Interview with Isabelle Arsenault & Mac Barnett, Creators of Just Because
What kinds of things do you think about right before bed? Do you wonder what happened to the dinosaurs? Do you think about the day to come? Or do you perhaps fall right asleep and let your subconscious do the pondering? Nighttime musings nourish the inquisitive mind in Just Because, a question-filled bedtime story that draws readers into a wondrous space between wakefulness and sleep.
Just Because invites readers into the familiar, shadowy scape of a bedroom at night as a youngster prepares to go to sleep, and then into the wild world of her imagination. Flourishing with color, creatures, and familiar objects in unexpected places, these swirling scenes accompany a father’s clever responses to her endless questions. The result is a story that raises as many questions as it answers, and encourages us to seek answers in our dreams and imaginations.
It was our pleasure and privilege to interview the duo behind this dreamy collaboration: writer and Caldecott medalist Mac Barnett, and illustrator of the award-winning Jane, the Fox and Me, Isabelle Arsenault. We got to ask them about working together, their creative inspiration, and all the questions on our minds after reading their book!
Just Because- Art by Isabelle Arsenault, Words by Mac Barnett.
1. Some illustrations in this book are really colorful, and others are more shadowy and monochrome. How did you use color to help tell the story?
Isabelle: I associated a different colour to each of the questions in the book, creating a visual link between questions and answers. The question-pages are dimmer, as the light is turned down in the little girl’s bedroom, and the only colour is this big bold circle featuring her question addressed to her dad. The next page is her dad’s answer-spread where the same colour is used differently throughout the spread, with more nuancing and details. At the end of the book, colours are used in another way that breaks this convention, and brings the story to a more poetic level.
Mac: It makes sense that we read stories at bedtime. Stories are about crossing thresholds—between reality and fiction, between our experience and someone else’s. And bedtime is a liminal space—the threshold between waking and sleeping. I like these in-between spaces. When we’re more uncertain, there’s an opportunity to change, to grow, to think new thoughts.
sketches by Isabelle Arsenault.
2. How did you collaborate to tell this story?
Isabelle: I received Mac’s manuscript along with a suggestion for the layout, and two visual references/inspirations. These were old images from an encyclopedia I think, and right then, I felt we were on the same page with this book.
Mac: As a writer I prefer asking questions, as a civilian I prefer answering them. A lot of my stories pose questions. Figuring out what you think about a text can be hard work, but it’s one of the great pleasures of reading, and I’d never want to take that away from kids.
Just Because- Art by Isabelle Arsenault, Words by Mac Barnett.
3. What was your process for creating the other-worldly scenes in this story?
Isabelle: The Q&A style of this manuscript reminded me of the science documentary series I use to read (and loved) as I kid. I felt inspired by this cold factual form and liked the way it contrasted with the content, somehow. The little girl’s questions are serious, but the answers her father makes up are absurd and funny. I thought representing these seriously was perfect. So I worked with a realistic approach, trying to make these senseless images believable.
Mac: Isabelle is one of my favorite illustrators working today, and I’ve been wanting to make a book with her for almost ten years. In the manuscript for Just Because, I noted that the story alternates between a child’s room and the fantastic landscape’s described by her father, but that’s all. Once I handed my words off to Isabelle, the story belonged to her. And because she is a great illustrator, she added so much to this book, including a lovely arc between father and daughter that’s told only by their poses from picture to picture.
Isabelle Arsenault’s studio.
4. What sorts of questions do you think about before bed?
Isabelle: Oh, l’m the doubtful person type, always wondering if I’m doing the right thing... What will be my next book? Will it be good enough? Will kids like it? What if I fail?... What other job could I do?... etc. That sort of funny questions.
Mac: I fall asleep so fast, pretty much the moment I lie down.
Just Because sketches by Isabelle Arsenault.
Just Because can be found in Illustoria’s Issue 10: Color’s On Our Bookshelf feature, which is available to order now. You can also find it at bookstores and libraries across the country. Many thanks to Candlewick for helping sponsor this issue and for this interview opportunity.
Creator Crush – Illustrator Edition
The First Warm Spring Day. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl 2015.
When I’m not painting, snacking, watching reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm, or having the time of my life at Illustoria magazine, I spend my days surrounded by children’s books. Specifically, at Mr. Mopps’ Children’s Books, one of the finest bookstore establishments in the Bay Area (if not America, the World, Universe, etc). As an artist and lover of beautiful things, my favorite picture books often tend to be the ones with jaw dropping-ly cool illustrations (that is unless it’s The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak). So it’s with great joy that I share my current illustrator favorites with you. I’ve also included some really awesome up-and-coming artists who haven’t published a children’s book yet, but I really hope they one day do. I hope this list inspires you to visit your local bookstore and support these stellar artists.
1. Phoebe Wahl
Phoebe Wahl is my all time favorite illustrator at the moment. Working in various mix media from collage to watercolor and color pencil, all of Wahl’s creation are lush, whimsical, and filled with a love nature. The artist grew up in Washington and graduated from RISD in 2013 before plunging into the illustrator world. Her very first children’s book, Sonya’s Chicken’s is so wonderful-- I recommend it to everyone who comes into Mr.Mopps’. It tells the story of a young girl named Sonya who takes enormous pride in caring for her chickens. When one of her hens is killed by a neighborhood fox, Sonya learns an important lesson about the cycle of life and how to cope with loss. With gorgeously textured collage materials, rich colors, and folk inspired images, Sonya’s Chickens is a truly mesmerizing, heart warming tale you’ll want to reread again and again. It’s no wonder this book was the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats award for new illustrators! I’m greatly anticipating Wahl’s next children’s book and whatever spectacular creation she spins up next. You can check out her work at http://www.phoebewahl.com/
Cover of Sonya's Chickens. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl. Published August 2015.
Interior page of Sonya's Chickens. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl. Published 2015.
2. Isabelle Arsenault
Isabelle Arsenault is a Canadian illustrator who has worked on over ten children’s books, each more wonderful than the next. Most recently, she illustrated Cloth Lullaby a tale of the life of world famous contemporary artist Louise Bourgeois, written by talented local author Amy Novesky. What I find stunning about Arsenault’s work is how she seamlessly integrates watercolor and pencil line work to create immersive, often extremely pattern-filled scenes.
Cover of Cloth Lullaby. Copyright © Words by Amy Novesky, Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2016.
Interior page of Cloth Lullaby. Copyright © Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2016.
Though her style has a sense of innocence and child-like wonder to it, Arsenault isn’t afraid of depicting a darker side. In her graphic novel Jane, the Fox, and Me Arsenault dramatic compositions and devilish character portrayal illustrate the anxiety and angst that we all go through as early teens. More of her work can be found at http://www.isabellearsenault.com/
Interior page of Jane, the Fox, and Me. Copyright © Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2013.
3. Esme Shapiro
Esme Shapiro’s work is delightful, fresh, and filled with curiosity. Similarly to Phoebe Wahl, Shapiro is a RISD grad who just published her first children’s book, Ooko. In this amusing tale, a fox named Ooko who has it all, except for a very best friend. So it goes off an adventure to find a companion but instead gets mistaken as an old lady’s dog. Filled with whimsy, flora, and fauna, Ooka is an easy favorite. Shapiro has many many more imaginative, Maria Kalman-esque pieces on her website http://esmeshapiro.com/
Cover of Ooko. Copyright © Esmé Shapiro. Published 2016.
Page of Ooko. Copyright © Esmé Shapiro. Published 2016.
4. Joohee Yoon
Joohee Yoon is a printmaker whose work never fails to amuse and inspire me. She has illustrated two children’s books, The Tiger Who Would Be King and Beastly Verse, as well as House Plant an art book about plants that outgrow their owners. You might also recognize her work as being a frequent feature in the New Yorker and New York Times. With wonderful overlapping colors and wonderful oversized cartoon characters, Yoon’s work overflows with vivacity and humor. If you’re as big of a fan as screen printing as I am, (or even if you’re not!) her illustrations will tickle you in all the right places. You can check out more of her striking work on her website http://jooheeyoon.com/index.html
Living Things interior spread. Copyright © JooHee Yoon.
Interior page of The Tiger Who Would Be King. Copyright © JooHee Yoon. Published 2015.
Interior Page of Beastly Verse. Copyright © JooHee Yoon. Published 2015.
5. Sally Nixon
Sally Nixon, an illustrator working from Little Rock, Arkansas is one of the raddest artists around. Though she hasn’t come out with any children’s books yet (I hope she will soon!), she’s an honorable mention on this list because she’s without a doubt my creator crush. Nixon lovingly depicts the mundane moments in an average girl’s life, like eating late night snacks of chocolate cake, brushing your teeth in the shower, scrolling through instagram, or simply sitting on the toilet. By giving these often overlooked moments extra attention with delicate marker coloring and detailed penmanship, Nixon makes the everyday special. Her illustrations have a feeling of voyeurism, as if for spectators to see what women do when no one’s watching. At the same time, the contemplative boredom Nixon depicts makes her characters so relatable and well loved. Visit her website at http://sally-nixon.squarespace.com/.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Claire Astrow is a publishing assistant at Illustoria and a recent grad from UC Berkeley as an Art Practice major. Check out her bio here and her illustrated work at claireastrow.com.