I’m dreaming of the summer and those beautiful ocean waves. I can definitely feel the main character’s pain in today’s picture book.

You may already have heard of Travis Jonker as he’s done a lot online and on social media. He also has a podcast with Colby Sharp you may have heard of called The Yarn. He is a writer (& illustrator!) and elementary school librarian. He lives with his wife and two children in Michigan. You can learn more about him at his website or his blog, and you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or BlueSky.

JUST ONE WAVE is a picture book about young Liam and his trip to the beach. This is a sequel to JUST ONE FLAKE where he played in the winter snow trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue. In this book, Liam is determined to catch a wave, if you will. He waits and waits, but the water is calm. Travis is both the author and illustrator of this book and he has dedicated it to Lake Michigan. This is the only clue given that the “beach” in the story isn’t just any beach in the world (though it could easily be so). The illustrations are charming in their approach and the twists at the end (there’s a couple) are sweet. I won’t spoil them.

Welcome Travis!

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

Me: You are an author, an illustrator, a podcaster, a blogger, and an educator. Whew! That’s a lot! Can you talk about your creative journey?  When did you start writing and creating books and/or art? 

Travis: When I was in elementary school, one of my favorite projects was whenever we’d write and illustrate a story and the teacher would put one of those binding combs on it. I kept a sketchbook in middle school and loved high school art class. I studied a lot of art and design in college (along with education) so I’ve always been interested in drawing. When I became a school librarian in 2005, I started having ideas for stories.

Me: I saw that you dedicated this book to Lake Michigan. Is that what inspired the idea for this sequel to JUST ONE FLAKE? Did you always know there would be a sequel story? Are you planning a series?

Travis: I didn’t always know there would be a sequel, but before I was finished with JUST ONE FLAKE, I realized that this character and scenario had some potential for more stories. I talked about some of them with (FLAKE editor) Courtney Code, and that led to JUST ONE WAVE. The inspiration for the story comes from growing up near Lake Michigan and always hoping for a wavy day.

If the right idea comes along, I’d love for there to be more JUST ONE . . . books.

Me: I love the addition of a sibling in this story. What gave you the idea to expand the family for this story?

Travis: One of my favorite parts of the first book is how Liam doesn’t exactly get what he wants (to catch a snowflake on his tongue), but has this experience that is even more meaningful than what he expected. When I had the idea that Liam couldn’t create a wave for himself, but he could make one for someone else, that’s when little sister Sonja came into the picture.

Me: I love that! Can you talk about the media you use to illustrate? I know you use a Pentel Color Brush on watercolor paper. Is that just for your line work? You also mentioned using digital watercolors in the Procreate app. Is that the only watercolor painting you do (i.e., digital)? If yes, what watercolor brushes do you like best? I heard about the scanner drama on your podcast, can you talk about the artistic choices for this book that may or may not have been the same as JUST ONE FLAKE?

Travis: In the early stages of making JUST ONE FLAKE, I tried out some traditional watercolor paints, but it wasn’t quite working. So, like you mentioned, it’s a combination of traditional (black brush pen on watercolor paper for line work) and digital colors. I think they are the Master Watercolor brushes by Nathan Brown? But I might be wrong.

It was very fun making pictures for WAVE in the same style as FLAKE. I stuck with a lot of the decisions I made for the first book: limited color palette, bold rough linework, and trying to keep things very simple. 

Me: It’s a very fun style and the perfect approach for these books. As you both wrote and illustrated this book (and several others), which comes first for you, your text or the illustrations? Or do you work on them in tandem? How does the editing process go for you?

Travis: Usually a story premise comes first – that was the case with THE VERY LAST CASTLE, BLUE FLOATS AWAY, and THE SHIP IN THE WINDOW. But JUST ONE FLAKE was a story that first came to me visually, which was a sign to me that I should try illustrating it.

As far as editing, I tend to write very spare text, so the decisions often come down to a single word, or how the text is broken up on the pages.

Me: I’m always fascinated when I see an author illustrator who is also an educator (like myself).  How did you find time for writing AND illustrating around the job of teaching?  What routines do you have in place that allow you to create regularly and successfully?

Travis: Nothing gets full attention, which doesn’t always feel great. I illustrated FLAKE in the summer, when I wasn’t teaching, and WAVE during a winter break in the middle of the school year. One thing that has helped is waking up a little earlier. Even 15 or 20 minutes before work can be really helpful if you can do it regularly.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers and/or illustrators?

Write everything down. Every single stupid thought or overheard comment that could in any way be tied to a story. I have a Google doc called Ideas List on my phone and I throw everything in there.

That’s great advice. I have several notes that I try to do the same thing with. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Travis.

Dear readers, JUST ONE WAVE was published April 15th. If you haven’t had a chance yet to check this story out, I highly recommend it (and that’s not just the beach lover in me saying that). It’s a simple approach in storytelling and illustration that proves that neither side of the picture book creation process has to be complicated to succeed. It’s both sweet and funny, and the illustrations are the type you want to dig into to visually consume over and over. You won’t want to miss it!