{"id":5187,"date":"2020-09-17T00:01:30","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T06:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5187"},"modified":"2020-09-16T10:26:36","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T16:26:36","slug":"a-chapter-16-and-7-imp-visit-with-david-wiesner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5187","title":{"rendered":"A Chapter 16<\/em> (and 7-Imp) Visit with David Wiesner"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Early sketch of Cathy<\/em><\/center>
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— A final illustration from <\/em>Robobaby
(Click image to see spread in its entirety)<\/center>
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\nOver at Chapter 16<\/em>, I have a Q&A with author-illustrator David Wiesner. He and I chatted via phone recently about his career; his newest picture book, Robobaby<\/em>; and more. That Q&A is here<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

But also! Here at 7-Imp, David gives us a deep dive into the making of Robobaby<\/em>. That is below, should you be interested in that after reading the Chapter 16<\/em> piece. <\/p>\n

I thank him for sharing. <\/p>\n

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* * *<\/strong><\/center>
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(Click cover to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nDavid<\/font><\/strong>: Robobaby<\/em> grew out of the work I did on my app, David Wiesner\u2019s Spot<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. (It’s only available on an iPad and now only 99 cents! Search for it with that full title; otherwise, you\u2019ll get Eric Hill\u2019s Spot<\/em> apps.)<\/p>\n

One of the worlds in the app is a robot world. I designed a lot of characters and environments.
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(Click image to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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(Click image to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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(Click image to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nI had wanted to go inside the houses to see the families, but that ended up not being feasible (long story). Here is a sketch of a family group:
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(Click image to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nI consoled myself by realizing that I could make a book about them.<\/p>\n

When I started to think about a \u201crobot book,\u201d I first drew spare parts, then a big box of parts. Of course, those parts would have to be assembled\u2014but into what? Aha! This must be where robot babies come from! They are ordered from Robobaby, Inc.<\/p>\n

That led me to think about how adults always seem to need kids to show them how to use current technology, even when they seem to think they know what they are doing. Everyone has an opinion, often wrong. <\/p>\n

Initially, the family\u2014mom, dad, and daughter\u2014were more onlookers to the mayhem caused by the relatives and friends. It became clear to me that the daughter, Cathode\u2014aka Cathy\u2014was the main character. She truly knows what to do and is frustrated, because she just wants to play with her new baby brother.<\/p>\n

In addition to Cathy, I had many different robot designs and wanted that big cast of characters. I still wanted the mayhem. I saw a world ripe for slapstick, using as a muse of sorts the great \u201cstateroom scene\u201d from the Marx Brothers’<\/a><\/strong> A Night at the Opera<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, which you can find (possibly with the help of your kids) on YouTube.
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\nThe Marx Brothers are in their tiny stateroom:
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\nMore and more people come and enter the room:
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\nUntil the room is packed to the ceiling:
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\nAnd then the great final moment when poor Margaret Dumont<\/a><\/strong> opens the door:
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