illustrator – The Lerner Blog

We Are the Scrappy Ones: An Interview with Illustrator Kirbi Fagan

We Are the Scrappy Ones by Rebekah Taussig is an anthem of belonging, celebrating the wide range of disabled children and affirming their worth, just as they are. Luminous illustrations by Kirbi Fagan portray a diverse cast of characters living, learning, and playing. Settle in for a warm, joy-filled book that celebrates and affirms disabled […]Read more

Author Interviews

The Beasts in Your Brain: An Interview with Illustrator Harshad Marathe

The Beasts in Your Brain: Understanding and Living with Anxiety and Depression by Katherine Speller is a clever, approachable, and empathetic read for young adults and their loved ones. Each chapter reminds readers that they are not alone in their feelings, teaches them the science of mental illness, and empowers them to quell the brain […]Read more

Author Interviews

Finding Family: An Interview with Author Laura Purdie Salas and Illustrator Alexandria Neonakis

In May 2019, researchers on a lake in northern Wisconsin made a strange discovery: a pair of loons seemed to be raising a mallard duckling! Normally loons and mallards are rival species, but somehow these three—two childless parents and an orphaned chick—found each other. Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons, by author Laura Purdie […]Read more

Where We Come From: An Illustrator’s Perspective

Where We Come From is a visually striking exploration of family, history, and identity from four authors who collaborated to create a single, poetic text. The richly layered illustrations from illustrator Dion MBD connect past and present in this accessible picture book. Today Dion MBD joins us to talk about his art, his biggest influences, […]Read more

Spotlight On Ukrainian Illustrators

April 15, 2022 marked 50 days of war in Ukraine. In that time, people around the globe have turned their attention and support to the citizens of Ukraine and Ukrainian populations elsewhere in the world. Today we’d like to feature the work of two Ukrainian illustrators of Lerner and Kar-Ben Publishing books: Sofia Moore and […]Read more

Today Is Different: Perspectives from a Debut Author & Debut Illustrator

By Carol Hinz, Associate Publisher of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books The picture book Today Is Different is a powerful look at protest, solidarity, and social justice. Written in the aftermath of the protests that followed George Floyd’s murder, the book is also a touching portrait of a friendship between two young girls. As the […]Read more

Unparalleled: Floyd Cooper, A Literary Remembrance

By Carole Boston Weatherford “There is no greater gift than the truth.” Floyd Cooper I credit my two children with introducing me to Floyd Cooper—not the man but the artist. Their grandmother gave them the poetry book Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea by Joyce Carol Thomas. Floyd’s subjects’ faces glowed with warmth and love. I next encountered […]Read more

All of a Sudden and Forever

by Danielle Carnito, Trade Art Director It isn’t every book where the creators and the publishing team all visit the site of a book’s events. It isn’t every book where you happen to check your social media on a holiday weekend and notice pictures the illustrator is posting from her trip to the site.Read more

Author Interviews

Podcast Interview with Nina Crews

Today on The Lerner Podcast, we talk with Nina Crews, illustrator of A Girl Like Me.Read more

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