Listen: [8min 48sec]

^{Photo: Carin Berger}

Working from a farm table that doubles as the family dining table in New York City, Carin Berger creates unique combinations of collage, paint, and text that truly are a visual and cognitive treat. She’s an award winning designer, illustrator, and author with an instinctive and artistic flair for dreaming up kid’s books. With 5 notable books under her belt and another on the way, you wouldn’t guess that she never actually set out to be the creator of children’s books.  So, on a beautiful and breezy day in Point Reyes Station, CA, we talked about all things book related, including the path which led her to having her first book Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes published in 2004 by Chronicle Books.

Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes by Carin Berger

While working on her next book, the very clever All Mixed Up, Carin received a call from another publisher who had seen her work. They asked her to be the illustrator for Jack Prelutsky’s Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant.

All Mixed Up: A Mix-and-Match Book by Carin Berger

Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant: And Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky

The next title to follow was The Little Yellow Leaf, published by Greenwillow Books in 2008. It received multiple awards and acknowledgments and is Carin’s most personally rewarding book, so far. It’s a story of facing the unknown and a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

The Little Yellow Leaf offers up a lot of courage, as does Carin’s most recently published title OK GO! Only this time it’s a green kind of courage.

OK Go by Carin Berger

What can you expect to see from Carin, next? Something familiar. In Forever Friends, which will release in early spring, you may recognize the bunny and little blue bird from The Little Yellow Leaf. Carin says these books are connected and that she sees them as companions.

Forever Friends by Carin Berger

“Season’s come,
Seasons go.
But a little brown bunny
And a graceful blue bird
Discover that friendship,
True friendship,
Lasts forever.”

©2010 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

^{Bianca Schulze and Emily Gravett. Photo Credit: Charlie Young}

I’m Bianca Schulze, bringing you a conversation with award-winning author and illustrator, Emily Gravett. As you listen to her talk you’ll hear the wonderful child-like humor that is behind her great books, such as: Orange Pear Apple Bear, Wolves and Monkey and Me. The latter just happened to be the first book I blogged about. So, what better author to debut The Children’s Book Review podcasting. We begin with hearing about Emily’s book, Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, which she was promoting at the time of the conversation.

©2010 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.