A library should be a kind of paradise, donât you agree? Author and illustrator Barbara Cooney certainly thought so.Â
Barbara Cooney was an extraordinary author and illustrator of over 100 childrenâs books with stories that span the world, from the shores of Greece to the mountains of Appalachia. The more I learned about Barbara, the more I wanted to tell the story of this beautiful artist who, in every aspect of her lifeâfrom raising four children to traveling to gardening to winning awards for her illustrationsâwas committed to capturing the beauty in (and for!) the world.
Because Barbara: Barbara Cooney Paints Her World has been nearly six years in the making. Today, I want to take you behind the scenes and introduce you to the team that made it happen, from the very first draft to the final, beautiful book youâll hold in your hands.
In this episode, youâll hear:Â
- The many drafts, revisions, critiques, and edits that brought me to the throughline of Barbaraâs wonderfully full and creative life
- How the art team took on the daunting task of styling and illustrating the book to echo Barbaraâs style without directly imitating it
- How sound design and animation bring the audio and video books to lifeÂ
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/making-because-barbara
ð Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.