Peter Reynolds
Q&A with Peter Reynolds
Q: When and why did you decide to illustrate Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday in full color - a first for the brother-sister duo?
A: Although the Judy and Stink books have been created in black and white up till now, in my mind I have always seen the color. I grew up watching a lot of black-and white TV and films, so I'm good at using my imagination to color things with no color. I was excited when Candlewick suggested that we actually use full color in this special holiday book. Finally, the world gets to see what my brain has been seeing for years!
Q: Do you have a favorite holiday memory from your own childhood?
A: Our house, in Chelmsford, Mass., had no fireplace, so my dad bought the family a cardboard one. It had bricks printed on it, and in the hearth was a little light bulb with a bit of metal that swirled around it, giving the illusion of flickering fire behind the cardboard logs! I would sit and stare into the "fire," completely enchanted. I was equally impressed with the fact that Santa could get down our artificial fireplace, which made for an even more magical Christmas!
Q: How has your journey as an artist evolved over time? Were you a creative kid, or did you need encouragement to express your inner artist?
A: I think I get the same exquisite thrill and satisfaction while drawing now as I did when I was six or seven, sprawled out on my bedroom floor, swimming in paper, pens, and markers. (Growing up in a house of accountants meant that we had lots of paper, adding machine tape, grease pencils, and various other materials and tools that I put to good use.) My twin brother has always been a big supporter of my work. He would go through all the doodles I had produced in a school day and review them with me. I loved that he loved my art. He hasn't changed in four decades; he still is cheering me on. I have been drawing Judy Moody and the whole cast of characters for almost a decade now. It gets easier and easier to draw them. As I read Megan McDonald's words, my mind immediately conjures up the scene. I know all the characters well - as though they are part of my family. I half expect to run into Judy or Stink on the street.
Q: Through the Judy Moody and Stink books, you've reached millions of kids with your artwork. What is it like to have created a globally recognizable character?
A: It is amazing to me to have created characters who are known worldwide. When ever I go on school visits, as soon as I draw a curlicue, the kids cheer, "JUDY MOOOOODY!" I am stunned that they can tell who I am about to draw from just seeing that curly loop of hair. I pinch myself when I think how lucky I am to have collaborated with Megan McDonald and Candlewick Press to create the fantastically fun world of Judy Moody! I feel truly blessed!
Contributor: Candlewick Press
Reviews
Judy Moody & Stink: Holly Joliday
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Judy Moody made a T.P. list of what she wanted for Christmas. That is "Totally Presents list" created on toilet paper, the only thing long enough to contain her whole list. Her younger brother, Stink, had a very short list. He wanted snow. When the new mailman, Jack Frost, tells Stink that he "can almost taste snow in the air," and delivers an anonymous package with mittens for the children, Stink is sure that his wish will come true. This is contrasted with Judy's class presentation: a song about Christmas in Hawaii--a far cry from the snow-filled traditional Christmas scenes. Peter Reynolds' full-page illustrations and McDonald's humorous quips and wordplay keep the story moving at a lively pace in this, the newest book in the series. Judy Moody's Christmas spirit and a little Christmas magic make this a delightful early chapter book for the season. 2007, Candlewick Press, Ages 7 to 9, $14.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3237-3
ISBN: 0-7636-3237-6
Ish
Peter Reynolds
Ramon loves to draw more than anything else, but a snide remark about his drawings from his big brother saps his self-confidence. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot get his drawings to look exactly like the object he is drawing. After a while he begins to think his brother is right and he can't draw. When he finds that his little sister has been secretly hanging his castaway drawings on her wall, his view of his work changes. Marisol says that his drawing of a vase full of flowers is "vase-ish," and Ramon begins to realize that all art is "ish." No longer needing to be perfect, Ramon's creativity flows in both words and drawings, and he lives "ish-fully" ever after. Animated using Reynolds' simple line drawings and splashes of watercolor, Ish assures its viewers that everyone has a version of the world that should be shared. Animated, 7 minutes. 2005, Weston Woods Studios, $59.95. Ages 4 to 9. Reviewer: Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-439-80427-2
ISBN: 978-0-439-80427-1
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2344-9
Judy Moody
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Young readers will enjoy meeting Judy Moody--and her many moods--in this funny, easy-to-read chapter book. Judy has a little brother named "Stink," a bug-eating pet plant named "Jaws" and a roomful of "stuff" collections. She has a best friend, Rocky AND a 'pest' friend, "paste-eating-dull-as-dirt" Frank Pearl. Judy's adventures begin on the first day of third grade when her new teacher, Mr. Todd, asks each student to create a ME collage. This puts Judy into a happy, cut-and-paste mood! But, it's also the day that Frank Pearl invites Judy to be the one-and-only girl at his upcoming just-for-nerds birthday party. Ouch--Judy gets a stubborn, grouchy mood attack! Readers will laugh along with Judy's moods, good and bad, as she discovers that sometimes the "Worst Thing Ever" corner of your ME collage can bump right against your "Funniest Thing Ever" spot...and that sometimes a 'pest' friend can put you in the best of moods. Adding immensely to the fun of this book are Peter Reynolds' funny, squiggly, pen-and-ink drawings, which have been sprinkled liberally throughout the text. 2000, Candlewick Press, $15.99. Ages 8 to 11. Reviewer: Dianne Ochiltree (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6 13th Edition, 2002; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Books for Children, 2001; American Library Association-ALSC; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, April 2000; Cahners; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award Winner 2003 Oregon
Garden State Children's Book Award Winner 2003 Younger Fiction United States
Voice of Youth Award Second Place 2004-2005 United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Arizona Young Readers' Award, 2002; Nominee; Intermediate Books; Arizona
Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award, 2003; Nominee; Oregon
Cochecho Readers' Award, 2001-2002; Nominee; Dover, New Hampshire
Cochecho Readers' Award, 2000-2001; Nominee; Dover, New Hampshire
Colorado Children's Book Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Colorado
Garden State Children's Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Children's Fiction; New Jersey
Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2002-2003; Nominee; Iowa
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2001-2002; Nominee; Grades 3-5; Kentucky
Maryland Children's Book Award, 2004; Nominee; Intermediate; Maryland
Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Massachusetts
North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Junior Books; North Carolina
Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 2002-2003; Nominee; Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Children's Book Award, 2002; Nominee; Rhode Island
Utah Children's Book Awards, 2003; Nominee; Children's Fiction; Utah
Voice of Youth Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; 3rd and 4th Grade; Illinois
ISBN: 0-7636-0685-5
ISBN: 978-0-7636-0685-5
Judy Moody Gets Famous!
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Just like most kids, Judy Moody has a secret dream of being famous for something. Her nemesis, Jessica Finch, won a local spelling bee and got her name in the newspaper. Her brother creates a "Moody Hall of Fame" on the refrigerator and features his own special famous moments. Judy seems to be the only one who hasn't done something really special. After a few very creative attempts to get some attention for herself, Judy realizes that she is still no closer to becoming famous. A trip to the emergency room with her friend leads Judy to discover a playroom with a problem--all of the dolls are broken and disheveled. One of the patients complains about the lack of good dolls to play with during her long hours in the hospital. Judy secretly takes the dolls home and refurbishes them so that they look like little patients, then returns them to the hospital. To her surprise, an article appears in the newspaper about the "Phantom Doll Doctor" who brought joy to the hospital playroom. Although Judy's secret identity is never revealed, she learns that fame is rewarding even if no one else knows about it. 2001, Candlewick Press, $15.99. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Carol E. Lynch (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Choices, 2002; International Reading Association; United States
Notable Books for Children, 2002; American Library Association-ALSC; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, July 2001; Cahners; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award Winner 2002 Beginning Readers and Younger Fiction United States
Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Awards Nominee 2002 United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Iowa
Land of Enchantment Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Children's; New Mexico
Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Children's Choice Award, 2007; Master List; Illinois
Sasquatch Reading Award, 2004; Nominee; Washington
Virginia Young Readers Program, 2003-2004; Nominee; Elementary (Grades 3-5); Virginia
Young Hoosier Book Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Intermediate; Indiana
ISBN: 0-7636-0849-1
ISBN: 978-0-7636-0849-1
Judy Moody Predicts the Future
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
What I like most of all about Judy Moody is how typical a child she is. While I find Junie B. Jones completely annoying, Judy Moody is an average kid with average problems. She is also enormously popular with the transitional novel reader. Okay, enough about that--Judy Moody finds a mood ring in a box of cereal and is desperate for it to say she is "on top of the world." Unfortunately, the mood ring keeps turning black, which is not good at all. Judy becomes convinced that she can predict the future and sets about trying to use that skill in every way imaginable. The character of Judy is well drawn and the humor in the story is delightful. This is a wonderful read for the transitional novel set. 2003, Candlewick Press, $15.99. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
Judy Moody, in her latest adventure, pours out seven bowls of cereal before finding the Mystery Prize in the box. And what a prize! It is a mood ring and Judy is thrilled until she finds that the ring's soft center remains black no matter how hard she presses on it and she knows that black means a bad mood. Finally Judy is so mad, she tosses the ring into the garbage, but her annoying little brother Stink retrieves it and for him it turns green. Now Judy is determined to get her ring back and she decides to convince Stink that she has magic powers. As Judy makes some predictions that turn out to be right she has people wondering. Is she psychic? Kids always enjoy the idea of having magic powers and they are sure to find this story a lot of fun. The illustrator provides a "Who's Who" gallery in the front of the book and his pictures are done in watercolor, tea and ink. 2003, Candlewick Press, $15.99. Ages 8 to 11. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2004; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2004; H.W. Wilson
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Colorado Children's Book Award, 2005; Nominee; Colorado
The Golder Archer Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Intermediate; Wisconsin
ISBN: 0-7636-1792-X
ISBN: 978-0-7636-1792-9
My Very Big Little World: A Sugarloaf Book
Peter Reynolds
Welcome to the world of Sugarloaf--a charming and infectiously sweet child. Not the biggest or the smallest in her family but smack dab in the middle, she all but sparkles as she talks about what is important in her little world. She likes to wake early with her Dad (they are morning people), she is growing teeth for her Mom the dentist to take care of, and she likes to draw portraits in Grammar's favorite color orange. Her observations are right on target for a preschool child who sees the world as all about herself. Pay careful attention to the whimsical childlike watercolor as they expand and extend Sugarloaf's precocious ramblings. Each illustration captures the bigness and smallness of Sugarloaf's world. The family's looming portrait gallery (the fridge) towers above her, and a few pages later she looms over her stuffed toys assembled for a drum solo. Sugarloaf tosses off a casual "see you next time" on the last page. Let us hope so because she is a little girl we are glad to have met. 2006, Atheneum, $15.95. Ages 4 to 6. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007; Bank Street College of Education; United States
ISBN: 978-0-689-87621-9
ISBN: 0-689-87621-1
Olivia Kidney
Ellen Potter
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Join a lonely young girl, Olivia, on her journey as she ventures through her new apartment building where she lives with her dad who is the new superintendent. She has experienced living at many different complexes due to her father's inadequacies with his job, along with recently losing her brother to cancer, and her mother ran away, too. Olivia has lost her keys or someone took them, and she is unable to get into her apartment. She waits outside her door where she meets a new friend Branwell, who quickly leaves to take care of his family. She senses that he seems different to her, but she doesn't focus on that thought. While she looks for her father on her travels on some of the floors, she meets various tenants who have their own story to tell--a princess living in an all-glass apartment, two mean girls who are her age, a woman who wears talking lizards around her neck who lives in a tropical setting, a mother who wants to become a medium, and Branwell who is a ghost. Her father finally comes and finds her in the sub-basement level and takes her home. Back in their apartment, he talks about how things used to be and how he wants to try and get back to normal with one another since her brother's death. This is one of the first times that Olivia doesn't feel so alone in a long time. When she goes to bed she starts to hear static from her radio and soon hears her brother talking to her from his grave to let her know he is okay and to be sure to take care of their dad, and that he is always looking out for her. The text is strongly connected throughout the book all the way to the final page, and may leave the reader empathizing with Olivia along and shedding a couple of tears. The black-and-white, cartoon-like illustrations accompany the story well. This is a fun and enchanting read that keeps the reader on the edge of her/his seat until the very end along with helping to expand imaginations. Great for both boys and girls, especially those who are reluctant to read. 2003, Philomel Books, $15.99. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Christy Oestreich (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2005; H. W. Wilson; United States
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006; H.W. Wilson; United States
The Children's Literature Choice List, 2004; Children's Literature; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, June 23, 2003; Cahners; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Book Award Notable Book 2004 Intermediate Fiction United States
White Ravens Award Winner 2004 United States United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Garden State Children's Book Award, 2006; Nominee; Fiction; New Jersey
ISBN: 0-399-23850-6
ISBN: 978-0-399-23850-5
Someday
Alison McGhee
Illustrated by Peter Reynolds
A mother lists her loving remembrances, her dreams, and her hopes for the future for her daughter. It begins with "One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one" and ends with "Someday....your own hair will glow silver....And when that day comes, love, you will remember me." The thoughts and sentiments are universal, since mothers savor the ordinary as well as the highs and lows of life. Using pen and ink and watercolors, Reynolds creates warm scenes of a mother and daughter together, as well as an independent daughter. His deft use of line carries through the sentiment of the thought on each page. Since it is focused on the thoughts of the mother, this book will have the greatest appeal to adults who have experienced what the narrator is talking about. This seems more appropriate as a gift book for a graduate. It would be a beautiful Mother's Day gift to an adult daughter who now has her own baby. 2007, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, $14.99. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-2811-9
ISBN: 1-4169-2811-1
Added 12/01/07
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