Author Panel: Birth of a Picture Book - Suzanne Kaufman

Suzanne Kaufman

Suzanne Kaufman is an author-illustrator of Confiscated. She has also illustrated several other picture books, including the New York Times bestselling picture book, All Are Welcome and the recently released Take Your Pet to School Day.

She shared that her creation process is complete and utter failure and displays a slide with a stack of sketchbooks several feet high, which she would "rather call play." Suzanne also considers her work to be therapy. When she's sad about the world, she creates art.

Working on nonfiction picture books gives her so much freedom, citing her work on 100 Bugs: A Counting Book. She also shared that she looks for real people—that unique, authentic self—to portray.

Her most recent release

How do you choose touches that are unique to the book you are working on?
When asked what touches are unique to books you work on, Suzanne shared, "It's subversive. The librarian in All Are Welcome is Maya Angelou. I put as much as I can in each illustration. Basquiat is my biggest inspiration."

For more information about Suzanne and her work, visit her website or follow her on Twitter.