Review Fix chats with author Ben Hatke about his new book, “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures.†His first picture book after his successful Zita comic book series, Hatke talks about his transition as a writer and artist, as well as his what makes the book so special.
Review Fix: How did it feel to work on another series besides Zita?
Ben Hatke: Well, I’m not sure just yet it Julia’s House will turn into a proper series, but transitioning from comics into the picture book format was a lot of fun. I really felt like I was stretching out as a writer and artist. I also enjoyed creating the big watercolor illustrations, and not being so confined to panels.
It was also gratifying to step into a different story world after spending so much (mental) time out in space.
Review Fix: For those who don’t know, tell us about the story here. What makes these characters unique?
Hatke: Julia and her traveling house settle in at the edge of a little seaside town and everything is pretty cozy. But living alone gets to be a little too quiet for Julia, so she opens her house up to lost magical creatures. She soon finds herself inundated with gnomes, goblins, trolls, a mermaid and a dragon and other fantastical beings.
Julia is an industrious character. She solves most of her problems by retreating to her workshop. She also has a bit of a hard time finding a balance between order and chaos.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?
Hatke: Oh, everybody, I hope. I like to think that the best picture books have something for everyone to appreciate.
Review Fix: How was your creative process different this time around?
Hatke: One major difference is that there was very little digital work for this book -at least on my end. When it came time to produce the actual illustrations (after all the thumbnail drafts were worked out) I just got out big sheets of Arches watercolor paper, put on loud music and went to town. And when I was finished I sent the illustrations off to the publisher for scanning. They were too big for my home scanner.
Review Fix: What do you think is the most endearing quality of this book?
Hatke: Hmm… maybe the way the trolls love poetry? Julia’s sense of home decor?
Review Fix: How is the art different in this book?
Hatke: It’s probably a little looser, a little more comfortable and confident than the work I did on Zita.
Review Fix: How do you want this book to be remembered?
Hatke: I’d like it to be remembered as the first of many, many picture books, each one unaccountably better than the last. But I’ll be happy if kids just ask their parents to read the book again.
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