The Cat in the Hat – Aimee Reid

Sue Todd is a freelance illustrator whose work encompasses retail design and children’s books. Her images can be seen not only in books but also packaging, posters, tshirts, a tv commercial, and a bus!

Sue enjoys linocarving, which is an ancient printmaking technique. Read on for a glimpse of her process.

Please share about your experience of connecting with books as a child. What memories do you have?

I have memories of being very young and poring over the pages of fairytale collections, paying special attention to the pictures, of course! I always judged a book by its cover, and my favourite gift under the Christmas tree was usually a book. I still remember the feeling of excitement at opening a new one.

My parents encouraged reading, and I spent a lot of time at the library exploring the shelves, looking for just the right picture books. My favourites were The Cat in the Hat and The Little Engine That Could. I remember the suspense of watching Thing One and Thing Two make a mess as Mom’s ankles approached the house, and the Little Engine That Could continues to be a philosophical inspiration. I loved the Narnia series, Alice in Wonderland and any fantasy and mystery stories, including Nancy Drew.

I volunteered at the school library to get first crack at the new books, so I guess you could call me a book worm. I still remember one incident from Brownies when we had a Christmas gift exchange. I had carefully selected a book that I really wanted to read, and my gift exchange partner gave me a book of Lifesavers. Seriously, it was a selection of different flavours of Lifesaver candies inside a cardboard book! My friend and I were equally dismayed with our gifts and agreed to trade back, so I ended up with the book I wanted after all. 🙂

I wish I had kept the book series I wrote and illustrated around age twelve, The Adventures of Horace the Hippopotamus. It was just a Babar knock-off, but my younger sisters found it entertaining.

Can you tell us a little bit about your process of making art for children’s books?

Every book begins in my sketchbook where I scribble ideas and develop characters. Once I have established the look, I create a small dummy, about half size, to keep a consistency and flow throughout the story. After approval of rough sketches, I begin my final art process.

My technique is linocut, which is a form of relief printmaking similar to woodcut. The medium is linoleum just like the flooring material but without the finish. With relief printing you carve away the bits you don’t want and whatever is left will be the image that is rolled with ink and printed on paper. I have a table-top press for smaller images and use an old fashioned burnisher and lots of muscle for larger pieces. The black and white print is then scanned and coloured in Photoshop.

I like the combination of analog and digital technologies and enjoy each stage of the process for different reasons. The sketching stage is most creative and requires quiet concentration whereas the carving stage is more meditative, like knitting. The colouring stage is sheer fun and takes me back to kindergarten.

Please share your thoughts on and tips for sharing good books with children.

Although I have illustrated many things including educational picture books, my first trade book was released only last year. The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito is a wonderful play by Tomson Highway published by Fifth House/Fitzhenry & Whiteside. My second trade book was released in March. I look forward to sharing An African Alphabet with pre-schoolers. It was written by Eric Walters and published by Orca Books.

Thanks, Sue, for sharing your process with us! I wish I could read The Adventures of Horace the Hippopotamus.

Have a look at Sue’s new books:

Sue has a new book coming out with Eric Walters in the fall of 2018. It’s called The Wild Beast. Be sure to watch for it!

How about you? Which illustrations intrigued you as a child?

Post a comment on this blog, and your name will be entered in a draw for a personally inscribed copy of Sue’s newest book, An African Alphabet? This book will be a lovely addition to a toddler’s library. I’ll draw the winning name on September 13, 2017.

Sign up to Aimee’s newsletter below for more giveaways and to receive inside information from children’s book writers and illustrators.

Connect with Sue:

Website: www.suetodd.com

Facebook: SueToddIllustration

Twitter: @SueTodd20

I don’t remember when I learned to read. At some point, the squiggles in my books transformed into letters. Then they became words that created page after page of stories.

What I do remember is the parade of characters that populated my childhood: a little bird on a hunt for his mother, a mischievous cat with a preposterous hat, dogs racing to a party in a tree. Even a spot-juggling animal with a winsome knack for entertainment.

These books and many more came to me from the Random House Beginner Book Club. I remember the feeling of anticipation that washed over me as I slid a new book out of its cardboard packaging.

Beginner Books from Random House

Books became treasures that still line my shelves. Even before I could read, they captivated me. I listened with glee for the sound of the Snort in Are You My Mother? I cringed when I thought that all of those car-racing dogs were about to have a huge pile-up.

One book I read repeatedly was Come Over to My House by the inimitable Dr. Seuss. It featured children from exotic locales all warmly inviting the reader to visit. I chimed in on the refrain: “Come over to my house. Come over and play!” I pored over its illustrations of children in other countries and imagined myself as a visitor in their captivating homes. What would it be like to travel on streets of water or sleep on a wooden pillow?

This is the power of books. This ability to transport us. We imagine ourselves bigger. We imagine the world bigger.

Mysteriously, the world grows smaller at the same time. We learn to care. We discover that others whom we’ve never met feel as we do.

Now I am a children’s author with the very same publisher that brought me my first childhood books. I still love a good story. Like nothing else, stories move us. They inspire us, challenge our preconceptions, and help us to imagine the world as we want it to be.

In these pages, we will celebrate together the many ways that children’s books bring good to the world. We’ll hear from people whose lives have been touched by the wonder of books, and we’ll talk about how to make sharing books with kids a life-affirming experience.

As a child, I knew I couldn’t actually visit all of the places portrayed in Come Over to My House. But how the world has changed since then! With a tap of a finger, we can video-chat with friends on the other side of the globe or read the thoughts of a stranger who lives continents away.

I hope that when you visit these pages you will feel as though you are dropping in on a friend. Come over to my virtual house. Put your feet up. Find a cozy blanket. Sip some tea or munch on a favorite childhood treat. Let’s listen to each other’s tales of finding good books to share.

How about you? What are some of the first books you remember?

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Sue Todd: Bookworm and Illustrator

Good Books to Share

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