Every classroom looks exactly like this (and every teacher is going to want this book!).

Andrew Hacket has visited my blog before.  He Hacket is a writer, second-grade teacher, and father of three. He is the author of In This Classroom, Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea, Curlilocks and the Three Hares, and Hope and the Sea. Andrew recognizes that being a kid is hard and he writes to create ways for kids to see themselves in stories and characters, to accept and overcome their insecurities, or to escape for just a little while through the power of their imaginations. You can learn more about him at his website or follow him on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

IN THIS CLASSROOM is a picture book homage to every school classroom. It’s lyrical text romps from page to page with expectations, capturing the joys and struggles contained therein. The illustrations use bright colors that feel perfectly fitting for a school environment of littles. It’s a perfect beginning of school year read (as well as a perfect end of school year read).

Welcome back Andrew!

Me: I love this book! It describes exactly what I want my classroom to be! What gave you the idea for this story?

Andrew: The inspiration for In This Classroom came from my almost 20 years teaching 2^nd grade. I tapped into what I hold true as a classroom teacher – building a safe and caring community. I also wanted to be sure to capture both the joy and the struggles that present themselves in a classroom.

Me: I love the vagueness, yet specificity of your text which weaves its way through this book like a promise of hope. It’s gorgeous! Was it always like this from the first draft? Or did that rhythm come about during revision? Did this story go through a lot of revisions?

Andrew: The overall structure and rhythm for the book was there from the first draft. In the four or so revisions that followed we refined word choice and made sure each stanza was covering a unique theme or value. When the story moved onto Red Comet Press a few final tweaks were added. These included two new stanzas that focused on the joy and celebration of being a class community, as well as the additions of a letter to students and the backmatter, including ideas for how to use In This Classroom all year long. And I want to mention for any teachers reading this, all of those resources are free and ready to use on my website, and I was sure to give them a test run this past school year just to make sure they were classroom approved.

Me: That’s a great idea! What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Andrew: Writing this story was less of a surprise for me and more of an affirmation. I have always known what I love and value about classroom community, but I had never articulated it in writing. This book is everything I hold in my heart about what a classroom should be and seeing it come to life in a book that I can hold and share with teachers is more than I could have ever hoped for.

Me: The illustrations by Arthur Lin are so perfect! The colors are so bright and vibrant. And oh my goodness, when I saw them combining in a moment of kindness? SO brilliant! Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?

Andrew: Arthur and our editor Mike Yuen-Killick brought this book to life in the most amazing way! From the start Mike suggested moving away from the traditional cast of human characters and I have to admit I was extremely reluctant at first. I had never imagined the book being illustrated without human characters. But when Mike explained his reasonings, that any child could connect with any of these colorful characters and that it would prevent any child from feeling tokenized or singled out, then I was completely on board.

Arthur’s execution and interpretation of this idea is perfection! I love how simple the characters are and yet they express such emotion and each one is unique. This is exemplified on the page that says “We will embrace our feelings. Whether big or small. Frequent or fleeting.”

Another spread I love is the final one where the class is taking their class picture. It is wonderful getting to see all of the characters in one place!

Me: As the text and illustrations works SO beautifully together in this story, it’s almost impossible to tell where the writing ends and the illustration begins in the best way! Did you have art notes for actions to go with your sparse text? Or did you leave it all up to the illustrator to imagine what was happening for each line?

Andrew: This manuscript was art note free! My words provided the emotional scaffolding for the story, but Arthur was able to freely imagine what those scenarios would look like.

Me: I understand you have a similar title coming out with Red Comet Press (i.e., In Our Family). Is that a sequel? How did you come to work with Red Comet Press? Can you talk about the marketing of this book? Did you only submit to them or were they your first yes?

Andrew: Yes! In Our Family illustrated by Charlotte Ager is set to release on February 2, 2027! I like to think of this book as a companion to In This Classroom. It has a similar structure and tone, but with a different illustrator and with the focus being on what makes a family a family.

My local author friend Mia Wenjen introduced me to Red Comet Press when she and I were doing a book event together. She had the most wonderful things to say about her experience with them and recommended I try sending some writing their way.  In This Classroom had already been on submission at this point, so not an exclusive, however, when I penned In Our Family, I immediately knew who it had to go to.

Marketing for this book has been a bit different than for my others books. I have continued some old standards, like visiting amazing blogs like yours and recording some podcasts, but with this book I also had a very targeted audience in teachers. We began our promo at NCTE 2025 where Red Comet had art prints made of the book prior to its release that I was able to sign and help build some buzz.  Now that we are in 2026 I will be headed to ALA and NCTE again to help spread the word to librarians and teachers with signed copies of the book and classroom posters. Red Comet has been super supportive of getting the word out about this book.

Me: Do you have any other future projects that we can look forward to reading?

Andrew: As I mentioned above, In Our Family will be finding its way to shelves in 2027. In addition, Kaz Windness and I have an early reader, Squirrel and Turtle: This Book Had Big Words, coming out in 2027 with Simon Spotlight. Then in 2028 I have One Word, illustrated by Kirk Parrish being pubbed by Red Comet. This is a story about the power a single word has to make a situation better or worse. And finally (for now) I have an unannounced picture book scheduled for 2029. Thank you so much for having me on your blog! It is always a pleasure to get to chat with you!

Wow! That’s great news Andrew! Congratulations and thank you for stopping by my blog.

Dear readers, this book actually published in June. If you missed it, don’t fret! You can still find it and read it. It’s a fantastic read for teachers (and a great gift idea too!). It’s also a great book to study how a lyrical text can bring so much depth to a manuscript, and simple color can be used so evocatively. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!