Meeting Ana Aranda, illustrator of "The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra"...six years after the book was published

Today, at a Day of the Dead event at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC, I met Mexican-born illustrator Ana Aranda for the first time.

She exhibited/sold original art from her book Our Day of the Dead Celebration and held court with a steady stream of fans of all ages.

Of note: Ana and I made a book together...six years ago.

Meeting in person was such a long overdue pleasure!

"The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra" in Spanish

The chupacabra originated in Latino and Hispanic culture; the first chupacabra sighting reported was in Puerto Rico in 1996. So it feels appropriate that The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (illustrated by Mexican-born Ana Aranda) is now available (via Scholastic) in Spanish. 

As you see, the title has changed in the translation (The Macabre Dinner of Chupacabra). I don't know why. I know they have candelabras in Spanish-language cultures.

The original dedication to my son calls him my "favorite funny little fuzzball." In Spanish, he's referred to simply as my "plush."

"The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra" original art on display

The prestigious annual Society of Illustrators exhibit "The Original Art" (showcasing illustration from what they feel are the year's best children's books) has included The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra in its 2017 show. I'm so proud of my illustrator Ana Aranda and so honored. 

On 12/6/17, I had the chance to see the exhibit:

"Chupacabra" art in Society of Illustrators annual exhibit

¡Felicitaciones! to Ana Aranda, whose delicious art for The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra will be featured in the Society of Illustrators annual exhibit "The Original Art" at its Museum of Illustration in New York City from 11/1 through 12/23/17. 

The exhibit "showcases the original art from the year's best children's books."

The full list of distinguished participants is here.

Congrats to all honored!

Allusions to one of my books in another

At times, I nod at one of my books in another of my books.

Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman features a silent cameo by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman. 

They're standing behind the seated man, Jerry Robinson.

Brave Like My Brother (is fiction but) mentions Jerry and Joe several times as the story's stateside scenes take place in Cleveland.

Brave Like My Brother also winks at Bill the Boy Wonder's Bill Finger in that the diner where one of the main characters works is called Milton's (Bill's given name).

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra pays small tribute to Fairy Spell (which isn't even out yet!)...but not by me. 

In fact, I did not even know about it till the day the Fairy Spell cover was revealed online (8/7/17), when Chupacabra illustrator Ana Aranda shared with me a fun revelation of her own: among the adorable spot drawings on the Chupacabra endpapers, you can see the chupacabra playing with dolls of various myths—including a fairy. Thanks again, Ana!

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra also contains a cheeky if unofficial appearance by another superhero (and without Jerry and Joe, we might not have any). The lead goat is named Jayna…as was one of the Wonder Twins on the 1970s cartoon Super Friends. Her power? To transform into any animal...

Surely more to come…

"Scariest food I ate" contest for "The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra"

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra is about fear. And food.

So illustrator Ana Aranda and I, with the support of our publisher, Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen Books, ran a little contest giving kids the chance to reveal the scariest food they ate for a chance to win a signed copy of the book.

Ana designed an adorable template (in both English and Spanish).

A winning entry:

That there's some terrifying eggs.

Thank you to all participants and congrats to the winners!

Illustrators for “Oregon” and “Chupacabra”...with a twist

I am thrilled (and long overdue) in announcing the illustrators for two of my upcoming picture books: Melissa Iwai for Thirty Minutes Over Oregon (nonfiction) and Ana Aranda​ (who also goes by Anaranda) for The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (fiction, obviously).

With each book, I wanted to work with an artist whose cultural background aligns with the subject, and my editors (Jennifer Greene at Clarion, Nancy Paulsen at Penguin Random House) kindly indulged me: Oregon is about a Japanese WWII pilot, Melissa has Japanese heritage; Chupacabra is about a myth that arose in Latino communities, Ana was born and raised in Mexico.

Thank you, Melissa and Ana, for signing on.

Sayonaradios!