As you were reading the text for Marvelous Cornelius for the first time, what creative light bulbs went off in your imagination?

When Melissa brought in Phil’s submission, titled Trashcan Wizard at the time, I remember being taken aback by the liveliness of Phil’s depiction of Cornelius. It was clear that Cornelius had an extremely vivid personality. Despite his very humble and blue-collar line of work, he brought the energy and passion you would expect from a Broadway performer! In particular, his HOOTIE HOO’s or RAT-A-TAT-TAT’s seemed to be begging to be large, colorful, and hand-lettered (which John did!). Add to that the already colorful backdrop of New Orleans, and you have such an incredible visual bank to withdraw from. 

​Another very unique aspect of this text to both Melissa and I was how it felt and read like the famous tall tales of American literature. Marvelous Cornelius seemed larger than life. And so we set out to capture that visually.

When it came to choosing an illustrator for this text, what style or voice were you looking for?

When thinking about that folklore / tall tale angle that Melissa and I were hoping to find, we wanted an illustrator whose style would match that. So, someone who had a folk art motif but could still handle full scenes (in particular, many people and buildings) was paramount in our art selection process. Also, because of the grave nature of Katrina, it was important that there was a sincerity and reverence to the tone of the artwork.

How did John Parra's work come to your attention and how did his style fit your vision for this project?

Luckily for us, Melissa had worked with John Parra on a few other picture books, and she immediately suggested that he illustrate the book. After looking up his work, and hearing “John is a dream to work with” from one of our other Children’s Designers, it was an easy “Yes.”

How did you and John work together to create the narrative flow of this marvelous picture-book biography?

John was extremely touched by Phil’s story, and made it apparent in the early-going that he had a very clear vision for the story. Since John was a familiar artist to us, we entrusted him with a simple layout of the text and the freedom to sketch and bring Cornelius to life as he envisioned him.

When we received that first round of sketches, Melissa and I were blown away. Naturally, first sketches are never perfect, so she and I worked together with John on adjustments to help the pacing of the story from page to page. By that, I mean we encouraged John to vary the scale / perspective on each page to help create a contrast from spread to spread. But more importantly, those changes in scale and perspective can create emphasis at pivotal moments of the story. For instance, the moment when Cornelius rises up after feeling defeated by the destruction of Katrina, John shifted the perspective to zoom in on Cornelius. This cued the reader to the shift that was happening both in the story and in our protagonist.

When picture books touch on tragic events like Hurricane Katrina, why do you think the illustrations should, in the end, offer kids hope, as they did in Marvelous Cornelius?

Tragic events are a harsh reminder of reality, and picture books on the whole tend to live far beyond that reality. So when picture books address these events head-on, it can be jarring for a child.

But what’s amazing about children is that they have this intrinsic ability (read: superpower) to find hope, wonder, and possibility in almost everything they encounter. Offering that hope in the illustrations reaffirms and strengthens those feelings, which is incredibly important to maintain. At some point, as we grow up, we begin to focus way more on the reality of life and that superpower dissipates. So, in that way, it feels just as important to offer that hope to the parent / teacher / adult who is reading the book to a child or children. Maybe it will rekindle that superpower.

Ryan Hayes is a Senior Designer at Chronicle Books. Long story short, what started as drawing super heroes and video game characters with Crayolas soon turned into designing books and hand-lettered type with Chronicle Books. Ryan is a single-speed cyclist, an avid gastronomist, and an eternal optimist. A Philadelphia expat, he prefers hoagies over cheesesteaks, admires grit over talent, and is still waiting on his call to play second base for the Phillies. 

What was your emotional response when you first read the text for Marvelous Cornelius?

It spoke to me very strongly—Cornelius’ courage, his humility, his generosity of spirit are all qualities that deserve to be celebrated as heroic. Our culture forgets, sometimes, that selfless service is heroic even when the spotlight does not find the hero—but it is!
 
Tell us about your Marvelous Cornelius pitch during the acquisition meeting. How did it go over?
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I told my acquisitions group that I felt this was an unusual spin on a Katrina story, and that I loved that it focuses on the difference even the humblest of us can make to the people around us—but mostly I let the manuscript speak for itself. The people at Chronicle were moved by this story, and I knew it would move others.
 
What did you enjoy about working with John Parra and Phil Bildner in creating this marvelous picture book?

So much! John and Phil are two of the kindest, hardest-working people I know, and the fact that they’re so talented as well…it’s a gift to be able to make books with them. They were both very thoughtful and very engaged in the publishing process, and full of enthusiasm for the book we were making.
 
How would you describe the theme of Marvelous Cornelius? Did you act as a musical conductor, so to speak, to ensure that theme shined through on each page?

Heroism isn’t about power or breadth of impact, though it’s often mistaken for those things. I think Marvelous Cornelius is about the idea that heroism is essentially about humanity—and anyone who gives from that compassionate place inside them is a hero. Phil and John got that without needing any help from me. I pointed out to Phil that he had instinctually told the story in a way that channels the folk-hero storytelling tradition, and with that understanding we tweaked a few things to make the text more completely what Phil wanted it to be.
 
Why do you think picture-book biographies that highlight humble people like Cornelius Washington, people who do heroic things without accolades are important for children to read about?
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Everyone feels small at some point in their lives--feels like they are no match for the problems before them. A book like this is a reminder that if we simply try, and start from the part of ourselves that is most generous, even the humblest efforts can become great.

​Melissa Manlove is an Editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. She has been an editor for 11 years, and a children’s bookseller for 17 years. She is an SCBWI member that can be found Tweeting @mmanlove. 

How did Phil Bildner's manuscript find its way to you?

Phil first reached out to me in late 2010, on referral from my client Chris Barton, and we signed together in early 2011. What was then called THE TRASHCAN WIZARD was one of the manuscripts he sent when he queried me. 

​What did you love about the manuscript--the writing, the main character, the narrative, the voice, the setting?

I loved the setting and learning about the real person the story focuses on, but in those days, the writing was quite different and the text quite long (about 1500 words), and it included a lot of stuff at the beginning about Cornelius as a child before we got to the part where he was the Trashcan Wizard. One of the things Phil and I worked on together early on was pushing his nonfiction, in general, to reflect more of his exuberant, dramatic personal voice, and to read more like story and less like reporting. The nonfiction market was changing in this direction at the time, and we’re seeing the full fruit of that in the dynamic nonfiction picture books hitting shelves now, for sure!

Phil and I focused on other projects for a stretch, and then in early 2012, he wrote to me that while visiting with the author-illustrator LeUyen Pham, they’d talked about this manuscript (which she’d seen in early draft), and she suggested taking it in a direction inspired by SONG AND DANCE MAN by Karen Ackerman (illustrated by Stephen Gammell). “The lightbulb went on,” Phil said. With that “fresh lens,” as he put it, he focused, revised, and gave it more rhythm and dance, and sent me a version that was closer to 600 words. When I read it, I knew he’d had a huge breakthrough. The writing just sparkled, and that’s my favorite part about this book now, that great tall-tale voice, the way the story sings.

​Why did you choose to submit this manuscript to Melissa Manlove at Chronicle Books and why were you pleased she acquired it? 

As Phil and I began working together, I reached out to many editors he knew from previous books and from publishing networking, in addition to introducing him to new ones. This submission was a little of both: He knew Ginee Seo, who had moved to Chronicle, and I sent it to her. Ginee suggested Melissa would be a perfect match for it, and it happened at the same time I was in the process of beginning to correspond and chat with Melissa, just getting to know her and her list and sending submissions her way. I sold Melissa Deborah Underwood’s INTERSTELLAR CINDERELLA about a month before she took Phil’s manuscript to an acquisitions meeting, and soon I was seeing the brilliance that is Melissa Manlove up close as she worked with both of these clients and their texts. She really is incredibly talented at what she does, and Chronicle has done an amazing job of marketing the book as well.

How pleased were you with the selection of John Parra as the book's illustrator?

I literally could not have been more pleased. I knew his work was going to be terrifically fun and folky, and reflect the spirit of the text I loved so much. It totally surpassed those expectations. (Yet another thing Melissa Manlove and the Chronicle team are brilliant with: Matching text and illustrators!)

Why would you like to see this book in the hands and hearts of countless children?

Oh, so many reasons! I think in the U.S., we tend to ignore or belittle the people who work mostly behind the scenes, when the truth is that we depend on those people for our safety and comfort. I love that we’re focusing on a garbage man here--a regular guy, doing his very best. I love that we get a glimpse of the person behind the role, and that he chose to make every day a celebration--something else that all of us could learn from. I love that he looks like a giant, with stars and rays behind him, on the cover of the book, shining as an example to all. I love that the story was born out of Phil’s volunteer efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, out of the personal connections he made there, out of Cornelius’s own resilience, and out of the good things that emerged after great tragedy. (I’m a huge believer in fostering resilience in children, and I think examples of others being resilient can be powerful.)

​And as Phil has shared, I love that there are classroom connections to be made here, giving the book even more life--both in studying Katrina and in examining this book as an example of a tall tale, showing kids how to see stories in the everyday things around them. I hope it inspires many of them to value writing and story and perhaps grow up to be writers themselves…or at least live their lives in a way that notices the tiny moments that make up the flow of the years.

Erin Murphy founded her eponymous agency in Flagstaff in 1999. The focus at EMLA is not just on shepherding books to publication, but on building careers—and creating a sense of community, as well. Before becoming a literary agent, Erin was editor-in-chief at a Flagstaff (Arizona) publishing company that produced children’s books as well as adult lifestyle and art titles with a regional focus.

What was your first response when reading the text for Marvelous Cornelius?

As I first read Marvelous Cornelius, I realized right away how powerful and beautiful the narrative was. The story is set in the incredible city of New Orleans, with all its unique and artistic signatures of music, food, architecture, and celebrations. The main character of Cornelius is impressively showcased with a passion and positive enthusiasm for his work and for his neighborhood. As the story progresses, the narrative challenges us with a message of how love and its spirit can function to address serious events that occur in one’s life and community. I saw elements of everyday heroes and community activism that inspired me. For me, Marvelous Cornelius is a story that works on so many wonderful levels. It creates an emotional experience both powerful and simple. It shows us the good we all are capable of.

 How did you go about doing research for the illustrations?

Like most projects, I start by researching online and looking for related references, such as images and text, pertaining to any elements described in the story. Through this technique, I begin to enhance my visualization and feelings for the book. Since this book was about a real person, Cornelius Washington, and a real place, New Orleans, these elements are all examined with great detail in the run up to the drawing and sketch process. In addition to the standard references, I love examining the regional artists and cultural aspects established in the book’s setting. Local renowned New Orleans folk artist, Clementine Hunter, had a big visual inspiration for me when thinking about the book. Once research is done, I begin sketching characters and environments looking for pacing and story arcs. Some pages I see clearly in my mind while others require much more work. My goal is to be as comprehensive as possible so that any reader familiar with the setting would feel it to be true and accurate to its presentation but still be accessible and fun for readers of all ages.

Did you find painting Hurricane Katrina's fury on New Orleans emotionally difficult?

It was difficult working on the Hurricane Katrina scenes. At the time I began the project, Hurricane Sandy was hitting New York and causing much destruction. Many people I knew here lost everything. There are of course differences between the two storms, but there is a connection of empathy and understanding that comes from going through something similar.

Describe your painting process for Marvelous Cornelius.

Many people think I paint on wood because of the texture seen in my paintings, but I am actually working on illustration board. There is a process where I add different layers of color acrylic paint to a board. After about four layers, I sandpaper into it to give it a worn and old fashion look that I use for the background foundation. Once ready, I begin to transfer the sketch to the board through masking out shapes and painting various elements. As characters and scenes take shape, the final aspect is to add all the detail and shading to complete the art.

What do you hope children will take away from reading this marvelous (almost-true) picture-book biography?

I do hope they enjoy the story of Cornelius and learn the history of Hurricane Katrina. I hope they reflect and see that no matter who they are in life, where they come from, or what they do, they too can be the best version of themselves, and be a hero and role model to family, friends, and community. That also when difficult things happen in life, it is okay to be sad or upset but to always try and never give up on it, that life is beautiful in so many diverse ways.