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by Anna Raff
“Wooo-hooo!”
That’s a direct quote from yours truly, the moment I read an email from my art director, offering me the opportunity to illustrate a new picture book by the fantabulous Tara Lazar—our Storystorm Grand Poobah. One glance at the title ”PARTY ANIMALS” and I knew I was going to love it.
I’d illustrated around 15 picture books at this point, with each one being near and dear to my heart. Cue my fellow kidlit creators out there who understand—with the amount of time that goes into them, you’d better feel connected! Yet for me, it felt viceral with Tara’s hilarious story. This was a book I knew I’d have a ball with—visualizing the world of these quirky characters in a way that, hopefully, readers would return to again and again.
Sometimes, it’s the stories that we feel closest too that can morph into something difficult. We assign so much importance to getting things just right, it can feel crippling. I’m no stranger to moments of panic in my work—it’s pretty much been happening my whole career. To be honest, I consider it an intregal part of my process now. After a while, I’d learned to compartmentalize it. But wow…I really wanted this book to be great. Cue the panic!
Inevitably, when I sat down to sketch PARTY ANIMALS, my ideas were flat and obvious…the absolute opposite of a party. Clearly, my usual “take a walk and it’ll be better tomorrow” tactic was not going to cut it. This project demanded more of me, a different approach.
Full disclosure, I am not much of a sketchbook keeper. Sketchbook acquirer? Yes…to the point of obsession. As a kid, I used to collect stickers, but never used them. (Anyone remember Wacky Packages?) I’m very much the same way about sketchbooks now. I keep thinking, one of these days I’ll find the sketchbook of my dreams that will transform me into a sketchbook user extraordinaire. It took me a while to figure it out, but now I accept that I’m more of a sketchbook note-taker, list-maker than a sketchbook sketcher. And that’s okay!
To get myself out of my state of panic, I settled on creating detailed dossiers for the Party Animals. (I liked the word “dossier”, since it implied lists over sketching…that work would come later. Also, it sounded sneaky.) Instead of jumping into thumbnails or character sketches and studies, I focussed on their back stories and motivations, listing everything that came to mind about them.
I started by asking myself questions. What made them tick? Did each animal have a special ability or obsession? For instance Beatrix the elephant is an expert baker. “What sort of bakes does a Party Animal make for the fabulous, oddball house parties in Tara’s text?” I wondered. (Btw, my favorite is the brain cake from the thinking party.) And what does an elephant wear to a party like that?
Or take Phoebe, the rock star musician. What instruments does she play? And if a party demands it, what could she find around the house to incorporate into her party playlist?
In the end, I wound up with a detailed encyclopedia of content that I could go back to again and again as I built the pages. A lot of it made it into the book—plenty of it did not. But all of it helped me visualize their world and calm me down. Much like a method actor might immerse themselves in a character, the dossiers got me to think like a Party Animal. And most of all, it got me out of panic mode…out of my own way.
Anna Raff is an award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including PARTY ANIMALS, IF I WERE A KANGAROO, and YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE! Her book THE DAY THE UNIVERSE EXPLODED MY HEAD was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and New York Public Library Best Book. Anna is on the faculty of the MFA Illustration program at the School of Visual Arts, and lives in New York City, surrounded by party animals. Visit her online at AnnaRaff.com, on Instagram @annaraff and BlueSky @annaraff.bsky.social.
Anna Raff is giving away a 30-minute virtual classroom visit via Zoom.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2025 participant and you have commented only once below.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
It’s Day One of Storystorm 2025!
Hooray!
From PARTY ANIMALS, illustrated by Anna Raff
You remembered, right?
Did you put it on your Google Calendar?
Don’t despair if you didn’t. I admit, I’m not the most organized person, either. I suppose it’s those creative genes that make me a whirlwind, haphazard mess. Every year when I get through Storystorm, I marvel at how I accomplished organizing it. Because “Tara” and “organized” have never gone together. It’s more like “Tara” and “slapdash” around here. My husband encourages me to plan things out, but I can never get my act together.
This is why I adore Google Calendar. I can take two seconds to throw something on it and then I look like a genius. Like when I start a free trial subscription of a streaming service—I mark the calendar a few days before it expires so I receive a reminder to cancel before I get charged.
I also color-code entries. All my school visits are banana yellow so I can easily flip through the weeks and see when they’re coming up. Doctor appointments are basil green. Deadlines are tomato red.
Perhaps, like me, you play Wordle. (Allow me this quick diversion, as it does have a point.)
December 30th’s word was STARE.
And this is what I want you to add to your Google Calendar: time to stop and STARE out the window.
You see, daydreaming is typically something we do when we’re supposed to be doing something ELSE. In a boring lecture? STARE out the window. Washing the dishes? STARE out at the garden. PBS Pledge Drive interrupting your show? STARE at the ceiling.
Nobody daydreams on purpose. Yet now, I am encouraging you to SCHEDULE IT ON YOUR CALENDAR.
Time to let your mind wander and play is essential to being a creator. So why leave that precious time to chance? Pencil in an hour every week (or however often you want) to do nothing but STARE. Leave a sign on your door that says, “Working!” Because YOU ARE!
I like to STARE in specific places. Like sitting on my front porch with a cup of tea. Ahh, it’s calm and relaxing. I have no real agenda other than to let my mind be. I don’t know where it will meander, but it is inevitably someplace surprising. (But don’t be so flabbergasted that you neglect to write it down!)
So go ahead, schedule a STARE session.
Bonus is that you can color-code it in any hue you wish.
More than you want to know about Tara is here.
Tara Lazar is giving away a fiction picture book critique to one lucky Storystorm winner.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2025 participant and you have commented only once below.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Just a quick message…
Storystorm registration will begin after Christmas (as a blog post right here), but you can get your official Storystorm Journal NOW from Zazzle!
Designed by illustrator Anna Raff, this spiral notebook features a dancing-in-the-rain Beatrix from PARTY ANIMALS, our book that debuts in March 2025.
All proceeds from journal sales, approximately $1 each, will be donated to Highlights Foundation and their mission to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.
Storystorm itself is free to all, but merchandise is sold to benefit charity.
Thank you! Happy Holidays and see you soon!
Often I write a picture book without any idea of what my characters might look like, and sometimes I don’t even know WHAT they are. Are they even human?
Nope. I prefer non-humans. Monsters, aliens, purple orangutans—I feel they have more freedom in their actions than mere mortals. And that gives me more freedom, too.
Such was the case with my upcoming title, PARTY ANIMALS, illustrated by the talented Anna Raff. I asked Anna about this blank canvas I dropped onto her drafting table.
Anna, when I wrote PARTY ANIMALS, I didn’t specify what kind of animals were having a party! How did you decide upon each character’s species?
What a fun question to start with!
I had a few things in mind at the very beginning of my sketch process. Primarily, I was thinking about your wonderful text and the personalities it brought to mind. For instance, Horace—our party pooper—needed to be a stern, no-nonsense kind of guy. At first I thought he might be a mule, since he’s a bit stubborn, too. Then I started to think about scale and how funny a vast difference in size would be between the chaotic partying animals and poor Horace cowering in the corner amidst the mayhem. So I decided he should be the smallest and chose a rat—I have a history of drawing rats—knowing he might also have a pink tail. To me, that flash of pink says maybe he’s not such a big ol’ grouch after all? Our wonderful editor, Sylvie Frank, gave me the idea of giving him a toothpick walking stick, which adds even more clues to his inner character.
In addition to scale, for the other animals I was thinking about what their area of partying expertise would be. Beatrix, the elephant chef, cooks all the wacky foods for each celebration. I thought having a trunk would be helpful for her in the kitchen. Who among us home chefs hasn’t wished for an extra hand? And to be honest, I really just love drawing elephant ears.
And love of drawing is what brought me to the other two animal species: Theodore, the cat, and Phoebe…who I think is a dog?…even I’m not entirely sure! One of the things I learned in from my mentor, Marshall Arisman, is something I try to instill in my own students. You have to ask yourself, “What do I want to draw?” If you answer honestly, you end up having a much better time in the process, rather than thinking about outside influences. As with elephant ears, I love drawing dogs and cats. I also thought it might be fun for readers to imagine their own pet cat being really into crafts and decorating, and a “dog” who was also a great virtuoso/DJ!
You’ve packed a whole lot of goodies into the illustrations: little hidden gems! Do you want to reveal one or two of your favorites?
Another great question! Some people call them “carrots”.
During the-milk-has-gone-sour party, Beatrix is holding a 1960s edition of the Betty Crocker Cook Book (the space in between “cook” and “book” is not a typo!), the source of many of my family’s favorite dessert recipes when I was a kid. In fact, I just used it to bake my dad a strawberry-rhubarb pie for Father’s Day.
Another detail that was fun was switching the fabric patterns and imagery on the Party Animals’ clothing to match each party theme. Oh…and all the wacky bakes! I think the pincushion cake is my favorite.
What were some of your intentions when designing and illustrating the cover of PARTY ANIMALS?
Primarily, I wanted to emphasize each animals’ party energy, whether it be super-duper party-er or party-pooper, so readers would know what they’re in for. We’ve got the three partying animals in front, each exhibiting their party expertise, while Horace is up top amongst the balloons, acting all judgey.
At first, I had Beatrix holding up one of her more obscure bakes, the brain cake from the thinking party. But our editor and art director thought that might be a little misleading / too specific. At the time, they also mentioned the addition of the tagline, so when I was replacing the cake, that seemed like a great place for more lettering.
I knew early on that the title type needed to be prominent, in balloon lettering…you know, to scream PAR-TAY! The fact there we’re doing a second book drove my decision making, too. Before becoming an illustrator, I was a designer and art director and tapped into a few of those skills to really fine-tune the lettering, so it would feel like part of a series. That also helped with the lettering for Bea’s layer cake.
And then for the case cover, Joann had the idea of showing the aftermath of the fantabulous party on the jacket, with Horace sweeping up while the other animals crash in a sleepy heap. I played around with the lighting in the final art too, to contrast against the warm, splashy lighting of the jacket.
Thank you for all the fun, Anna!
And now here is the cover reveal for PARTY ANIMALS, releasing March 11, 2025 from Disney*Hyperion!
PARTY ANIMALS is available for pre-order anywhere, but if you’d like me to sign and personalize your copy, I’d be grateful if you placed an order via my local indie, The Bookworm, whose longtime owner passed away recently. We want to keep the store in Bernardsville, NJ running after 40 years of serving the community! You can call them at 908-766-4599.
Anna will sign copies ordered via Books of Wonder.
And now the givey! Comment below with what you like most about the cover and a random winner will be selected on August 1. That winner will receive a signed spread (by me, Tara Lazar) from the F&G (printed proof) of PARTY ANIMALS!
Good luck!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 