Candlewick Press Presents

Janet Costa Bates, author of Time for Bed, Old House and Rica Baptista: Llamas, Iguanas, and My Very Best Friend, talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood reading experiences, her “quilting” writing method, and her path to publication. Episode Show Notes: Lee and Low interviews Janet. Janet talks to Sonja Cherry-Paul on The Black Creators Series podcast. Learn more about Janet at janetcostabates.com.

Chris Van Dusen, illustrator of the Mercy Watson books and author-illustrator of Hattie & Hudson, The Circus Ship, Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, and Big Truck, Little Island, talks to Candlewick Press about his childhood, his work for children's media giants like Nickelodeon, and his art outside of the world of kid lit. Episode show notes and cited sources: Chris talks about his childhood in this interview with Reading Rockets. Portland Press Herald offers a deeper dive into Chris's life. Chris discusses his early career in illustration in this interview with L.L.Bean. Chris talks about his work for Nickelodeon and Disney magazines. Learn more about Chris at chrisvandusen.com.

Flavia Z. Drago, author-illustrator of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, Leila, the Perfect Witch, Monsters Play... Counting!, and Monsters Play... Peekaboo! talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood, what it means to have the support of her family, and her love of monsters and spooky things.

Lindsay Eagar, author of The Patron Thief of Bread, Hour of the Bees, Race to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Bigfoot Files, talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood and family, fairy tales, and bread.

Eugene Yelchin, author of The Genius Under the Table (Sydney Taylor Honor Winner) and coauthor of The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, talks to Candlewick Press about his childhood in the former Soviet Union, his art, banned books, and more.

Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of Also an Octopus; The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea; and Love in the Library talks to Candlewick Press about the many hats she has worn in the field of children's literature, her childhood and teen years, and her travels to South America.

Chitra Soundar, author of Pattan's Pumpkin; Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship; and Sona Sharma, Very Best Big Sister? talks to Candlewick Press about her deep research into pumpkins, the art of cooking up good stories (and excuses), and her favorite words to spell!

Chris Haughton, author-illustrator of Little Owl Lost, Shh! We Have a Plan, Goodnight Everyone, and more, talks to Candlewick Press about his childhood in Ireland, his love of dinosaurs, and the bad little monkeys in his newest picture book, Maybe…

Leslie Patricelli, author-illustrator of board books like Yummy Yucky and Huggy Kissy and middle-grade fiction like The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds Under Frogs, talks to Candlewick Press about finding humor in scary situations, her artwork, music, and the many places her famous baby character has traveled!

Atinuke, author of Baby Goes to Market; Too Small Tola; Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country; the Anna Hibiscus series; and more talks to Candlewick Press about her Nigerian roots and the art of oral and written storytelling!

Tami Charles, author of Freedom Soup and My Day with the Panye, talks to Candlewick Press about her days as an R&B singer, Haitian culture and cooking, her extreme dislike of onions, and how she measures success.

Christina Soontornvat, author of All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, talks to Candlewick Press about telling the story of the Tham Luang cave rescue through an Eastern lens and what it was like to actually meet the Wild Boars boys’ soccer team!    

Thomas Taylor, author of Malamander and its sequel, Gargantis, talks to Candlewick Press about the strangeness of life in a seaside town, his appreciation for all things weird and monstrous, and . . . romantic comedies?

Carole Boston Weatherford, author of BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom; Beauty Mark; Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library; and Caldecott Honor winner Voice of Freedom, talks to Candlewick Press about writing poetry as a child, winning a Caldecott Honor, and the emotional experience of digging through the past and personal lives of important historical figures.

Kara LaReau, author of the Infamous Ratsos series and the new picture book Baby Clown, talks to Candlewick Press about her writing aspirations, her publishing career, and all the trouble she might have caused as a kid. Also, to get readers excited about Rise of ZomBert—the first book in her creepy new mystery series—Kara shares a spooky story!

Christina Soontornvat, author of A Wish in the Dark, The Blunders: A Counting Catastrophe!, and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood, her travels to Thailand, and the connection between her deep love of fantasy and her career in science and engineering!

Kate DiCamillo, author of Louisiana’s Way Home, the Mercy Watson series, The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, and more, talks to Candlewick Press about her relentless pursuit to become a writer, rejection, the Newbery Medal (twice!), and the raccoon that hangs out above her bedroom skylight.

Meg Medina, author of Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, Burn Baby Burn, and Mango, Abuela, and Me, talks to Candlewick Press about family, storytelling, her childhood and teen years, and the importance of making space in her life for writing.

Megan McDonald, author of the wildly popular, award-winning, best-selling Judy Moody series, talks to Candlewick Press about the importance of storytelling in her own family and how she created the world’s feistiest third-grader (and her brother, Stink). Megan also gives readers the scoop on her career history, recounting her time as a journalist, spy, superhero, and park ranger.

This episode contains material that might be inappropriate for younger listeners; discretion is advised. M. T. Anderson, author of Thirsty, Feed, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party, and Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, tells Candlewick Press all about his early life as a fast-food employee and as a Candlewick intern. He also talks about banned books and shows off his singing skills (without laughing too much).

Teresa Flavin, author of The Blackhope Enigma, The Crimson Shard, and The Shadow Lantern, talks to Candlewick Press about what painting she would live in if given the opportunity and the first story she remembers writing as a child (a murder mystery called “The Broom Closet Murder”), and she tells a ghost story!

Scott Magoon, illustrator of Big Mean Mike, talks to Candlewick Press about his days as a Candlewick employee, the time M. T. Anderson complimented him on his work, and Bigfoot! He also serenades us with a song from the musical Pal Joey.

Annette LeBlanc Cate, author and illustrator of The Magic Rabbit and Look Up!, talks to Candlewick Press about what it was like to work on an award-winning cartoon on Comedy Central and her fascination with birds, and she practices her seagull impression. She also almost aces our birdcall quiz.

Ethan Murrow and Vita Murrow, the author/illustrator team behind The Whale, talk to Candlewick Press about playing together, creating together, and applying their talents to the world of picture book art. They also share their love story and talk about their childhoods. Oh, and there are strange farm sounds.

Annie Cardi, author of The Chance You Won’t Return, talks to Candlewick Press about the literary value of YA books, her time as a Candlewick intern, and the importance of social media. Annie also opens up about the sea captain who has been squatting in the home she shares with her husband.

Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, co-editors of Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories and Monstrous Affections, talk to Candlewick Press about how (not) to apply for a bookstore job and working with fellow author M. T. Anderson. They also give readers the scoop on the most epic New Year’s Eve party a book-lover could ever attend.

Jannie Ho, illustrator of the Violet Rose activity books series, the Tiny Tab Books, and the forthcoming Halloween ABC board book, talks to Candlewick Press about what it’s like to work with our London-based imprint Nosy Crow. She also chats about farts and her love of food . . . but not simultaneously. If you’re wondering about how Jannie Ho came to be known as the Chicken Girl, this is your chance to find out!

Martin W. Sandler, author of The Impossible Rescue, Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation, and The Whydah, talks to Candlewick Press about why he believes nonfiction is more exciting than fiction. He also tells of uncovering the truth about pirates and shares the story behind his 1954 invention of chocolate bread pudding.

Ekua Holmes, illustrator of Voice of Freedom and Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, talks to Candlewick Press about the power of positivity, creating art as a child, and the hoarding, hunting, and gathering process of collage-making. She also shares her fangirl moment with renowned children’s book illustrator Jerry Pinkney.

Aaron Becker, award-winning author and illustrator of the wordless picture books Journey, Quest, and Return, talks to Candlewick Press about destiny, Star Wars, the Caldecott Medal, and finding inspiration in the works of Chris Van Allsburg. Journey into Aaron Becker’s world of childlike wonder to find out why he tells stories.

Lesléa Newman, author of October Mourning, Heather Has Two Mommies, and Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, talks to Candlewick Press about being the author of one of the most challenged books of the 1990s and her role as an author and activist. She also talks about her hitchhiking days and her deep appreciation for cats.

Matt Tavares, author and illustrator of Becoming Babe Ruth, Growing Up Pedro, Crossing Niagara, and the forthcoming Red and Lulu, talks to Candlewick Press about how he rediscovered his love of picture books during college, how he used fellow author M. T. Anderson as a picture book model, and the wildest thing he’s ever done as a Red Sox fan.

You already know the stories between the pages of your favorite children’s books, but do you know the stories behind them? Join Candlewick Press as we take you on a storytelling journey. Listen to the teaser episode of Candlewick Press Presents now!