The little things are most important.

A few weeks ago, I virtually visited my best friend Chyna’s first grade after school art club. I read All the Greatness In You to them, and then we had a Q&A. Side note: I wasn't able to attend in person, so I read to the kids virtually and Chyna clicked through a pdf of the illustrations on a big screen as I read. That way, the kids could see everything up close. 

First of all, these first graders had AMAZING questions. One asked, “why do we see all of those things on the boy’s desk before the story starts?” I was shook, honestly. I explained to him that all of the things that I included in the endpapers are also in the inside of the picture book somewhere. Here are the front endpapers: 

Then another student stood up and said, “You said everything on the desk is in the book, but I didn’t see the big shirt and the blue watch anywhere in the story.” I was so surprised that she noticed those things in particular. Those things were in the back endpapers. 

I explained to her that the big shirt was a choir robe, and that the main character and his friends wore them while they were singing in church. I flipped to the page so she could see the illustration again. 

Also, I explained that the main character wore his blue watch while timing his mom’s exercises. I showed her the spot illustration up close. She was surprised to see that the robe and watch were actually in the story!

Long story short, kids are perceptive. More than you think. Fellow kidlit illustrators, always keep this in mind. And here’s another illustration from Greatness.

Huge thank you to art teacher extraordinaire Chyna Shayland and her amazing first grade art club at Paterson Charter School for Science & Technology (PCSST)! It was an honor to be welcomed to your art club. You guys are the best!

All the Greatness in You (written by the amazing Tameka Fryer-Brown, illustrated by me, and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR/Macmillan Kids) is available wherever books are sold!

Believing in all the greatness in you,
Alleanna