{"id":2359,"date":"2012-05-29T00:01:29","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T06:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2359"},"modified":"2012-05-29T19:22:10","modified_gmt":"2012-05-30T01:22:10","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-valeri-gorbachev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2359","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Valeri Gorbachev"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the years, I’ve found Valeri Gorbachev’s picture books (both ones he’s written and illustrated, as well as those written by others that he’s illustrated) to be a breath of fresh air. To be sure, I think he has a contemporary Richard-Scarry<\/a><\/strong> vibe—more than any other illustrator working today—but his artwork still possesses, at the same time, a style that is all his own. <\/p>\n

(Pictured left is his self-portrait, which won me over right away.)<\/p>\n

As I’ve written previously here at 7-Imp, when Valeri, who immigrated to the United States from the Ukraine in 1991, illustrates a new children\u2019s title, I always go running to get a copy. (If you do the same, you stay busy, huh? He’s illustrated over fifty books in his career. Well over that number, I would bet. And I should have clarified this, but let’s carry on.) What do I love about his work? His pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are terrifically kid-friendly — without being condescending to child readers. His colors are always cozy and warm. His expressive, detailed character work—always anthropomorphized animals who are endearing, yet never saccharine—always wins me over, and there’s a subtle humor in his work as well. There’s also usually a real sense of community that pervades his titles, and he creates original cumulative tales that really work.<\/p>\n

With the recent release of a new title he both penned and illustrated, Catty Jane Who Hated the Rain<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Boyds Mill Press, April 2012), I invited Valeri over for a 7-Imp cyber-breakfast. I’ve wanted to do this for years, and I’m pleased he’s here. “I\u2019m not very creative in my breakfast,” he told me. “Usually, I like sausage. In my life, I\u2019ve probably eaten enough sausages at breakfast that they can be looped around the world a few times. And, of course, I have to have my cup of coffee. Or two. Or three.”<\/p>\n

Three cups of coffee always works in my kitchen, so let’s get right to it. I thank Valeri for stopping by. <\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

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

Valeri<\/font><\/strong> (pictured right): I\u2019m an author\/illustrator, and these two really work hand in hand to help one another. <\/p>\n

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

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: Okay, I\u2019ll mention the five from my career that ended up being my favorites. My favorite is Nicky and the Big Bad Wolves<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, which I credit with starting my career here in America. Next, I\u2019d go with Turtle’s Penguin Day<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. Christopher Counting<\/a><\/strong><\/em> is a favorite as well. Then I\u2019d say my retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. And, lastly, The Giant Hug<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your usual medium, or\u2013\u2013if you use a variety\u2014your preferred one?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: My favorite medium is watercolors and ink on watercolor paper. <\/p>\n

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Images from Nicky and the Big, Bad Wolves<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
(NorthSouth, 2000)<\/em>
(Click on each image to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If you have illustrated for various age ranges (such as, both picture books and early reader books OR, say, picture books and chapter books), can you briefly discuss the differences, if any, in illustrating for one age group to another?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I write primarily for younger children, but I do both picture books and chapter books. I look at picture books as a sort of theater, with its own stage\u2026and each picture should be like a scene in a play, leading into the next one. <\/p>\n

For chapter books, the illustration usually doesn\u2019t take up that much room and, therefore, the characters and the action become much more important. <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“Or maybe he forgot to turn off the faucet in his bathroom! Goat was still thinking.”
— From <\/em>That’s What Friends Are For<\/a><\/strong> (Philomel, 2005)<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Where are your stompin\u2019 grounds?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I currently reside in Brooklyn, NY. <\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you briefly tell me about your road to publication?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I started out as a cartoon artist, and after the art academy, I began working for magazines in my home country of Russia. This was vital to my later career as a children\u2019s book author and illustrator, as it taught me how to bring images to life. Working as a cartoonist didn\u2019t particularly excite me, because I liked to combine stories with humorous characters and specific storylines. <\/p>\n

I was lucky to start working for North-South books, who published several of my first books in America. It was a great start, and I met many great editors from Penguin, Random House, and other companies. Step by step, I began to build my career. <\/p>\n


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\n

Spread and cover from Carol Roth’s <\/em>Little Bunny’s Sleepless Night<\/a><\/strong>
(NorthSouth Books, 1999)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you please point readers to your web site and\/or blog?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: Believe it or not, I don\u2019t have one. Once you take away the paintbrush and throw a keyboard in front of me, things get kind of complicated\u2026<\/p>\n

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Illustrations and cover from Sandra Horning’s <\/em>The Giant Hug<\/a><\/strong> (Dragonfly Books, 2008)<\/em>
(Click first two to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If you do school visits, tell me what they\u2019re like.<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I haven\u2019t done school visits, but I\u2019ve done several readings at local libraries. I\u2019ve enjoyed this greatly, because I got to meet a lot of the children that enjoy reading my books. <\/p>\n


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From <\/em>Big Little Elephant<\/a><\/strong> (Harcourt, 2005)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Any new titles\/projects you might be working on now that you can tell me about?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I don\u2019t like to give too much away, but I am working on a few new books. I just finished illustrating a chapter book for Candlewick Press, called Squirrel\u2019s Fun Day<\/em> by Lisa Moser<\/a><\/strong>. It should be in stores by spring of 2013. After this, I\u2019ll be working on illustrating Rufus Goes to School<\/em> by Kim T. Griswell<\/a><\/strong>. Then I\u2019ll be doing my own book, Me Too<\/em>, for Holiday House. Lastly, I\u2019ll be doing Happy Day For Katty Jane<\/em> for Boyds Mills Press. All three will be out in the not-so-distant future. <\/p>\n


\n

From Carol Roth’s <\/em>Who Will Tuck Me in Tonight?<\/a><\/strong> (NorthSouth, 2006)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"Mmm.Okay, the first three cups of coffee are on the table, and it’s time to get a bit more detailed with seven questions over breakfast. I thank Valeri again for visiting 7-Imp.<\/font> <\/p>\n

1.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What exactly is your process when you are illustrating a book? You can start wherever you\u2019d like when answering: getting initial ideas, starting to illustrate, or even what it\u2019s like under deadline, etc. Do you outline a great deal of the book before you illustrate or just let your muse lead you on and see where you end up?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I begin by drawing small sketches, like a tiny storyboard. I usually fit all thirty-two spreads onto one or two sheets of paper with the text next to them. I write the text both in English and in Russian at the same time, so anyone looking at the storyboard is likely to think I\u2019m crazy. <\/p>\n

At meetings with the publisher, I present the soon-to-be book in rows of tiny pictures on cardboard and then create a first draft. Then I work on the text, and lastly, the final art appears and the original version of the book is created. <\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“‘Why don’t we read a book until the rain stops?’ said Mama. ‘Or we could play a game. Would you like a cookie? I just baked some.’
‘No, thank you,’ said Catty Jane. ‘I don’t want any cookies. I don’t want to read or play a game. It’s no use trying to cheer me up. I can’t do <\/em>anything when it’s raining.'”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“‘I love to dance and sing in the rain,’ said Goose. ‘I’m not even afraid of thunder and lightning.’ ‘I’m afraid of thunder and lightning even when I’m inside,’ said Catty Jane.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“Look, the rain has stopped!’ cried Froggy. ‘Now we can play outside.’
‘Hooray!’ shouted the others. ‘Let’s go!'”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


\n

“‘But I do love a rainy-day party!'”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Early images, early cover, final spreads, and final cover from
<\/em>Catty Jane Who Hated the Rain<\/a><\/strong>
(Boyds Mill Press, April 2012)<\/em>
(Click each image, except last two, to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

2.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Describe your studio or usual work space.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: It\u2019s hard for me to describe my studio, because it\u2019s such a mess that words fail me when I try to explain it. <\/p>\n


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3.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: As a book-lover, it interests me: What books or authors and\/or illustrators influenced you as an early reader?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: I grew up in Russia, so most of the books and illustrators that influenced me were Russian. I loved the work of Yuri Koval<\/a><\/strong> (pictured right), and my favorite Russian artists were Yuri Vasnetsov<\/a><\/strong> and Vladimir Konashevich<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

4.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If you could have three (living) authors or illustrators—whom you have not yet met—over for coffee or a glass of rich, red wine, whom would you choose?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I would go with John A. Rowe<\/a><\/strong>, Maurice Sendak<\/a><\/strong>, and John Burningham<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

[Ed. Note: Valeri sent me these interview responses before the sad day we lost Sendak.]<\/em> \t<\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“When my baby brother sleeps, I am very quiet. I don’t jump around.
I don’t ride my horse. I don’t even sing. I walk on my tippy-toes.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“But when my baby brother wakes up . . .”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

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“The train leaves the station with a loud whistle and the pirates fire their cannons.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“‘Please don’t fly your buzzing plane,’ I ask the pilot. ‘Shhh!'”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Illustrations and cover from <\/em>Shhh!<\/a><\/strong> (Philomel, 2011)<\/em>
(Click each image to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
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“It was Christmas Eve, and all the bunnies were busy baking cookies and decorating the tree. One by one, Little Bunny was taking ornaments out of the box until finally he found the one he was looking for. The fire engine. Just holding it was exciting.
Riding in a fire engine, that would be the best, thought Little Bunny. …”
— From David Martin’s <\/em>Little Bunny and the Magic Christmas Tree<\/a><\/strong>
(Candlewick, 2011)<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread slightly)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

5.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is currently in rotation on your iPod or loaded in your CD player? Do you listen to music while you create books?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: To be honest, I don\u2019t really listen to music often. I prefer to write and draw in silence, so I can really concentrate. <\/p>\n


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“Have you seen my chick?” she asked.
“No,” they said, “but we will help you look.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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From <\/em>The Missing Chick<\/a><\/strong> (Candlewick, 2009)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

6.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I\u2019d be interested to know that myself!<\/p>\n

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Spread and cover from <\/em>Turtle’s Penguin Day<\/a><\/strong> (Knopf, 2008)<\/em>
(Click spreads to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

7.<\/font> 7-Imp<\/font><\/strong>: Is there something you wish interviewers would ask you — but never do? Feel free to ask and respond here.<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I think I\u2019ve answered enough. Don\u2019t want the readers to get sick of me. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* * * The Pivot Questionnaire * * *<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your favorite word?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: “Good.”<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your least favorite word?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: “Bad.”<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: Simply life — and all the wonderful things that happen in it. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What turns you off?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: Nothing. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What sound or noise do you love?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I love hearing the voices of my friends and family.<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What sound or noise do you hate?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: My alarm clock going off in the morning. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: I\u2019d like to try my hand at working on films. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What profession would you not like to do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: Any paperwork-based job that doesn\u2019t allow for creativity. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?<\/font><\/p>\n

Valeri<\/font><\/strong>: “Wow, Valeri! How did you find the time to visit us?”<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

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

All artwork and images used with permission of Valeri Gorbachev — with the exception of the picture of Yuri Koval, which Jules took from this site<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

CATTY JANE WHO HATED THE RAIN. Copyright \u00a9 2012 by Valeri Gorbachev. Published by Boyds Mill Press, Honesdale, PA. Images reproduced by permission of Valeri Gorbachev.<\/em><\/p>\n

LITTLE BUNNY AND THE MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE. Copyright \u00a9 2011 David Martin. Illustrations \u00a9 2011 Valeri Gorbachev. Published by Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Image reproduced by permission of Valeri Gorbachev.<\/em><\/p>\n

THE MISSING CHICK. Copyright \u00a9 2009 Valeri Gorbachev. Image originally published in this 2009 7-Imp post<\/a><\/strong>—reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA—and re-posted here.<\/em><\/p>\n

SHHH! Copyright \u00a9 2011 by Valeri Gorbachev. Published by Philomel Books, New York, NY. Images originally published in this 2011 7-Imp post<\/a><\/strong>—reproduced by permission of publisher—and re-posted here.<\/em><\/p>\n

The spiffy and slightly sinister gentleman introducing the Pivot Questionnaire is Alfred, \u00a9 2009 Matt Phelan<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the years, I’ve found Valeri Gorbachev’s picture books (both ones he’s written and illustrated, as well as those written by others that he’s illustrated) to be a breath of fresh air. To be sure, I think he has a contemporary Richard-Scarry vibe—more than any other illustrator working today—but his artwork still possesses, at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-interviews","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}