Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Peter Sis
Czechoslovakian-born writer and illustrator Peter Sis shares his thoughts on his childhood and his work here in the United States in this video interview. Transcript and biographical details are also available.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Marla Frazee
Ever since elementary school, Marla Frazee knew that she wanted to illustrate children's books. Now she lives her childhood dream, stepping into her backyard studio each morning to do what she loves. Frazee has illustrated Sarah...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Matthew Holm
Matt Holm has always loved to draw, especially comics. With his sister Jennifer Holm, he co-created two enormously popular graphic novels series - one featuring a pink-obsessed mouse (Babymouse) and another starring a brave amoeba...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Matthew Cordell
Matthew Cordell writes and illustrates picture books and chapter books for children. His nearly wordless picture book, Wolf in the Snow, was awarded the 2018 Caldecott Medal. He has written and illustrated many popular (and often very...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier writes and illustrates graphic novels for middle grade readers. Many of her books are autobiographical and deeply personal, especially her 2019 novel, Guts, which explores her own struggles with anxiety. Raina has also...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Robert Neubecker
Robert Neubecker's picture books have zip - they burst with color, energy, and fun. Neubecker can really capture the world through a kid's eyes, whether it's the first day of school, a first trip to the big city, or the trials and...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Rafael Lopez
Rafael Lopez is an award-winning artist and children's book illustrator. In this interview, Rafael talks about the important role drawing played in his childhood, the influence of his Mexican heritage on his work, and the inspiration...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Steven Kellogg
Steven Kellogg has written and/or illustrated more than 100 books over the past half century, including his well-known series about Pinkerton the Great Dane and his tall tales about classic American characters like Pecos Bill, Paul...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Sarah Stewart and David Small
Writer Sarah Stewart and artist David Small, married more than 30 years, like to occasionally collaborate on books. Over the years, they've published a number of award-winning picture books, including The Journey, The Library, and the...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Timothy Basil Ering
Timothy Basil Ering may be best known as the illustrator of Kate DiCamillo's book The Tale of Despereaux, but he has also authored several popular children's books including The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone and Necks Out for Adventure -...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Rosalyn Schanzer
Children's author and illustrator Rosalyn Schanzer views history as series of grand adventures full of fascinating people - stories just waiting to be told. And she loves to tell them, bringing real-life characters like George Washington...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Audrey Wood and Don Wood
Audrey and Don Wood have collaborated on more than 50 children's books. Their internationally known books - including The Napping House, Heckedy Peg, and King Bidgood's in the Bathtub - have been translated into many languages. Both...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Allen Say
Allen Say writes and illustrates picture books about family, culture, creative expression, dreams, and the immigrant experience. His story Grandfather's Journey tells of his father's own journey from Japan to the U.S. and back again. In...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Ashey Bryan
Ashley Bryan uses painting, poetry, music, collage, and prose to tell his stories. Bryan is known for retelling African folktales in a distinct, rhythmic prose that is heavily influenced by African-American poetry. Watch the interview to...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Betsy Lewin
Betsy Lewin, the illustrator of Click, Clack, Moo, takes a playful approach to her work. In this video interview, Betsy Lewin discusses her career goals as a child and the inspiration she gets from exotic trips abroad. Watch the...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Chris Van Dusen
Author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen brings humor, adventure, lively language, and richly colored, kinetic illustrations to all of his children's books. He's created a number of unforgettable literary characters, including Mr. Magee (and...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Charles Smith
Charles R. Smith is a talented children's book author and photographer. His expressive poetry - frequently about sports and music - has been praised for its playful language and clever rhymes, while his expressive photographs beautifully...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick strives for authenticity in his illustrations. For one book, he spent six months in Washington, DC doing research at libraries and museums. For another, he went to London to sketch, photograph, and climb inside the famous...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Chris Raschka
Chris Raschka has written and illustrated more than 50 books for children. Raschka has received several awards, including a Caldecott Honor Award for Yo? Yes! His lively illustration style captures the experiences of young children, the...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Bryan Collier
Illustrator Bryan Collier began creating art at the age of 15. Using his signature style, a vibrant mix of watercolor and collage, he brings stories to life. Collier is the winner of numerous Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. Watch...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Cece Bell
Meet Cece Bell, the award-winning author/illustrator of children's books including the Rabbit and Robot stories, the Sock Monkey series, and the graphic novel memoir, El Deafo, which won a Newbery Honor and the Geisel Award in 2015....
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Christopher Myers
Christopher Myers comes from a long line of creative storytellers. In this video interview, he talks about his Brooklyn neighborhood, his work, and how reading touches every part of his life. Watch the interview to learn more about him...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Denise Fleming
As a young girl, Denise Fleming spent many hours in her father's workshop cutting, gluing, carving, and building things. Today she spends those hours in her own workshop making the paper that she uses to illustrate her picture books. Her...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Eric Rohmann
Eric Rohmann believes that each story needs illustrations that match its tone, content, and sensibility. As a children's book illustrator, this means knowing how and when to use different media and techniques, such as oil paints, wood...