The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Teresa Robeson and Diana Renzina
Teresa Robeson 何顥思 is an author of children's books, and an occasional illustrator, with a focus on science and her cultural heritage. A nonfiction winner of the We Need Diverse Books mentorship program, Teresa advocates for greater scientific and cultural literacy.
She was born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, and now writes and creates from her mini-homestead in southern Indiana, where she lives with her scientist husband on 27-acres where they’ve been raising chickens for twenty-two years and growing and processing much of their own vegetables. When not writing or washing veggies for hours on end, Teresa enjoys knitting, soap-making, sewing, and doing art.
She’s the author of Who Is Tibet's Exiled Leader?: The 14th Dalai Lama, illustrated by Angela Poon (2023), Queen Of Physics (APALA Picture Book Award, ILA Nonfiction PB Honor and NCTE Orbis Pictus Nonfiction Recommended Book), illustrated by Rebecca Huang (2019), Two Bicycles In Beijing illustrated by Junyi Wu (2020). She also has an essay in Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart, and a nonfiction poem in No World Too Big, edited by Keila Dawson, Lindsay Metcalf, and Jeanette Bradley.
Diana Renzina was born in 1989 in Riga, Latvia, where she grew up and lives at the moment. Her hometown is a nice mix of cobbled streets, pine forests, cold sea, Art Nouveau architecture, and many other beautiful things, and it has always been a great inspiration for her. She is mostly a self-taught artist, but she has been studying digital design in a local university and that helped her to understand how to make projects, not just random pictures.
She has worked in a couple of creative agencies as a full-time illustrator as well. Her two main sources of inspiration are folklore and nature. A lot of works in her portfolio are based on Latvian mythology and traditional celebrations, as well as on seasonal changes in a world around her, like blooming magnolias in spring and a first snow in a forest. Outside of drawing, she enjoys taking photos (a lot!), being in nature, dancing tango, listening to music, and reading books (both fiction and nonfiction).
Diana is the illustrator of Fire Shapes the World by Joanna Cooke, co- illustrated with Cornelia Li (Illustrator).
Their newest book Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us, releases on August 20th.
Let’s start with you Diana. Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you illustrate? How long have you been illustrating? What is your favorite type of book to illustrate? )
DIANA - Like many other artists, I have been drawing since childhood. I usually work in my home office, but sometimes I like to go out and work in a café or at a local botanical garden. Most of all I like to illustrate books that are somehow related to mythology or folklore.
Nice to "meet" you. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or favorite book as a child?
DIANA – As a child, I was a huge fan of Tove Jansson’s books, and I like them even more as an adult - both the texts and the pictures. I also really liked Astrid Lindgren's book We Are All From Bullerby and most of Ray Bradbury's books, especially Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Teresa, what was your inspiration or spark of interest for Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us?
TERESA - I’ve considered myself an amateur astronomer since 1980 and always love sharing space facts with anyone who will listen. I got the idea for this book around 2013 when watching clouds while walking the property with my kids. Seeing the different shapes of clouds reminded me of the different shapes that space clouds also take. My first draft was an interactive concept: I had kids guessing the names of the nebula as they looked at the photos of them and then drawing their imagined shapes on a clear overlay. That kind of book would have been very expensive to produce so I scrapped the idea in subsequent drafts.
Oh, but it does sound amazing. Maybe you could still have kids draw their imagined shapes at book readings & class visits. Diana, what about the Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us manuscript appealed to you as an illustrator?
DIANA - I was delighted to receive a manuscript that was full of such wonderful images, and the prospect of drawing a lot of illustrations featuring the starry sky was extremely exciting.
And you did a phenomenal job with it! Teresa, how different was it to research and write Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us versus your previous nonfiction picture books? How many drafts/revisions did it take?
TERESA - There are similarities and differences to researching biographies and science topics. Science facts can generally be more easily verified whereas there’s a lot more subjectivity involved with information about people. Reading several accounts of one person’s life, even when one of the sources is an autobiography, doesn’t mean that they all corroborate a particular piece of info and so you have to use your best judgement to decide what you want to include…and be prepared to argue your case when questioned by your editor or the fact checkers and proofreaders.
Doing the research for Clouds was easier than some other books since I already knew a reasonable amount about astronomy, and it was also more fun since it’s my passion.
It does sound like it was a lot of fun to create. Diana, how many revisions did it take to create the illustrations for Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us? What was the trickiest or hardest part?
DIANA - Not that much, actually. I had to redo a couple of spreads, and, of course, there were comments and useful suggestions from Teresa, but overall, it didn’t feel like there were a lot of changes. The trickiest part for me was designing the Nebula character, but, luckily, one of the options I suggested seemed to be the right fit for the story, and it made it to the book with minor changes.
That's so cool when it works out like that. Is there something you both want your readers to know about, or take away from Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us?
TERESA - Like Carl Sagan, I want to pass along the message that we are an intricate part of the universe—we are the stuff of stars. Thinking of ourselves this way can help people not feel so small when they look up at the night sky. Yes, the universe is vast, but it shouldn’t be daunting because it’s just our extended family after all. Also, I hope kids will be inspired to learn more about astrophysics and maybe become an astrophysicist one someday!
DIANA - I can’t keep hiding the fact that the protagonist was a bunny in the first round of sketches. Also, there was a Granny Cloud :)
I think you will inspire some future scientists Teresa. And Diana, you definitely made me chuckle! Teresa, what is the hardest or most challenging thing for you about writing children’s books? How about with Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us in particular?
TERESA - One of the most difficult parts about writing for kids is getting past adult notions of what kids can read. Prevailing advice says to write with one specific reader in mind and I write for kids like my oldest child who was reading adult reference books by the age of three. Big words were not a deterrent but a welcomed challenge.
Another struggle in writing kid lit is the lengthy wait times in publishing. It is really a nutty business that doesn’t suit the impatient nor today’s frenzied world.
With Clouds, the challenge was finding an editor who understands science enough to appreciate it. People are much more comfortable with biology concepts than physics or chemistry ones. I had an R&R with an editor who truly did not get this book, despite liking my writing style. I’m forever grateful to Hilary Van Dusen and Olivia Swomley for grasping the intent and science behind my manuscript.
All of that is definitely a unique challenge in writing for kids. Diana, many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or special elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us? If so, could you share one or more with us?
DIANA - there is a little spruce with a geometric ornament on it on a spread with the foggy landscape. This ornament is called Austras koks (Tree of Austra). It’s a Sun tree or Tree of Life in Latvian mythology, and I like to use it when I draw trees, because it adds some extra meaning to the finished illustration.
That is so cool! Thank you for sharing that with us. Teresa, did anything surprise or amaze you when you first got to see Diana’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?
Text © Teresa Robeson, 2024. Image © Diana Renzina. 2024.
TERESA – I was very pleased with the luminosity of Diana’s art which captured the magnificent fiery glow of nebulae and connected it to the warmth of our home planet! I also love the joy in the little girl’s face which matches my own when I stargaze. My favorite spreads are the opening one and the one with the constellation Orion in the night sky. I spent many hours of my youth looking at Orion.
I can see why you like this image so much! Diana, is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Which is your favorite spread?
Text © Teresa Robeson, 2024. Image © Diana Renzina. 2024.
DIANA - The one where Nebula is holding the sleeping protagonist in their hands. The whole book is very poetic, but I find this part especially beautiful, and I also like how this illustration turned out.
It is really stunning! Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
TERESA – I recently signed a contract for my first nonfiction early readers! I can’t say more since it’s not been announced but I am super excited about the project since they’re topics that my husband and I, collectively, have a good bit of knowledge of. I’m also working on my first nonfiction work-for-hire project, which has been an interesting experience. As well, I’m in the midst of revising a nonfiction middle grade (which has also not yet been announced) related to my university major.
For a change of pace, I’m drafting and revising a middle grade novel that an editor had requested a full on. I hope I can finish that by the end of this year but it’s hard to juggle so many projects sometimes.
DIANA - among other projects, I’m working on a story about the winter solstice.
So intriguing! We will have to keep our eyes open for these books. Last question, what is the best advice you’ve ever gotten - whether it’s regarding writing, publishing, or not?
TERESA – The best advice I’ve received is to keep my eyes on my own lane, that is, stop comparing my journey and progress, or lack thereof, to those of my peers. I admit I’m not very good at heeding this advice, so I have to constantly remind myself. But I do always feel better when I focus only on what I’m doing, on improving my own work.
DIANA – Not every illustration in your book (frame in your animation, or whatever) has to show the whole scene every single time, and sometimes it’s better to focus on details. It’s a super obvious thing, but it came as a surprise (and some kind of relief) for me when I learned that.
Both are VERY good pieces of advice. Thank you, Teresa & Diana, for sharing with us a bit about yourselves and your newest book.
Be sure to come back on Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us.
To find out more about Teresa Robeson 何顥思, or to contact her:
Website: https://www.teresarobeson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teresarobeson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.trobeson/
To find out more about Diana Renzina, or contact her:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diana_renjina/
Great interviews! Congratulations, looking forward to reading this and hearing more about your unannounced projects, Teresa.