Illustrations for Bayard Presse

Last November I attended the Salon du Livre et de le presse jeunesse in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris. It's one of the larger European book fairs devoted to children's books and bande dessinée. I had gotten encouragement from my friend and colleague Maral Sassouni, an illustrator based in Paris.
With Maral's enthusiastic help and extensive knowledge of European children's publishing, I learned that there were many children's book publishers in Paris and that the book fair would be a great opportunity to see their new books and meet editors and creative directors. I met with ten different "maison d'éditions" while I was there.  I prepared by analyzing publisher's on-line catalogues and sending out postcards, samples and carefully worded emails and letters.

At the fair I finally met Pascale Guyon-Galet, an art director for Bayard Jeunesse who had shown enthusiasm for my sketchbook work. Over a delicious lunch, she showed me a manuscript for a story that would be printed in "Tralalire" one of Bayard's children's magazines. It was written by Didier Zanon and art directed by Marie Hélène Gros. Through last spring and into the summer I sketched while they tweaked the text and design. I ftp'd the final twelve paintings in mid-summer. The story will not be published until November 2011 but I can show a few details. It's about a bear cub who can't sleep and decides to take a moonlight walk in the snowy forest.