RAR Bonus Episode: Melissa Sweet on the One and Only E.B. White
Although Melissa Sweet didn’t grow up a reader, she has always had a love and passion for creating, which shows in the beautiful drawings, paintings and collages she has used to illustrate numerous picture books.
She also an accomplished author, and her most recent book is about the one and only E.B. White- the ma who wrote Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.
Melissa joins us today to talk about:
- bringing E.B. White to life through her picture book biography
- her artistic process
- and her favorite E.B. White book – it might be your favorite too, although it’s certainly a difficult choice, isn’t it?!
Click that play button below to hear the podcast!
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Excellent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too wonderful.
I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it.
You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it sensible.
I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is really a tremendous web site.
What a fascinating chat. So much work goes into the final product before it hits the shelves, and I’m thankful that there are people with a passion for story, art, and design: all that makes a book exceptional.
Melissa Sweet’s work is always fantastic, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her newest one. I was gone after reading the title–it’s perfect!–but having listened to her talk about her process and the resources she had, I’m even more eager to read about E.B. White’s life and soak up her art.
Your comment about remembering exactly where you were when you first read Charlotte’s Web intrigues me, because that was my experience too. Although an avid reader as a child, this is the only book I can *remember* reading, and I recall it in vivid detail down to the changing sunlight that spilled in through the windows as I read over the course of a day. The ending pierced me to the heart, but I felt that it had ended the right way (despite a general lack of tolerance for heart-piercing endings at the age of nine). And the last two lines, which I won’t write here and spoil for anyone who has somehow gone through life without having read Charlotte’s Web, was probably the first quote that went into my mental commonplace book.
It makes me wonder how many others have a memory stamp of reading one of White’s books as children–I bet there are many.
Thanks, Sarah and Melissa, for the podcast. It was a treat! :)
This was one of my favorite RAR podcasts to date, and I also found myself nodding in agreement with Sarah about the detailed memories of reading Charlotte’s Web as a girl. I remember being in 2nd grade and our teacher was reading it aloud to us – I could not wait for the ending and read the rest of it myself that weekend! I still have my cherished hardback copy from my childhood with my little-girl name inscribed inside, one of the only books I have managed to wrestle from my personal childhood library. It is such a treasure!
Thanks for thIs bonus episode. I have read some of Melissa Sweet’s books with the collage technique and words from old book incorporated into the illustrations, and really liked them. It was so fun hearing about how she started using this technique. Hearing her talk about being an illustrater made me think of a detective who follows clues and solves problems.
Melissa Sweet is my hands-down FAVORITE children’s illustrator. I am SO excited to read this new book because I also love E.B. White! I just read a book of his for the first time to my own children and his writing is just so beautiful and nostalgic. I first learned of Sweet’s work when I saw the gorgeous book, Mrs. Harkness and the Panda, just popping with color on the library shelf. I have been a huge fan and follower of her new books since then. E.B. White and Melissa Sweet! eek!! I think if Sweet teamed up with Kate DiCamillo my kid lit book dreams would be complete. :)
Sarah M