about the book
A young girl with brown hair and freckles, a budding artist, is upset. She stands in the corner, hands on hips, and declares, “I’m never talking to James again.” James is her best friend, an African-American boy with glasses, who loves goofing off and has a genuine, openhearted smile. What could such a nice person, and her best friend, have done to illicit such a response?
The girl says that she has heard from others that James said “that I think I am perfect.” That is why she gives James the silent treatment, and no matter how much James tries throughout the day, clowning around and trying to make her smile, she refuses to speak.
At the school art show, the narrator learns she has won a blue ribbon for a picture she drew. That is when she learns what James really said: He thinks it is perfect.
about the author
Liz Rosenberg grew up in Syosset, New York, with her older sister, Ellen. Ellen taught her to read when Liz was just two years old, and together with their father would write and illustrate stories for Liz. This instilled in Liz an interest for poetry, literature, and illustration from a very early age. She wrote her first poem at eight, first “novel” at nine (not very good, of course).
Liz studied creative writing and literature at Bennington and went on to earn her master’s in creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University writing program. She has published numerous works of poetry, poetry anthologies, novels, and picture books.
Sources:
Author biography: Poetry Foundation
Author biography: Wikipedia
Also by Liz Rosenberg:
Tyrannosaurus Dad. Roaring Brook Press. 2011.
about the illustrator
It’s hard to believe that Matthew Myers grew up to be a pacifist. He “spent a lot of time on the floor, drawing and making sound effects for his two-dimensional battles.” There are also a lot of melted army men because of him.
Matt’s parents were both artists in Portland, Oregon. “Dad taught me how to draw, accurately, and Mom taught me what to draw, imaginatively.” When his dad came home from work with the leftovers of a big pad of paper, he’d toss it to Matt. It was like tossing fresh meat to a jackal.
Learning the rules of drawing, like shading and perspective, made art less fun for Matt. Thankfully, making things funny in cartoons kept things entertaining.
He majored in both fine arts and graphic arts at what is now Pacific Northwest College of Art. After working in advertising for eighteen years, Matt started painting full-time and eventually made his way into the world of picture books.
For each book he illustrates, he adapts his oil painting style to best fit the idea of the book (even if it means using watercolors instead of oil). For Battle Bunny, Matt had to “relearn how to draw like an eight year old boy, and then scribble all over [his] own full-color illustrations” with the pencil in-between the “wrong” fingers.
Matt currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, after spending fifteen years in New York City and Brooklyn. He appreciates having a house with a yard and chickens and a shovel—being closer to the dirt like when he was growing up in Oregon.
He can even paint with a couple of baby chickens camping out on his arm.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator biography: Simon & Schuster
Illustrator biography: Facebook
Illustrator interview on Battle Bunny artwork: Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Illustrator describes his process
Also by Matthew Myers:
The World According to Musk Ox by Erin Cabatingan. Roaring Brook Press. 2014.
Musk Ox Counts by Erin Cabatingan. Roaring Brook Press. 2013.
A Is for Musk Ox by Erin Cabatingan. Roaring Brook Press. 2012.
Clink by Kelly DePucchio. Balzer + Bray. 2011.
Tyrannosaurus Dad by Liz Rosenberg. Roaring Brook Press. 2011.
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