Friday, May 21, 2010

Interview with Exquisite Corpse Authors and Illustrators!




Meet Illustrator James Ransome:
Contributor to the NCBLA's  Exquisite Corpse Adventure!






James Ransome's colorful and delightful illustrations can be found in Episode 2, Episode 6, Episode 10, Episode 14, and Episode 18.

We lured James away from his oils, acrylics, and watercolors to ask him a few questions:



Q-What did you find to be the most challenging aspect of illustrating an episode for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure?
A-"The most challenging part was making sure the characters looked as they were described in the text. My biggest fear is that someone will write something about a character in episode 4 for example, I'd be asked to illustrate episode 10, and I'd miss some important detail that was written about in episode 4."


Q-What were some of your favorite books when you were in elementary school?
A-"There was not a large emphasis on children's books when I was growing up. One of my favorites from those I was introduced to was A Fly Went By, part of the Dr. Seuss series. I also enjoyed stories from a set of encyclopedias that we had in the house. They had one entire book with a collection of stories."


Q-What are you working on now? Do you have a new book coming out this year?
A-"I'm currently working on the illustrations for a book I've written entitled: New Red Bike.


I have two books coming out in the fall: A Joyful Christmas, stories, poems, and songs of Christmas which I collected and illustrated and Gunner, a Football Hero, the first book I've written and illustrated.
 
Baby Blessings is my most recent book."


James Ransome's wonderful illustrations have garnered him numerous awards and accolades from the world of children's literature. Be sure to look for his books at your library or local book store.




To see more of James Ransome's illustrations and information, visit James' website.







Related Topic: What is The Exquisite Corpse Adventure?


For those not in the know, The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a series of episodes written and illustrated by famous children's authors and illustrators. Each author and illustrator inherits the story from the previous folks. It's like taking over a recipe in the middle, you need to understand what's gone into the stew so far and then add your own ingredients to make it hot and spicy! To catch up on all the exciting episodes go to Read.gov.





And parents, teachers, and librarians be sure to check out the NCBLA's Exquisite Corpse Adventure Educational Resources Center for great ideas on how to turn the Exquisite Corpse Adventure into a great educational adventure!


Check it out!