If you’re a fan of the minions, you just might be a fan of this silly holiday book too.
Jonathan Fenske is the author of many children’s books including The Bug in the Bog; Pill Bug Does Not Need Anybody; After Squidnight; Let’s Play, Crabby!; Wake Up, Crabby!; and Plankton Is Pushy (all Junior Library Guild selections), and the Lego picture book I’m Fun, Too!. His early readers Nothing Fits a Dinosaur and A Pig, a Fox, and a Box were Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor winners. Jonathan lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his wife and three daughters. You can learn more about him at his website or follow him on Instagram.
CANDY CORN CHRISTMAS is a funny picture book take on old leftover Halloween candy struggling to find a new holiday home. And oh my goodness. If you’re not familiar with Jonathan’s work, you need to know that it’s all hilarious. In this book there are a million little candy corns running amuck, just like the millions of minions I’ve come to know and love in the films. There’s always someone doing something in the background and there are easter eggs to look for here. This is a true holiday delight (even if you don’t like candy corn).
Welcome Jonathan.
Me: I can’t imagine that anyone isn’t familiar with your work, but just in case, can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? When did you start writing picture books? How has that brought you to writing this picture book?
Jonathan: I started my career as a gallery artist, creating paintings, exhibiting shows of my work, the whole visual artist’s life. But I’ve always written on the side, just as a hobby. Poetry, short stories, etc. Sitting down to read with our first daughter was the AHA! moment for me. That moment of reading brought my daughter and I together. I suddenly realized that, to me, there could be no art form more special than that. I decided to bring my art and writing together, and I am very fortunate that, after a time, the change in career path worked out. I have the best job!
Me: I love that you are essentially mashing up holidays in this book and taking on one of my favorite (though somewhat controversial) Halloween candy! What gave you the idea?
Jonathan: Ah! The great Candy Corn Controversy (by the way, I happen to be on the “not a fan” side of the debate)! After seeing the forgotten candy in my own children’s Halloween bags, I tried to imagine what a bunch of restless, ignored candy corn, blissfully unaware of the fate they had been spared, would do after a couple of months sitting around the pantry. What would happen if all that pent up energy was unleashed on a new holiday? And how would the Christmas candy feel about these strangers on their turf? Probably a lot like we all feel when someone “crashes our party!”
Me: I love the illustrations you did for this book. There are so many different characters getting into hijinks and shenanigans! Can you talk about that process a little bit? What media did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Are you mainly a traditional or digital illustrator (or a blend of both)?
Jonathan: With a background in drawing and painting and sculpture I consider myself to be more of a traditional artist. All my illustrations start with pencil sketches, which I refine and then recreate and color digitally. The digital aspect makes final illustration files much easier to share and deliver!
I love cartoons, especially the old Chuck Jones/Warner Bros. shorts. The animators’ ability to convey so many emotions with simple line work is something I always study and try to emulate. And I love that those cartoons contain humor for the kids AND the adults. That is another aspect I try to incorporate into my own work!
Me: Your text is short and deceptively simple (not to mention that killer rhyme!). Did it undergo a ton of revisions to get to its finished state? Or was this story a gift from the muse that was good from the first draft?
Jonathan: Thank you for the compliment! I grew up on a steady diet of Dr. Seuss, so rhyme is often my natural default method for conveying a narrative.
At this point, I’ve done over forty books, and it’s amazing how some spill out without too much refinement, and some must be wrestled into shape! Candy Corn Christmas fell somewhere in between. There weren’t a ton of revisions, but there were a couple of rounds. A little bit of the text even changed during final art.
Every story is a gift from the muse, but some take a little longer to unwrap!
Me: I understand there’s even a song, a jingle, that goes along with the book. Was that your idea? Did you write the song? Are you also a musician? Where did that come from?
Jonathan: Yes, the jingle was my idea. And my agent liked the idea so much she made sure I followed through! I enjoy playing guitar and know just enough music theory to make me dangerous. Pair that with my love of writing lyrics and, voila, it becomes a hobby! I write a lot of instrumental classical guitar music and folk songs. I’ve seen many book trailers with music, so I thought I would try my hand at writing a jingle for my own book! My talented friend, Lindsay Brazell, produced and played on the track, and a group of choir students from a local elementary school provided the vocals. They were amazing and clever and such fun to work with!
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?
Jonathan: I was surprised at how much I sympathized with the main characters even though–fun fact–I do not like either candy corn or candy canes! I was also surprised at how long it took to draw SO MANY individual candy corns!
Me: Any advice for new picture book writers and/or illustrators?
Jonathan: I hope you don’t have to endure too much rejection, but chances are, you will. Many, many times. And rejection doesn’t always mean the project is not a great one. A lot of the magic of children’s book publishing is matching the right project with the right editor. So, stick with it! I keep a file folder stuffed full of the rejection letters I have received. It reminds me of the power of persistence.
That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Jonathan.
Dear readers, this book published in September. If you haven’t had a chance yet to track it down, I highly recommend it. It’s chockablock full of chaos, mayhem, and humor that’s sure to liven up the holiday reading pile. You won’t want to miss it!