MOONBOW Podcast

In this episode, children's author-illustrator Jess Hannigan joins Taylor Sterling of MOONBOW to discuss her debut picture book Spider in the Well (2024), her process for making picture books, what makes a good story, and 5 books from her childhood that have influenced her. Plus, you have to hear her great Grover voice! Check it out.

To hear more episodes with children's book authors and illustrators, subscribe to MOONBOW.

On our podcast page, you can listen to popular past episodes with Jon Klassen and Shawn Harris.

Follow MOONBOW on Instagram at Moonbow.Books for more children's book content and behind-the-scenes pictures and videos.

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Thanks, and enjoy!

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Children’s author-illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Shawn Harris discusses with Taylor Sterling five books that inspired him while creating his latest picture book, The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn. Shawn talks about his interesting journey into publishing, how he landed his agent, how music influences the orchestration of text and image in a picture book, why thinking about book design is important, and so much more.

This is part two of the special feature with children’s author-illustrator Shawn Harris. Before listening to this conversation, I recommend reading Getting to Know Shawn Harris: Pt. 1, which includes pictures and commentary on many of the books we discuss.

The Books

* Telephone Tales written by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Valerio Vidali (2020)

* The Wind in the Willows written by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest Shepard (1908)

* You Can’t Kill Snow White by Beatrice Alemagna (2022)

* The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer (1961)

* The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2017)

* “Iris” from Strange News from Another Star by Hermann Hesse (1919)

* Caldecott & Co. by Maurice Sendak (1988)

* Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino (1956)

Shawn’s Books

* Her Right Foot written by Dave Eggers (2017)

* What Can a Citizen Do? written by Dave Eggers (2018)

* Everyone’s Awake written by Colin Meloy (2020)

* Doing Business (2021)

* A Polar Bear in the Snow written by Mac Barnett (2020)

* The Eyes and the Impossible written by Dave Eggers (2023)

* The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza written by Mac Barnett (2022)

* The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom written by Mac Barnett (2023)

* Have You Ever Seen a Flower? (2021)

* The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn (2024)

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“Tell me a story.” —The Lion’s Own Story (1963)

Picture books are performances. But even books that appear to be above picture-book age can benefit from being read aloud. Ellen’s Lion is one of those books, and I’m going to try my best to perform it for you. (I never thought I would sing on the internet, but never say never.)

This is an audio companion to my piece, Crockett Johnson: The Art of Imagination. Read that first to learn more about Johnson and Ellen’s Lion. Then, listen to my introduction at the top of this page to understand why reading this book out loud is so important.

The book consists of twelve short stories; these are four of my favorites.

Conversation and Song

Two Pairs of Eyes

Fairy Tale

Growing Confusion

Bloopers

To hear more Moonbow audio, head to the podcast page.

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In this episode, I talk about the moon, read In the Half Room by Carson Ellis, and read Gertrude Stein's poem: [the house was just twinkling in the moon light]. Stein's poem is in the body of the newsletter.

For a more in-depth look, including pictures, head to the written portion of this episode on Moonbow.

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My guest is children's book author and illustrator Jon Klassen.

Jon makes incredible children's books, and he's also really smart about books. And since we both love talking about books, I thought it would be fun to ask Jon to share 5 books that shaped him. Jon picked books from his early childhood. He's not totally sure why they had such an influence, but he was game to try talking it out with me. We also discuss how he landed a career in children's books and break down his creative process (a little bit).

Jon's recent books are The Rock From the Sky (2021), The Three Billy Goats Gruff (2022) (written by Mac Barnett), and his upcoming book The Skull comes out in July (2023).

Jon and Mac also have a new t.v. show: Shape Island on Apple TV+

Jon Klassen's 5 books:

1. The Big Jump and Other Stories written by Benjamin Elkin, Illustrated by Katherine Evans 2. Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman3. In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories retold by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Dirk Zimmer4. Archie's Double Digest5. The Far Side by Gary Larson

You can read his own words about the books on Moonbow.

Check out the Moonbow archives.

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I’m back with another audio recording! Who am I?

Recently I watched an interview with the famous iconoclast comedian Lenny Bruce and Nat Hentoff. In the interview, Hentoff asks Bruce why he does comedy, and Bruce says, “Because it’s fun. It’s fun to say a poem in front of everybody.” After hearing that, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It is fun. It’s also fun to listen to a poem read aloud. And it’s fun to talk about it after. I want to do more of that.

So occasionally, I will read you a poem—or sometimes just a few lines from a book—really anything that stands out and is interesting.

Today’s poem is “If Only” by Ruth Krauss, a poem she originally published in 1969 but was later included in Minestrone: A Ruth Krauss Selection in 1981.

I won’t always lead into the reading with a backstory, but for today’s reading, it felt needed. If you want to skip to the poem, it’s at 08:07 of the recording.

What do you think of this poem? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

In This Episode:

Read:

* Stories Are to Share: 5 Ruth Krauss Books (with Carter Higgins)

* A Story is to Share: How Ruth Krauss Found Another Way to Tell a Tale (2022) written by Carter Higgins and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

* A Very Special House (1953) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

* A Hole is to Dig (1952) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

* Open House for Butterflies (1960) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

* The Carrot Seed (1945) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crockett Johnson.

* Is This You? (1955) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crockett Johnson

* Roar Like a Dandelion (2019) written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier.

* Minestrone: A Ruth Krauss Selection (1981)

Listen:

“To is a Preposition; Come is a Verb” performed by Lenny Bruce.

(I incorrectly called this poem “To Come” in the episode.)

Watch:

Nat Hentoff Interviews Lenny Bruce from Lenny Bruce Without Tears (1972). Directed by Fred Baker.

(Disclaimer: Audio recordings are even more terrifying than newsletters because there are more opportunities for mistakes. There are a few in mine, but most don't warrant mentioning. If anything is glaring, please feel free to message me.) 

Moonbow is a reader-supported publication. It exists because of the support of generous readers like you! If you enjoy Moonbow, the best way you can support it is to subscribe, share this newsletter with a friend, and consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Thanks for reading!

You can read past Moonbow articles in the archive and follow me on Instagram @TaylorSterling.

Get full access to MOONBOW at moonbowbooks.substack.com/subscribe

Some days are hard.

And on those hard days, I need a visit to the Bunny Planet.

Perhaps you need one too.

In Rosemary Well’s collection of poems: Voyage to the Bunny Planet, three young bunnies—each having a terrible day—are whisked off on a magical trip to the Bunny Planet, where Janet the Bunny Queen treats them to a much better day: the day that should have been!

Voyage to the Bunny Planet (2008) is a collection of poems: "First Tomato," "Moss Pillows," and "The Island Light,’ which were originally published in 1992 as three individual mini picture books. My favorite poem is “First Tomato.” Even though it’s Claire’s fantasy of the perfect day, reading it makes me think of my ideal day (although hers is pretty nice). It’s a reminder that even when the day isn’t going well, I can seek out small delights that make me feel better.

I recorded this reading of “First Tomato” on a whim today. I’m not a podcaster or narrator—just someone who loves hearing a great poem read aloud.

Enjoy!

You can buy Voyage to the Bunny Planet at Bookshop.org.

If you enjoyed listening to this, check out my other Moonbow recordings:

* Chirri and Chirra ASMR Reading

* 5 Books That Shaped Me with children’s book author and illustrator Emmy Kastner

You can also read Moonbow’s past articles in the archive.

Moonbow is a reader-supported publication. It exists because of the support of generous readers like you! If you enjoy Moonbow, the best way to support it is to subscribe, share this newsletter with a friend, and consider upgrading to a paid subscription.

Get full access to MOONBOW at moonbowbooks.substack.com/subscribe

Disclaimer: This is not a full reading—these are snippets from each of the books. It’s just a silly recording that may have calming side effects. 😊

I’m back with another podcast episode that’s not actually a podcast! This is a Chirri and Chirra bonus episode. Last week, I wrote about the delightfully weird and wonderful worlds of Chirri and Chirra and Alice in Wonderland. While writing that newsletter, I discovered that both stories relax me. There’s something about their playful writing that’s wonderfully hypnotic. So I thought it would be fun to record my own version of an ASMR reading of the Chirri and Chirra books!

Chirri and Chirra, Under the Sea (with some Moonbow additions)

I like the sound of people eating. I know for many it’s grotesque, but to me, it’s a sedative. I also like the sound of people feeding themselves. Even as young as eleven, I remember experiencing this relaxing reaction to specific sounds. In the ‘90s television show My So-Called Life, the protagonist, an angsty teenager named Angela Chase, sits with her family to have dinner and is repulsed by the fact that we chew food in front of other people. I agree with her that eating in public is weird. I don't like people watching me eat, but I have no problem watching them. Listening to Angela’s family eat dinner made me surprisingly sleepy: the clicking and clanging of utensils against porcelain plates and the crispy-crunchy bites of romaine lettuce sent tingles down the back of my neck. I didn’t know it then, but I was experiencing an auditory-tactile synesthesia that scientists call ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response).

Despite it being a scientific term, there isn’t any real science behind it. No one knows exactly why some people experience these pleasurable feelings from sounds, but those who get them know they’re real. Even with its growing popularity and the millions of views on Youtube, seeking out ASMR content can feel perverse. It’s incredibly intimate, sometimes uncomfortably so, but that usually means you’re watching something that isn’t for you (not all sounds are created equal). Personally, I don’t care for role-playing and acting videos. I prefer simple sounds like tapping, tracing, crinkling, and hair brushing.

A starter course in food ASMR is Vogue’s video of Florence Pugh eating 11 English dishes. It will get your neck and tastebuds tingling. And if you find listening to audiobooks relaxing, try ASMR book readings. I like to listen to Beatrix Potter’s tales. The writing is clear and compelling, and her use of onomatopoeia, assonance, and alliteration enhance the listening experience —which is why they’re ideal ASMR content. I recently found hypnotic videos of a soft-spoken English woman who reads The Tales of Beatrix Potter while gently tracing, tapping, and turning the pages. My favorite reading is The Tailor of Gloucester.

The Chirri and Chirra books have a similar effect. Reading them out loud, I’m flooded with a flurry of sensations and I’m instantly relaxed. So I decided to record an ASMR reading of the Chirri and Chirra series. But they’re picture books. The dynamic relationship between text and image is lost when only listening—which is why I’ve recorded snippets from the books instead of the entire story. And for the most part, I chose the food descriptions because they’re the most satisfying. I left in the sounds of me turning the pages, but I decided not to change the sound of my voice. This is a taste of ASMR, not a full course.

Get full access to MOONBOW at moonbowbooks.substack.com/subscribe

These days, the internet can feel like a dark pit of despair, but thankfully, there are bright spots to be found, and Emmy Kastner is one of those bright spots. Emmy is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her fun and colorful “Nerdy Babies” series ignites curiosity and encourages young readers to ask questions and explore the world. As a former teacher and co-founder of the youth writing center Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK), Emmy knows how to connect with kids, but it’s her lifelong love of stories (and possibly a 4th-grade school visit from one of her favorite children’s book authors, Jon Scieszka) that inspired her to write for kids.

Besides being incredibly talented, Emmy is major BFF material. Her generosity, kindness, and sense of humor are apparent in everything she does. I can’t think of anyone more perfect to kick off this guest series. I got to chat with Emmy in my first-ever recorded conversation. We’re both hilariously naive about recording software, microphones, sound management—the technical stuff—and it shows, but thankfully, we do know some things about picture books. Emmy and I talk about the five books that have influenced and inspired her as an artist, and because she and I are picture book nerds, we dive deep into these books. Emmy also shares her new book, A Very Big Fall, coming out this August. I got a sneak peek, and it’s delightful and funny — just like Emmy.

If an hour and eighteen-minute conversation about picture books is not your thing, don’t worry, Emmy’s also shared snippets of the books and why she chose them in this newsletter. But chances are, as a Moonbow subscriber, you are into long, meandering conversations about books, and in that case, you can listen to our chat and use the newsletter for visuals. I’ve added links to all the books we mentioned in our conversation at the end of this newsletter, but it may be cut off if you’re reading it in Gmail because this newsletter is long. If it’s clipped, I don’t know what you do; maybe there’s an option to click for more — again, technical stuff — not my thing.

Because Emmy and I are so excited to share this with you, we’ve teamed up to give one lucky Moonbow subscriber an exclusive Moonbow x Emmy Kastner print! Stay tuned; that email will land in your inbox today too.

Now, enjoy Emmy’s stack!

Emmy Kastner | @emmykmakes

Choosing five books was a wild ride. I should’ve documented the NBA finals-esque bracket of books laid out on my studio floor. Many favorites didn’t make the cut! (Maybe next year, Amelia Bedelia!) I kept thinking of Taylor’s request as a guiding star: books that have influenced the artist and author I am today. So I thought of what I value and prioritize in my work, and then worked backwards to select books that I adored that speak to those values. Curating a stack like this has proven fun and eye-opening—a worthy exercise for anyone, especially authors and illustrators, to do. 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz (1972)

The way the first-person voice in this story fully embodies Alexander’s unyielding terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day through those long, detailed run-on sentences is truly captivating. It’s brilliant. It would not be the same story told in any other way. It’s a masterclass in voice: thoughtfully crafting sentences and page turns in a way that builds the story and taps into the reader’s empathy. It’s remarkable. It resonated with me as a kid. I understood his state completely. It resonates as an adult. No wonder it’s still on shelves.

A Child’s Book of Poems pictures by Gyo Fujikawa (1969)

This is an illustrated collection of poems that has always been on my bookshelf. I remember spending a lot of time flipping through the pages and poring over every detail, even before I could read. The collection of poetry from various poets (Kate Greenway, William Blake, etc.) spans from observational poems on the colors of flowers to fantastical poems illustrated with kids sleeping on leaves while elvish fairies swirl magic overhead. There are spreads and vignettes in full color, and others illustrated in black ink lines. Ultimately the line between fiction and reality feels blurred and I was (and am still) fascinated by it all. The door of possibility felt wide open and I find that’s the ongoing theme of stories I want to tell. 

Imogene’s Antlers by David Small (1987)

This is a book I knew and loved as a kid. Right from the jump, we’re in the thick of it with the opening line: “On Thursday, when Imogene woke up, she found she had grown antlers.” The story lives in this strange, unexplained state that I never questioned as a kid. You see her family and most adults confused and then her mother is emotionally wrecked from whatever is happening to Imogene. Meanwhile, Imogene is very chill about having antlers. It’s a beautiful example of the adult tendency to over-explain versus the childlike willingness to believe. There’s no resolution provided, no rationale on why she’s got antlers. If anything, the weird just gets weirder. Spoiler: the story ends with Imogene unveiling a peacock tail! 

As a kid, I loved knowing that David Small was from Michigan. I’ve always wanted to make books, and knowing there were authors/illustrators in Michigan, it felt like an attainable goal. And now an adult in Kalamazoo, I live close to David and his wife Sarah. I feel lucky to call them my friends. I worked on the beginning of my next book (A Very Big Fall) sitting in his studio.

Knights of the Kitchen Table written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (1991)

In this story, a kid named Joe gets a book from his Uncle Joe (a magician) that sends him and his friends back in time to the medieval era, meeting up with King Arthur and Merlin … hilarity ensues. I am drawn to cleverness: a twist, an art technique, the unexpected. And laughing. I’m into laughing. And I’m down for a good story that involves King Arthur and knights and quests. This book checks those boxes. Taking the stories and characters of Camelot that are foundational in the history of storytelling and giving them the Scieszka treatment felt revolutionary as a kid. I was IN. I discovered this book thanks to my mom, who worked at an elementary school that hosted stellar author visits. She’d let me skip school and tag along with her to meet authors, recognizing how influential of an experience that was for me as a kid who wanted to be a writer. Meeting Jon Scieszka was foundational.

The Happy Day written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Marc Simont (1949)

I chose this book for many reasons. First of all, this collaboration! KRAUSS AND SIMONT! I’m a collaborative person by nature, so working with someone to tell a story is on my author/illustrator wishlist. I’d love to make art for someone else’s words; I’d love to hand over a manuscript for someone to illustrate. How exciting!

This story is about a bunch of animals waking up to spring. Bears, squirrels … and snails. Krauss leans into the strange and unexpected. There is a tenderness and playfulness that radiates from her words, both in pace and word choice. There’s an honesty to her stories that reflects a connection to the mind of a child. The more I think about it, that connection is likely a closed circuit that’s traveling a loop between her childhood, her readers, and her adult writer brain. Inspiring, to say the least.

This story is visually told in black and white, save for the single yellow flower at the end. Breathtaking! Marc Simont’s work has always represented a bold, confident versatility to me. From No More Monsters to A Tree is Nice to The Stray Dog to In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson to The Philharmonic Gets Dressed, Simont’s artistic approach caters to the story. At first glance, you may not know those were all his books, the way you would for, say,  Maurice Sendak or Christian Robinson. Simont’s approach to making art for books is a kindred approach to how I make art for any story.

Conversation Notes:

* “Nerdy Babies” series by Emmy Kastner (2019-2020)

* Read and Write Kalamazoo | 826 National | Factory Coffee

* Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz

* I’ll Fix Anthony written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (1969)

* A Child’s Book of Poems pictures by Gyo Fujikawa (1969)

* The Night Before Christmas written by Clement C. Moore and illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa (1969)

* Imogene’s Antlers by David Small (1987)

* 1980s Reading Rainbow theme song | Imogene Antler’s Reading Rainbow Episode

* Knights of the Kitchen Table written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (1991)

* The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (1989)

* The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (1992)

* Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Jon Scieszka written by Jon Scieszka (2008)

* The Happy Day written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Marc Simont (1949)

* The Philharmonic Gets Dressed written by Karla Kuskin and illustrated by Marc Simont (1986)

* In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson written by Bette Bao Lord and illustrated by Marc Simont (1984)

* No More Monsters for Me! written by Peggy Parish and illustrated by Marc Simont (1987)

* The First Story written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Marc Simont (1947)

* The Carrot Seed written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crockett Johnson (1945)

* The Carrot Seed told by Norman Taylor - Children’s Record Guild (1950)

* Tomi Ungerger | eBay posters: Hansel & Gretel | Cinderella

* Wait ‘Till the Moon Is Full written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams (1984)

* Wait ‘Till the Moon Is Full told by Norman Rose, Sally Sweetland and David Pfeffer - Children’s Record Guild (1953)

* A Very Big Fall by Emmy Kastner (August 2022)

* Mac’s Book Club Show Book Club | MBCSBC Hat (100% of sales go to the Book Industry Charity Fund)

* The Art in the Background Instagram | Follow Emmy Kastner on Instagram

*This newsletter includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org: an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Shopping through my Bookshop.org links helps indie bookstores AND Moonbow!

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