Hi everyone!
As I was walking to the library, to collect a haul of books for this study, I asked myself, “Why have I written a children’s book study for 8 months in a row? Should I keep doing them?” I reflected on it, and yes, I think I should continue! Here’s why I share these studies with you:
To get inspired!
To know what topics and genres are being published
To guide my own work (and maybe the studies guide your work, too)
To study successful illustrators and authors
To promote books that I really enjoy (there aren’t affiliate links or anything, but I hope you’ll follow and support the authors and illustrators if you like them, too!)
Because it’s FUN! (Yesterday I sat on the couch with my dog and got to read 9 award winning children’s books. I classified this as a work task, which is pretty cool!)
ALA Youth Media Awards
A week ago the American Library Association held their annual Youth Media Awards. The awards are given across a variety of categories such as the most distinguished picture book (Caldecott Medal) to the best representation of a disability (Schneider Family Book Award) to the best writing/illustrators from Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America (American Indian Youth Literature Award).
I watched the livestream of the awards (check it out here), and was simultaneously requesting copies of these books from my local library. Here are the ones that I’ve been able to pick up so far:
Library Haul of ALA Award Winners
Today I’m going to talk in depth about The Truth About Dragons for our 8th Children’s Book Study. First though, here’s a list of the other books I picked up along with a quick thought after reading each one:
Dancing Hands written by Joanna Que and Charina Marquez, illustrated by Fran Alvarez
Schneider Family Honor Book Award
Sweet illustrations for a story that focuses on friendship and joy rather than a overcoming a problem due to a disability.
Henry Like Always written by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song
Schneider Family Book Award
& Geisel Honor Book
This early chapter book follows Henry, who enjoys routine and quiet, as his class prepares for a unexpected and loud parade.
An American Story written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter
King Illustrator Book Winner
A powerful text that Kwame Alexander wrote specifically as a tool for teachers to broach the challenging and traumatic story of slavery in the US.
Not He or She, I’m Me written by A. M. Wild, illustrated by Kah Yangni
Stonewall Honor Book
Positive and joyful book about a child who uses they/them pronouns in a supportive community.
Remember written by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation), illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation)
American Indian Youth Literature Awards Honor
Gorgeous dreamscapes fill each page with magic and encourage the reader to honor their family, the earth, and nature while remembering that everyone and everything is connected.
Jovita Wore Pants written by Aida Salazar, illustrated by Molly Mendoza
Caldecott Honor Book
The story of a female Mexican Freedom Fighter born in the early 1900s who resisted conforming to gender norms. The powerful illustrations embody Jovita’s strength, resistance, and resilience.
Rock Your Mocs written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation)
American Indian Youth Literature Awards Honor Book
Celebration of the annual Rock your Mocs Day, which started in 2011. Children from many indigenous groups get to show off their unique moccasins throughout the book.
The Truth About Dragons written by Julie Leung, illustrated by Hanna Cha
Caldecott Honor Book
& Asian/Pacific American Award for Picture Books
Dreamy illustrations paired with a text that uplifts and values the telling of mythology from two different cultural perspectives.
Children’s Book Study #8
It was so difficult to choose only one of these award winning titles for today’s study. I’ve opted to dive deeper into The Truth About Dragons for a few reasons:
It won TWO picture book awards, and most of us here are children’s book illustrators and/or authors.
It values and uplifts two perspectives on mythology simultaneously.
It’s a picture book I would have read in my classroom as a teacher.
Lunar New Year is on February 10, and it will be the Year of the Dragon, so this book is a great way to celebrate the new year.
About Hanna Cha’s Work
Hanna Cha, the award winning illustrator of The Truth About Dragons, creates illustrations with traditional ink and colors them digitally. She has illustrated three children’s books.
I really enjoy studying artists who work in this hybrid technique, because I’ve been playing with combining traditional and digital media recently. I know many of you have also been experimenting with traditional elements, and some of you are looking for ways to make digital look more traditional or to some of you work traditionally and are looking for how to seamlessly make final edits digitally. So I think this book aligns with all of those ideas, and we can learn some illustration tips by studying Hanna Cha’s dreamy and inky work from The Truth About Dragons.
Note: The spreads below are also available the official Macmillan website.
Let’s look inside the book
For this newsletter, I’m focusing mostly on Hanna Cha’s use of painted ink textures overlaid with color digitally.
Here are some sketches from her instagram (@hannayoonicha). Notice how even though she works digitally to add color, she determined the final layout, along with the placement of the border and text boxes, for each spread. All of these elements will be inked traditionally on paper before moving to color, and the border elements are not on a separate layer. That makes me think about how important composition should be from the start. It’s tough to move things around after they’re inked. Here’s the link to this post.
Now let’s see the final spread that these sketches morphed into. Take a few moments to get lost in the magic of it…
This spread literally invites the reader into the story with the boy stepping into the storybook scene. The border feels like a fairytale, and atmospheric light draws us into the magical forest.
Knowing her technique of inking in gray and black tones, I’m observing the dark and light areas. I’m noticing that the grass is a bright green but the lines on top of it are brown. I like that the trees in the distance are soft washes of color, but I still know what they are. Every leaf is not outlined, and the digital color on top adds extra interest to the inky washes. I’m noticing all of this, and appreciating how color, tone, and line can interact to create a dreamy, magical landscape.
We can actually see a bit of Hanna Cha’s ink work in another instagram post where she shares an inking process video:
She talks about using traditional brushes to explore different techniques such as varying the width of brush strokes. She also shows how she uses an ink nib for scratchy markings. I’m so mesmerized by the various textures she creates. And even more intrigued by the process of going to color! So let’s take a look at another finished spread…
There is so much variety in the textures and washes. I mean… look at the gorgeous markings and colors in the detail of the dragon below:
It’s no wonder Hanna Cha’s illustrations won the Caldecott Honor!
How does Hanna Cha’s work inspire you? Is there a new technique you’re going to try? Or what is something you admire about her work? You just read about me drooling over her work, so feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments!
See you all tomorrow for the Monthly Newsletter with updates and news! (I know, it’s always so soon when the first of the month is in the middle of the week…)
- Katie
PS - Have you checked out the Library of Toolkits lately? It has all past newsletter organized for you!
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