Powell's Books Q & A

Early in December, Powell's Books asked me to do an author Q & A for their website. I was super excited because I LOVE Powell's. Just in case you might not know (which I didn't until a few years ago), Powell's City of Books, in Portland Oregon, is the largest new and used bookstore in the world, and it's independently owned too. Let's just say this: in my one short visit to explore Portland, I went to the big, downtown Powell's bookstore (which takes up an entire city block) 3 times. Yep, it is THAT cool.

It was a fun Q & A because I actually got to pick from a big list of questions. Anyway, click here for the Q & A.

today's the day!

My newest book, Sweet Dreams Lullaby, is here, officially out today! For anyone in the Ohio area, I would love it if you came to one of my book signings in Cleveland, Cincinnati, or Dayton (see the info attached or at the left). It's always nice to see some familiar faces and meet some newcomers as well!

What a dream come true for me (please excuse the pun). This is the first picture book (32 pages) that I've written–I can't believe this time last year I was still working away on it, and now it's a REAL book. This one is dedicated to my little (and only) brother Mike, who is in his first year of grad school at Berkeley right now...I'm so proud of him for following his dreams since I know it has been hard for him to be so far away from home. Thank you to everyone that has helped me along the way–Random House (my publisher), Heidi (my editor), Tracy (my art director), Emily (my publicity guru), Lori (my agent), Mom (my coach), ALL of my family and friends (my cheerleaders), and especially Jeff (my heart).

Well, now that it sounds like I have given my acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, I thought it might be fun to share some of my process:

First comes the manuscript. I write, and re-write, and work with my editor until we are all happy and the story and the mood is "just right." Sometimes, I have a clear vision for the image before I have the words in my head. In that case, I draw some quick sketches first, and then write to that image. I work back and forth with words and images until I'm happy with the balance. It's a messy, jumbled process but eventually things start to come together, like pieces of a puzzle.


Once the manuscript is approved, I officially move on to the sketches (here's me working at the dining room table before we had our new office). I always start with thumbnail sketches, which are really small, quick doodles that help me play around with composition, poses, perspective, settings, text placement, etc. I keep doing thumbnails until I come up with one or two options for each spread that I really like. This is also where the character starts to come to life.


This is a thumbnail sketch for a spread about fireflies like nature's night-lights.


During the sketch phase, it's not just thinking about how each sketch works on its own, but also the sequence of how they all work together to tell a story. Hanging sketches on a wall helps me see the flow of the book better.


This is the final sketch for the firefly scene. You can see that I made some changes from the original thumbnail above, but the basic idea is still there. When all the sketches are approved by the editor and art director, it's time to move on to the final art. I scan in all my sketches and compose my final art on the computer. Using my sketch as a guide, and working with lots of textures I paint by hand and later scan, I slowly layer up all the colors, shapes and textures into a "digital collage" (at least that's what I call it). This way, I am able to move things around, adjust colors and make changes. And after a lot of noodling, the art comes to life. Color mood was especially important with this lullaby book, since it starts in early evening and ends later at night. I needed to think about how the sky colors would slowly transition as the sun set and the moon rose.


So, here's the final piece for the firefly scene, which reads:
dream of tiptoes through the grass
and fireflies that blink and flash,
catching night-lights floating by–
then sending them into the sky.


And one more finished piece:
dream of eggs wrapped in a nest
where mama bird has come to rest.
imagine blossoms, soft as snow,
that blanket flower beds below.

To see more, you'll have to buy the book:) Happy reading!

sweet book reviews

Two happy reviews for my upcoming picture book, Sweet Dreams Lullaby, have officially come out today. You have to have a subscription to access the reviews online, but here they are below. Hope you don't mind me sharing...it's kind of a big moment for me. I'm starting to get really excited about the book coming out at the end of January. It feels REAL now.

December 15, 2009 issue of Booklist (circ: 20,000):

SWEET DREAMS LULLABY
Snyder, Betsy (Author) , Snyder, Betsy (Illustrator)
Jan 2010. 32 p. Random, hardcover, $15.99. (9780375858529).

The author-illustrator of Haiku Baby (2008) offers a soothing bedtime story with just the right amount of sweetness. As a little bunny gets tucked into his bed, he dreams of his pastoral world outside as it slows down and readies for night. Dandelions, robin eggs, flower blossoms, frogs, caterpillars, and more all prepare for the night. “Dream of comforts all around, / in soothing colors, shapes, and sounds. / Set your cares and wishes free / to ride the dandelion breeze.” With their gentle cadence, Snyder’s short rhyming phrases add to the cuddly effect. The charming collage artwork, with images of snuggling squirrels and daddy frogs singing little ones to sleep, will bring a smile. Particularly effective are the backgrounds as the colors of the sky—and the pages—go from sunny yellow to pinks and oranges, then deep purples and blues, as the sun finally sets and the moon rises. A worthy and welcome addition to the canon of cozy bedtime stories.

— Rebecca Wojahn

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December 15th issue of Kirkus Reviews (circ: 1,718):

Snyder, Betsy
SWEET DREAMS LULLABY
Illus. by the author

In The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown’s mother bunny famously tells her little one to “have a carrot” when he finally settles in for the night. The bunny in Snyder’s bedtime book already has a carrot securely tucked in his pajama pocket in the cover and title-page illustrations. Sustenance secured, he doesn’t tell his mother he will run away; instead, he acquiesces to having her tuck him into bed on the first page and then imagines himself in the dreamscapes she describes to lull him to sleep. The rhyming text describes the little bunny in different outdoor scenes where fireflies are cast as nightlights, a daddy frog “sings low and deep, / lulling all the pond to sleep” and stars whisper “good night.” Throughout the pictures, the pocketed carrot is often replaced by other objects from the text, though sometimes the bunny’s pocket is disappointingly empty. Digitally produced art with collage elements employs a rich, soothing palette befitting the gentle cadence of the text. A lovely addition to bedtime-book collections. (Picture book. 2-5)

gobble, gobble!

Just a quick post to say happy Thanksgiving!

Here's some art I did this year for Clubhouse Jr. magazine...

And here are the "hand turkeys" that my niece Ava and I did together last year!

charter for compassion

This site just launched today...and I love the mission and the message of compassion. Compassion is such a simple principle, and probably the most important value you can teach to a child (or adult for that matter). Sometimes it's the littlest acts of compassion that make the biggest difference, don't you think? It's easy to forget the power we have to influence and helps others.

If anything, Charter for Compassion is a good opportunity for all of us to heighten our awareness, reaffirm what's important to us and how we want to live our lives, and choose the legacy we'd like to leave behind. I lost my dear grandmother on Sunday, so this week I've been giving a lot of thought to what I'd like to do to honor her. I feel my grandmother left behind a wonderful, rich legacy, and I can only hope to live a life that would make her proud. I don't think she realized how many lives she touched and were made better by her. I was lucky enough to be blessed by her love and compassion, and now I hope to pass it on. Love ya, Gram.


me, Gram, and Mom celebrating Gram's 86th birthday last June

happy boo day!!!

It's almost the witching hour...here are some Halloween pieces I did when I worked at American Greetings:













Halloween is truly one of my favorite holidays. I guess I've always loved the creativity of making costumes and decorating. My mom made my costumes every year and it was always lots of fun to have something unique and handmade, that couldn't be bought in the store. Here's me as a witch...I think I was about 4 or 5 years old:



And here's a drawing I did that same year:



I won't get to celebrate too much this year–no big parties to go to–but I'm hoping to host a Halloween party one of these years so I'll just have to make up for it then! Hope y'all have a happy, happy Halloween!

fall catch up

It's been a while. I have a few new fun things to share...

First...



I am happy to announce that my new book Don't Throw That Away! (written by Lara Bergen) just officially came out yesterday. This is part of Simon & Schuster's Little Green Books imprint, so it is 100% recycled material and is all about recycling and reusing in creative ways. It's a simple message, but the books has some fun interactive flaps that keep little ones entertained.

Second...

I just got samples today of the Haiku Baby boxed note card set I did with Papyrus. It contains 20 cards and envelopes, and features 4 different images from the book (sun, rain, moon, flower). You can buy it online here (click on "additional views" to see all the images). Or hopefully the note card set is in stores too, but I'm not sure about that (so let me know if you see it out there). So you know what to look for: the box is just the turtle image on the front, and all the text info is along the sides of the box.

Third...



If you are in the Ohio area, come visit me at the Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster on November 7. I will be signing 4 books (Haiku Baby, Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger?, Don't Throw That Away!, and Peanut Butter and Jellyfishes: A Very Silly Alphabet Book). I will also have a tiger mask craft for kids to make and wear. You can get the full scoop here. I participated last year and it was a lot of fun. It's a great place to find Christmas gifts for book-lovin' family and friends...and you can get all the books autographed too. But come early, because books do sell-out (I was sold out of books by 1:30-2:00 last year).

Fourth...



Stay tuned for some super-cool jellyfish pics from my trip to the Baltimore aquarium with one of my BFFs (and this is just a dinky one from my i-phone). Till my next post, I hope to be relaxin' and floatin' like a jellyfish on my soon-to-come beach vacation...do sharks like jellyfish or aspiring jellyfish? Hope not;)