What is SUN IN MY TUMMY about? SUN IN MY TUMMY is about mindfulness, energy, the growth of plants, and the magic of the sun! What I like most about this book is that it teaches children about a complicated concept like photosynthesis in a very approachable way. The story focuses on a conversation about a homecooked breakfast between a mother and daughter, and how her oatmeal all began with the sun. The nourishment from her breakfast is the perfect start to this little girl’s day! What did you like the most about illustrating this story? I really enjoyed showing the progression of the sun. The sun was obviously a main idea in the book, and I wanted its brightness to reach a climax. The story begins with the sunrise at the break of dawn, and I experimented a lot in the preliminary stages with pops of light in darkness. I had so much fun showing this contrast and progression, and in turn, I also enjoyed showing the progression of the little girl waking up. You can see from these paintings that there was a lot of exploration and drafts before I settled on the final illustrations and colour scheme. In the fall I am beginning the process of a new book that will also allow me to play with darkness and light and I’m very excited about that opportunity. How did you develop the main character in this book? Character development is something that takes a while because I experiment a lot and it’s hard to know when to stop. When I began working on SUN IN MY TUMMY, the main character was actually a little boy. As I drew him with oversized glasses, big ears, and curly hair I realized he began to look a little too stylized. I eventually settled on this little girl, although the pajamas and large glasses stayed consistent. I wanted to give her a unique haircut and a cute smile. You can see from my sketches and paintings how she progressed and came to be! How did you decide on the layout of this story? There was a lot of detail I needed to highlight in the illustrations to show photosynthesis in a clear way, yet at the same time I wanted there to be a relationship between mother and daughter. In the thumbnail stages is where I was able to deeply think through each page and make sure that there was a natural flow to the story and that everything important was included. Here is a page of my thumbnail sketches, you can see they are quite small and not overly detailed. Thumbnail sketches are a way to map out the story without getting into too much detail or colour. What are your favourite illustrations? I really like the page where the little girl is introduced and waking up in her bed. I had fun including all the details in her messy room. I also like the page where we see a cow swimming in her oatmeal bowl. I’ve read this story to a few classes and that page always gets some giggles! Andrea Blinick's first picture book, OUTSIDE, YOU NOTICE (2021, Pajama Press) earned a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and the 2021 Northern Lights Book Award for the Nature category. Andrea's most recent picture book, SUN IN MY TUMMY, published by Pajama Press, was released in April 2022 and has also received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Quill & Quire. andrewblinick.weebly.com Comments are closed.
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