What Are You?

It’s a question I’ve been asked my whole life. And now, it’s a book that I illustrated. Written by Christian Trimmer, What Are You? is an introduction to talking about being mixed-race. Though it is imperative that we talk about race with kids, the topic can often feel too heavy to find an entry point. However, I think our book offers a light opportunity to begin a conversation.

Here’s a little synopsis from Macmillan: From Christian Trimmer and award-winning illustrator Mike Curato comes What Are You?, a brilliant, new early-reader picture book brimming with warmth and playfulness that explores questions of race and identity.

When a puggle meets two new poodle friends, there is a question the poodles feel they must ask. 

What are you? 
What am I? 
Yes, what are you? 
I am a dog. 
No, what are you? 

So begins a conversation about family and identity, and about the things we’re good at… and why we’re good at them. Brimming with warmth and playfulness, What Are You? is an exemplary picture book for early readers. Equally funny and thoughtful, the book includes prompts to facilitate important first conversations about stereotypes and bias between child and adult.

I myself am mixed-race, and I think what I find most troubling about the question, “What are you?”, is that it’s one of the first things someone feels compelled to ask me, as opposed to “WHO are you?” Surely that would prompt a much more interesting, multifaceted answer, because I am many things. “I contain multitudes.” When asked the question, sometimes I’ll push back and inquire, “why do you ask?” That’s usually followed by “just curious!” But what exactly is driving that specific curiosity? Why not ask someone what their interests are? Or if they’re hungry? Or if they’ve read any good books lately? (I’ve got a recommendation!)

I hope that everyone sees themselves in these pages: the asked and askers. I like to create books that I wish I had when I was a kid, and I hope that mixed folks who read this feel validated and seen. But it would have been even better if kids in my class who weren’t mixed had this book, because it would have helped them understand how to talk to me, how to ask me to be friends, how to see me as a person not so different from themselves. As a creative, I fully support curiosity, and I also believe that there are some things that we must wait for someone to reveal to us in their own time and on their terms.

I’m so grateful that I was asked to illustrate this story, one that I felt compelled to tell for many years, but couldn’t find the right words. My thanks to Christian for finding the those words and putting them together so beautifully! Many thanks to the good people at Roaring Brook who helped make this happen: Jennifer Besser, Lisa Vega, Allene Casagnol, and the rest of the team at Macmillan Children’s. And a big thank you to my dear agent, Brenda Bowen.

I dedicated this book to my brother and sister, who are two people whom I rely on to know exactly how I feel about a shortlist of things, including “the question” in question. I’m sure if the three of us were asked “What are you?” at the same time, we would in unison reply, “WEIRD.”

And for anyone asking, I am the following mix:
a friend-baker-brother-traveler-son-singer-uncle-thinker-dreamer-reader

And to you, dear reader, I am your devoted storyteller. xo Mike

Order your copy today!

Where Is Bina Bear?

Please help me welcome my new friends, Bina and Tiny, to the world today! (You can order here! Or read to the end if you want a signed copy.) It’s been several years since I put out a picture book that I also authored, and my heart is full of love for my shy friend and her compassionate confidant. It’s become customary for me to post “the making of” in honor of book release, so here’s the story behind the story…

Once upon a time, I was having a bad summer. It was July 2019, and I had just arrived at one of my favorite places, the Highlights Foundation, to co-facilitate an illustration intensive. There was a lot going on in my life, and rather than face a room full of people, I really just wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for a year. I remember calling my bestie, Samantha Berger, and saying, “I can’t do this.” She assured me that I definitely could and pumped me up before the intensive started.

I affixed my “EVERYTHING IS GREAT!” smile, and headed to the first session. The nice thing about being surrounded by fellow illustrators is that no one thinks you’re being rude when you doodle in a sketchbook while someone is speaking. That is when this bear fumbled her way onto my page.

As you can see, she is not really up for engagement. I was having fun putting her in scenarios in which she was trying to hide in plain sight, and doing a very bad job at it. I didn’t really think of it as a story idea at first. I just kept toying with the visual play of hiding oneself, because that was my reality in that moment.

Days after the retreat, I was looking at these doodles (there were more than just these ones) and thought, “Is this a thing??” Before long, I had a story about a bear at a party who does not like parties, and her small rabbit friend (Tiny to be exact). Bina, stressed out by the crowd, finds quiet pockets of the house to store herself in, while disguised as an inanimate object. She is a lamp, a table, a tree, a bookcase. She suddenly runs out of clever ideas (or did I?) and assumes the role of “groceries” when she is finally found out (though we secretly know that Tiny has been onto this whole charade from the beginning).

I sat on a blanket on the coast of Maine with some computer paper, a pen, and some colored pencils. Within a day, I had a book dummy. My agent, Brenda Bowen, saw it the next day and sent it to my editor, Laura Godwin, right away. Laura took it to acquisitions at Macmillan that week. It was the fastest book pitch I’ve ever made and sold. Some aspects of the story changed, most notably my decision to make Bina purple to stand out from the many other bears in the kidlit universe. But at its core, the story has remained the same.

style development sample

I did lots of rounds of style tests with different mediums, but I was really enjoying working in pen and ink with color washes.

first phase of a finished piece: pen & ink with watercolor

This style was a departure from my earlier, tighter Little Elliot work (speaking of, keep your eyes peeled in this book for a cameo or two). I’ve varied my styles for other picture books written by other authors. But Bina would be my first post-Elliot book I’ve authored, and it felt like a change was in order. I liked the quirkiness of the pen line and punchiness of the color to match the humor of the story. I wanted Bina’s fur to have a rich texture, so that was done separately with watercolor and colored pencil. There are other pieces here and there that use a scanned texture, like canvas for the lampshade and brown paper bag for…a brown paper bag.

These are fragments of Bina’s fur textures for different pages throughout the book. High quality watercolor paper is expensive, so I used every bit of the surface as possible!

Similar to Elliot though, Bina is a mix of traditional and digital media. These elements were scanned and assembled in Photoshop. Then I colored digitally in both Photoshop and Adobe Fresco.

my first book illustrated on iPad

the final ilustration

On the surface, Where Is Bina Bear? is a cute hide and seek book. One could read this book and quickly chalk it up to a funny story about a bear with social anxiety. But for me it’s even more about two people trying to be good friends as best they can with what they have to work with. Tiny sees past Bina’s anxiety with compassion and playfulness, and we come to learn that Bina only came to this party because of her love and loyalty to Tiny. In the end, the most important thing is being together, and the two find a creative way to do just that.

Any of my loyal readers know that the theme of friendship never gets old for me. This book is a love letter to those friends who understand and accept each other’s idiosyncrasies without question. Vulnerability, so often seen as a weakness, can be an opportunity to allow others, to allow love, to enter our hearts and make us feel whole.

For reviews and to download the activity kit, please visit my website. I hope you’ll join me this evening for a virtual book release event with High Five Books! Click here to register and order your personalized and signed copies! I’ll be reading, drawing, and answering your questions live via Facebook. Don’t be shy…

Where Is Bina Bear? Cover Reveal!

Tiny is having a party, but Bina Bear is nowhere to be found. Is that Bina hiding under a lampshade? It looks like Bina… but it must be a lamp. Is that Bina beneath the fruit bowl? It could be… but it’s probably just a table. Searching for Bina, Tiny realizes something is wrong—and sets out to make it right. I hope you like my new silly and sweet picture book about friendship, understanding, and embracing loved ones just as they are.

Preorder today from your favorite independent bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

FLAMER

I’m gay. It took me a very long and sometime perilous journey to be able to say that out loud and with pride. It’s taken me a long time to say I love myself. I like who I am. These are things I couldn’t say when I was 14.

I am trying to remember the first time someone called me a faggot. It’s happened so many times that I can’t pinpoint when it started. It still hurts. The best revenge I’ve come up with is to make a book about being a faggot, and how it’s nothing to be ashamed about. How being a faggot is a beautiful thing. How being gay and colored and fat isn’t ugly. I want all the little faggots out there to know they are loved and to wear their faggotry like a crown. We are kweens after all. We are not dirty. And we are not sinners for being gay. We sin when we believe the lies that are perpetuated against us. We sin when we apologize for being here. I sinned when I didn’t want to give myself a chance because I didn’t think I was worth anything. This story is my penance and my redemption.

Today my book, FLAMER, is in the world for you. It is gay. And I am proud of it.

If I were in a more sales & marketing sort of mood, I would give you a synopsis right now and talk about the process of making this book. But there are already plenty of great interviews that can fill you in. My elevator pitch and art nerd street cred feel inconsequential in comparison to what I want to share with you here.

Children are killing themselves. Because they think they are unlovable. Because they think this world is not for them. Because they are afraid that if they don’t kill themselves, someone else will. I was a child like that. But I chose to stay. And I would like to ask my sweet, beautiful, worthy fellow flamers to stay. Stay here with me. We can see what happens. It won’t all be good. But there is more good in the world than you know. Sometimes life pulls a reveal. What gay person doesn’t love a plot twist?

FLAMER is a lot of things. Flamer is me going in deep. Deep into the pain. Snapping old broken bones into place and learning to stand up on them. I feel strong now. I want to give that strength to others.

FLAMER is fiction. But it’s also real. This is real life. This is what some people go through. Real life is violent and crass and funny and treacherous and shockingly hopeful. Flamer is me living. Flamer is me encouraging people to find a way to live. Your life doesn’t have to be lived on anyone else’s terms but your own.

You’re enough, kid. You are enough.

Love,
Mike

Join me tonight at 7:30PM EST for a launch event with Jarrett J Krosoczka (Hey, Kiddo). You will received a signed book and an art print via Brookline Booksmith. 

 

FLAMER Book Launch with Jarrett J. Krosoczka 9/1

IT’s ALMOST HERE!!! My debut YA graphic novel, Flamer, releases on Tuesday, September 1st! It’s the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone’s going through changes―but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

To celebrate, I’ll be having a socially distanced campfire chat with Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Hey Kiddo), live from his back yard at 7:30PM ET. With your ticket purchase from Brookline Booksmith, you’ll receive a signed & personalized book and this Flamer art print!

Get your hands on this free Flamer print and signed book with your purchase of event ticket, only through Brookline Booksmith

Jarrett and I will talk about the book, discuss writing and illustrating comics for teens, and read a passage from Flamer together. I’ll do a live drawing demo, and then a live question & answer. It’ll be fun! So REGISTER NOW, get your s’mores ready, and I’ll see ya Tuesday! 

Click here for more information and reviews of Flamer. Recommended reading age 14+.

FLAMER Cover Reveal

🔥It’s COVER REVEAL DAY!!!!!🔥

This is Flamer, my debut YA graphic novel. Available Sept 1, 2020. Stay tuned for more info. Let’s light this UP!!!

 

Merry Christmas, Little Elliot!

Well, whether you like it or not, it’s Christmas time. Some of us love Christmas! And that’s great! But for others, Christmas can be difficult. Maybe you had a hard year, and it’s challenging to get into the spirit of things. Maybe you lost a loved one or can’t be with the ones you love. Maybe you don’t celebrate this holiday, and you are so tired of hearing about it every waking moment of the day. In any event, I feel you, and so does Little Elliot. He just wasn’t into it this year either.

Our holiday schedules are often packed with Christmas plays and movies, sitting on Santa’s lap, tree lighting ceremonies, sledding and playing in the snow (if you live somewhere like that), ice skating, eating a ton of baked goods while drinking hot cocoa, shopping, shopping, shopping, and more shopping. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO BECAUSE IT’S CHRISTMAS…right? All that can be fun, but the joy we garner from these things is fleeting. We can still walk away feeling like we’re missing something important.

Now, I know there have been ten thousand books instructing us about “the true meaning of Christmas,” and I suppose this book could be lumped in with them, but let’s set Christmas aside for a second. I think many of us are looking for real meaning in our lives the whole year round. And sometimes, we just don’t know what it all means. We make lots of decisions based on what we hope will make us happy. In America, often those decisions are material based. Again, I know I haven’t come to some sensationally unique perspective when I say that life is about the connections we make. We are all out there looking for each other, searching for love, friendship, camaraderie, mentorship, family. And when we go through the motions of what we’re “supposed to do” and don’t find what we’re looking for, it can leave us feeling disconnected. And during the holidays, the stakes seem even higher because it’s “supposed” to be a time of great joy.

But though this world can be big and disappointing and scary, there are real miracles happening everyday. People do find each other despite their tough situations. I wrote this book because life has shown the cynic in me that despite all the loss we can experience, there’s so much healing that a kind gesture can accomplish. Sometimes the thing that we are missing is a person we don’t even know. They’re a stranger who lives far away in a different world, a different life, than your own. And somehow the universe conspires to unite you through one chance moment, and it could spark a whole new reality.

In this book, Little Elliot experiences his own little miracle (which just happens to be on Christmas). Somehow, he finds the person he needs, who also needs him. And who do we thank for that? Santa? Their individual determination not to give up hope? The wind? I don’t know, but I’m so grateful when it all works out.

OK, I’ll stop with all the mush! I know everyone loves a good Easter egg (no matter the holiday), so here are a few you’ll find in Merry Christmas, Little Elliot:

In this little crowd, you’ll find my nephew, nieces, and puppy!

Yes, that is Macy’s in the background. I’m not trying to promote them per se, but they are pretty iconic when it comes to Christmas in New York. Also, it’s just an awesome doorway. What can I say, I wanted to draw the cool lamps.

“Who is Freya?” Freya is my adorable niece, so she gets things named after her. The same train is featured on the opening spread in the toy filled window (if you squint you can see her name).

Also, what is perhaps my favorite part of the book is hidden! Take a peek under the dust jacket for a little surprise. It will add a little more meaning to the story as well.

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When you get your copy of Merry Christmas, Little Elliot, be sure to peek under the dust jacket for a little surprise! To learn more or to order, follow the link to my website in my bio. 🎄 . . . #kidlit #childrensbook #childrensbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #christmas #kidlitart #surprise #casecover #bookjacket #bookdesign #easteregg

A post shared by Mike Curato (@mike_curato) on Nov 23, 2018 at 6:45am PST

Macmillan made a limited run of these sweet Little Elliot Christmas ornaments which they distributed to select indie bookstores nationwide for them to give away free with purchase of Merry Christmas, Little Elliot (while supplies last). Check with your indie to see if they have any left!

If you would like a signed copy of Merry Christmas, Little Elliot (or how about the whole series!), you can place an order with the Eric Carle Museum Shop. I will stop by to personalize and sign them, and the Carle will happily ship to (almost) anywhere in the world! Conveniently, they’re having their Holiday Sale today, 11/23 through Sunday 11/25 (use coupon code HOLIDAY to get 15% off or 30% off for members). I will also be at Books of Wonder in NYC on December 1st at 1PM, if you would like your books signed in person.

And one more thing: Macmillan is having a Merry Christmas, Little Elliot sweepstakes from from 11/19-12/10. Enter here to win your very own Little Elliot collection!

That’s all for now, friends. No matter what you do or don’t celebrate, I hope that you’re enjoying life’s small miracles today and every day.

xo Mike

Click here to read reviews for Merry Christmas, Little Elliot!

WHAT IF…

Today is a special day. I got to illustrate this book, and now it is in the world.

While I turn the pages of What If…, I remember making macaroni portraits in preschool. I remember decorating cookies for Christmas with my Mom. I remember sneaking out my paint set when I wasn’t supposed to and spilling paint on the carpet. The paint and easel were taken away from me for a while, but I was just as happy using my crayons instead. I remember eating French onion soup and drawing on placemats at my favorite restaurant with my Mema, with markers that she had just bought for me. And I remember other times, when I didn’t have those markers, I would just make mountains out of creamer cups, and portraits out of spaghetti and meatballs. I remember being lonely, and playing make believe. If I didn’t have friends to play with, I would line up my stuffed animals and perform for them. I sang all of their favorites. I would build pillow forts and Lego castles for us to live and dream in. We would run wild through the backyard, through bushes and trees, to another world where whatever we thought of was possible.

I remember creating my whole life, from childhood to adulthood. I’m so grateful to be able to create, and to encourage others to create. There were times in my life that I felt like my art was all I had. If life was too scary, I could create a beautiful world to escape into. If I felt silenced, I could cry out through my drawings. If I felt lost, I could paint something to give me hope. I have always felt the need to make something.

I also remember making friendships. Real ones. The kind that last a lifetime, no matter the time or distance apart. I remember making friends with Julia in college. We would take turns pointing at the sky or at our lunch and challenging each other to list what colors the other would use to paint it. When we weren’t making art side by side, we were talking about it. If we weren’t talking about art, we were dancing. This book is dedicated to her, and to my friend, Sarah Jane. She and I were studio mates for many years. We were each other’s support when our art or our lives fell apart. She has always been there to pick up my pencil when I threw it on the floor. When I was full of doubt, she gave me hugs, handed me that pencil, and led me back to my desk to say “yes, you can.” Julia and Sarah Jane have very different artistic styles than me, but we speak a common language. They understand the necessity to create.

And I remember making friends with someone through laughter and song, someone who would become one of the most important friends of my life, Samantha Berger. Today, I want to thank her for sharing this story with all of us, and for giving me this beautiful journey to run mad with in my studio. Her words and my pictures have come together to make this book, our song of resilience and creation, one of my most favorite things that I have ever created.

I’m still relatively new at making books, but so far, it’s been my experience that you don’t really realize or understand the depth of what you’re making until you’ve finished making it. Some say our book is about art. It is. But it’s about much more than that. Some say it’s about survival. It is. But it’s about much more than that too. It’s about being you. It’s about putting yourself into the world, even when it seems like the world doesn’t want you. When something precious is taken from you, which unfortunately is inevitable in this life, you are forced to ask yourself, “who am I now?” I find great comfort in Samantha’s words:

“If I had nothing, but still had my mind,
There’d always be stories to seek and to find.”

We all want and need our lives to mean something. Meanwhile, this world wants and needs you to put something good into it. What can you create to make it better? It doesn’t have to be art or words. Solutions come in many forms. It can be a program or a formula. It can be a building or a cake. It can be a cure, or a blanket, or a community. It can be a thought. It can be a kindness.

What If… you made something that changed the world for the better?
What If… everyone did?

Keep dreaming.
Keep making.

Love,
Mike

————————————————————————

For more information, resources, and to order, please visit my site. 

For further reading about the making of What If…, check out our blog tour:

WHAT IF…We Told You the Story Behind the Story?

WHAT IF…Mike Curato Used Mixed Media to Make a Book?

WHAT IF…We Used Our Creativity to Overcome Obstacles?

WHAT IF…Two Best Friends Made a Book Together?

WHAT IF…We Revealed our New Book Trailer?

 

What If…We Had a Blog Tour? (and a Real Life Tour)

We’re just days away from the release of What If…!

Samantha Berger and I are so excited for this book to finally be out in the world on April 10th. While it’s par for the course for authors and illustrators to promote their work, we also genuinely have a lot that we want to share about our experience making this book! We want to share some stories about the story. The ups! The downs! The all arounds! Join us this week as we make daily appearances on some of the best kidlit blogs out there. You will even have a chance to win a free copy of What If…

3/26 Nerdy Book Club: WHAT IF…We Told You the Story Behind the Story?

3/27 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast: WHAT IF…Mike Curato Used Mixed Media to Make a Book?

3/28 Pragmatic Mom: WHAT IF…We Used Our Creativity to Overcome Obstacles?

3/29 Kidlit Frenzy: WHAT IF…Two Best Friends Made a Book Together?

3/30 Watch Connect Read: WHAT IF…We Revealed our New Book Trailer?

We are also happy to share that we’re hitting the road to read with you in person! Here’s a list of public events where Samantha and I will be reading, creating, and signing. We hope you’ll join us!

For more information, reviews, and to order your copy, visit my site!

 

 

What If…We Went on a Tour?!

My new book, WHAT IF…, comes out this spring, and I have the privilege of going on tour with its author, the amazing, the brilliant, the fabulous Samantha Berger! We hope that you can make it to one of our public events! Visit my events page for more information. Also, stay tuned for more news about our blog tour and book giveaways!!!

What If…is a story about how the power of creativity and self expression can triumph over any obstacle, written and illustrated by two real life best friends. Available April 3rd from Little, Brown. Read more about the book, check out sample illustrations, and preorder your copy today!