The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Janet Lord, Julie Paschkis, Review of Crick, Crack, Crow!

Janet Lord earned her BA in graphic arts and advertising from Concord University and now works as a graphic designer.

She lives in Pennsylvania.

Collage of the covers of Janet's three books.

She’s the author of Where Is Catkin? (2010), Albert the Fix-It Man (2008), and Here Comes Grandma! (2005), all illustrated by her sister Julie Paschkis.

Julie Paschkis was born in 1957 and grew up with a brother and two sisters in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. One of whom is Janet Lord! Their parents encouraged them to make things, to read, to draw and to play outside.

Julie lives in Seattle with her husband Joe Max Emminger. He is a painter. She still likes to make things, to read, draw and play outside.

In 2023, she received the BRAVA award from The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art for excellence in children’s book illustration.

Collage of the covers of fourteen of Julie's books.

She is the author/illustrator of many books, including ZigZag (2023), The Barking Ballad: A Bark-Along Meow-Along Book (2021), The Wordy Book (2021), Vivid: Poems & Notes About Color (2018), Flutter & Hum / Aleteo y Zumbido: Animal Poems / Poemas de Animales (2015), P. Zonka Lays an Egg (2015), Mooshka, A Quilt Story (2012), and Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love (2012). And the illustrator of many more books, including Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story by Hena Khan (2018), Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown (2011), Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle (2010), Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia by Won Ldy-Paye(2010), Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman (2007), Through Georgia's Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez (2006), and many more.

Janet and Julie’s newest picture book, Crick, Crack, Crow!, releases on August 6th.

Welcome Janet and Julie, thank you so much for stopping by to talk about your newest book and writing.

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write or illustrate? How long have you been writing or illustrating? What is your favorite type of books to write or illustrate?)

JANET – I write in a tiny room that looks out on my garden and bird feeders. I tend to have ideas pop into my head in odd places and at odd times. I jot the idea down and then revisit it to think about it more carefully to determine if it is an idea that I really want to explore, or not. I have been writing since I was a child, submitting to a publishing house only since 2004. I enjoy writing books for children because those books are a beautiful chemistry of equally important words and pictures. Also, I remember wonderful times being read to, and find joy reading to others.

JULIE - I’ve loved to draw since I was tiny - one of my earliest memories is drawing a family of whales on my bedroom wall. I was three or four years old. As a child, I continued to make up stories and drew pictures for them. Professionally I’ve been illustrating books since 1990, many of which I’ve also written. I don’t write every day, but I paint or draw every day - on paper and sometimes directly on walls.

It is so nice to meet you both. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child?

JANET – There are too many favorites to mention them all. And at different times, different books were my favorites. Some of the first I remember liking were Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, and Grimms Fairy Tales. Also, I had read to me, and read all of, The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which I loved. Garth Williams was one of my favorite illustrators.

Book cover - grandmother bent over a stove making poppy seed cakes.

JULIE - We went to the library a lot so there was a rolling cast of favorites. The Poppy Seed Cakes made a big impression on me. Lion by Wm Pene du Bois was another favorite. Stuart Little. Amelia Bedelia. Chicken Soup With Rice, by Maurice Sendak.

I love that you both named Stuart Little! Janet, what was your inspiration or spark of interest for Crick, Crack, Crow!?

Book Cover - Crow perched on a branch, beak open, facing the title. - Crick, Crack, Crow!

JANET – I grew up in a house in the woods and there were interesting raucous crows nesting nearby. I have always loved watching them and have heard so many interesting stories and facts about them. So, I guess the story was nesting inside me until the time was ripe. I was riding down from Maine one very early morning and crows were everywhere I looked. It sparked a story in my mind. I attribute that spark to magic.

A bit of nested magic indeed. Julie, what about the Crick, Crack, Crow! manuscript appealed to you as an illustrator?

Title page Crow standing in a patch of grass, in foront of two flowers.

JULIE - I love that Janet used playful, rhythmic, and fun language to tell a story based on real crow behavior. The reader learns true things, but it is a story and it isn’t didactic or boring. It is fun just to say the words Crick Crack Crow !- the words sound like something a crow would say. The character Crow is mischievous just like many children are mischievous. And when he gets in too much trouble his family and friends are there to help him.

I can see why you enjoyed working on this book. What is a (or the most) fun or unusual place where you’ve written a manuscript or created an illustration?

JANET – I can’t say I’ve written my stories in particularly fun or interesting places. Mainly I write in my tiny room on a computer. The particular fun place is my brain where I can spin a story in any direction until one “sticks”. Then I write it down, which is fun, wherever I am.

JULIE - I usually work in my studio which isn’t unusual but it is fun. I look out over the back yard while I paint. The yard is full of trees and I often see birds, squirrels, cats, and lots of life. The world is moving along outside my windows while I’m having fun painting and drawing inside.

Doesn't have to be exotic, to be a fun place to work. How did the two of you start working together on picture books?

JANET – Julie has been illustrating stories for longer than I have been crafting any for publication. When I wrote Here Comes Grandma!, I had Julie’s imagery in my mind’s eye, if not the precise art. I love her work for the beauty, but I also feel like her drawings are in my blood too. Her art draws in part from our shared frame of family references, exposure to art, and childhood. I am so grateful that our publishers appreciate the results of the deep connection we have when working together.

Book cover - Grandma and a dog on an adventure in a car.

JULIE - As children, a lot of our games included making up stories. And drawing and making art was also a constant part of our lives. The first book we did together was Here Comes Grandma! published by Henry Holt. It’s about our unstoppable mother.

It is cool that you get to work together. Janet, what was the toughest part of writing Crick, Crack, Crow!? How long did it take from the first draft to publication?

JANET – I find the toughest part is editing. When I come up with a story it flows out without constraint. Editing feels like harnessing a horse that has been enjoying running free in a pasture. As hard as I find the process, I admit it results in a much better story, so it is worth the effort. It took three years from when I first wrote my story because Covid slowed down everything.

What a great analogy for wrangling a first draft into a solid manuscript. Julie, as both an author/illustrator and an illustrator, do you prefer either format? What’s the hardest part about just being the illustrator of picture books?

JULIE - I like both formats. When I illustrate someone else’s story, I always learn new things and I’m taken new places. When I am both the author and the illustrator, I can alter either the words or the pictures if something isn’t working. When I am just the illustrator, I can only alter the pictures. Maybe because Janet is my sister, her words feel natural and just right to me - a true pleasure for me to illustrate.

Aww, that's so sweet. Janet, did anything surprise or amaze you when you first got to see Julie’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - Crow rookery of three trees with ten crows perching on the branches.

Text © Janet Lord, 2024. Image © Julie Paschkis. 2024.

JANET – I was amazed when I first saw the pictures that Julie joined with my words. Seeing her art paired with my story is like tasting a new, delicious recipe. The end result is something more, and different than the individual ingredients, and it feels completely satisfying and magical, like so much in the story-making process. It is hard to pick a favorite out of the many worthy spreads, but I especially love the first spread where you find crow up in the very top of his tree, surrounded by his family, eying the day, ready to go adventuring.

It is beautiful. I love the sunrise halo behind him. Julie, is there a spread of which you are especially proud? Which is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - on the left, a cat stares up in to a tree. On the right, crow perches on a branch, out of reach of cat, with a bite of the cat's kibble in his beak.

Text © Janet Lord, 2024. Image © Julie Paschkis. 2024.

JULIE – I like the spread with the cat. It was really fun to paint. Also, I drew the cat unsuccessfully many times before I got it to look like Freya, or even a cat that I liked, so there was some satisfaction in sticking with it. The editors had me add a collar and bell!

I am so enthralled by the fur texture. What's something you want your readers to know about Crick, Crack, Crow!?

JANET – Crows are wild. Not just because they live in the wild, but because their antics, their beauty, their smart, problem-solving abilities, their sense of humor, their ability to mimic sounds including words, and their extended, protective family connections are all amazing, crazy aspects of crows. Crows and people have been living close together since the earliest times. They are almost everywhere, easy to spot, and fun to watch.

JULIE - So much of the story and the art is based on real crow behavior. I hope that reading the book will make kids want to observe the crows in their own neighborhood and get to know them. When I was working on the book, I met so many people who had crow stories and crow connections.

You've both created a wonderful tribute to crows! Julie, many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Crick, Crack, Crow!? If so, could you share one or more with us?

JULIE - The cat is my first cat, Freya. The dog is inspired by Lily, who was my dog. Years ago, I rescued two baby crows and I was thinking about them while I worked on this book. And all of the crows in the neighborhood noisily offered themselves as more current models. Crows are so expressive. Their solid black doesn’t show many details. But that black shape moves all over the place. It was fun to contrast the big shape of Crow with lots of small ornate details around him.

Thank you so much for sharing these special parts of the illustrations. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a hint or tidbit with us?

JANET – I may have a few scraps of paper lying around with the germs of story ideas scribbled on them, but until an idea is ready to see daylight, no.

JULIE - I have been working on illustrations for a picture book about Clara Driscoll, the

designer and creator of what we think of as Tiffany lamps - beautiful luminous light

fixtures based on nature. In her lifetime, Driscoll got some - but not enough - credit for her

work. It’s not too late!

We'll have to keep our eyes open for this book, Julie. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

JANET – I love Acadia National Park in Maine. It is near where our family has a cabin.

Image of 15,000 crows flying above the UW Bothel campus.

©The Husky Herald at UWB.

JULIE - Every night at dusk thousands and thousands of crows fly north of Seattle to the UW campus in Bothell Washington where they spend the night roosting in the wetlands. I would like to go watch that nightly migration.

I've seen it; it is really impressive. I think they estimated 15,000 crows this year.

Thank you, Janet and Julie, for stopping back by to share with us your newest picture book.

To find out more about Julie Paschkis, or to contact her:

Website: https://juliepaschkis.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliepaschkis/

Review of Crick, Crack, Crow!

Endlessly captivating by crow's antics, intelligence, and strong family ties, I have enjoyed watching crows figure out new challenges (catching a vole or eating suet from a hanging feeder), protect each other (especially one with a bum, useless leg), and develop new calls. I was excited to discover this wonderful informational picture book, created by two very talented sisters, which follows a crafty young crow in his search for a mischievous adventure.

Crick, Crack, Crow!

Author: Janet Lord

Illustrator: Julie Paschkis

Publisher: Margaret Quinlin Books/Peachtree Publishers (2024)

Ages: 4-8

Informational Fiction

Themes:

Crows, nature, rhyme, and adventure.

Synopsis:

Crow’s mischievous antics are featured in this playful and informative picture book that illustrates the cleverness of crows and their intriguing behavior.

Crows are crafty birds. In this picture book about a particularly noisy and mischievous young crow, their intriguing behaviors are on full display. They can mimic sounds and use objects for tools, and they love to hide things. They also enjoy raising a ruckus. Follow along as Crow leaves his home nest and his large extended family and flies to the nearby farm, looking for fun and trouble. He enjoys pestering the songbirds, stealing food from Cat, and taunting Dog. But he soon tires of his usual hijinks, and he sets out to find more exciting adventures. What will happen when he runs into DANGEROUS trouble?

This engaging work of informational fiction is a dynamic read-aloud with colorful artwork by the celebrated illustrator Julie Paschkis. The book includes a page of facts about crows and a list of resources for learning more about these fascinating birds.

Opening Lines:

Crow lives with his noisy family

high in the treetop.

As the sun comes up,

he looks down and all around.

What I LOVED About This Book:

This gentle, lyrical beginning (illustration in interview) of a crow rookery, set against a rosy sun rise, belies the adventure and humor to come. Though that is alluded to on the next page, "Crow is quite curious and loves to have fun. But most of all, Crow likes to stir up trouble." I think most young (and young at heart) can be called curious trouble makers. I love how Julie Paschkis gave Crow a distinctive eye, to stand out from all the other black crows. As crow sets off, Janet Lord establishes a wonderful, rhyming refrain, which became part of the title - "Crick, crack, crow! Ready to go!"

Crow's first adventure is snatching a button off a line of laundry. This is the first spread where we experience the gorgeous patterns and whimsy of Julie Paschkis' illustrations. The clothing textures, flowers, and butterfly's wings are such fun contrasts to the solid, sleek blackness of Crow.

Internal spread - on the left, Crow flying toward clothes drying on a line. On the right, Corw hiding a stolen button in a hole in a tree trunk.

While Crow loves shiny things, this seems a little mellow for mischief. So, he looks for something else to do and quickly spots some sport. Chasing other birds from the bird bath! While all the other spreads are done in muted earth tones, this spread radiates color and patterns. The gorgeous mosaic-like patterns on the birds and flowers are stunning. This is also the first spread with a change in the refrain - "Crick, crack, whee! Watch them flee!" But alas for Crow, "not enough TROUBLE."

Internal spread - on the left, Crow dive bombing a bird bath. On the right, three startled birds take flight across the page.

Crow continues his search for adventure by swiping kibble from a gorgeously patterned tabby cat (illustration in interview), pestering a dog, and slaloming off a barn roof. But despite almost getting hit by a car, it still isn't enough trouble for Crow. Continuing to up the ante, Crow barely escapes one adventure and lands in serious, dangerous trouble, where Crow's "Crick, crack, stuck. Out of luck!" Or is he? Guess you'll have to check out the book to find out.

These super talented sisters, Janet and Julie, have created a wonderful adventure that highlights the ingenuity and playful nature of crows. I think kids will identify with and cheer on Crow in his search for adventure, as well as commiserate with his brushes with danger. A wonderfully satisfying ending, a spread of crow facts, and additional resources on crows (for a range of readers) make this a spectacular adventure and fun introduction to the extremely smart, crafty, and mischievous crow.

Resources:

Photo collage of an origami crow, moving paper crow, and paper bag puppet crow.

make yourself an origami crow, a crow paper bag puppet, or a moving paper crow (or all three).

have you ever observed a crow getting into mischief or doing something interesting or funny? Write a description, or draw a picture, of what you saw. Why do you think the crow did this?
watch a crow solve an 8-step puzzle to get food (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gui3IswQ0DI), recognize a face (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOkj7lJpeoc), and thousands fly back to roost at the University of Washington campus in Bothel, Washington (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T08rWOy--eU).