The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Karen Rostoker-Gruber
Karen Rostoker-Gruber is a multi-award-winning author of many picture books with hundreds of thousands of copies sold. She's also a published humorist. Her first humor book, The Unofficial College Survival Guide, was published in 1992 by Great Quotations.
In Karen's spare time, she's also a ventriloquist and visits schools and public libraries with her life-sized puppet named Maria. When she visits schools and libraries she and Maria comment on her PowerPoint presentation. The kids LOVE her! Even adults LOVE talking with her--although they don't want to admit it.
Here's a photo of Maria at High Tea and dressed as Alice in Wonderland.
Karen is the author of 17 books, including A Crowded Farmhouse Folktale, illustrated by Kristina Swarner (2020), Happy Birthday, Trees!, illustrated by Holly Sterling (2020), Ferret Fun in the Sun, illustrated by Paul Rátz de Tagyos (2015), Ferret Fun, illustrated by Paul Ratz De Tagyos (2011), and Bandit and Bandit's Surprise, illustrated by Vincent Nguyen (2010).
Her newest picture book, Don’t Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah, releases on November 5th from Apples & Honey Press.
Welcome Karen! Thank you so much for stopping by to chat about your books and writing.
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write and illustrate? How long have you been writing and illustrating? What is your favorite type of book to write and illustrate?)
I write new books at 3am on sticky notes that I keep beside my bed. During the day I revise, work on PR, answer emails, and visit schools, libraries, Temples, and JCCs.
Here's my office; I call it The Reading Oasis. I hung vines across the ceiling, bought as much wicker or tan wood as possible--even the blinds are made of tan wood.
I've been writing stories since I was 8 years old. Here's the first book I ever wrote. I was 8, don't judge. LOL.
I started sending manuscripts out when I was 28. I LOVE writing picture books, but it was easier to break into the adult humor world back in 1991, so I have 4 adult humor titles.
I finally broke into the KidLit world when I attended the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature. Each mentee that gets into the conference is matched up with either an editor, agent, art director, author, or illustrator. You have 45 minutes with them to go over your work. The editor that I was matched up with, from Dial Books for Young Readers, wound up acquiring my manuscript, Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo. That book went on to sell over 250,000 copies!
Then, she gave her friend, who was an editor at Price Stern Sloan, another manuscript of mine Food Fright:: A Mouthwatering Novelty Book . Her friend wound up acquiring that book as well. It's a Halloween pop-up book!
It's great to get to know you Karen. I love your Reading Oasis! It looks like a great place to work. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written or illustrated a manuscript?
I wrote a whole book in my car to and from work while I was sitting in traffic on route 287 in NJ: Remote Controls Are Better Than Women Because. . . (I used to be a print buyer for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, NJ.)
Ha! Haven't heard this one before! What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Don’t Invite Bear Inside for Hanukkah?
This book took a different road to publication than others, as I've worked with Dena Neusner at Apples & Honey Press before. Every once and a while, I send her a new book to review because I really respect her opinion. And she understands my sense of humor.
I sent a board book (about a cat and a bear) to Dena in 2020. She told me to rewrite the board book as a picture book, give the bear and cat (at the time there was a cat) more personality, flesh out the story, give it a story arc, and she'd look at it again. Yikes! It was a total and complete rewrite. All that remained in the end was the bear.
It took my mind until February 2022, to rework it for her. (You can't rush creativity.) Once the title popped into my head at 3am, I just kept writing. The book BEGGED to be a metafictional tale and I didn't know of any books like that for Jewish children. (A metafictional tale is where the narrator speaks directly to the reader telling the reader what to do and what not to do.)
What a great relationship and you did a great job reworking it. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child?
I LOVED Where the Wild Things are and anything Pippi Longstocking.
I can see that connection. What was the hardest part of creating Don’t Invite Bear Inside for Hanukkah? What was the most fun part?
The hardest part was coming up with a very different book than the one that I had originally subbed to Dena.
The best part of writing this book was letting the narrator speak to the reader; It just opened up a lot of possibilities.
And it's a novel approach for a Hanukkah book (as far as I know, too). When you first saw Carles Arbat’s illustrations did anything surprise or amaze you? What is your favorite spread?
His work has a magical feel to it. My favorite spread is when the child and the bear are walking through the woods together, right after the child hatches a new plan. Here's Carles holding the spread that I like the best! The facial expressions--sheer joy--in both the bear and child. It makes me smile.
That is a great spread. And I am so glad we can include Carles here as well! How long did it take from the first “seed” of the idea to publication for Don’t Invite Bear Inside for Hanukkah?
Initially I sent the board book to Dena in 2020; she offered me a contract for it in May 2022 (and that's only because I was inquiring about another book that I had sent her way).
Life works in strange ways, sometimes. Is there anything special you want your readers to know about Don’t Invite Bear Inside for Hanukkah?
The child in my story is gender neutral because I wanted any child to feel like the narrator is speaking directly to them.
Also, this book is about including all kinds of people--and bears, in this case--into your holiday plans, even if they have differing abilities or different needs. (I know that I feel a lot better when I go to people's houses and they tell me what dishes I can have and what dishes I can't have; I'm gluten-free and dairy-free.)
At my daughter’s wedding, just recently, they had gluten-free and dairy-free signs for all food at the rehearsal dinner and the cocktail hour. It was very freeing.
I love that you specifically left the child open so every reader can fill their shoes. Thank you, Karen, for talking with me about your newest book.
Be sure to come back Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah
Here's the book trailer for Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah
For more information about Karen Rostoker-Gruber, or to contact her:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rostokergruber
If you are in the area, Karen will be reading this book and signing it (you have to sign up) on:
December 7th at 11:00
The Howling Basset Bookstore
39 Old Turnpike Rd,
Tewksbury, NJ 08858
To RSVP and sign up for the reading / signing:
The book is NOW available for pre-order:
If you want a signed copy, and can't come to the signing, but need it shipped, call The Bookworm at: 908-766-4599.
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