The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Travis Jonker, Matthew Cordell, + Review of The Ship in the Window

Travis Jonker is a writer, illustrator, and elementary school librarian.

He writes about children's books at 100 Scope Notes and helps make a podcast about children's books called The Yarn. Travis lives with his wife and two children in Michigan.

Collage of the covers of Travis Jonker's 3 books.

Travis is the author/illustrator of Just One Flake (2023) and the author of Blue Floats Away, illustrated by Grant Snider (2021) and The Very Last Castle, illustrated by Mark Pett (2018).

Matthew Cordell is an award-winning author and illustrator. His work has been published around the globe in many different languages, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Matthew’s books have been recognized as Best of the Year selections by the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and his first wordless picture book, Wolf in the Snow, was awarded a 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor award and the 2018 Caldecott Medal. Matthew lives in suburban Chicago with his wife, author, Julie Halpern, and their two children.

Collage of 11 of Matthew Cordell's books.

Matthew is the author/illustrator of 12 picture books, including Evergreen (2023), Bear Island (2021), Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers (2020), Explorers (2019), Hope (2019), Dream (2017), Wish (2015), and the chapter book series Cornbread & Poppy (2022-23). He is also the illustrator of works of poetry, novels, and 18 picture books including Every Dog in the Neighborhood by Philip C. Stead (2022), What Isabella Wanted: Isabella Stewart Gardner Builds a Museum by Candace Fleming (2021), Follow That Frog by Philip C. Stead (2021), and The Only Fish in the Sea by Philip C. Stead (2017).

Their newest picture book, The Ship in the Window, releases on August 20th.

Welcome Travis and Matthew, 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 book to write or illustrate?)

TRAVIS – Thanks for having us! I’m an elementary school librarian in Michigan. I’m married and have two children (11 and 14). I’ve been writing and illustrating since I was a kid, but around 2012 is when I really began to think seriously about publishing something. My books so far have all been picture books, but I’d love to make some sort of a comic/graphic novel in the future. I usually write early in the morning before I leave for the school day.

MATTHEW - I live in suburban Chicago with my wife, Julie, and two kids (15 and 11). My first picture book was published in 2004, Toby and the Snowflakes, written by Julie when we were just dating, and I illustrated it. A few years later, I got the bug, and I started writing picture books myself. All in all, I’ve been at it for more than 20 years now! I have a little studio space that’s not far from our home that I work from most days. But I like to go for walks in the woods, which is when I often get ideas. I love making picture books, through and through, but I have an itch to write and illustrate a novel someday. I have an idea, but it’s a big, intimidating mountain to climb, all those words!

It is so great to "meet" you both. I hope you get to try these other genres in the future. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child?

Books covers - on the left, Willy Wonka and Charlie looking at machinery. On the right, collage of animals.

TRAVIS - Without question, Roald Dahl. He was my guy. I was obsessed with reading all of his books (I wrote about tracking down his most obscure book here). My favorite is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More is a close second.

On the picture book side, the book that I most remember from childhood is Animalia by Graeme Base. I got it from the scholastic book club flier, and it was this huge book with the most incredibly detailed art. The 11th Hour by Graeme Base was also an important book for me, because it was a mystery book where clues were hidden in the illustrations - that one really opened me up to the world of unconventional books.

Book covers - on left Sam looking at green eggs & ham. On the right, a boy runs with two dogs.

MATTHEW - Man, I wish I could say Roald Dahl like Travis because that’s probably the coolest answer of them all! I remember liking Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry a lot as a kid. My Mom would read me Green Eggs and Ham and it was always a fun time–I think she liked it as much as I did. As I got older, I read a lot of Beverly Cleary books. Ramona, Henry, Ralph S. Mouse.

One book that really resonated with me was Where the Red Fern Grows. My 5th grade teacher read this book aloud to my class–a little bit at a time. If you’re not familiar, it’s one of those super emotional beloved-dog-dies books. It hit me pretty hard. So much so, that I bugged my mom incessantly about getting an Irish Setter (there were two in the book). We never got one though. We were always a cat family. Alas!

Those are all such great books. Travis, what was the inspiration for The Ship in the Window?

Book cover - a sailing ship on the water with rope circle images of a boy, a man, and a sailor mouse.

TRAVIS - It was inspired by a real model ship in a real window. There’s a house across the street from a park in Holland, Michigan with this beautiful model ship sitting in the window. It’s nearby and I’ve noticed it for years. I thought about that ship being the centerpiece in a picture book about a mouse who risks it all for a chance at adventure.

Photo - imnage of the real ship in the window. © Travis Jonker

(Image of the real ship in the window - © Travis Jonker )

Photo - Travis's sketch book page of a mouse looking at a ship on a table in front of a window. © Travis Jonker

(The first appearance of the story in my sketchbook - © Travis Jonker )

That is such an intriguing photo, I can see why it inspired you. Thanks for sharing the photo and the sketch. Matthew, what about The Ship in the Window manuscript appealed to you as an illustrator?

Title page -a wooden ship sitting on a wooden base.

MATTHEW - Oh, so many things! First, I love to draw mice. A number of my own books feature mice, I have more books with mice in the works, and I draw myself and my family as mice all the time too! So, there was that, first and foremost.

Image of Matthew writing, depicted as a mouse. © Matthew Cordell

I loved that Mabel goes for a ride in a ship. One of my favorite picture books, Amos and Boris by William Steig, has a mouse in a boat, and I was excited by the idea of drawing a seafaring (or lake-faring) adventure-seeking mouse in a ship! I loved Travis’s quiet but suspenseful text–and how we start with three distant characters that end up coming together by the end. And finally, I was just really excited about drawing a book by Travis (who I’ve known for about 15 years now) and our wonderful editor, Tamar Brazis (who I’ve known just as long!).

Sounds like it was the perfect pairing, personally & professionally! What is a (or the most) fun or unusual place where you’ve written a manuscript or created an illustration?

TRAVIS - A Shell gas station in Big Rapids, MI. The idea for the first picture book I wrote (The Very Last Castle) came from a conversation I had with my daughter during a road trip. When we pulled in to get gas, I took out my phone and typed in THE VERY LAST CASTLE. I wrote the story from that moment of title inspiration.

Drawing of thumbs typing "The Very Last Castle" into a phone. © Travis Jonker

MATTHEW - I haven’t done this in a while, but there was one winter when I would go for long snowy woodland walks and just plop down on a snow covered bench and open up my sketchbook and draw. I would just draw whatever came to mind–a self-portrait, an animal, a picture of a favorite musician, or even an image that might lead to a new book idea. I ended up drawing a series of pictures of a girl and a bear. I wasn’t sure what the story was, but it eventually evolved into a book I made called Bear Island.

Sketch of a boy and a bear on a hill. © Matthew Cordell

That's so cool! What a treat to get these awesome images, too. Travis, what was the toughest part of writing The Ship in the Window? How long did it take from the first draft to publication?

TRAVIS - Oh man - from first draft to publication? Six years, I think. The manuscript sold in March 2020 and COVID had just hit, and it felt like such a small thing in contrast to what was going on in the world at that time. The toughest part was figuring out the climax of the story. It changed pretty significantly from my initial idea. I really love the element of surprise in picture books, so I was excited when I hit on a climax that I felt might be unexpected

Sketch book page with brain stroming ideas. © Travis Jonker

(Brainstorming ideas in my sketchbook - © Travis Jonker )

Matthew, as both an author/illustrator of picture books and chapter books (Cornbread & Poppy series) and the illustrator of picture books and novels, do you prefer either format? What’s the hardest part about just being the illustrator of picture books?

MATTHEW - I love them both equally, I think. Making picture books is a distinct challenge, where one must consider two very different audiences that will be reading them–child and adult. It’s a magical thing, really, to pull it off, and to make a book that is satisfying to both of these very different minds. On the other hand, I’ve really loved making beginning reader books, knowing that many of these are read by readers who are just starting to read on their own. How incredible is that? To make a book for these children and they are reading it at that significant time in their lives. I just love that so much. [😊- So totally amazing and humbling.]

Illustrating someone else’s manuscript is different from the beginning because I’m starting from ground zero, the moment I read it. When I write my own books, I’ve been thinking about how it will look for a long time, before I even start that first character sketch or sketch of the first spread. So, it is a bit more intimidating in that sense. There’s also a different kind of self-doubt that creeps in, because you want the author to like what you do! It’s mostly out of their hands after they turn in the final version of their manuscript, and they may not see anything until the illustrations are completely finished. Hopefully, they will like what you did because it’s obviously a very special thing they’ve created, and you want to do it justice.

I might be biased... but I think you've definitely succeeded in making many amazing books! What's something you want your readers to know about The Ship in the Window?

TRAVIS - The name of the main character, Mabel, is a tribute to Abel, the main character in one of my favorite books, Abel’s Island by William Steig. [😊 That's so cool!]

MATTHEW - My illustration style sort of weaves and bobs and changes from time to time, and I’ve gotten to where I prefer to work that way. It gives me a handful of ways to approach visually interpreting a text. One thing that is constant is I tend to use the same tools. I draw in pen and ink and color in watercolor.

For Ship in the Window, I did a lot more tightly rendered drawing than I usually do. Lots of cross-hatching and modeling and shading with the lines of my pen. I thought this style would work well because the text and setting sort of felt “old world” to me in some ways. It’s very tedious to draw like this though (SO much cross-hatching!) and some days I thought I might go mad! I’ve been drawing a lot more like this since, even playing around with a multi-colored ball point pen, and I’ve gotten used to it. I haven’t gone totally crazy. Yet.

Multicolored ink drawing of a cat. © Matthew Cordell

WOW! I adore this drawing. It looks so much like my sweet cat I recently had to say goodbye to. 💔 Matthew, many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in The Ship in the Window? If so, could you share one or more with us?

MATTHEW - I like to do this from time to time, but for this book, I found I was spending so much time obsessing over the ship-py details on many pages (who knew that drawing a model ship could be so tedious and detailed??) that this sort of attention to detail ended up holding my attention throughout. I did a lot of research to figure out what sort of ship would look best. I didn’t want it to be too simple, but I also didn’t want it to be TOO complex because I was going to have to draw this thing a bunch of times! Once I settled on the ship, I researched how it would look in pieces while it was being built (I found a video of a guy building one like it and did a bunch of screen captures). I knew with the spot illustrations, I wanted those to be bordered by sailboat rope and adorned with different kinds of knots. I know nothing of sailing, so all these kinds of details for the pictures required a lot of visual research. Thanks, Google Images and YouTube!

I think all of these special touches and elements totally qualify as treasures. Thank you for sharing them with us! Travis, did anything surprise or amaze you when you first got to see Matthew’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - a coat & stocking cap-wearing mouse dreams of sailing in a boat.

Text © Travis Jonker, 2024. Image © Matthew Cordell. 2024.

TRAVIS - Matthew Cordell is one of my all-time favorite author/illustrators and I still can’t believe I get to make a book with him. When I first saw his artwork for The Ship in the Window, I was in full-on jaw-drop mode. He adds so much beauty and life and richness to the story. My favorite spread is when Mabel is dreaming of adventure on the high seas.

I felt the same way when I saw his illustrations. But my jaw dropped when I read your amazing text, too. Matthew, is there a spread of which you are especially proud? Which is your favorite spread?

MATTHEW –Ah, thanks, Travis! As touched on before, I am a longtime fan of all that you do! I’m so glad we got to do this together. Flipping through the book again, I have to say my favorite piece of art in the book is right on the front. I really love the cover. We usually do the cover right at the end of the illustration process. By the time I finished the interior art, it all had this big, vintage, epic vibe about it, so I wanted the cover to reflect that too. So, I looked at a bunch of old epic movie poster designs like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and Lawrence of Arabia. I also had a lot of fun coming up with and drawing the hand-lettering of the title. It was a joy dreaming this up with Tamar Brazis and Jim Hoover at Viking!

Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a hint or tidbit with us?

Book covers - on the left, a hippo, with a back pack, at the end of a line of animals headed into school. On the right, a kid in a floaty in the water.

TRAVIS - I have a picture book called Caboose coming in February (illustrated by the great Ruth Chan). It’s about the high-stakes world of lining up. Also, the sequel to my first author/illustrator book, Just One Flake, is coming in April. It’s called Just One Wave.

Book cover - an owl and a girl back to back looking at each other sideways over their shoulders.

MATTHEW - My next picture book, after Ship, is To See an Owl, coming January 7, 2025. I’m a longtime owl obsessive, and birder in general. But owls are my big thing, when it comes to birding. Owls are such charismatic but reclusive birds. They are so difficult to find, and it’s such a magical experience when you can see an owl after so much patient searching. So, I wrote a picture book about one girl’s quest to find her first owl in the wild.

These are intriguing. I can't wait to read them. Congrats. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

TRAVIS - I love this question! My family and I are slowly trying to visit as many national parks as we can. My favorite has been Yellowstone. My favorite lesser-known park is Sleeping Bear Dunes national lakeshore (near Traverse City, Michigan).

HALA-Overlook_(PCD2013)

MATTHEW - My favorite so far would also have to be Yellowstone! What a vast and impressive place on earth. I saw my first wolves in the wild at Yellowstone. I’ll never forget it. A close second was seeing the massive sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park. I’d love to see Yosemite someday. I have a bunch of local forest preserves that I’m walking throughout the year. A couple of my favorites are: 1. Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve which is an amazing bird habitat in general, but especially for the wintering short-eared owls that hunt there; and 2. Hastings Lake Forest Preserve, where I observe Great Horned Owls being born every spring and watch them mature throughout the summer. I told you, I’m an owl obsessive!

Thank you, Travis and Matthew, for stopping by to share with us your newest picture book and your process.

Thank you for your great questions and for helping to spread the word about this book!

Echoing Travis again to say thank you so much for having us!

To find out more about Travis Jonker, or to contact him:

Website: https://www.travisjonkerbooks.com/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/100scopenotes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travis.jonker1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/100scopenotes/

To find out more about Matthew Cordell, or to contact him:

Website: https://www.matthewcordell.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cordellmatthew

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

Review of The Ship in the Window

I am so honored to interview these two amazing creatives and review their stunning and touching picture book of a mouse who fulfills her dream of sailing and discovers friendship!

The Ship in the Window

Author: Travis Jonker

Illustrator: Matthew Cordell

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers/Penguin (2024)

Ages: 3-7

Fiction:

Themes:

Adventure, a mouse, friendship, and following your dreams.

Synopsis:

Mabel the mouse wants nothing more than to be a fearless sea captain traveling the world in search of adventure. Every night she watches a man carefully construct a model ship, as his son watches by her side. Mabel and the boy know the model ship is anything but a toy, but they both long to see if it can really float. So Mabel hatches a plan to make her seafaring dreams come true.

Illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell and children's librarian and reviewer Travis Jonker, The Ship in the Window celebrates the rewards of following your dreams and never losing the spirit of adventure.

Opening Lines:

Mable lived in a little cabin on a little lake.

But she wasn't alone.

What I LOVED about this book:

Isn't this such an intriguing opening? Travis Jonker has immediately, yet so very softly, snagged the reader's attention and created an urge to know more about Mable and who else is with her. And Matthew Cordell's subtle, sepia and pale-blue vintage-feeling illustrations are a perfect match. Mable is such an adorable character in her stocking cap and scarf. I love that close picture readers will notice the shape of a ship in the cabin's window. Throughout, the illustrations alternate between gorgeous, wordless full (or double) page spreads and cameos or panels which are so ingeniously framed with knotted rope.

Internal spread - ont he left a cabin my the shore with the ship in the window. On the right, a mouse looking out the window.

Turns out, Mabel shared the cabin with a boy, "and a man. And the man's prized possession . . . a model ship."

Three wordless end page spreads show the boy and Mabel watching as the man creates this super special ship -all by himself.

End page - man meticulously painting his ship as the boy and Mabel (the mouse) look on

Then, although the introduction of the man and boy show a smiling man with his hands on the boy's shoulders, it's the magnificent model ship that is featured on its own spread. The three characters live in the cabin, but there is a distance between them.

Mabel and the boy both pondered, "Could it sail like a real ship?" The intriguing ripped-edge illustrations of Mabel dreaming of piloting the ship (above in the interview) is mirrored when the boy also dreams of sailing the ship, "free and full of wonder." I love that both Mabel and the boy wear matching sea captain stocking caps. Kids will enjoy looking through the illustrations to spot where Mabel peeks from next.

When the cabin door swings open one night, Mabel only hesitates for a minute before she decides to follow her dream. I loved how Matthew Cordell snuck in STEM with a pulley system, leverage, and a roller slideway! Mabel's one pretty smart little mouse.

Internal spread - multiple panels of a mouse with a rope, lowering the ship with a pulley system, pulling the ship across the floor, using a roller slide, and eventually getting the ship into the water.

Three gorgeous spreads and beautifully lyrical text mirror Mabel's earlier dream of "captaining the ship" using the stars, through rough and calm waters. But as the sun rose, so did the man and the boy. After exploring a wide range of emotions, and a dose of adrenaline, the ending is touching and perfect. It's a book to be enjoyed by many ages - pre-readers to adult - with a number of subtle undercurrents around relationships, priorities, cooperation, and following ones dreams at another's expense. A stunning adventure with an adorable seafaring mouse encouraging wonder and following one' s dreams.

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