I love star gazing. I could look up at that beautiful cosmos forever, finding new things to see at every blink. Yet I never thought to equate that to a love poem!
Laura Smetana is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. Her author-illustrated book, My Love for You Is Like a Garden, is a joyful celebration of unconditional love with bold, watercolor collages of garden scenes and received a starred Kirkus review. Laura is also the author of Ice Cream with Grandpa: A Loving Story for Kids About Alzheimer’s & Dementia (illustrated by Elisabete B. P. de Moraes), which was winner of a Northern Lights Book Award, and Little Squiggle’s Lake Adventure, which she co-authored with her son, Stirling Hebda. When she isn’t writing or painting, Laura can be found talking to kids at school author visits, gardening in her sunhat, and spending time with her family outdoors. Laura lives in the Chicago suburbs with her family. She is a member of SCBWI and the Downers Grove Artists’ Guild. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter or BlueSky.
MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE THE NIGHT SKY is a loving lyrical picture book from a parent to their child. While it is a love poem, it’s also an exploration of the science found in the night sky (i.e., phases of the moon, etc.). Laura is both author and illustrator of this book, using vibrant watercolor collage for the art work.
Welcome Laura!
Me: You are an author and an illustrator. Can you share about your journey? When did you start creating art and/or picture books? How did that bring you to where you are now as the author and illustrator of this book?
Laura: Ever since I was little, I have loved drawing, reading, and writing. At school visits, I always tell kids that my journey started in kindergarten, when I wrote and illustrated my first book, All About Laura. Every year after that in elementary school, we made our own books, and I still have all of them. After college, I worked in nonprofit communications and then as a preschool teacher. But my path circled back to writing for kids during the pandemic, and I have my son to thank for that! During that first summer we went kayaking a lot. One day we went to a lake with an island and had an amazing adventure. That night, I read him a book that I wrote and illustrated in fifth grade about a giraffe named Little Squiggle. It was the first time we read it together, and afterwards, he said, “Let’s bring Little Squiggle back!”
We wrote the outline for Little Squiggle’s Lake Adventure based on our own lake adventure that night before turning off the lights. The next day we wrote the first draft together and collaborated throughout the entire process. It was such a fun, meaningful experience that set me on the path I’m on today. My next picture book was Ice Cream with Grandpa: A Loving Story for Kids About Alzheimer’s & Dementia (illustrated by Elisabete B. P. de Moraes) which was inspired by the relationship between my son and my dad, who died of Alzheimer’s just before the pandemic started. Then came My Love for You Is Like a Garden, which was the first book I illustrated using cut-paper watercolor collage, and I fell in love with the medium. Now I regularly exhibit my art and have several more collage books in the works.
Me: I love the idea of a love poem including nonfiction matter about the stars, the moon, and the planets. Where did the idea for this picture book come from?
Laura: Every night I look forward to gazing up at the night sky to make wishes on stars, find constellations, and look for the moon. After My Love for You Is Like a Garden came out in 2023, I thought about doing a companion book. One night while looking up at the stars, I thought about comparing love to the night sky and the idea for My Love for You Is Like the Night grew from there. My hope is that both books encourage parents and children to enjoy moments of love and connection during read-alouds, as well as inspire them to get outside to explore nature together—whether it be planting a garden together or going on a bedtime hike to marvel at the stars.
Me: Can you tell us a bit about your research process? How long did it take you to research all the little stellar tidbits that went into this book? Did that inform your writing before you drafted this manuscript?
Laura: Once I decided on comparing love to the night sky, I started brainstorming different aspects of the night sky that I could compare love to—like stars, the moon, planets, and meteor showers. But I quickly ran out of ideas and needed a boost of inspiration, so I took a trip to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. As I wandered through the exhibits, I took notes and scribbled down ideas. That was just what I needed, and I finished the manuscript a few months later. When it came time to work on the watercolor collages, I continued my research at my local library. The collage of the solar system was one of the most challenging. For that page, I checked out a mountain of books about the planets to study their colors, sizes, and placement. There were many, many trips to the library!
Me: As you both wrote and illustrated this book, which came first, your lyrical text or the illustrations? Or did you work on them in tandem?
Laura: For this book the text came first, and the illustrations followed. But while I worked on the illustrations, I made some adjustments to the text and ended up switching the order of some pages. As I started the collages, I liked the idea of starting the story close to home with the mother and child looking up at the stars and gradually having the images go farther and farther out into the universe, until gradually the mother and child return to the page—first orbiting a heart in space and then, sitting on a hill looking up at a heart shaped constellation in a star-filled sky. That part came organically while working on the collages.
Me: Can you talk about the media you used to illustrate this book? I understand that you use cut-paper watercolor collage for your illustrations. Are you a traditional artist or a digital artist? Or do you use a blend of both?
Laura: I’m a traditional artist and used cut-paper watercolor collage to illustrate My Love for You Is Like the Night Sky. The collages are 11” x 17” and I usually start out by sketching the illustrations on two pieces of scrap paper that are taped together, usually my son’s old homework! For this book the backgrounds were various shades of blue and black, so next I painted the backgrounds using watercolor paint on watercolor paper. Then, I look at what other colors I’ll need for the collaged elements and paint sheets of mixed media paper in each of the colors needed. For example, for the planet spread, I painted a whole sheet of paper in each of the colors needed for each planet. Then I cut each planet out from my sketch and used them as stencils to trace onto the back of the painted papers. After each of those were cut out, I glue them onto the 11” x 17” watercolored paper with a glue stick. I use repositionable glue so I can easily adjust any part of the collages at any part during the process. It is kind of like a puzzle, and I love the tactile process!
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in creating this book?
Laura: Before I first started the book, I only had experience using dried watercolor paints. But when I started painting the backgrounds of each illustration, I discovered that it took a lot of time and paint to cover the entire sheet. I went through an entire pan of paint very quickly. So I decided to try liquid watercolors to see if there was a difference and I was surprised to find there was! The tubes of liquid watercolors went much farther, and there was something different and fun about using them that I still enjoy.
Me: Any advice for other aspiring picture book writers and/or illustrators?
Laura: My advice is to follow your inspiration and what fills you with joy. If you can do one thing each day that lights you up creatively, gradually each of those little moments will add up and lead you somewhere new. During the pandemic I started drawing a picture each day and when I looked back at my year of pictures, I noticed that I was drawing a lot of flowers and nature-inspired themes. Drawing flowers, gardening, looking up at the stars, hiking in nature, and just being outdoors makes me happy, and has led me to the books that I write and illustrate. I think following your curiosity—whether you are a current or aspiring picture book creator—is essential for finding inspiration and just may lead you to your next story idea!
I love that. Thank you so much Laura for stopping by my blog today.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! Laura has also offered a giveaway of one copy of her book to one lucky winner (US contestants only). You can enter the rafflecopter here. Good luck!