Do you own a Salina Yoon book? If you have young children, chances are you do. The prolific author-illustrator has more than 180 titles to her credit—mostly baby board books and novelties for the kinder set. As a new mother, I received many Salina Yoon titles as gifts, from a shiny, glittery shape book to the candles of MY FIRST MENORAH.
But her newest title, KALEIDOSCOPE, a lead novelty book by Little, Brown and Company, introduces Ms. Yoon to a whole new audience—adults. The colorful, swirling, twirling novelty book was created to appeal to both the young and the young at heart, and I can attest that it’s a huge hit at our home.
I talked with Salina about her newest book and the many challenges she encountered during the creation process. Ms. Yoon doesn’t grant many interviews, so I’m thrilled to host her!
Before we begin, though, take a look at the charming trailer, with original music by James Kremsner.
TL: Can you give us the definition of a novelty book…and how do they differ from board books?
SY: Novelty books are books with interactive components, like touch-and-feel elements, lift flaps, plush, glitter or foil accents, pop-ups, lenticulars, sound chips, special die-cuts, and more. Board books simply refer to a book’s binding, which is a book having stiff, board pages that are made to be durable for the very young. Since novelty books do include pop-up books, they can be for older children, while board books are primarily for babies to preschool.
TL: How did you get into designing novelty books?
SY: I’d never heard of “novelty books” until a field trip to Intervisual Books in my early college years. It was years later that I remembered this company and came back to ask if I could intern for them as a book designer. This was my first real exposure to novelties—and I fell head over heels in love! Even after I left the company (to relocate to be with my then-fiancé), I couldn’t get novelties out of my mind! Each novelty is like a puzzle with various pieces having to fit: the format with the concept, the concept with the text, the text with the art, the art with its readers, all in one! I couldn’t find a position in San Diego that would allow me to keep creating novelties except to create them at home and submit to publishers. My first 20+ books were acquired by Intervisual Books, my former employer. That led to Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Scholastic, Random House, and the rest is history.
TL: You are an extremely productive author-illustrator, with almost 200 titles. But you said this time KALEIDOSCOPE pushed you to your creative limits. How so?
SY: My previous titles were all for the babies to kinder market, a market I was very familiar with throughout my now 12-year career. You could almost say I could do these in my sleep. KALEIDOSCOPE was the biggest wake-up call ever. When my publisher acquired this title, the editor envisioned a different kind of book. She envisioned a book that would appeal to adults, while still appealing to children. She wanted a sophisticated approach to the art for an upscale market, appropriate for museum bookstore shelves and specialty gift stores. I had never created art for the adult market, nor had I written for it, so it was a completely new and terrifying challenge. In fact, I wasn’t sure I could pull this off. Several times, I thought this was beyond my abilities, but fortunately, my editor knew different. It took numerous revisions to achieve what it ultimately came to be. This is a new kind of novelty book, even for me!
TL: How differently did the book turn out from your original concept?
SY: At first glance, it may appear to be similar. My original version featured very flat, geometric designs. The rhyming text gave hints to what the design could be; a nautical compass, fireworks, or a cowboy boot’s spur. The concept was simple and direct. After various revisions, the art is now more organic and evocative. It attempts to capture universal moments in our lives that are peaceful, nostalgic, glorious, or inspired. The kaleidoscope lens allows the reader to reflect on those personal moments in a playful and entrancing way.
TL: The kaleidoscope wheel on your book is a multi-faceted clear resin that spins and makes the illustrations shimmer—like the autumn page with leaves that appear to be fluttering in the breeze. What was the design of the original kaleidoscope wheel?
SY: When creating a novelty book, one must always be cost-conscious because the biggest killer of a novelty is its production cost. So I found a very inexpensive kaleidoscope party favor (a toy) from a party store, removed the lens with an X-Acto knife, and placed it in my handmade submission dummy on a rotating wheel. I knew that this particular lens would be accessible to printers in China and reasonably priced since it was on a very inexpensive toy. But to my utter surprise, Little, Brown wanted a bigger, bolder lens regardless of the higher-cost factor. They worked with a manufacturer to customize and mold the gorgeous 2″ faceted lens. It’s very common for publishers to ask me to find ways to cut costs, but this was a rare occasion where the publisher actually allowed me to increase the production budget! It was worth every penny, I think.
TL: It definitely was! How do you hope readers will react to KALEIDOSCOPE?
SY: To start, I hope the readers are of ALL AGES! Most novelties are targeted to the youngest audience. I hope KALEIDOSCOPE breaks that mold, as Rufus Butler Seder’s Scanimation books have (GALLOP, SWING). Some books are just so cool that it appeals to everyone, with or without children at home. I hope readers find the book visually appealing, thoughtful, entertaining, and most of all, surprising. I hope it brings out the child in the reader when spinning the kaleidoscope wheel. And for our youngest readers, I hope it stirs up their imagination and they squeal in delight!
I hope it pushes the boundaries of what books can be, and make a case for keeping printed, bound, hardcover books alive!
TL: KALEIDOSCOPE makes a strong case! You mentioned there was even a “sequel” in the works. Can you leak some advance details?
SY: The sequel is PINWHEEL, due to launch one year from now. The art is near complete. As the title suggests, it has a spinning component, but utilized in an entirely different way from KALEIDOSCOPE. My editor recently told me that when she shared one particular spread in the book with her sales team, it generated applause! *faints* That’s all I can say. I hope to be back to share it with you in depth!
TL: Absolutely! I can’t wait to hear more about it! Thanks so much for sharing your creative process. It was a pleasure chatting with you about your work. I hope folks will visit you at SalinaYoon.com to learn more about your books.
And now, it’s time for the giveaway!
One lucky person will win a signed copy of Salina Yoon’s KALEIDOSCOPE!
Just leave a comment to enter. You get an extra entry for each mention on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Just tell me about it in your comment. Entries close the end of March 27th and I’ll “spin the wheel” to choose a winner on March 28th.
Good luck and thanks for visiting!
63 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 19, 2012 at 7:07 am
jcestes
Salina, congratulations on an absolutely gorgeous book!! I think you’ve really taken it to the next level with this one — brava! Tara, thanks for the interview and insight into the process. Great stuff!
March 19, 2012 at 7:10 am
eecoburn
Salina,
Your book is gorgeous! I can’t wait to get my hands on it! Congratulations!
Ellizabeth
March 19, 2012 at 7:16 am
Sharon K Mayhew
Wow! What a creative novelty book. 🙂 Congratulations!
March 19, 2012 at 7:20 am
Susan Halko
What an interesting book! Thanks for sharing.
March 19, 2012 at 7:21 am
tinamcho
What a bright, colorful, and inviting book, Salina! It was wonderful reading about your process and learning more about you. Thanks, Tara, for the interview!
March 19, 2012 at 7:23 am
martidl
Tara, what a wonderful interview and Salina, what a lovely book! I also wanted to thank both of you ladies for helping me with my booth at the Children’s Festival of Reading coming up in May. I am sure, Salina, that I will have a crowd of children (and their parents) trying to win your autographed book!
March 19, 2012 at 7:46 am
Beth G.
LOVE kaleidoscopes, color, and novelty books. 🙂 Cannot wait to get it! Thanks for the chance to win one, and for such a great interview.
March 19, 2012 at 7:49 am
Louise
This book looks absolutely stunning! I know it’s one everyone in my family would enjoy – from Papa right down to the toddler.
March 19, 2012 at 8:04 am
sharon from farm and fru fru
wow..wow. what a brilliant concept~
March 19, 2012 at 8:17 am
Kathy Phillips
Great interview Tara!
This looks like a must have book x3 (one for each grandbaby!)
Thank you Salina for all the great information 🙂
March 19, 2012 at 8:17 am
Nancy Furstinger (@AnimalAuthor)
The world’s biggest kaleidoscope is not far from me in the Catskill Mts. of NY–I always thought it would make a fascinating book, but wondered about illustrating it. Sounds like you’ve captured the concept!
March 19, 2012 at 8:39 am
Cindy
Great interview and beautiful book. I look forward to the Pinwheel book as well. Thanks!
March 19, 2012 at 9:23 am
guestbrain
I just woke up (on the west coast here!) and so happy to read all these wonderful comments!!! Thank you everyone for your support!!! Most of all, thank you Tara, for a terrific interview, and for being such a good friend.
Donna (martidl): I’m so happy to participate, and glad to be asked!
BBers— I’ll see you on the boards! Thx, ladies!
March 19, 2012 at 9:23 am
Alicia Klepeis
I can’t wait to read Kaleidoscope — sounds like a great bday gift for friends and relatives!
March 19, 2012 at 9:38 am
Lori Alexander
Awesome concept–can’t wait to read it!
March 19, 2012 at 9:44 am
Jarm Del Boccio
Fabulous books, Salina…you’ve opened my eyes to novelty books. I’ll be looking for them in our library! I’m off to Twitter about you…
March 19, 2012 at 10:06 am
Larissa
I love Salina’s books SO MUCH. And she’s an amazing person, too. Congrats, Salina!
tweeted @lchardesty
and Facebooked.
March 19, 2012 at 10:07 am
Meghan
I can’t wait to check it out! It looks amazing!
March 19, 2012 at 10:07 am
Dorina Lazo Gilmore
I love Salina’s work. I had the chance to interview her several years ago on my radio show. She is wonderfully-talented and my kids love her books too. Can’t wait to get my hands on Kaleidoscope!
March 19, 2012 at 10:17 am
aneducationinbooks
Thanks for a fun contest!
March 19, 2012 at 10:20 am
sueheaven
This is amazing! I’ve always thought of novelty books as textured, but this introduces a whole new level. Thanks for sharing your post – and for pushing those creative limits.
March 19, 2012 at 10:25 am
Maria Gianferrari
Beautiful! I love how it’s so graphic and interactive. What a great concept for kids!
March 19, 2012 at 10:38 am
KatherineR
Congratulations to Salina! It looks great!
March 19, 2012 at 11:00 am
Christie Wild
Oh, what fun! I would LOVE to win this book! I’m writing a book with a very closely-related topic.
tweeted
blogged
facebooked
Thanks!
March 19, 2012 at 11:33 am
Jeanne Ryan
Gosh, I can’t remember the last time I’ve wanted a ‘kids’ book more for myself than my children! This looks amazing!
March 19, 2012 at 11:48 am
Leslie G
A beautiful creation and a great interview. Thanks to you both!
March 19, 2012 at 11:50 am
Donna J. Shepherd
Beautiful! Tweeting and Facebooking, too.
March 19, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Charlotte
What a beautiful book! Congratulations on the cross over!
March 19, 2012 at 12:12 pm
pascale mackey (@pascalemackey)
Congratulations Salina, the book is gorgeous. Thanks for the great interview Tara!
March 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm
katiemillsgiorgio
Looks like such fun! Thanks to you and Salina for sharing…
March 19, 2012 at 12:52 pm
A.Reid
A lovely interview and a charming book.
March 19, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Laura Renauld
I love the look of this book. Just beautiful!
March 19, 2012 at 1:28 pm
Sandy Brehl
Wow, this just jumped up to the top of my list for books not just to read, but to won. For now I’ll hope I might win a copy. If not, the purchase shall be made!
March 19, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Melissa K.
Gorgeous artwork – this looks like the type of book my nephew would go ga-ga for – he loves interactivity! Thanks for featuring a very visual ‘story’ today, Tara.
March 19, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Patricia Tilton
Tara, I would have loved this book as a child — so much fun and great for the imagination!. Great interview and thanks for including the video! Learned something new. I’m going to have to look it up for my granddaughter.
March 19, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Ramona
This books looks great – we are building a collection of art books in our lounge and Kaleidoscope would fit in beautifully. Plus I wonder if it could inspire the huge school project I am about to partake in? I bet it would be a great starting point for artwork!
March 19, 2012 at 4:30 pm
guestbrain
Ramona: I love that you feel KAL befits your art book collection for your lounge! What a compliment!
Dorina: I remember you! Thank you for leaving a comment! I’m glad your kids enjoyed the books I sent over. They must be so big now–like mine!
To Everyone: Your comments (and sharing) are SOOOOO appreciated!! It’s immensely inspiring and encouraging to hear such lovely words about one’s book. (My editor, Connie Hsu should take half the credit for taking this book in the direction it went! I’m so fortunate to be working on the sequel with her as well.)
What an incredible book-loving and supportive community you have here, Tara! I’m so lucky to have been invited in.
Salina
To contact me: salinayoon@yahoo.com
March 19, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Stephanie Shaw
Oh, ‘wishing, hoping’ to have a copy soon! This is absolutely beautiful.
And, the music in the trailer is perfect. Congratulations, Salina! And, thank you, Tara, for posting this.
March 19, 2012 at 5:44 pm
thiskidreviewsbooks
The trailer was great! The book looks awesome! I tweeted about it 🙂 Thanks for telling us about this!
March 19, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Aaron
Looks beautiful! Can’t wait to see it!
March 19, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Aaron
Happy to give it a pinterest highlight too!
March 19, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Sheri Dillard
What a fun idea! Love it! Thanks for the interview, Salina and Tara!
March 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Cindy Kremsner
It’s definitely beautiful. So substantial and intricate . . . and layered. Salina, It’s been fun to have seen this in the beginning . . . and the finished product. This one’s gonna rock the world!
March 19, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Terri
I could have listened to the music long after learning about the book. thank you!
March 19, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Terri
I liked KALEIDOSCOPE! on my FACEBOOK too
March 20, 2012 at 6:53 am
jcdesautels
Salina, I want to be you when I grow up! (haha I’m in my 30s). I love novelty books too. This book is amazing and I can only imagine your excitement with this new “baby.” I can’t wait to see it. =)
March 20, 2012 at 9:39 am
Cathy Ballou Mealey
Terrific trailer and a fascinating book. This one will be a big hit in my son’s classroom of special needs kids. Visual, sensory, tactile – hits all the highlights beautifully! Thanks for the review!
March 20, 2012 at 10:26 am
Rebecca Van Slyke
SO cool!! Placing an order with our school librarian right now!
March 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Anna J. Boll
Great interview, Tara. I tweeted too, but before I realized it was a contest. I’m at @annawritedraw
March 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Claire Bartlett
That looks like a wonderful book. I think it’s great to see more books that appeal to children and adults…it makes it easier on us when we have to read it again and again!
March 20, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Kim Pfennigwerth (@kpfenni)
What a fun book. The visuals are wonderful!
March 20, 2012 at 6:20 pm
lillyarts
I lost 3 awesome comments here with the gravatar sign in thingy below..
So I just want to say
PURE DELIGHT!! I loved hearing about this book!
March 20, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Tara Lazar
Ugh, sorry about that. I can’t seem to comment on Blogger blogs recently. It won’t even bring up a captcha code!
March 20, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Deborah Underwood
Looks fabulous! Can’t wait to see it in person!
March 23, 2012 at 7:28 pm
ikkinlala
What a neat idea!
March 24, 2012 at 8:51 am
JoAn Watson Martin
I love the word, Kaleidoscope. It conjures up colors, music, stories, ideas all contrasting and conforming at the same time.
JoAn
March 24, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Salina
JoAn, I love this word, too! I said to myself,… “this would make a wonderful title!” Then I built a book around it. Funny how a word can inspire a whole book and concept.
The word KALEIDOSCOPE is derived from the Greek word (kalos) for “beautiful,” the word (eidos) for “form/shape,” and (skopeo) for “to look/examine.” So the word means “observer of beautiful forms.”
Salina
March 27, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Brenda
I’m so glad you were able to interview Salina (what a pretty name). I look forward to watching the video and cking out her book at the bookstore. It’ll make a great gift for my nieces. 🙂
March 27, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Dawn-Marie Elder
This is brilliant!! Congratulations on such a fine work of art.
March 29, 2012 at 11:15 am
elissacruz
I’m so happy to hear about Salina’s new book, and how it’s pushed her to be better (if that is even possible). What an inspiration she is!
March 29, 2012 at 11:27 am
Mirka Breen
Salina is a wonderful writer and a helpful BB member. I, too, adore Kaleidoscopes, and have a collection of them. The book should break sales’ records. Kaleidoscopes are for all ages.
April 3, 2012 at 4:22 pm
xlazyf
Way to go SALINA!!! I am overjoyed with the incredible responses in this blog. There is such love for you and your work. Here’s to big, colorful, swirly ideas!!!
April 3, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Melissa
Way to got SALINA!!! There is such great love for you and your work on this blog, how inspiring. I am overjoyed for you and your book launching TODAY!!!
Here’s to big, colorful, swirly ideas!