{"id":2213,"date":"2011-10-04T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T06:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2213"},"modified":"2020-12-18T10:50:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T16:50:41","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-marc-rosenthal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2213","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Marc Rosenthal"},"content":{"rendered":"

My visitor for breakfast this morning—designer, editorial illustrator, children’s book illustrator, and sequential artist Marc Rosenthal<\/a><\/strong>—has a brand-new illustrated title coming out … well, actually today<\/em>. (Really. I don’t plan these things. I’m hardly that organized and haven’t even seen the book yet. I just have really lucky timing sometimes.) <\/p>\n

But I have to say: He illustrated an early 2011 title that I still claim to be one of the funniest books of the year. You haven’t forgotten it, have you, dear readers? Written by Eileen Rosenthal, Marc’s wife, I Must Have Bobo!<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Atheneum, January 2011)—as I wrote in January<\/a><\/strong>—is the story of a straight up showdown between one young boy, Willy, and the family cat, the dilemma being that the object of their affection is one beloved sock monkey, named Bobo. Bobo, however, can only be with one creature at a time. In a book full of subtlety and understatement, which was also Eileen’s picture book debut (so promising, too, and I’m eager to see what she brings us next), Marc brings Willy and Earl (the aforementioned and very funny cat) to life with warmth and wicked humor, nailing the emotions of a young child. The Kirkus<\/em> review wrote that it’s “an exercise in self-recognition and empathy for the intended audience.\u201d <\/p>\n

So, back to today’s release: You can read a bit more about it below and see a sneak-peek inside it. It was written by Alison McGhee<\/a><\/strong> and is called Making a Friend<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. As I said, I haven’t seen it, but according to IndieBound<\/a><\/strong> anyway, its publication date is today. And the School Library Journal<\/em> reviews tells me this: <\/p>\n

The digitally manipulated pencil illustrations have a retro look and are reminiscent of the work of Louis Slobodkin<\/a><\/strong>. There is a lot of white space, particularly on the pages where only the boy and the snowman are depicted, giving the impression that they are in their own special private world. A simple but deeply nuanced story that should resonate with children.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Sounds promising. I look forward to it. <\/p>\n

And let us not forget that Eileen and Marc will be bringing us some Bobo<\/em> sequels—score!—and that previous to these newer titles, Marc has had a busy career of illustrating children’s books and creating editorial art. So, let’s get right to breakfast and have him tell us more about that. “I make my own granola,” he told me, “which I eat almost every day, mixed with other cereals, and several cups of strong coffee with steamed milk.” Ah, yes. An illustrator after my own heart. Strong coffee. Let’s do this breakfast thing. <\/p>\n

And I thank him for stopping by. <\/p>\n

Note: The interview is interspersed with some of Marc’s editorial art, as well as some of his personal pieces of artwork. <\/em><\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Marc<\/font><\/strong>: Illustrator \/ Author. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Marc<\/font><\/strong>: Books I have illustrated:<\/p>\n