Color Me a Kidlit
      Writer
  • Home
  • About Me
  • My Books & Such
  • Clips
  • Blog
  • Credits

RACE CAR DREAMS Blog Party: Day 6 VROOM!

9/21/2016

3 Comments

 
Picture
(C) Dave Mottram, Running Press Kids, 2016

Introducing...
TERESA BONNADIO: A Vrooming Kidlit Senior Designer


Picture
After reading the text for RACE CAR DREAMS, what did you think of the manuscript and what illustrative vision did you have for it?

The rhyme and rhythm of Sharon Chriscoe’s text immediately brought out the essence of a classic nighttime read. We were all captivated by the little race car character and how the story follows him from the end of his race day through his nightly routine and on into dreamland. When searching for an illustrator, we knew it would be important to find someone who could bring the character to life in a way that felt human, and we also wanted someone who could capture the dreamy, magical light of the nighttime atmosphere.
 
How did Dave's portfolio come to your attention and why did you think his work would marry well with Sharon's manuscript?

Finding Dave is an example of how I tend to fall down rabbit holes when looking for picture book illustrators. I really like the search and discovery process. I came across his work on Dribbble, which is a social media site for illustrators and designers. Although at the time he didn’t have examples of anthropomorphized machinery in his portfolio, he had everything we were looking for that we could pick out in various pieces of his: amazing machinery, cute character designs (with irresistible eyes!), and a dreamy nightscape. We had faith that with art direction he would be able to bring all of those things together in one book—and he did!
 
Explain what factors came to play when you were deciding how to juxtapose Sharon's text with Dave's illustrations?

Working with Sharon’s editor at the time, Marlo Scrimizzi, we figured out most text placement in the early stages of development and kept fluid during rough sketches. With rhyming text there are some limitations to layout because certain lines need to stay together. But I like to create opportunities for the text to really mingle with the art, like on the aerial view of the winding road, and I’m fortunate that the team liked it. That particular spread changed a lot from thumbnail to final sketch. Initially Dave interpreted it as two separate pages--one just a regular view of Race Car coming towards the wash and one of Race Car going through the wash. In order to establish a better transition, and vary the perspective so we could see more of the world Race Car lived in, I suggested that he show a birds-eye view of where he was going from and to. Dave took that direction and delivered it better than we ever could have imagined. I added the text on the curve of the road to help keep the motion moving forward.
 
What about Dave's work ethic made the process of creating this book easier to accomplish?

Dave is a real pro and dynamite with character development, bringing out emotional variety and personality to all of them. (Fun fact: it was his idea to have Race Car have “2” painted on his side. Brilliant!) Going into this project we knew the challenge was going to be working more on backgrounds and scenery, though, since this was one of his first picture books. He ended up doing a great job building up scenes. He was a great collaborator, an efficient problem-solver, and flexible to art direction, which helped us bring out the best in the book as a whole.
 
Can you tell us, where are you in the planning process for RACE CAR DREAMS's companion, BULLDOZER DREAMS? 

BULLDOZER DREAMS has kicked into gear. We are anxiously awaiting the sketches from the incredibly talented John Joven. The book will feel similar in style to RACE CAR DREAMS, but John definitely has his own voice and has added his own artistic twist and flare to the project that has helped distinguish them.


Teresa Bonnadio is a Senior Designer at Running Press in Philadelphia and has built her life around books. She earned her BFA in Printmaking/Book Arts from The University of the Arts and a Post-Baccalaureate degree in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In her twelve-year publishing career, she’s also been an editor, writer, and illustrator. When she’s not obsessing about children’s books, you can find her out in nature, taking pictures and pondering life. She can be found online at tlbonaddio.com.

Picture
PUBLISHER'S BLURB:​
​After a day at the track of zipping and zooming, a race car is tired and ready for bed. He washes his rims, fills his tummy with oil, and chooses a book that is all about speed. All toasty and warm, he drifts off to sleep, he shifts into gear . . . and dreams of the race!

RACE CAR DREAMS is a delightful, bedtime tale written by Sharon Chriscoe, illustrated by Dave Mottram and published by Running Press Kids (September 2016).

3 Comments

    Author

    Dionna is a spinner of children's yarns, a weaver of nonfiction articles, and a forever-learner enrolled in the Institute of Imaginative Thinking.  She is the author of ORCAS, a photo-supported book for 3rd to 5th graders that can be found in the award-winning Nature's Children series published by Scholastic Press. You'll also find her kidlit work in Cricket, Ladybug, and soon in Highlights for Children. As a freelance journalist, Dionna writes for  Charlottesville Family's Bloom, a Parent's Choice winner. She's been an SCBWI Mid-Atlantic member since 2005, and the content editor of her region's SCBWI newsletter, the Highlighter, since 2017. Dionna lives in Virginia with her husband.


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    May 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    A Big Mooncake For Little Star
    Abrams Books For Young Readers
    Adriann Ranta Zurhellen
    Aladdin Pix
    Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs
    Alice Ratterree
    Alvina Ling
    Amy Lee-Tai
    Andrea Brown Literary
    Angela Dominguez
    Angie Arnett
    Angie Miles
    Anna Staniszewski
    Anne Marie Pace
    Anne Moore Armstrong
    Annual Virginia Book Events
    Arrows
    Arthur Levine Books
    Ashley Spires
    Bagram Ibatoulline
    Barb Rosenstock
    Beach Lane Books
    Ben Franklin's Big Splash
    Blink YA Books
    Blog Hop
    Blog Parties
    Book Events
    Book Trailers
    Boyds Mills And Kane
    Boyds Mills Press
    BRAVE BALLERINA
    Brenda Woods
    Brian Rock
    Bright Literary Agency
    Brown Books For Young Readers
    Busy Eyed Day
    Busy-Eyed Day
    Calkin's Creek
    Candlewick Press
    Carina Povarchik
    Changes In Publishing
    Charlie & Frog
    Charlottesville Illustrator
    Chronicle Books
    Confetti Kids
    Coping Skills School-aged Children
    Copyeditors
    Coyote Moon
    Craft Of Storytelling
    Craft Of Writing
    Crenshaw
    Critiquing
    Crossover
    Cyndi Marko
    Daniel Bernstrom
    Daniel Nayeri
    Dave Mottram
    DC
    DC KidLit Events
    DC Literary Events
    Deaf Main Characters
    Deborah Prum
    Dish Up A Reading Delight
    Disney-Hyperion
    Donna & Libby Farrell
    Don Tate
    Ebony Glenn
    Eerdmans Books For Young Readers
    Engaging The Audience
    Erica Perl
    Erin Murphy
    Erin Murphy Literary Agency
    Ethan Suspended
    Eucalyptus Tree
    Farrar Straus And Giroux
    Fearless Public Speaking
    Feiwel & Friends
    Flashlight Night
    Foundry Literary + Media
    Four Beautiful Picture Book Biographies
    Fran Cannon Slayton
    Frann Preston Gannon
    Frann Preston-Gannon
    Fred Koehler
    From My Notes
    Garvey's Choice
    Getty Publications
    Good Illustration Ltd.
    Grace Lin
    Grammar Tip
    Great Nocturnal Book For Kids
    Growing Up Pedro
    Hannah Barnaby
    HarperCollins
    Holly Webb
    Holt Books For Young Readers
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    I Love My Library
    Interviews
    Jacques Kaufmann
    Jennifer Elvgren
    Jennifer Laughran
    Jen Shulman
    Jessica Sinsheimer
    Jewell Parker Rhodes
    John Parra
    Joy Jones
    Julia Kuo
    Julie Matysik
    Jump Back Paul
    Jumpy Jack & Googily
    Kara Reynolds
    Kar-Ben Publishing
    Karen Kane
    Karen Nagel
    Kate Testerman
    Katherine Applegate
    Kathleen Kellett
    Kathleen Rushall
    Kathryn Erskine
    Katrin Dreiling
    Kell Andrews
    KidLit411
    Kidlit Agent
    Kidlit Art Director
    Kidlit Artist
    Kidlit Author
    Kidlit Author & Illustrator
    KidLit C'Ville Blog Party
    Kidlit Editors
    KidLit Events
    Kids Can Press
    Kristen-Paige Madonia
    Kwame Alexander
    Kweli: The Color Of Children's Literature Conference
    Ladybug Magazine
    Laura Lyn DiSiena
    Leah Henderson
    Leaving Room For The Illustrator
    Lee & Low Books
    Less Is More
    Lilliput
    Lily's New Home
    Linda Pratt
    Literary Agent Interviews
    Little
    Little Brown Books For Young Readers
    Liza Wiemer
    Lois Sepahban
    London
    Lynne Chapman
    Making It (not Too) Personal Query Etiquette
    Mama's Chicken & Dumplings
    Marc Boston
    Marfe Delano
    Margaret Ferguson
    Margaret Ferguson Books
    Maria Gianferrari
    Marvelous Cornelius
    Marvelous Cornelius Blog Party
    Mary Amato
    Maryland Book Events
    Maryland KidLit Events
    Maryland Literary Events
    Mary Rand Hess
    Matt Forest Esenwine
    Maverick Children's Books
    Melissa Gorzelanczyk
    Melissa Manlove
    Michael J Rosen
    Michelle Meadows
    Middle-grade
    Moira Donohue
    Nancy Paulsen Books
    Nikki Grimes
    Olivia Hinebaugh
    One Day In The Eucalyptus
    One Good Deed
    Pam Ehrenberg
    Paper Wishes
    Paper Wishes Blog Party
    Paula Yoo
    Peachtree Publishers
    Personal Rejections
    Phil Bildner
    Picture Book Biography
    Picture Books
    PJ Books
    Planting Parsley
    Poet: Remarkable Story Of George Moses Horton
    POV
    Proofreading
    Queries
    Query Kombat
    Query Kombat 2018 Grand Champion
    Race Car Dreams Blog Party
    Random House/Delacorte
    Rashin Kheiriyeh
    Rejections
    Renee Graef
    Return To The Secret Garden
    Reviews
    Roberta Pressel
    Rosie McCormick
    Running Press
    Ryan Hayes
    Saffron Ice Cream
    Sairom Moon
    Sam Gayton
    Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
    Sara Holmes
    SASE
    School Visits
    Scott DuBar
    S.D. Schindler
    Seth Fishman
    Sharon Chriscoe
    Shirley Ng-Benitez
    Short Pump Bump!
    Simon & Schuster
    Slush Piles
    SOLO
    Sourcebooks
    SparkNotes
    Spencer Hill Contemporary
    Spooky Cheetah Press
    Stan Fellows
    Stephanie Fitzgerald
    Susan Bartoletti
    Susan Batori
    Susan VanHecke
    Susan Wood
    Suzie Townsend
    Swenke Elementary Book Trailer Crew
    Sylvia Liu
    Tami Traylor
    Teresa Bonnadio
    Terrible Typhoid Mary
    Terri Fields
    The Amazing Age Of John Roy Lynch
    The Boney Hand
    The Crossover Review
    The Most Magnificent Thing
    Therese Makes A Tapestry
    The Tale Of Rescue
    The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary
    This Little Piggy: An Owner Manual
    This Little Piggy Has A Blog Party
    Thread Of Love
    Tillmon County Fire
    Tips For Book Events
    Towers Falling
    Trombone Shorty
    Uwe Stender
    Virginia Festival Of The Book
    Virginia KidLit Events
    Virginia Literary Events
    Want To Play?
    Washington
    Wordsong
    Writing Advice
    Writing Process
    Writing Quotes
    Zara González Hoang
    Zoe In Wonderland