews also admitted that “the tale is a familiar one” but said that “it’s told with grace.” They wrote that “Kousky’s watercolor illustrations have a delicacy that matches both his prose and his heroine.”
In Harold Loves His Woolly Hat, Harold the Bear loves his hat so much he sleeps with it, goes to school with it, and even takes a bath with it. So when a crow steals it one day, it feels like Harold has lost part of himself. He offers to trade anything he can think of to the crow in exchange for the hat’s return, but the crow refuses (it has its reasons, as readers discover), and Harold has to realize he is more than his hat.
Amy Lilien-Harper, writing in School Library Journal, stated that “all libraries should make space on their shelves for Harold.” She compared the illustrations to those of Jon Klassen (whom Kousky has described as an influence) and wrote that “the text is spare, with not a word wasted.” A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews was more ambivalent, particularly over the book’s message that “being a ‘helpful bear’ is more important than personal feelings or the impact of hurtful actions.” The reviewer did admit that the illustrations are “lively” and that they express “the full range of Harold’s emotions.”
Lawrence: The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked is about a little bunny who is tired of all the clothes his mother makes him wear. They may be stylish, but he just wants to hop naked like all the other rabbits. To convince his mom to see his side of things, he comes up with an ingenious plan.
Joan Kindig, writing in School Library Journal, described the tone of the book as “fun and ridiculous” and called the story a “smile-ear-to-ear kind of read-aloud for the younger crowd.” She also enjoyed the illustrations of the various weird outfits Lawrence is forced to wear. A writer in Publishers Weekly agreed, calling Lawrence’s solution “ingenious, rascally, and still deeply empathic,” and they predicted it will “elicit knowing smiles.” The reviewer described the outfits as “just the right balance of inventiveness and awfulness.”
Kousky explores a more somber topic in I See You, Sad Bear, a book designed to teach emotional literacy and the power of friendship. A bear is sad, and the narrator asks why, imagining the various reasons the bear might be feeling that way. The story acknowledges that everyone feels sad at times, and sometimes the best thing is just for a friend to come sit by your side.
Lindsay Loup, reviewing the work in School Library Journal, wrote that the illustrations “smartly reflect the mood of the story,” but she wondered whether young readers will grasp its overall message. She thought that, unless it is read and discussed in groups, children might focus on trying to figure out why the bear is sad. A writer in Kirkus Reviews was more positive, calling some of the scenes “funny and sweet” and describing the book as “gracefully understated and understanding.” They argued that the message that “it’s OK to grapple with difficult feelings” is “conveyed with admirable simplicity.”
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Kousky followed up with another book in the “Harold the Bear” series, Harold Hates to Hibernate. Even little children will recognize Harold’s reluctance to hibernate as akin to their resistance to bedtime. A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews praised the story as “sweet and soothing” with a “satisfying narrative arc” and suggested it “lends itself to audience engagement during storytime.”
Love Finds a Way is a story that may surprise readers at first, as Oscar the bird does not want to be loved. In fact, he is nervous that it might happen, so he hires a guard dog named Brutus to keep away the squirrels and others who want to shower him with affection. Over time, however, Oscar comes to see Brutus as more than just a hired dog, and when Brutus disappears, Oscar realizes how much he misses his friend. When they are reunited, Oscar understands why he should not be afraid of love. Kousky’s mixed-media illustrations bring the characters and tale to life. “A smile-eliciting story that champions love and friendship” is how a contributor in Kirkus Reviews described the book. They praised its “pacing, tight storytelling, and well-matched illustrations” and recommended it as a “worthy read-aloud.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2014, review of Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry; February 1, 2017, review of The Blue Songbird; October 1, 2018, review of Harold Loves His Woolly Hat; April 15, 2021, review of Milo Is Missing Something; May 1, 2023, review of I See You, Sad Bear; August 1, 2024, review of Harold Hates to Hibernate; September 15, 2025, review of Love Will Find a Way.
Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2014, review of Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry, p. 67; September 16, 2019, review of Lawrence: The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked, p. 74.
School Library Journal, February, 2017, Gretchen Crowley, review of The Blue Songbird, p. 70; November, 2018, Amy Lilien-Harper, review of Harold Loves His Woolly Hat, p. 60; January, 2020, Joan Kindig, review of Lawrence, p. 58; May, 2023, Lindsay Loup, review of I See You, Sad Bear, p. 71.
ONLINE
Jena Benton, https://jenabenton.com (May 19, 2021), author interview.
Vern Kousky website, http://www.vernkousky.com (December 10, 2025), author website.*
No bio
Simply 7 with Vern Kousky–“Milo is Missing Something”
May 19, 2021 / jenabenton
Today I get to share the cutest little octopus with you from author-illustrator Vern Kousky.
VernVern Kousky is a children’s book author and illustrator currently residing in Amherst, Massachusetts. He is represented by Elana Roth Parker at Laura Dail Literary Agency and can be found on the web at vernkousky.com. You can also follow him on Instagram.
Milo COVER2“Milo is Missing Something” is his fifth picture book as author-illustrator. It’s a really fun look at life under the sea as seen from the point of view of a young octopus named Milo. Yet the whole time Milo is exploring and having fun (introducing the reader to life in the ocean), he knows he’s missing something but can’t quite figure it out. I have this feeling a lot these days just walking into the other room! But this is NOT that book. The ending is unexpected and still the perfect conclusion you should’ve seen coming all along. This is what the best picture books do.
Welcome Vern!
Me: What was your artistic journey? When did you start drawing and/or painting? How did you get to where you are now as an author-illustrator?
1Vern: My journey was a bit of a roundabout one. I stopped drawing quite young, convinced I wasn’t an artist because I had no gift for imitation – my band logos and cartoon characters were always horribly malformed. I carried this prejudice with me for a long time, until about twelve years ago when a friend gifted me a sketchbook and pen. As a fan of modern art, I no longer considered imitation as the be-all end-all and so began aimlessly doodling. These doodles soon turned into cartoons. And eventually the cartoons became longer stories, one of which (Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry) another friend suggested I submit to an agent. Luckily, it got picked up and then sold. Soon after, I learned there is a wide gulf between small pen and ink drawings and finished art. So I began studying the classics I grew up with and trying to figure out how to work with color. After about a year and a half of very uncomfortable labor, Otto had at last taken shape, and a year later, I had a book in hand. I had thought it would get easier after that, but to this day, I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. Each book is like starting over.
Me: I love that. Can you talk a little bit about your process? How did you create the illustrations for this book? Do you use traditional media or do you create digitally? Or do you use parts of both?
Vern: I’d say my approach is something like improvised collage. I start with physically created parts in a variety of media, and then, on the computer, slowly piece them together into larger forms. For example, in Milo many of the fish body and fin shapes are cut out with scissors. Pencils are used to create a number of eyes, mouths, and eyebrows. Colors are created with colored pencil, which I lay over the silhouetted fish and fin shapes. Each layer is then digitally manipulated and arranged until I have a complete fish. Backgrounds and other details are built in a similar fashion, some with cut outs, some with free-form watercolor shapes. Once I have a library of forms created, I place some of them on the screen, move them around, change their colors and sizes, and create new elements as needed until a world begins to take shape. I don’t generally work from sketches, instead I try to keep a playful freedom active even in the finished art.
2
Me: You have several picture books published now as an author-illustrator. Any plans to illustrating someone else’s text? Or do you have any interest in doing that?
Vern: At present, I don’t. Story and image are wedded in my mind, and my approach means that I often spend months or years working on ideas before I attempt to turn them into books, which would make collaboration difficult. But who knows? I still hope that one day I’ll figure things out and be able to work more fluidly and flexibly.
Me: I’ve noticed that all of your stories involve animal characters. When you were first starting out, did you have a portfolio with children in it? Did you find any difficulty having “just animals” in your work?
3Vern: I’ve tried stories with children once or twice, but so far it’s never worked out. Most of my characters these days come from improvisations in which I don’t know what I’m drawing until I finish. It’s easy to read a creature (or a tree, rock, or cloud) into an odd shape. It’s harder to do that with humans and their world.
Me: I love the character of Milo and how you’ve drawn everything related to the ocean. I love how his search for something that is missing comes to a natural conclusion as octopi are naturally solitary creatures. Why is family and togetherness an important message you want to share with young readers?
Vern: To be honest, I’m not sure I can say, other than what I’ve said in the story. When I look at Milo’s journey now, it seems simply to reflect childhood experience. Milo does all the things small children do: he explores, plays games, makes mischief, takes naps, and is, of course, very curious. Importantly, social awareness is not something he’s born with, but develops along the way. What he does with this awareness in the future is up to him, just as any message gleaned will, I hope, be up to each individual reader to decide for themself.
Me: What is one of your favorite illustrations or moments from the book?
sharksVern: The coral reef spread for sure. I struggled mightily with that one.
I also like that Milo shushes the reader when playing hide-and-seek with the sharks.
Me: That coral reef scene is one of my favorites from the book too! Any advice for new picture book authors or illustrators?
Vern: Find works that you respond to and then study them at length. Good illustrators are thoughtful not just with the essential elements, but with ambient details. Jon Klassen’s work is a great example of this. He seems to see each spread as a canvas much as a painter would. Even if there are numerous scenes, they all form a pleasing unity that goes beyond the illustrative information they convey.
As for writing, concision is important, but, for me at least, lyricism trumps it. A single word, well placed, is like a note in a song. One may remove that note and keep the meaning, yet the melody is lost. With this in mind, try reading and recording the text, then playing it back. Concentrate on the sounds. Are they pleasing?
I love that. I sense a fellow poet. Thank you for visiting my blog Vern.
Dear readers, if you haven’t had a chance yet to track down this book, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a fresh and playful look at life under the sea, as well as introducing a great character who is sure to win every reader’s heart.
Kousky, Vern LOVE FINDS A WAY Roaring Brook Press (Children's None) $18.99 12, 16 ISBN: 9781250334756
An anxious bird is terrified at the prospect of love.
Oscar, a bespectacled, round-bodied, long-legged bird with cartoonishly big eyes, is desperate to keep love away. He feels it coming on, so he makes preparations, putting up "No trespassing" signage and donning protective armor and camouflage. Finally, he gets a ferocious guard dog--a fuzzy little brown pup named Brutus. Brow furrowed, Brutus barks, growls, and chases off interlopers, but slowly, after treats and games of fetch, the two form a bond. Just when Oscar feels certain love won't find him, Brutus disappears, and there's no one to protect him from love. When the pair are finally--and lovingly--reunited, Oscar realizes he never had anything to worry about; love was a goal worth attaining. Kousky has populated his forest setting with adorable squirrels trying their best to love Oscar. Sweet scenes depict bird and pup snuggled up in bed clad in matching nightcaps, taking a dip in the duck pond together--in short, loving each other. Kousky's muted mixed-media illustrations portray a forest full of trees with textured bark, dotted with red berries under a brush of watercolor-esque sky. The author/illustrator authentically captures the slow build of love and friendship between resistant Oscar and gruff-looking but ultimately sweet Brutus. The pacing, tight storytelling, and well-matched illustrations make this a worthy read-aloud.
A smile-eliciting story that champions love and friendship.(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
"Kousky, Vern: LOVE FINDS A WAY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A855325986/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6a29481f. Accessed 15 Sept. 2025.
Kousky, Vern HAROLD HATES TO HIBERNATE Random House Studio (Children's None) $18.99 10, 29 ISBN: 9780593712337
Worried his crow friends will forget him when he hibernates, Harold refuses to let himself fall asleep.
Harold hopes the fall days he spends with his pals will never end, but each day shortens "until it's dark before playtime has even begun." When the other bears remind Harold that it's almost time for hibernation, he decides to find a way to stay awake. With the crows by his side supporting him, Harold tries to fight off his sleepiness, to no avail. Although this follow-up toHarold Loves His Woolly Hat (2018) expands on the relationship between Harold and the crows, familiarity with the first book isn't necessary to enjoy the sequel--and readers will be happy to see that there's more give-and-take this time. Expressive and dynamic watercolor, pencil, and pen illustrations accompany this gentle story about life transitions and long-lasting friendships. Each time Harold thinks of a new idea to stay awake, the crows fly away. Page turns build suspense, but they always return with a gift to help Harold, who declares with escalating emphasis that he doesn't need to hibernate. This paired repetition lends itself to audience engagement during storytime and creates a satisfying narrative arc. As Harold finally accepts that he needs sleep, the resolution offers reassurance without dismissing his emotional journey.
Sweet and soothing.(Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Kousky, Vern: HAROLD HATES TO HIBERNATE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A802865133/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2efef698. Accessed 15 Sept. 2025.