A Morning Chat with Author Kate Banks
November 14th, 2013 by jules
“To me, the perfect picture book is a spontaneous creation, inspired by an invisible and mysterious muse not to be found in the marketplace.”
It was a pleasure to chat with author Kate Banks, pictured here. My brief Q&A with her is posted over at Kirkus this morning.
Kate’s newest picture book is City Cat, illustrated by Lauren Castillo, so I asked her about that book. But since Kate’s first books were published in the 1980s, I thought I’d also ask her how she thinks the picture book fares today. Part of her response is above.
And all the rest is here.
Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll have some of Lauren’s art from City Cat.
Until tomorrow …
Photo of Kate Banks used with permission.
Totally fab interview with Kate. Love her answers, especially when she discusses how PBs are made today vs. the old days. And YES to the quote you posted up there! 🙂
Jules, thank you for posting this interview. I read it over on Kirkus and in it, Kate speaks volumes about picture books and the industry. She conveys what I, and many others, feel about the direction the industry has headed in, especially about shorter texts. I find it so frustrating and disheartening.
I’ve saved your article for future reference, too, when I know I will address this issue on my (future) blog at some point. Thank you!I REALLY enjoyed this 😀
Thanks, you all. It was a pleasure to talk to her. I’ve enjoyed so many of her books over the years — as both a school librarian and a parent.