An Australian shepherd thinks he has the most special flower in the world. He loves the way it smells and how soft it is and how the petals tickle his nose. But one by one, more dogs show up with flowers that seem to be even more special than his!
Max's Boat Pick:
THE BEST FLOWER EVER!
By Neesha Hudson
Publisher: Dial Books (June 13, 2023)
Your interview for Turtle in a Tree was one of the first interviews on Max's Boat! Thanks for hopping onboard so early on, and for hopping onboard again now. Can you tell me the inspiration behind your latest book, BEST FLOWER EVER! NH: "I have an 11 year old and an 8 year old and they love each other a lot but they also love to compare (as many siblings do). One thing we hear in our house quite often is 'that’s not fair!' in reference to something the other sibling has or gets to do. The idea that 'fair does not always mean exactly the same' is a tricky one to accept. We are all wonderful, distinct people with individual needs and circumstances. So when thinking about writing a companion book to Turtle in a Tree I had this idea of flowers as the metaphor for individual circumstances. Sure, Australian Shepherd’s flower doesn’t appear as big and beautiful as Chihuahua’s, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t special to her. She just had to look past comparing herself to others to find the joy in what she has. It is a lesson both children and adults can relate to and benefit from."
Sketches from Neesha Hudson's The Best Flower Ever!:
Comparisons, competitiveness and jealousy are definitely age-old human issues, but do you think our hyperconnected world makes it worse? Not like young kids are on social media (I hope not anyway!) but do you think it exacerbates the issue somehow? For instance, it could make parents more likely to compare their kids' feats, which trickles down to what kids feel about themselves? "It’s so interesting to me that you bring up social media because that was also a big inspiration for the book! When on social media you are ofen seeing the best part of people’s lives, and it’s not always a realistic reflection. It is so easy to compare yourself to others online, which can lead to some very negative feelings. Just look at the many studies on social media and mental health. Speaking personally as an author, seeing other books getting awards or more attention then yours is really, really hard! So yes, I do think our hyperconnected world makes it worse, but that’s why books that speak on this topic are so important! None of us are alone in our feelings; everyone has felt jealousy or competitive at some point. Being able to recognize those emotions and talk about them when they come up is an important part of working through them. As well as having
support to reach out to, a parent, a friend, or your best pet pal.
An interior spread from Neesha Hudson's The Best Flower Ever!:
I definitely agree that social media amps up the comparisons and feelings of competitiveness and jealousy! Are there other picture books you love that explore this topic? "Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z. Jones is a great picture book that brilliantly touches on this topic. Jeremy feels left out when it seems that every kid at school has the shoes that he wants. His grandmother points out that 'there’s no room for want around here - just need.' Still, when Jeremy finds a used pair of the shoes in a thrift store, he uses his own money to buy them, even though they are a few sizes too small and hurt his feet. In the end Jeremy realizes there is someone else in his class who really needs the shoes… and actually fits into them! So he passes the shoes onto his new friend. I love this book because it draws on emotions we’ve all felt at one point or another but not in a heavy-handed way. Kids will connect with Jeremy and his internal struggle as he desperately tries to fit in with his peers."
For those who love The Best Flower Ever!, can you recommend a few other books that you think they might also enjoy? "For those that love dry humor, Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe definitely makes me giggle every time I read it. The illustrations are beautifully done, vibrant, and the pacing is perfect! It definitely feels like a modern classic.
I also love Wild by Emily Hughes. The illustrations are full of flora and fauna that dance around the page. Very high energy and detailed. The story is about staying true to yourself and not conforming, even if you’re a little wild!
What's the picture book that inspired you to get into picture books? "I fell in love with picture books in college. Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers really helped inspire me to get on the path to getting my own book published. The illustration style was very new and different to me at the time. Coupled with a heartfelt story and a little humor… I was hooked. His books are still among my most influential."
What's your all-time favorite classic picture book?
"Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is an all-time favorite and one I go back to many times to study pacing and page layout."
The Vasylenko family are adventurers. They all love the wet and the wild, the thrill of exploring the outside world. All that is ... except Oktober.
Pick by Paddy Donnelly, The Vanishing Lake:
THE WILDERNESS
By Steve McCarthy
Published by Walker Books
(Hardcover, 1 Sept. 2022; paperback launching 7 Sept. 2023)
Thanks for stopping by, Steve! I know you've illustrated several books with the wonderful Sarah Webb, but The Wilderness is your author-illustrator debut. And what amazing one it is. Can you tell me what inspired it? SM: "It’s kind of a fantastical reflection of my own family. I was taught at home, not homeschooled but in a scrappier incarnation of 'Unschooling,' a term for child directed learning. I only discovered the official term very recently. I don’t like the name, but the method is certainly spot on; there was a lot of exploring our own interests, with the guidance of our parents. There was no curriculum or schedule, we just sort of learned by doing things and talking; it was a bit wild. Oktober is very much inspired by my brother. When he was young, he always seemed burdened with the weight of the universe, although reluctantly, yet doggedly adventurous. Everything scared him, but few things deterred him from trying almost
anything. It reminded me of what I loved about Indiana Jones, a reluctant adventurer."
Interior spreads from Steve McCarthy's The Wilderness:
"Reluctantly, yet doggedly adventurous." I love that. While reading The Wilderness, I couldn't help but think of Covid and lockdowns when we were all shut in our homes, not getting to explore any sort of wilderness. So I'm curious about the timing of your book. Were you working on it during a lockdown, imagining a more hopeful future? Summoning children to have the courage to explore the outdoors anew when the time came? "The funny thing is, it is… or was, and it isn’t…or wasn’t? I’d say this might be true for many artists, but I was working from home long before Covid, and when I was younger, I was taught from home. I know a thing or two about isolation; it’s tough, but nature was always a dependable source of reassurance, awe and inspiration, even more so during lockdown. But for me in particular, it was nostalgic, and suddenly it felt like a whole generation was having a learning experience similar to mine. It felt nice to know a book like The Wilderness might remind kids that nature is a place to get lost in often."
Outtakes from Steve McCarthy's The Wilderness:
For those who love The Wilderness, can you recommend a few other titles that you think they might enjoy? Sweep, written by Louise Greig and stunningly illustrated by Júlia Sardà, has by far, the best leaves I’ve seen in any book, including mine.
Anything by Júlia Sardà actually. Her self-authored debut The Queen in the Cave is stunning. It has a similar childlike horror to the Labyrinth with David Bowie or Roald Dahl's The Witches.
Also Paddy Donnelly's Fox & Son Tailers. Our books were released at the same time, and we’ve gotten to do a few events together; I think the two stories compliment each other. Paddy has the same keen interest in magical realism as me, and I can’t wait to see what stories he tells throughout his career.
There's something so wondrously generous and epic about the story, that it brought to mind Astrid Lindgren for me. Who are some writers you admire? "A huge inspiration for me is Dino Buzzati, in particular The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily. It's a masterpiece of deadpan humour, magic, and bear politics. The New York Review Collection edition includes a cocktail recipe concocted by none other than Lemony Snicket himself."
Your illustrations are just knockout. Who are some illustrators you admire? "He’s not strictly an illustrator, but I get a lot of inspiration from Pieter Bruegel, and I loved Tintin as a kid. Hergé is a hero of mine, and later in life learned that a team of illustrators worked on editions of Tintin, with specialists drawing cars, locations and other elements specific to each of their skill sets. I’ve always dreamed of working on something with an illustration team."
What upcoming picture books are you most excited by? "I’m excited to read Manolo & the Unicorn by Jackie Azúa Kramer, Jonah Kramer, and Zach Manbeck and The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen. They look fantastic."
Lastly, can you share what's next for you?
"I have two more books with Walker, one about Banshees, written by someone so exciting I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say it yet? And my next book which is about the colourful world of sound."
One day, down by the pond, Simon meets another dog just like him. And that dog has a bone just like his, only better! How will Simon ever get him to trade, when the other pup knows all the same tricks…?
Max's Boat Pick:
SIMON AND THE BETTER BONE
By Corey R. Tabor
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (May 9, 2023)
Hi Corey! Thanks so much for stopping by again. Can you share how Simon and the Better Bone came about? How did you choose Aesop's "The Dog and His Reflection" for your retelling? CT: "I ended up doing a retelling kind of by accident. I was walking around Green Lake in Seattle (which is one of my favorite places and actually where I would get the idea for my book Mel Fell a year or two later), and I was watching the swallows flying over the lake. When swallows are hunting they dive and skim along the water, catching bugs on the surface. The water was really smooth, which made it look like the birds were playing tag with their own reflections.
Sketch of birds by Corey R. Tabor:
Around that time I had been reading several books that experimented and played with the picture book form. Two of my favorites were The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee and Shadow by Suzy Lee.
As I watched the swallows I was thinking about those books and got the idea of doing a vertical book where the book’s gutter would be the dividing line between the sky and the water—about a swallow who befriends her own reflection.
I worked on it off and on for a couple of years but just couldn’t get the story to click. Then I remembered Aesop’s "The Dog and His Reflection" (a story I remember my mom reading to me as a kid) which I realized would fit perfectly with my reflection idea. So I decided to do a retelling of Aesop’s fable and, just like that, my swallow became a dog."
Early sketch from Simon and the Better Bone:
How wonderful that Green Lake inspired TWO of your books! I'm also amazed that you came up with the idea for Simon and the Better Bone BEFORE Mel Fell. I suppose that each book has its own way of coming together—in its own time. Are there any more retellings in the works? "I don’t have any other retellings in the works, but it was a fun and interesting way to write a picture book, and if the right idea comes along I could definitely see doing another one."
What are you most enjoying reading with your son these days? "We’ve been reading (and rereading and rereading) Search for a Giant Squid by Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser. It’s a fantastic, beautifully illustrated, nonfiction choose-your-own-adventure picture book. We’ve read it so many times that I’m pretty sure we’ve done every possible storyline and found every ending."
What's next for you? "I’m just finishing up work on my next picture book, Ursula Upside Down, which is a format-flipping picture book about an upside-down catfish. And I’ve also got a new Fox I Can Read book called Fox Has a Problem coming out soon."