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The Teaching Librarian 21.2 15 continued on page 16 attack, but did suggest they visit. nice. on the other hand, the Spanish discovered an incredible aztec civilization in Mexico (book 2), then stole all their gold and wiped them out in just a few years. Is that right? Is history full of successes or sorrows? Both? Why is it important to you to inject humour into your books? I hate earnest books. They are boring. People joke even in their darkest moments, so why should books that deal with big issues not have moments of humour in them? It seems dishonest. Plus, I just like to laugh. I use a lot of puns, but also love the "snarky" type of interaction that occurs between good friends. My friends and I all slam each other at every opportunity, because it's funny. Larry and neil do this all through the books. You have visited a number of schools. What do you find most rewarding when you meet the youngsters who are reading your books? I think my favourite moments are when the teachers come up to me and tell me that my books are popular with the more 'tentative' readers in their classes. I remember one student, years ago, who had trouble reading, but loved my book so much that he'd read it over and over (this was one of my Weird sports books). He even drew me a cartoon based on his favourite stories from the book. I mean, for someone who believes that reading is a pathway to the larger world, that was a true WoW moment for me. It's one of the reasons I always include pictures in my books. Some readers need that (I also think pictures add to the enjoyment of any book. I mean, Dickens was illustrated, for crying out loud!) I'm also moved when they have questions that arise from the books. What do I like to cook? How much money does an author make? Did Marco Polo really visit all those places? and I always include a "cartooning class", and then the kids show me pictures they've drawn. There are some amazing artists out there, and I always tell them the most important thing is to keep working hard. Have you had any surprises from young audiences? I was visiting a school back in april, and they all came out with homemade chefs hats that they had decorated with neil Flambé themed pictures. That was pretty amazing. They had clearly read, and enjoyed, the books and I was totally taken aback. I also visited a group of students who 'won' me in a contest. They made neil- inspired food - everything from chai to churros - and served me an amazing lunch. I felt like I was the one who 'won' that day! When did you recognize you had a unique talent for illustration and writing? How did it evolve? Has an author ever admitted that they have a 'unique talent"?! I'm still waiting to see if I can hit that target. I have drawn and told stories all my life, and am not 100% sure when I started wanting to write them down. I know I wanted to be a comic book artist when I was younger. I was also a huge fan of Peanuts, and tried to draw comic strips all the time. ninety-nine percent of my work was garbage, but there was always something there that kept me going - a well-drawn curve on a face, or an expression that actually looked right - and I never stopped trying to get better. I hope the stuff I draw ten years from now will be better than the work I'm doing now. So at the heart of my answer is that talent is a small part of 'success'. Hard work is the biggest part, and it helps that talent become something other people can enjoy (I hope). Can you tell us a bit about your creative process? What comes first - the illustration or the story? I tend to work on both at the same time. I "see" things happening when I'm writing, or even just thinking about a story, or a conversation inside a story. and I will often hit a point in that story where the visual will explain what's happening better than five paragraphs of text. So I will take a break from the keyboard and will start drawing that scene. I usually end up with a combination of manuscript, finished drawings and numerous sketches by the end of this process. evelynne Bernstein