Today I get to interview both the author and the illustrator of an adorable new picture book!

Ariel Bernstein is the author of several picture books. I HAVE A BALLOON received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, and it was a Junior Library Guild Selection. WHERE IS MY BALLOON? was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and WE LOVE FISHING! received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. YOU GO FIRST was a Junior Library Guild Selection, named a Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, and received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Ariel lives in New Jersey with her family. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or on Facebook.

MABEL WANTS A FRIEND stars a cute little fox named Mabel who reminds me of soooo many of my kindergarten students.  Mabel wants what Mabel wants, and she is determined to get her way much of the time.  But this doesn’t work when it comes to making friends and keeping them.  Mabel learns (all on her own, not in a preachy way at all) that she may need to compromise some things when it comes to friendship.  This book is perfect for young children who are learning social skills and empathy. I can’t wait to read it to my own students.

Please note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review, but the opinions, as always, are my own.

Welcome Ariel!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey?  How has that brought you to writing this picture book?

Ariel: I’m always drawn to friendship stories, just because there are so many angles that are fun and can be relatable to readers. In my previous picture books, there’s been a mostly equal balance between the characters. For this one, I decided to focus much more on just one of the characters, Mabel, while still giving the other main character, Chester, a fullness in personality and agency.

Me: I love the character of Mabel.  She acts exactly like some kiddos I’ve known over the years in my classroom.  What gave you the idea for this story?

Ariel: It’s funny because the version of MABEL WANTS A FRIEND you see in the published book is very different from the initial story. I had to go back and look because it’s been so long, but I originally wrote a story about a student who realizes the class pet is missing and the mystery of what happened to it. It’s hard to explain how that story eventually became MABEL, other than to say it’s always good to be open to feedback about what’s working in a manuscript and what can be improved, and then revising as much as is needed.

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Ariel: I hadn’t started writing Mabel’s character as unlikeable, but the more I revised the story the more I enjoyed making her into a prickly, self-centered anti-hero. She’s all id in the beginning which can be humorous, if off-putting for real life behavior! I knew I’d have to give her a big and well-earned character arc and a lot of redemption by the end, but it was all very fun to write. 

Me: Your writing is so succinct and deceptively simple here.  You have some great lines that the story circles back to and the story itself is so straight forward.  Was your story always this well put together or did it come about during revisions?  Were there a lot of revisions for this story?

Ariel: Thank you and I wish I could say as soon as I started to write the first version it all came naturally, but in reality it took so many revisions! I don’t even know how many and I’m pretty sure the whole process took well over a year. I always write as sparingly as possible, but the revising process helps me a lot with figuring out the best story arc, and can also lead to much better word choices.

Me: This is your third collaboration with illustrator Marc Rosenthal.  Why dedicate the book to him?

Ariel: One of the best reactions I get to my books with Marc is when people say they feel like they were created by someone who did both the writing and illustrating because the words and art go together so well. I never take for granted how well Marc ‘gets’ my humor and the depth of each character, and I wanted to dedicate MABEL to him in acknowledgement of that.

Me: I love that.  In fact, the illustrations by Marc Rosenthal are perfect.  I love the color palette and the characters.  They’re delightful!  Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Ariel: The first big surprise was that Mabel was a fox and Chester a rabbit! I had just given the characters names and it was Marc who decided what they would look like. Also, seeing Cat and Duck, from our book YOU GO FIRST, make an appearance in one scene was just the best! And definitely check out the movie posters for the scene where Mabel is waiting in line – they crack me up!

Me: I love those movie posters too!  Any advice for other aspiring picture book writers?

Ariel: I know it’s cliché, but finding a helpful and supportive critique group, or at least a critique partner, is a great idea. Not only will you have people to give you feedback for your work, they will also be there for the many ups and downs that happen when you’re trying to get published, and for all the things that happen after you get a book deal.

That is good advice Ariel.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

But wait dear readers, there’s more!  I also interviewed the illustrator of the book!

Marc Rosenthal is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including the SMALL WALT collection by Elizabeth Verdick, ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I MUST HAVE BOBO! by Eileen Rosenthal, WE LOVE FISHING! and MABEL WANTS A FRIEND by Ariel Bernstein, and ARCHIE AND THE PIRATES, which he wrote. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. You can learn more about him at his website or follow him on Instagram.

Welcome Marc!

Me: I love your picture book illustration work.  Can you share about your artistic journey? When did you start creating art professionally? How did you become an illustrator of children’s books?  How did that bring you to being the illustrator of this book?

Marc: I studied Architecture in college. I went to graduate school for an MFA and was a painter for about 5 years. I moved to New York and got a job with the designer/illustrator Milton Glaser. I started getting some freelance illustration work with magazines. I stayed with Glaser for 5 years , then quit to pursue illustration full time. Around 1992 I was offered a chance to illustrate a kid’s book, PETER AND THE TALKING SHOES by Kate Banks. Over the years, I have been doing more and more books. I have written two of them; and my wife, Eileen Rosenthal, has written three. My editor at Simon & Schuster showed me the manuscript for WE LOVE FISHING! by Ariel. I just fell in love with the humor and the language.

Me: This is your third picture book with Ariel Bernstein.  I noticed that she dedicated the book to you.  Have you two become close friends?  Did this have an impact on the creation process?  Was it much more of a collaborative teamwork for this book?

Marc: I think it was so sweet to dedicate it to me. We really have only met once at a book festival, though I feel we connect easily, and share a sense of humor. We don’t exactly collaborate, but from my end, she is really open to dialogue about the characters and the story flow.

Me: I love that and I love foxes.  Why pick a young fox as the main character for this story (of all the animals that are in the book)?  Was that your choice or the author’s?

Marc: I know a fox and a rabbit are unlikely friends—I was looking for characters that could physically do the things from the story. And initially, Mabel did seem a bit foxy…The choice was mine; I am not sure Ariel thought of them as animals, but she was totally open to the idea

Me: I love all of the textures you used in this book.  Can you tell us a little bit about your illustrations for the book?  Did you work with traditional media or digital or both?

Marc: I always start with pencil and paper. The final art is also started with traditional media ( pencil or ink). I then scan it into Photoshop and spend hours coloring it and making whatever modifications I need. I do my initial layouts at half size, working with spreads. It is important for the pacing to see what is on the facing page, when to have a double page spread, etc.

Me: Do you have a favorite spread that you illustrated for this book?  If yes, which one?

Marc: I think I like the lineup in the movie theater. I like the variety of characters, and Ariel let me put in some of my own jokes with the movie posters.

Me: I love that one as well.  What is one thing that surprised you in illustrating this story?

Marc: I am always surprised that you can show complicated emotions in drawn animals. I know how to do it but am always surprised when it works. Some of the individual events surprise me. Ariel puts things in that I would never think of.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book illustrators?

Marc: First, pick a style and technique that you can easily maintain throughout the book. Next, plot out the flow of the story, treating it like it’s a movie; pace the action, stage it like a director (long shot here, closeup there changing point of view to keep visual interest). Always bear in mind what the important action is. Also, think of the reader. Kids often will want to read it (or have it read to them) many times. Put enough things of interest on every page to have may little surprises to discover.

That is great advice.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today Marc.

Dear readers, this book is released tomorrow.  Trust me when I say that these are characters you will want to meet.  Mabel is so naughty and yet so loveable.  Her journey through an unexpected friendship is so relatable, especially with Marc’s illustrations adding so much expression and character.  You won’t want to miss it.