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Kane Miller Books: As a child, did you have books in the home?
Melanie Hope Greenberg: I grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood in the South Bronx. My parents were first generation
Americans. My father owned a luncheonette and my mother was a
homemaker. We had books on our shelves but not a lot of them. I can
remember Disney books, Little Golden Books, a Bumper Book of
nursery rhymes and Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. My father was an avid book reader. My two older sisters taught me to read before I
started kindergarten. My exposure to the creative arts at home were
through TV, movies and lots of music. Reading became more prolific
once I started school. I also loved to borrow books from the local Clason's Point Library.
KMB: When did you first become aware that "illustrator" was an occupation?
MHG: My oldest sister became a professional clothing designer which convinced me that onecan earn a living through their talents. My first professional job was with UNICEF Greeting
Cards, in 1981. I also became a member of the Graphic Artist Guild where I learned about the
National Stationery Show held in New York City. After attending the show with my art portfolio I
started to earn part of my livelihood as a greeting card illustrator. Many people said my colorful
whimsical art style was perfect for picture books. I was already a professional illustrator by time I
entered the children’s book publishing world. A book agent saw my client list and understood
that I ran an art business. From there, I learned the craft of picture book creation and it was a
natural fit.
KMB: Did you encounter any barriers while pursuing your interest?
MHG: All. The. Time. I’ve been in children’s publishing since 1985. The publishing world hasgone through drastic changes with neverending new technologies. Many of the skills from my
early career are completely different from the skills I need today. To survive, I surf the waves of
changes and trends while maintaining artistic truth. With so much information overload, I need to
stay quiet during the day for balance, for trusting the muse and my instincts.
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Americanly from Kane Miller Books | Copyright © 2016 | www.kanemiller.com
Americanly Illustrator Interviewwith Melanie Hope Greenberg
KMB: What are the challenges you face as an illustrator for children, and what have those
taught you?
MHG: I’ve learned how to perceive my art challenges as fun. With painting fiction picture books
the challenge is to figure out the book’s continuity or the invisible glue that binds the story from
beginning to end. Illustrating for children allows multilayered portrayals of silent stories, moods
and actions that the text may not describe. Once an informed message or the theme of a book is
realized, illustrating that vision becomes fun. For instance, I’ve illustrated Mother Nature as a
Caribbean Islands lady on the New York City subway, and gardens with curved lines because
nature has no straight lines. However, certain books are not esoteric, they are straightforward,
such as Americanly. The challenge with painting Americanly, a nonfiction picture book, was to
create accurate yet stylized depictions of iconic architecture, natural landmarks and parks.
KMB: How did you determine how you would present perspective in each?
MHG: There were 44 illustrations and I did not want looking them looking alike. I used boxes, artpopping out of boxes and vignettes. Working to Lynn Parrish Sutton’s text, I experimented with
layouts in a book dummy, or a fake book. I cut paper to the size of the book, then played with
shapes to create the compositions for each spread. Because the text rhymes I had to be
sensitive to the pacing, working with the poem’s rhythm for every page and page turn. Some of
the illustrations required more reworking than others. For example, here is an example of how
the illustrations progressed for the depiction of the North Atlantic tide. (See following page.)
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Americanly from Kane Miller Books | Copyright © 2016 | www.kanemiller.com
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Americanly from Kane Miller Books | Copyright © 2016 | www.kanemiller.com
KMB: What advice would you offer aspiring illustrators for children’s books?
MHG: Find love and joy in the practice. Become excellent at your craft through practice untilcreativity becomes a way of life and perhaps your livelihood. Read, read, read.
KMB: Finally, to you, what is the power of literacy and early reading?
MHG: Reading opens our minds and hearts to the world. Reading moves humanity forward inevolutionary progress. Literacy brings diverse communities together to understand our unity as
well as our individual places in the world. A bird flies with two wings, inspiration and selfeffort:
to read is to fly.
KMB: Thank you, Melanie!
Visit Melanie Hope Greenberg at www.melaniehopegreenberg.com and on Facebook.
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Americanly from Kane Miller Books | Copyright © 2016 | www.kanemiller.com
