Have you ever felt like the world was falling down around your ears and you had failed? What did you do?

Hannah Brückner was born in Berlin and studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. She completed her studies with the accordion-fold picture book Mein fantastisches Baumhaus (My Fantastic Treehouse), which won the German-French Youth Literature Award. Hannah Brückner lives and works in Hamburg as a picture book artist, author, and illustrator. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

MAYHEM AT THE MUSEUM is an intriguing picture book. On the surface level, it’s the story of a child who reacts out of fear. If one is terrified of birds and sees one flying around the museum, what do you think happens? The startled child stumbles backwards into a dinosaur display. Bones come raining down everywhere and stunned onlookers gape. Yet, this book isn’t just a story. It’s also a map. What do YOU do when you feel like you’ve created a giant disaster and you’ve failed in epic proportions? How do YOU solve a problem so big that you can’t see a way forward? It’s a fascinating approach that gives this picture book multiple layers, each working successfully on their own.

Welcome Hannah!

Me: Can you tell us a little about your artistic journey? When did you start creating art and/or writing?

Hannah: As long as I can remember I always got immense pleasure from drawing, and even as a small child I dreamed of and drew worlds of my own imagination. My mother was an art teacher, and she made sure I never ran short of pencils, paints and books. I didn’t start writing until much later, and it wasn’t until I finished my study of illustration that I worked on my first book. Miraculously, this journey has never ended!

Me: Can you tell us about the media you use to illustrate? Are you mainly a traditional artist or digital or a blend of both?

Hannah: For many, many years my work was exclusively analog, and always in black and white. Then I added color and also digital. Nowadays I mix analog drawings with elements that I draw on my iPad. I color my illustrations on my computer with lots of colors, shapes and elements which I’ve scanned beforehand. I really like this mixture of media, but ultimately I’m getting more and more pleasure out of deliberately slowing down and just using analog media–the strokes they produce are simply unique. 

Me: What gave you the idea to set this story in a museum?

Hannah: The story takes place in a large natural history museum in Berlin. I often visited this museum when I was a child, and I love all its rooms. You can discover thousands of little details in every nook and cranny–showcases, tiny insects, strangely shaped stones, and the skeletons of giant dinosaurs…I was also fascinated by the idea of setting a loud and catastrophic event in a place where everyone (especially children) are supposed to keep quiet and behave nicely. This would result in almighty chaos where disorder is strictly forbidden!

Me: I love the social-emotional framework within your story! Why focus on catastrophes for young readers?

Hannah: I think it’s a very universal theme, for adults as well as children. Some people might think the subject of “catastrophe” could be too problematical and complex for youngsters, but my view is the exact opposite. Children and adults are confronted with this subject in their everyday lives, and there’s no reason why we should shy away from it in literature. This book offers them the chance to imagine such a situation, and then to talk about it (or hug it out).

Me: Can you tell us about your research process? How much research did you need to do about dinosaurs to help you write and/or illustrate this story?

Hannah: Most of all I called on my feelings and childhood memories. I remembered how big and impressive everything looked in the museum, and how enchanting the whole atmosphere was. But I also did a bit of research in books and on the Internet. Fortunately, I don’t illustrate science books. And so I have to admit that most of these pictures are simply the product of my imagination!

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in creating and/or illustrating this story?

Hannah: The huge number of podcasts I listened to while I was drawing the pictures.

Me: Ha! I love that. Any advice for other aspiring picture book writers and/or illustrators?

Hannah: You must make absolutely sure that you draw or write about things you yourself love. Not what you think other people might like. You need lots of patience, a relaxing side job, and nice friends who will encourage you.

That is great advice Hannah. Thank you for stopping by my blog and sketching for us today.

Dear readers, this book publishes on September 23 with NorthSouth Books. Keep an eye out for it. It’s the perfect book for the time we’re living in. When the world around you feels like it’s falling down and everything feels dire, books like this help us to figure out how to handle the impossible. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!