Writer Spotlight: Travis Jonker

Scopes, school librarian, turtles, Lionni, Flake, Caldecott, and King's Horses : Author/illustrator Travis Jonker

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI. In this piece, meet author/illustrator Travis Jonker.

 

[Note: the items in italics are from my research into Travis Jonker. My questions follow the italicized items.]

In an interview (2017), you mentioned your debut Book Baby The Very Last Castle. Since then, you’ve added more titles, and some illustration, to your body of work. How did Castle come about? You wrote about children’s books. When did it occur to you that you could write a children’s book?

When I became a school librarian in 2005, I pretty quickly started having ideas for stories. It took a long time to get to the point where I was working on them in earnest. The Very Last Castle began with the title. I thought the title was intriguing, and I tried to figure out the story from there.

We talked, back in 2018, about your blog “100 Scopes Notes,” and marveled how it had outlived many blogs to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Now it’s approaching 20 years! Working with School Library Journal helps, I’m sure, but 20 years of writing about children’s picture books was two decades of hard work. Why are you still Noting Scopes?

I really owe a lot to the blog, and to School Library Journal for supporting it for so long. Writing the blog has been a great education for me and has led to a lot of really cool opportunities. I can’t believe it will be 20 years in November. As of today it’s been 4,387 posts.

How different is the job of librarian now, versus first-day Travis’s job responsibilities?

Maybe the most surprising thing is how similar the school librarian job is now versus when I first started. Literacy - reading aloud, offering students and staff a wide variety of the best books, generating a love and excitement for reading - is one part of the job. The other part, teaching students digital literacy, is always shifting, but the overall goals are the same.

 

Maybe you know someone like Travis Jonker. He’s a popular podcaster, and a blogger, an Instagram star, an elementary school librarian, and an acclaimed author. In his spare time, he probably helps turtles cross busy highways. In other words, the type of overachiever I usually loathe. But that’s the trouble with Travis. He’s annoyingly likable. He’s warm, funny, kind, intelligent. I want to hate this guy, but I can’t. You probably won’t be able to, either. But please, for me, try. Travis has written a new book, illustrated by Grant Snider, and, yeah, you guessed it — it’s really good. Rats and snails!

Author James Preller is clearly envious of the many hats you wear. Have you helped turtles cross the highway? What is your organizational technique for accomplishing what you do?

I’ve never helped a turtle cross the road! I do like turtles though. Children’s literature is my work (and my other work) and my hobby and I don’t have a lot of time-consuming things I do outside of that. I don’t golf. Still, I always feel like I’m giving something short shrift, to be honest. My organizational technique is the good old to-do list.

This book didn’t follow the traditional path. Grant and I met a few years ago and had talked about possibly working together. When I saw his comic On the Beach [above], I thought the style would be a great fit for Blue Floats Away — it reminded me of the torn paper illustrations in Leo Lionni’s Little Blue and Little Yellow. I sent Grant the story and he liked it and decided to illustrate it.

I made a few illustration notes in the manuscript, but I kept it as brief as I could. I didn’t talk with Grant at all as he was illustrating the book. I knew Grant was a pro, so I got out of the way as much as I could. I’m amazed with his art in this book. I think if you hold your story too tightly, problems arise.

So, the author and the illustrator put the text and artwork together, and then sold the package to a publisher? That is not only not traditional—it’s downright unheard of. What is the story of Blue?

Not to get morbid, but Blue Floats Away began as a story about death. I wanted to write a story about a character who goes away but isn’t really gone - in the way that a loved one can pass away but still live on very vividly in memories. 

It was a pretty abstract idea and Lionni’s abstract art in Little Blue and Little Yellow was something that seemed like a natural fit. When I saw Grant Snider’s torn paper art, I had to email him (we had met briefly at a conference), and share the story with him, because I knew that on top of being a great artist, he has this amazing philosophical side. 

He liked the story, and since we had both published with Abrams Books, it felt a little more comfortable coming to them as a team.

Caboose is your newest title. It appears to have a hippo as a protagonist. Is there a train involved?

Caboose is about the high-stakes world of lining up in elementary school. The caboose is what teachers call the last person in the line. Ruth Chan made the art and she added so much humor and personality to the story. The book is dedicated to teachers.

 

The Ship in the Window paired you with Matthew Cordell, superstar illustrator. You certainly didn’t have the close collaboration you did with Grant Snider with Blue Floats Away, but I’m sure there were interactions. How did author and illustrator interact on Ship?

I’ve known Matthew for a long time. He’s a fellow midwesterner (Chicago) and I interviewed him a long time ago for the blog. I’m such a fan of his work and I was thrilled when he agreed to illustrate that book. 

I didn’t talk with him at all about making the art - I really wanted him to bring his own creativity to it and I didn’t want to interfere with that at all.

Speaking of illustrators, you are the illustrator for Just One Flake and Just One Wave. How did you hone your drawing muscle? How did you suggest yourself as the artist?

I’ve always loved drawing and was a near art minor in college. Once I started focusing on writing books, in the back of my mind I thought that if the right story came along, I’d love to try to illustrate it. By “right” I mean it was a good fit for my specific (aka limited) skills. 

Once I had that thought, I really tried to draw more and post my work online - Instagram, mostly - so that when the opportunity did arise, people might already see me as someone who could do it. 

Just One Flake began as a spontaneous drawing I made of a kid trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue, and grew from there. The whole thing came to me very visually, and the simplicity of the story gave me the idea that I might be the best person to illustrate it. 

I had talked with the art director at Abrams books about the possibility of illustrating one day and so when this story came about, I asked and they agreed.

For a long time whenever the urge to write a story hit, I did a pretty good job of stopping it. Why would I want to do the thing I shouldn’t be doing?

It definitely felt like I shouldn’t be doing it. All the self-defeating stuff that comes with trying something new creatively (at least for me) came. The “What right do I have?” stuff. The “What will they think?” stuff. I couldn’t even struggle in a unique way, how was I going to write something unique?

After a lot of attempts turned back, the urge made some progress. I finally decided that the next time it hit, I was going to go with it.

How did you manage to write something unique at least six times? Was it just the change in attitude, the next time I’ll go with it? Who helped along the way?

A lot of stories can seem similar when you look at the basic elements. I think where it gets unique is in the execution - that’s where things get specific and your own personality as a writer or illustrator comes out and makes the story something that only you can make.

I also served on the 2014 Caldecott Medal committee, which means I have some strong opinions about picture books and what makes them work.

What does it take to be a Caldecott Medal committee member? How long do you serve? How much time do you put in, reading and voting?

Being on the Caldecott committee is a mix between caring a lot and putting in your time. I was a member of ALA for years and served on different committees before a friend and I recommended each other for the Caldecott committee. 

Then I had to get enough votes from the ALA members to earn a spot. All together it feels like a two year commitment, but just the one year of reading, evaluating, meeting, etc. 

It was a joy to be with a group of people who were so enthusiastic about picture books.

You are a co-host for the long-running The Yarn podcast with educator and author Colby Sharp.

Which have been some of your favorite episodes?

So many great conversations. Gary D. Schmidt, Jason Reynolds, Kate DiCamillo, and Mo Willems stand out.

 

You are a school librarian for an elementary school in Dorr, MI. What grades do you deal with? Has children’s reading changed over the years?

My school is kindergarten through third grade. Our graphic novel section has grown a lot over the years. Illustrated fiction has grown, so kids are reading more of those sorts of books.

What’s next for Travis?

Illustrations for 1000 Horses

I have a book coming out next year called 1000 Horses for the King, illustrated by Gracey Zhang that I’m very excited about.

Please list any social media:

Substack: travisjonker.substack.com

Michigan KidLit Advocate Interview: Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker

CB: Let’s start way back. In a previous interview (with James Preller), you mentioned you grew up near the Mackinac Bridge. Are you a Yooper? Did those long, cold winters prove instrumental in developing your love for books?

TJ: I grew up in Cheboygan and Petoskey (so not quite a Yooper). I don’t credit long winters for my love of books – I credit Roald Dahl. He was the first author I loved and I spent a good chunk of my childhood trying to track down and read all of his books. I wrote about it here.

In that same interview, you mentioned being a big fan of comic books when you were in high school. Which were your favorites?

Batman. The Batman universe made sense to me. I could never figure out what was happening in the Marvel stuff. Do you have a favorite?

Wasn’t much of a superhero fan. My favorite was Donald Duck. Thanks for asking.
You also mentioned that you played saxophone (high school band?) and were a DJ in college. How has your appreciation of music shaped your life?

Yeah, I love music. Right now I’m listening to the new Jens Lekman album. Music was a creative outlet in college when I made music as a hobby (although I never let anyone listen to it). Music has the ability to change your mood almost instantly. It’s the best.

On a YouTube video, you mentioned as a young teacher being in the Americorps Program. What was that like?

That was where I learned I wanted to be a school librarian. I was assigned to a school with a great librarian (Beth Miller). Watching her I realized that it was the job for me. I went back to school to get my library endorsement after that.

So, you started as a school librarian in 2005. In your experience, how have elementary school children, and their taste for books, changed over those 12 years?

Kids’ tastes haven’t changed so much as the publishing world has changed to meet them. Kids have been into graphic novels and illustration in all sorts of books ever since I became a librarian, and now you’re seeing a lot more of those kinds of books, which has been great to see.

You started your blog in 2007. Happy 10 year anniversary! What was the blogosphere like at that time?

Thank you! It’s pretty nuts to think it’s been almost 10 years. When I started my blog I think a lot of people had the same idea. So there weren’t many other blogs when I started, but a bunch popped up soon thereafter.

Have to admit here that I thought Scope Notes were Cliffs Notes. Good thing I didn’t make that mistake in print. They’re like polar opposites. I mean, you want to encourage students to get absorbed in books, not skip reading and copy someone’s superficial synopsis. There’s a question here somewhere.

Here. Scope Notes is a library term. This is a note under the subject heading that explains and clarifies what is meant and what is not meant in the definition of the term and in its use as a subject heading. And you chose the number 100 so the blog would be easier to look up, maybe even appear first. Pretty savvy for a new blogger in 2007. What has changed in the 10 years you’ve blogged 100 Scope Notes?

Hmm. I think book reviews on blogs have changed a bit. You don’t see quite as many of them. I know I don’t review as many books as I used to. The review journals do a good job. I’ll jump in with a book review only if I feel like I have something to say or can present a review in an interesting way.

You’ve worked with lots of kid’s book bloggers: Colby Sharp, Mr. Schu, Betsy Bird, Ed Spicer. Did I miss anyone? Quite a tight community. Is blogging the best way to disseminate information to teachers and librarians?

Blogging can be a good way to communicate. Blogs can come and go, so finding the ones that are consistent can be tricky. But the people you mentioned are all people I rely on for staying current.

Ruth says she really likes your artwork, and if you look on your FB page, there’s a lot of your colored pencil versions of book covers. Are you an artist wanna-be?

Thanks, Ruth! I like your artwork. I like to draw. I realized a while back I could add drawings to my blog posts and I’ve had a good time with that. Drawing with a purpose is fun for me. I’m not so good at doodling.

Tell us about your experience on the Caldecott Committee. Tell us about the Cybils.

The Cybils is a great award. It’s where I first got experience working on a book committee. The Caldecott committee was a classic dream come true. Working with 14 other people who were into picture books as I am was incredibly fun.

Lots of Michigan kidlit creators will read your interview here on The Mitten. From your vantage point on the front lines of young readers, what kinds of books do kids crave?

Illustration is big. Humor is always a good thing.

Last question. Is there a question you had wished I had asked?

“What is your favorite middle grade book, Travis?” That would be HOLES by Louis Sachar.

Thanks Travis.

Check out Travis Jonker’s 100 Scope Notes blog, his reviews and articles for the School Library Journal (SLJ). He’s on YouTube, and he and Colby Sharp have done dozens of episodes of The Yarn, a podcast featuring children’s books and the people who create them.

And we've saved the best news for last. Congrats to Travis on his forthcoming picture book. The Very Last Castle will be illustrated by Mark Pett and published by Abrams next year.

Actually, months have passed since this interview concluded, and in that time, the picture book has been published to popular and critical acclaim. Travis had this to add:

The Very Last Castle, a picture book I wrote and Mark Pett illustrated, published on October 9th. It's been a whole new experience for me. I've had a chance to share the book with my students, at bookstores, and at conferences and I have been feeling a lot of gratitude lately.

Charlie Barshaw has four MG and YA novels-in-progress, three stories printed by Amazon Rapids, two dogs and a gifted, supportive and encouraging wife.