Illustrator Interview: Holly Meade

Yahoo! Welcome to the first day of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Every year, the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) presents the Sydney Taylor Book Awards to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience - and the winners are celebrated and showcased through a blog tour!

For the blog tour, I have the honor of interviewing Holly Meade, winner of a Sydney Taylor Honor in the Younger Readers Category for illustrating Naamah and the Ark at Night (Candlewick, 2011). =D

Congratulations, Holly!!

Please tell us: Why do you illustrate for children? What keeps you motivated or inspired?

I illustrate for children because it's fun as well as challenging to create pictures with a child's view in mind.

What is your studio or work space like?

My studio is in my home, in a rural part of the Maine coast. It sits on the edge of a field that rolls down to the ocean. [Sounds beautiful!] This view means a great deal to me. The big open space seems to say "anything's possible." The beauty of the changing seasons, the many animals I see pass (I've seen moose and bobcats from my studio windows, as well as the more common critters), and the lovely air that floats in, all serve to inspire my work. The work space itself is kind of cluttered, full of art materials and large work tables and reference materials.

What was your creative process for Naamah and the Ark at Night?


Naamah and the Ark at Night was created by watercoloring large sheets of paper with color and patterns, cutting the necessary shapes, then assembling them into pictures. Details were added last. Before this, the entire book was drawn in black and white, using imagination and reference materials. I referred closely to this when constructing the illustrations.

What was your favorite part about illustrating Naamah and the Ark at Night? What was the most challenging part?

I guess my favorite part was working with such an old and well loved story, but with the wonderful new view point of Naamah. The most challenging part was selecting which animals to include.

You have several awards, including a Caldecott Honor for Hush! A Thai Lullaby, written by Minfong Ho (Scholastic, 2000); a Charlotte Zolotow Award for Creative Writing for John Willy and Freddy McGee (Marshall Cavendish Children's Books, 1998); and now a Sydney Taylor Honor. What do these awards mean to you?


They're affirmations that these books are meaningful to children, and that's meaningful to me.

Congratulations again, Holly! And thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Dear readers, please visit Ima On & Off the Bima for an interview with the author of Naamah and the Ark at Night, Susan Campbell Bartoletti. And click here for the rest of the stops on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour!

Schedule of the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour!

The Sydney Taylor Book Awards recognize and honor outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Every year the winners are celebrated and showcased through a blog tour. Below is the schedule for this year's exciting roundup of interviews with the winning authors and illustrators!

Sunday, February 5

Susan Campbell Bartoletti, author of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Ima On & Off the Bima

Holly Meade, illustrator of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe (Here here here!)

Shelley Sommer, author of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg, Baseball Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Great Kid Books

Monday, February 6

Marcia Vaughan, author of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Shelf-Employed

Ron Mazellan, illustrator of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at The Children's War

Tuesday, February 7

Trina Robbins, author of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Bildungsroman

Anne Timmons (and possibly Mo Oh), illustrators of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Gathering Books

Morris Gleitzman, author of Then
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The 3 R's

Wednesday, February 8

Michael Rosen, author of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at A Chair, a Fireplace, & a Tea Cozy

Robert Sabuda, illustrator/paper engineer of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Practically Paradise

Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Cynsations

Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Thursday, February 9

Durga Yael Bernhard, author and illustrator of Around the World in One Shabbat
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Frume Sarah's World

Shirley Vernick, author of The Blood Lie
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The Fourth Musketeer

Friday, February 10

Eric Kimmel, author of The Golem's Latkes
Sydney Taylor Notable Book, and winner of the National Jewish Book Award
at Ann Koffsky's Blog

Gloria Spielman, author of Marcel Marceau, Master of Mime
Sydney Taylor Notable Book, and finalist for the National Jewish Book Award
at Shannon and the Sunshine Band

Richard Michelson, author of Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King
Sydney Taylor Notable Book, and finalist for the National Jewish Book Award
at Blue Thread

Sydney Taylor Award Winners – Wrap-Up
All winners, all categories
at The Whole Megillah

Ohhhkay.

So my favorite rapper, Zelo, is a fifteen-year-old prodigy.

Congratulations!!!!!!!

To all the awesome winners of the 2012 American Library Association Youth Media Awards. :o)

Press Release: Angry Robot Announces Strange Chemistry Launch Titles

Strange Chemistry - the YA imprint of award-winning indie genre fiction publisher Angry Robot - has announced two deals that will help launch the list into publishing super-stardom.

Imprint editor Amanda Rutter has revealed that Strange Chemistry’s first two titles will be. . .

Shift by Kim Curran

When your average, 16-year-old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a Shifter. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realizes that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her and her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus and a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother and avoid being grounded – again!

For more information, review copies, interview and feature requests, contact marketing manager Darren Turpin at darren.turpin@angryrobotbooks.com.

2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced by Association of Jewish Libraries

Cross-posted from Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards! The Sydney Taylor Book Awards honor new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena, California in June.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:


Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen with artwork by Robert Sabuda (Candlewick Press)

The Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers:


Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade (Candlewick Press)


Around the World in One Shabbat: Jewish People Celebrate the Sabbath Together written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Jewish Lights Publishing)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:


Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Charlesbridge Publishing)

The Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers:


Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh (Graphic Universe)


Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer (Calkins Creek)
Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Lee & Low Books)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:


The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow (Harper Teen)

The Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers:


Then by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company)


The Blood Lie: A Novel by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntos Press)

Congratulations again to all the winners! Click here to see the list of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards Notable Books.

See you on Saturday? Everyone's invited!

Filipino book bloggers meet up this Saturday, January 21, 3 p.m. at Libreria Pilipinas.