{"id":5347,"date":"2021-05-23T00:01:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T06:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5347"},"modified":"2021-05-22T08:35:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-22T14:35:26","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-744-featuring-paul-schmid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5347","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #744: Featuring Paul Schmid"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
 

\nAuthor-illustrator Paul Schmid’s<\/a><\/strong> newest book, a board book called Bunny! Don’t Play with Your Food<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Andrews McMeel Publishing, April 2021), features an unforgettable (and determined) protagonist. Bunny gets a carrot for a snack, and what follows is nothing less than sheer drama (even some terror), thanks to Bunny’s abundant imagination. Bunny becomes a Bunnysaur, a Tiger Bunny, a Space Hero, a Giant Sea Monster, and even a zombie. Such drama, spawned by this one snack. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As always, Schmid conveys a lot with a little \u2014 simple shapes and uncluttered compositions. Irresistible Bunny \u2014 with massive ears, wide eyes, and a large pink nose \u2014 takes center stage in spreads reduced to their essentials (in this case, adventures with a carrot). Schmid underscores the suspense with the shrinking carrot; it grows smaller as Bunny imaginatively snacks. (But, no worries: Bunny has a clever solution in the end.) The book’s visual pacing should keep the toddler set entranced. Expect giggles and “again! again!”<\/p>\n

Paul visits today to explain the genesis of this book, as well as the slightly retro (and minimistically cinematic) look of some of Bunny’s adventures. I thank him for sharing!<\/p>\n

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

Paul<\/font><\/strong>: Bunny\u2019s story was inspired by my own rampantly imaginative daughter, Wren. If she is given cherries with stems still attached, they instantly become jousting knights. (Cherry juice is much valued as blood.)<\/p>\n

Things could get serious, though. One day at the store she asked (begged) for us to buy some dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. By dinner time, she was very excited and impatient: \u201cWhy do they take so long to cook?! I\u2019m sooooo hungry!\u201d So, when they were finally out of the oven and on the table \u2014 with the required veggies \u2014 Wren quickly picked them up and started playing. \u201cRarh! Rarh!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Half a minute went by and Wren stopped. She looked up at me with tears forming in her eyes and said: \u201cI can\u2019t eat these. They\u2019re my friends!\u201d <\/p>\n

I completely felt for her and loved her big open heart. Imagination is real for kids. In one of my proudest moments as a dad, I told Wren I understood and got her something else to eat. (I later ate the dino chicken myself, but don\u2019t tell her that.)<\/p>\n

This is the introductory spread, using \u201creal\u201d colors:
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n

“Yay! Mom gave me a carrot for snack. Carrots are <\/em>fun!”
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
\n
 

\nDeveloping the style of the book, I was inspired by many things, including old Yogi Bear<\/a><\/strong> and Rocky and Bullwinkle<\/a><\/strong><\/em> background art.
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Watch as the hungry Tiger Bunny pounces on the tasty Carrotpotomus.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
\n
 

\nI\u2019m old enough to remember Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Space Hero Bunny battles the evil Zorks in their Carrotship.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
\n
 

\nI originally had the worm popping out of a hole in Bunny\u2019s head, but eventually decided to not invite trouble.
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Bunny the Zombie …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
\n
 

\nI have to say that creating a children’s book is the most satisfying artistic challenge I\u2019ve yet found, because it has the potential for so much. It is a complex object. Fourteen or more spreads to play with and make cohesive and varied. Taking just the visual aspect, it must have a theme. A color theme; compositional theme; value range, wide or narrow; deciding point of view, close-ups, distance scenes. And all of it must aid in telling the verbal, visual, emotional, and logical aspects of the story.<\/p>\n

And all with subtle or bold variations on each theme. I imagine it must be similar to writing all the parts and movements for a symphony. (Not that I\u2019ve ever done that.)<\/p>\n

Then there is the dance between words and pictures \u2014 each expressing what the other doesn\u2019t, yet also leaving much for the interpretation and understanding of the reader.<\/p>\n

It always takes a while to develop the design of the character. Nothing but fun to be had doing that:
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\nLaying out gesture and movement:
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n

(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
\n
 

\nMy color plan for Bunny!<\/em> shows some of my thinking on just one element \u2014 color. The orange carrot was going to drive things, of course. Blue being the complimentary of orange, I wanted to have that as a strong presence. Greens were basically the only other color I worked with boldly, it being in the blue side, allowing the orange carrot to stand out in a punchy way. The real scenes were done in pale pastels, while the scenes featuring Bunny’s imagination were far more intense (as imagination can sometimes be, when compared to reality!).
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
\n
 

\nHere’s an early joke \u2014 Elephbunny frightend by a mousearot.
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\nSnowman: My favorite joke that just couldn\u2019t find a place in the final book.
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\nAnother unused joke: An early idea for the first endpages and title page. My little bunny is somewhat dramatic.
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\nI have a whole page<\/a><\/strong> on my website devoted to Bunny!<\/em> There are coloring pages [pictured below], mazes, stickers [pictured below], t-shirts \u2014 even posters [pictured below]. Can you tell I\u2019ve had fun with this book?
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
(Click cover to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
\n
 
<\/p>\n

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

BUNNY! DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD. Copyright \u00a9 2021 by Paul Schmid. Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City. All iamges here reproduced by permission of Paul Schmid.<\/em> <\/p>\n

* * * Jules’s Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
<\/center><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> Dinner with friends for the first time in over a year. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> With strawberry pie. <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> Sharing books. <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> Walks. <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong><\/font> It’s been 35 years of Peter Gabriel’s So<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (a masterpiece). Lowland Hum covered the album<\/a><\/strong>, each brilliant track. I wasn’t so sure if anyone else should ever attempt “Mercy Street”<\/strong><\/a>, on account that it is already perfect, but I listened anyway and love what they’ve done with it, especially that piano. <\/p>\n

6)<\/strong><\/font> I’ve been wearing out this beautiful album<\/a><\/strong> (and remembering being in my 20s). <\/p>\n

7)<\/strong><\/font> And I read this week that it’s been 25 years this since below, also a masterpiece. I feel old but still grateful.
\n
 

\n
\n
 

\nWhat are YOUR<\/font><\/strong> kicks this week? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Author-illustrator Paul Schmid’s newest book, a board book called Bunny! Don’t Play with Your Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, April 2021), features an unforgettable (and determined) protagonist. Bunny gets a carrot for a snack, and what follows is nothing less than sheer drama (even some terror), thanks to Bunny’s abundant imagination. Bunny becomes a Bunnysaur, […]<\/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-5347","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\/5347","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=5347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}