What Do Illustrators Do?

by Eileen Christelow

In this informative companion to the popular "What Do Authors Do?" author/illustrator Christelow turns her attention to the visual side of creating a picture book. Employing her relaxed style and trademark humor, she shows how an illustrator develops a book from rough sketches to finished artwork, following two artists as they illustrate different versions of "Jack and the Beanstalk." Christelow answers the questions often posed by children, such as, "What materials do you use?" and "Is it hard to be an illustrator?" and reveals that the uniqueness of each book depends on many creative choices . . . and a lot of painstaking work.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Eileen Christelow is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her beloved Five Little Monkeys series. Beginning with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, a playful retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, the series has captivated generations of young readers with its humor and rhythmic storytelling. Over the course of her career, Christelow has published more than 30 books, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and many inspired by her surroundings in Vermont, her family life, and even her dog, Emma.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1943, Christelow spent her formative years in Connecticut and briefly in Japan, where she attended the American School in Tokyo. She studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, a discipline that would influence her later work in design and illustration. After working for several years as a freelance photographer, she turned her focus to writing and illustrating picture books while raising her daughter in California. Her earliest works, Henry and the Red Stripes and Mr. Murphy’s Marvelous Invention, were published by Clarion Books in the early 1980s.
Christelow’s books often celebrate storytelling, curiosity, and mischief, appealing to children and educators alike. Titles like What Do Authors Do?, What Do Illustrators Do?, and Vote! provide engaging nonfiction content for young readers, while others such as Letters From a Desperate Dog and The Great Pig Escape draw on humorous real-life scenarios. Her works have received numerous accolades and several Five Little Monkeys titles have been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
She continues to live and work in East Dummerston, Vermont, in a home designed by her husband, where she draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the state. Christelow remains a cherished voice in children’s literature, with a lasting legacy of entertaining and educating young readers.

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a clever book! It uses a children's book format to show how to create a children's book. Very useful and inspirational for kids (and adults!) who want to write and illustrate a children's book.

#peopleofcolor
#maingirl

[Farhana Faruq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for my nephews since they are constantly watching me and asking me questions about illustrating.

I really like how this book showed two different illustrators working on the same book. It shows how different every ones style is, and in the end both are just as exciting.

It is however a little outdated because it makes not mention of digital work. Many illustrators now do a lot of their inking on computer and those that don't still scan the finished work and tweak a little on computer.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my 5yo's professed career ambitions is "illustrator," so I was excited to share this picture book with her. We both liked the way that it compared two different illustrators as they worked on a similar project. It gave lots of interesting details about the job and the book industry without overloading the text with too much information for my little one. Great book!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Suppose those two illustrators each decided to illustrate Jack and the Beanstalk. Would they tell the story the same way? Would they draw the same kind of pictures?”

A dog and cat discuss these questions about the illustrators that they live with: how they work, what they do, materials used, their styles, perspectives, etc.

[Amy Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good way to explain an what illustrators do for a living. Also how picture can drastically change the story.

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and educational!

[Cole Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This instructional graphic novel gives a very creative approach on how to write a book. It is a story of two separate illustrators illustrating the classic tale of Jack and the Bean Stock. The point of view is from the illustrators pets and how they are worried that both books will end up looking the same, however they and the reader both learn that illustrators have different styles and that is what makes each book unique. What is learned throughout is that even if two books were to have the same words, two completely different stories can be told. One of the main differences between the two stories is that in one the main character was Jack, while in the other one the main character is Jacqueline. Another key difference is one story takes place in a small country cottage while the other one takes place in the big city. Creativity comes from different places and even though both story lines are similar, both books are completely different yet both equally acceptable.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and informative book that explains the job of an illustrator. We read What Do Authors Do? several years ago and I liked that it described the process of writing and publishing a book. This book is very similar and details the process of creating the illustrations for a story. It shows that there are different styles, perspectives, media, and even ways to tell the same story. It's an inspiring book for young artists and we enjoyed reading it together.

[Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this with the kids. When I was a kid, I loved to draw and I had no idea that one could do anything to make a living as an artist. It never occurred to me that someone illustrated books, cartoons, advertisements, etc. Both ds8 & dd5 enjoyed reading this with me and seeing what illustrators do. Both of them enjoy drawing quite a bit and it's good for them to know that they can continue their passions instead of turning them off in favor of income.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter (9) is artistic and this was a great explanation of something she appreciates. She loved the story about two illustrators who chose to illustrate the same book. It showed the processes they followed and the options faced. It explored the choice of mediums with examples of a few side by side and the role of editors. My daughter enjoyed it so much she insisted on reading it to me and her brother.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really a fun story.
I think they should have a whole serious of book like this that describe the in's and out's of jobs and make all high schoolers read them. I think they should also add typical wages/pay checks, and how to get a job (How hard is it to get a job) and what kind of training you would need. Simple, yet complete.

[Alison Durbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! As an artist myself, I can relate to the sometimes grueling process of creating a piece. I think that this book is an accurate depiction of what goes on in the life of an artist/illustrator. I loved how there was a comic strip going on along with the book's illustrations. This added humor and added to the story overall. I think children would really enjoy this book.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unseen, abstract struggles of an illustrator are brought out in the open in this enlightening story of how illustrators tackle the challenges of the picture book, from figuring out the style of drawings to capturing the child’s perspective.

[Andria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about illustrating although it goes into too much detail for the kindergarten kids that I use it with so I have to gloss over some of the information as they can't sit still for that long.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books helps young artists see how much thought goes into making illustrations, and that it's not always the first thing they draw. It also discusses the different ways a story can be represented.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but I think having two different illustrators talking about illustrating got to be confusing in several places.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done in a comic-book style with additional text. Good at explaining how illustrators do their work.

[Lindsey Lubker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good informational book for An English class. It shows the process that illustrators go through to complete their work.

[Miss Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

GR Level: P

Elementary: 741.64

This book was a great introduction into what illustrators do to make such fantastic picture books! Very interesting!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great introduction into what illustrators do to make such fantastic picture books! Very interesting!

[Laney Braden · Rating 1 out of 5]

How do I read it??

[Jeremiah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super awesome overview of what book illustrators do. This is fantastic, especially for kids that worry about making every sketch perfect (even professional illustrators don't!).

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Also check out What Do Authors Do?

[Peg Allgeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

We liked the way the story was told from the perspective of the cat and dog, as well as the illustrators. A fun and thorough way to teach kids the illustrating process.

[Sara Carmona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic novel about how illustrators decide how to illustrate a story. Not a great read, but very informative. Could use this for a school project.