Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including XANDER’S PANDA PARTY by Linda Sue Park, MARILYN’S MONSTER by Michelle Knudsen, and FLORA’S VERY WINDY DAY by Jeanne Birdsall. He is the author/illustrator of the picture books DRUTHERS and PIGNIC, as well as the graphic novels THE STORM IN THE BARN (winner of the Scott O’Dell Award), AROUND THE WORLD, BLUFFTON, the New York Times Bestseller SNOW WHITE, and most recently, IF WENDELL HAD A WALRUS by Lori Mortensen. Matt lives in Pennsylvania.
For what age audience do you write/illustrate?
I both write and illustrate picture books and middle grade novels (both graphic novels and prose).
Tell us about your latest book.
IF WENDELL HAD A WALRUS by Lori Mortensen is about wishing for a special friend and getting one (but not the one you wished for).
Henry: Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
What do you hope readers will get from reading that book?
I hope they laugh a lot and also care about the boys in the story. Finding good friends is an important part of life.
What aspect of writing or illustrating do you find most challenging?
Illustrating a book written by another author is a wonderful challenge. I feel a responsibility to “get” what the author was intending as well as to add something of my own to the mix.
What is a powerful lesson you’ve learned from being a writer/illustrator?
No matter how many books you have made, it always feels like the first time.
Henry: That makes sense. You’re creating art, not baking apple pie from a recipe.
What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been a writer/illustrator?
I really enjoy visiting schools and talking to kids directly about the process of making books. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege. And maybe I’ve inspired a future author or illustrator.
Henry: With great power comes great responsibility.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors or illustrators?
Draw and write as much as possible. There are many factors to breaking into publishing that you cannot control. However, the one thing you have 100% control over is your work. And that is the key to breaking into publishing.
Henry: Hone. Your. Craft.
Do you have any favorite quotes?
“To achieve great things, two things are needed: A plan, and not quite enough time.” — Leonard Bernstein. I have that above the door in my studio.
Henry: That should be the illustrator’s credo. “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” — Woodrow Wilson
Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you write/illustrate?
Is drinking coffee strange? How about a lot of coffee? I tend to stay away from rituals. But I take frequent breaks to play some kind of musical instrument in the studio.
Henry: Coffee is not a strange ritual unless you imbibe it intravenously.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Flying, because it has to be the most fun of the superpowers.
Henry: True, but also fraught will perils. See my interview with Edna Mode on this subject.
If you could have three authors over for dinner, who would it be?
Jeanne Birdsall (because she’s brilliant and funny), P.G. Wodehouse (same), and Isak Dinesen (because she could tell us all a fantastic story after dinner).
Henry: Wikipedia helpfully offers: Jeanne Birdsall is an American writer of children’s books. She is known mainly for the “Penderwick sisters”, whose third chronicle was published in 2011. The first, which was her debut novel, won the 2005 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse KBE (1881 – 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humourists of the 20th century.
Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (1885 – 1962) was a Danish author. She is best known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries, and Tania Blixen, used in German-speaking countries.
Blixen is best known for Out of Africa, an account of her life while living in Kenya, and for one of her stories, Babette’s Feast, both of which have been adapted into Academy Award-winning motion pictures.
What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature?
Medusa is a good one. I’ve always like the Minotaur, too. The Greeks were great at mixing a bit of tragedy with their horrors.
Henry: I’ve always been struck by how flawed their gods were.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing/illustrating?
Hanging out with my kids.
What would you like it to say on your tombstone?
He’s Not Here.
Where can readers find your work?
Henry: Thanks for spending time with us, Matt.
henryherz.com 