Scott, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!
You are very welcome, thanks for asking. I’m happy to be here with you.
Please tell us a little bit about your background as an artist. Did you take art classes when you were young? How did you get started illustrating children’s books?
I have always loved to draw – as a kid I illustrated scenes from my favorite movies and TV shows, my family, dinosaurs and spaceships to name a just a few interests. I did take a few art classes, but never studied art formally. When I went to college, I drew a weekly comic strip about a superhero called Duct Tape Man. I got started in illustrated children’s books by designing them, which means that I helped other artists create their books. I learned a great deal from them and decided to give it a try myself.
When you are illustrating a book for another author, how closely do you work with that author throughout the process?
It depends! Some authors I work very closely with throughout the entire process, others I hear from only after the book has been published. It really changes with each writer.
What’s a typical day like for you?
That also depends. I still work as a book designer during the week so from the morning until late in the day I am in an office working with other authors and illustrators. Then I come home and spend a few hours with my family, then, after they go to bed I’ll draw for a few hours. I also draw a good deal on the weekends. I seem to be working or thinking about picture books all day long one way or another. It’s pretty cool!
Can you briefly describe your latest book, Mystery Ride! (Harcourt, 2008), which you wrote and illustrated?
Mystery Ride! is about going on errands with your parents as a kid. It’s based on my own childhood experiences – my parents used to take my brothers and I on “Mystery Rides” when we were young. The idea of a “mystery ride” sounds very cool and mysterious, but really it was a ruse, meant to keep us from the true lameness of our destination! In reality, we were going to places like the supermarket, or the tile store, or the curtain store – which, as any kid knows, are among the WORST places to have to go when compared to, say, the toy store, or the zoo.
What is the most memorable mystery ride you have been on?
Good question! I would have to say that my folks took my brothers and me to a nearby zoo with lots of rides one day out of the blue. That was pretty cool. Anytime I travel to a foreign country or place I’ve never been becomes a sort of exciting mystery ride. But, of course, the best mystery ride is the one we’re on every day – the mystery ride of life! Who knows where that one goes?!
What advice do you have for parents of children who are not interested in reading?
Start off small – short bursts of reading to your child that feature characters or topics they like helps. Slowly build on any reading success you find – any reading time is good reading time. Also, connect the story somehow to their own experiences and they’ll see their own life in the words – they’re not just reading, they’re relating. That’s important because you’ve created a personal link to the story, and beyond that to reading. Do that enough times and I think the young reader will seek out that connection in the future.
What can your fans expect from you next?
More books! I have two books coming out next year, one called Otto Grows Down by Michael Sussman that warns us to be very careful what you wish for – and another about finding out and appreciating what makes you unique. That one is by Amy Krouse Rosenthal entitled Spoon.
Thanks for having me here!
More information about Scott or his recently published book, Mystery Ride! (ages 4-8), may be found at www.scottmagoon.com.
