Color Me a Kidlit Writer
  • Home
  • My Books & Such
  • Credits
  • Clips
  • Interviews, Blog Parties & More

Meet Children's Illustrator Sairom Moon!!

9/29/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
This adorable bunny is wearing a traditional Korean dress called a Hanbok. Don't fall, little bunny! (c) Sairom Moon
When I opened my copy of the September 2015 issue of  LADYBUG, I was totally delighted to see my poem, IN MY SUIT, surrounded by the illustrative work of Sairom Moon. Smack dab centerfold were two pages full of mischief and whimsy that she had created! Happy vibes were everywhere as adorable boys, girls, rabbits, kittens, foxes and other critters were engrossed in muddy mayhem. (Anyone care for a mudcake nibble, a mud fight, or a mud swim?)
I am pleased & honored to introduce to you this amazing Korean-American kidlit illustrator. 
Welcome, Sairom Moon!

Sairom Moon


Picture
On your website you mention that it makes you happy when your illustrations make others happy, please explain.

I like to draw from my joyful imaginations. I love the feeling I get when people sympathize with the happiness I render in my drawings. That my drawings can arouse people’s positive emotions in this tough world, pleases me and motivates me to keep on drawing.

Does your name have a meaning and has its meaning influenced your work in any way?

My name means “new” in Korean. I did not deliberately try to live like my name, but I think it suits me very well. Just like my name, I have always pursued original ideas and created my own world in my mind. Ever since I was little, I found different ways to draw things around me. Many friends drew animals and people in a similar way, but I did not follow the fixed methods. I would ask questions to myself like ‘Why do people’s faces have to be round?’ or ‘Why can’t a bunny’s ear be longer?’ Such doubts allowed me to draw different from others. People would say “Is it because her name is Sairom? Her drawings are new and creative!” and such compliments gave me confidence and eager to draw more of imaginative creations of my own.

Do you like to draw directly from nature, allowing nature to inspire your work? If so, explain your process.

Nature takes a big part in my drawings. I go out in nature as much as I can, because I think it is important to actually see and feel the beauty of it in order to express the elements in my drawings. But I prefer drawing alone in my studio rather than sketching things outside in nature. I do take photographs but I seldom refer to them when I am drawing. Instead, I put the beautiful scenes in my eyes and alter them in my mind. This way, even the smallest elements of nature wear my style when they are drawn out on my sketchbook.

When you receive an assignment to illustrate something, like a picture book text or a poem, what is your process? How do you try to personally connect with the material first so as to illustrate it authentically? 


Usually, I associate the assignments with my childhood memories. For example, for “In My Suit” in the September 2015 issue of Ladybug, I recalled days I played with my siblings in the mud on rainy days. Adding some creative elements such as activities that I would like to have done, I completed a more personal and intimate drawing.

How has your cultural background influenced your illustrative style, your voice?


Korea is strongly based on Confucianism, which nowadays is shown as very intimate relationship between family members. My father especially emphasizes this importance of family relationship to me and my siblings. He always has, and still plans family trips and all kinds of events to keep us close. Naturally, I spend most of my time with my family than anyone else. This close relationship and love for my family has definitely inspired warmth and love in my illustrations. The cute and funny actions of my subjects are mostly from observing my lovely family.

For example, in my Valentine’s Day illustration, the bunnies are exactly the image of me and my siblings. When we were little, we used to search around the kitchen to secretly eat all kinds of sweets that our mom had hid from us. I would crouch down and let my sister or brother to step on me when reaching high shelves. Just like this, memories with my family have become the biggest source of my illustration and for my drawing’s familial atmosphere.

What helps you remain inspired with regard to illustrating for children?


It is very encouraging to hear people say how my drawings are heartwarming, which I think is the best compliment for an illustrator for children. When they kindly describe to me why they liked this and that about even the most trivial things that I drew, I feel happy that I have provided them with simple pleasures. Each and every comment is precious and becomes a great stimulus for better illustration.

Picture
(c) Sairom Moon
Picture
© 2015 Sairom Moon. Reproduced with permission of Carus Publishing Company, Cricket Media
Sairom Moon studied Communication Design at Hongik University in Korea until she decided to transfer to MICA in the United States to broaden her artistic view and interests. She changed her major to Illustration while enrolled at Maryland Institute College of Art. Experienced in both design and Illustration, she works by computer and by hand. Sairom is inspired by her family, especially her clumsy younger sister who loves bunnies. Sairom feels happiest when her illustrations create happiness in others. Her work has appeared several times in Cricket Media publications. She can be found online at sairommoon.com.

All Cricket Media material is copyrighted by Carus Publishing Company, d/b/a Cricket Media and the illustrator, Sairon Moon. Any commercial use or distribution of material without permission is strictly prohibited. Please visit Cricket Media for licensing and cricketmedia.com for subscriptions.
5 Comments

Terrible Typhoid Mary: Nonfiction at its Best

9/9/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America is narrative nonfiction at its best. In its pages we discover the life of Mary Mallon--a fiery Irish woman with a flair for cooking and a temper to match. At first, middle-grade readers may sympathize with our hard-working woman who seems to be unjustly blamed for spreading the sometimes-fatal disease of typhoid. But as evidence mounts against her, readers may change their opinion about Mary, especially as she rejects reason and continues to carry typhoid into her culinary wake.
Imagine this scene. There, in the kitchen where Mary is working, sits George Soper, “a sanitary engineer with an interest in disease prevention.” He has proven to be a most-able medical detective and is sure that he has discovered the cause of numerous unexplained typhoid cases. The suspect is Mary. And there she is, her hands fast at work preparing her employer's supper. 
Soper begins to explain to Mary, who remains quite unmoved in her stoic appearance, that her body may be harboring typhoid, that she may be unwittingly passing on the disease through her cooking.
Would Mary be willing to clear up the mystery by providing Soper with specimens that he can send away to a laboratory? If those tests prove she has typhoid germs in her body, would she be willing to be treated? Notice Mary's response:

“Soper forgot the old adage that cooks rule the kitchen. He didn’t notice the anger that flashed across Mary’s face. He certainly didn’t notice the carving fork lying on the table. But Mary did. She swore at Soper, grabbed the carving fork, and lunged…. And he ran.”

For years the struggle between Mary and those involved in her case continued. Medical professionals remained intent on proving to her that she was spreading the disease through her cooking. She remained steadfast in her belief that she was not. 
Mary’s story is one volume within the pages of American history in which readers will learn so much. They will hear about the spread of disease that occurred among the many immigrants that flocked to New York City in the 19th Century. They will discover the power that the New York City Board of Health had back in those early years. They will see firsthand how yellow journalism altered the lives of hard-working individuals, individuals like Mary. They will experience the frustration that comes when an uninformed public is slow to accept medical proof and thus ends up harming others. And they will find themselves pondering the question regarding forced quarantines, a question that remains down to this day.
Terrible Typhoid Mary, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, is middle-grade, non-fiction par excellence, for Susan Campbell Bartoletti has woven together accurately-researched details, quotes from primary sources, and archival photographs like a storytelling master. In my opinion, this book reads as easily as a Robin Cook medical-thriller!

1 Comment

The Tale of Rescue: A Middle-Grade Adventure

9/7/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
A 10-year-old boy and his parents are lost in a blizzard. The blinding snow has disoriented them, and they have wandered far away from the little, warm vacation cabin. And now they face freezing temperatures and rising drifts with nothing to shelter them from the bitter cold but their scarves, gloves and clothes. They will not survive the night without a rescue. But who will come? No one even knows that they are missing. 
The frightened boy's father sends out a cry for help. He whistles. Will anyone hear? The ears of a cattle dog, a heeler, perk up. He follows the sound until the family is found. They are shivering in a mound of snow. First, the dog offers his warmth. The family snuggles against his fur. And then, just as the dog has appeared seemingly out of nowhere, he jumps up and disappears into the white. 

"The dog's warmth lingered, but it was like a held breath...soon to expire. As nightfall approached, the family knew temperatures would plummet. They shared the quiet, in lieu of hope."

What the family does not know is that the dog has gone to get the farmer, his handler, for help. The farmer, though, does not understand the meaning of the dog's alarming barks. The cattle seem all right. The farmer does not follow the dog.
So this dog, this brave, smart dog, with yips, nips and barks, rouses the cows from their rest, and sends the herd out over the snow and straight to the family. Now the family has a chance! They can follow the packed snow and find safety at the farmer’s home. Will they have the strength to follow the dog? Will they survive this night? You’ll have to read this short and lovely middle-grade tale to find out.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Illustrations (c) Stan Fellows, Candlewick Press, 2015
I loved the voice of this book. For me, Rosen's writing is reminiscent of the beautiful prose found within Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall. Being a quick-read, children tackling novels for the first time will find the length perfect. Elementary-school teachers will enjoy reading this book aloud, as each page is filled with action and is so fast-paced that wiggly students will surely settle down.
The illustrations are beautifully painted and match the mood and tone of the story. They vividly portray the immediacy of the storm. You can practically feel the cold as night moves on. And I am sure, like me, all readers of this book will come to adore the hero of this tale--a non-assuming cattle dog that ends his night of heroism with his usual slumber in a barn full with cows.
The Tale of Rescue: Text copyright © 2015 by Michael J. Rosen. Illustrations © 2015 by Stan Fellows. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
 
4 Comments

    About Me

    Dionna is a spinner of children's yarns, a weaver of nonfiction, and a forever-learner enrolled in the Institute of Imaginative Thinking. Her kidlit work has appeared on the pages of  Cricket, Spider, and Ladybug. As a work-for-hire author, she's written projects for Scholastic, Lerner, Capstone, Little, Brown and other educational publishers. Her middle-grade, MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS, will be released by Holiday House come 2024. An SCBWI member since 2005, Dionna is represented by ​Kelly Dyksterhouse and 
    Jacqui Lipton of The Tobias Literary Agency.


    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    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
    Abigail Halpin
    A Big Mooncake For Little Star
    Abrams Books For Young Readers
    Adriann Ranta Zurhellen
    African Art By Children
    Aladdin Pix
    Albert Whitman & Company
    Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs
    Alfred A. Knopf
    Alice Ratterree
    Alvina Ling
    Alyssa Bermudez
    Amy Harding
    Amy Lee-Tai
    Andrea Beatriz Arango
    Andrea Brown Literary
    Angela Dominguez
    Angie Arnett
    Angie Miles
    Angie Smibert
    Anna Staniszewski
    Anne Marie Pace
    Anne Moore Armstrong
    Annual Virginia Book Events
    A POEM GROWS INSIDE YOU
    Arrows
    Arthur Levine Books
    Art-Themed Challenges
    Ashley Spires
    Ashley Walker
    Autism Picture Book
    Bagram Ibatoulline
    Barb McNally
    Barb Rosenstock
    Beach Lane Books
    Ben Franklin's Big Splash
    Blink YA Books
    Blog Hop
    Blog Parties
    BO AT THE BUZZ
    Book Launch Parties
    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
    Callie C. Miller
    Candlewick Press
    Capstone
    Carina Povarchik
    Caroline McPherson
    Cetologist
    Changes In Publishing
    Charlie & Frog
    Charlottesville Illustrator
    Chronicle Books
    C. M. Surrisi
    Colleen Muske
    Colleen Paeff
    Confetti Kids
    Content Editor
    Coping Skills School-aged Children
    Copyeditors
    Coyote Moon
    Craft Of Storytelling
    Craft Of Writing
    Crenshaw
    Cricket Magazine Contributor
    Critiquing
    Crossover
    Cyndi Marko
    Cynthia Cliff
    Daniel Bernstrom
    Daniel Nayeri
    Dave Mottram
    Dawn P. Noren
    Deaf Main Characters
    Deborah Diner
    Deborah Prum
    Dionna Mann
    Dish Up A Reading Delight
    Disney-Hyperion
    Dolores Andral
    Donna & Libby Farrell
    Don Tate
    Doris Kutschbach
    Ebony Glenn
    Eerdmans Books For Young Readers
    Elliott Smith
    Engaging The Audience
    Erica Perl
    Erin Murphy
    Erin Murphy Literary Agency
    Ethan Suspended
    Eucalyptus Tree
    EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY
    Fall 2020 Virtual Kidlit Events
    Farrar Straus And Giroux
    Fearless Public Speaking
    Feiwel & Friends
    Felicia Macheske
    Fine Art Raven Photographer
    Flashlight Night
    Fort Building Time
    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
    GIFTS OF THE MAGPIE
    Good Illustration Ltd.
    Grace Lin
    Grammar Tip
    Great Nocturnal Book For Kids
    Growing Up Pedro
    Hannah Barnaby
    HarperCollins
    HB Steadham
    Heather Brockman Lee
    Highlighter SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Newsletter
    Holly Webb
    Holt Books For Young Readers
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    How To Draw A Lion
    I Love My Library
    Interviews
    Iris Deppe
    IVELIZ EXPLAINS IT ALL
    Jacqueline Jules
    Jacques Kaufmann
    Jacqui Lipton
    Jen Malia
    Jennifer Elvgren
    Jennifer Laughran
    Jennifer Unter
    Jen Shulman
    Jess Brailler
    Jessica Sinsheimer
    Jewell Parker Rhodes
    Joanie Stone
    Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
    John Parra
    John Platt
    Joy Jones
    Julia Kuo
    Julie Matysik
    Jump Back Paul
    Jumpy Jack & Googily
    June Hunter
    Kara Reynolds
    Kar-Ben Publishing
    Karen Kane
    Karen Nagel
    Kate Testerman
    Katherine Applegate
    Kathleen Kellett
    Kathleen Rushall
    Kathryn Erskine
    Katrin Dreiling
    Kell Andrews
    Kelly Dyksterhouse
    Kellye Crocker
    KidLit411
    Kidlit Agent
    Kidlit Art Director
    Kidlit Artist
    Kidlit Author
    Kidlit Author & Illustrator
    Kidlit Book Designer
    Kidlit Coauthors
    KidLit C'Ville Blog Party
    Kidlit Editors
    KidLit Events
    Kidlit Events 2021
    Kidlit Events 2022
    Kidlit Reviews
    Kid Reviewer
    Kids Can Press
    Killer Whales
    Kristen-Paige Madonia
    Kwame Alexander
    Kweli: The Color Of Children's Literature Conference
    Ladybug Magazine
    Laura Lyn DiSiena
    Law And Authors: A Legal Handbook For Writers
    Leah Henderson
    Leaving Room For The Illustrator
    Lee & Low Books
    Lerner
    Leslie Stall Widener
    Less Is More
    Lilliput
    Lily's New Home
    Linda Pratt
    Lindsey McDivitt
    LIONS & CHEETAHS & RHINOS! OH MY!
    Literary Agent Interviews
    Little
    Little Brown Books For Young Readers
    Liza Wiemer
    Lois Sepahban
    London
    Lynne Chapman
    Madeline
    Madelyn Rosenberg
    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 Kidlit Events
    Mary Rand Hess
    Matt Forest Esenwine
    Maverick Children's Books
    Megan Wagner Lloyd
    Meg Medina
    Meg Medina's One-Minute Writing Tips
    Melissa Gorzelanczyk
    Melissa Manlove
    Michael J Rosen
    Michelle Meadows
    Middle-grade
    Moira Donohue
    My Work
    Nancy Carpenter
    Nancy Paulsen Books
    Nedda Lewers
    Nikki Grimes
    NOAA Scientist
    Olga M. Herrera
    Olivia Hinebaugh
    One Day In The Eucalyptus
    One Good Deed
    ORCAS By Dionna L. Mann
    Pam Ehrenberg
    Paper Wishes
    Paper Wishes Blog Party
    Paula Yoo
    Peachtree Publishers
    Personal Rejections
    Phil Bildner
    Picture Book About Change And Grief
    Picture Book Biography
    Picture Books
    PJ Books
    Planting Parsley
    Poet: Remarkable Story Of George Moses Horton
    POV
    Prestel Junior
    Proofreading
    Queries
    Query Kombat
    Query Kombat 2018 Grand Champion
    Race Car Dreams Blog Party
    Random House/Delacorte
    Rashin Kheiriyeh
    Raven Quill Literary Agency
    Rejections
    Renee Graef
    Return To The Secret Garden
    Roberta Pressel
    Rosie McCormick
    Running Press
    Ryan Hayes
    Saffron Ice Cream
    Sairom Moon
    Sam Gayton
    Sam Hundley
    Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
    Sara Holmes
    SASE
    Scholastic Press
    School Visits
    Scott DuBar
    Scrap Artist
    S.D. Schindler
    Sensory Issues
    Seth Fishman
    Sharon Chriscoe
    Shirley Ng-Benitez
    Short Pump Bump!
    Simon & Schuster
    Sleeping Bear Press
    Slush Piles
    SOLO
    Sonia Sanchez
    Sourcebooks
    SparkNotes
    Spencer Hill Contemporary
    Spooky Cheetah Press
    Spring 2021 Kidlit Events
    Stan Fellows
    Stephanie Fitzgerald
    Susan Bartoletti
    Susan Batori
    Susan VanHecke
    Susan Wood
    Suzie Townsend
    Swenke Elementary Book Trailer Crew
    Sylvia Liu
    Tag Your Dreams
    Tami Traylor
    Teresa Bonnadio
    Terrible Typhoid Mary
    Terri Fields
    The 24/7s
    The Amazing Age Of John Roy Lynch
    The Boney Hand
    The Crossover Review
    THE GREAT STINK
    The Innovative Press
    The Most Magnificent Thing
    Therese Makes A Tapestry
    The Tale Of Rescue
    THE WILD GARDEN
    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
    Tom Angleberger
    Tom Birdseye
    Towers Falling
    Trombone Shorty
    Uwe Stender
    Virginia Festival Of The Book
    Virginia KidLit Events
    Virginia Literary Events
    Virtual Bookish Events
    Want To Play?
    Wendy Shang
    Winter 2021 Virtual Book Events
    Wordsong
    Work For Hire
    Writing Advice
    Writing Process
    Writing Quotes
    WV Kidlit Events
    Yaroslava Apollonova
    Zara González Hoang
    Zara González Hoang
    Zoe In Wonderland