Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier

by Raina Telgemeier

A companion catalogue for a museum exhibit showcasing more than twenty years of Raina Telgemeier's work, including original artwork from Smile, Sisters, Guts, Drama, and Ghosts, an interview with Raina, and more!

Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning cartoonist who has been at the forefront of today's middle-grade graphic novel boom and has published several beloved graphic novels that are widely regarded as modern classics. Facing Feelings is a companion catalogue for the 2023 exhibition at The Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. As a retrospective of Raina's career, the exhibit and catalogue explore the factors that shaped her into a legendary cartoonist, including the artists who influenced her work and style, and why her art resonates so strongly with readers of all ages. This catalogue includes original artwork spanning from Raina's childhood to her bestselling graphic novels, the captions displayed at the exhibit, and an interview.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Memoir, Comics, Art, Biography Memoir

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2025

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An art exhibition of Raina Telgemeier's career has been turned into a nice book that gives a tidy summary of her life and career. Big fans should get a kick out of it.

Reading the interview with Telgemeier and scanning through the pages of her art reprinted with her annotations and insights gives me a strong urge to re-read her books. It's been a long time since I've seen Smile.

Based on its absence from the Table of Contents and Raina's long interview at the start of the book, I was wondering if Ghosts had been banished to some sort limbo, but four pages of art and one casual mention were scattered throughout the book. But it didn't get a dedicated section with discussion and behind-the-scenes remarks like the rest Telgemeier's books, so I'm guessing it is being downplayed on purpose due to the controversy it generated.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:

A Note From the Curator / Anne Drozd
Foreword / Jenny E. Robb
Introduction. Emotions as Action: Raina Tegemeier and the Kids' Comics Revolution / Scott McCloud

Part 1. A Conversation With Raina / Anne Drozd

Part 2. Growing Up
• Childhood
• Raina's Influences and Favorites
• Barefoot Gen and "Beginnings"
• Minicomics and Early Work

Part 3. Facing Feelings
• Universal Expressions
• Complexity of Emotions

Part 4. Books Behind the Scenes
• The Baby-sitters Club (2006-2008)
• Smile (2010)
• Sisters (2014)
• Guts (2019)
• Drama (2012)

About the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum / Jenny E. Robb
Acknowledgments / Anne Drozd and Jenny E. Robb
Selected Bibliography
About the Contributors

[TheNextGenLibrarian]

Glad this book exists for the art focus, as well as to illustrate how important graphic novel art is, but it’s nonfiction and I struggled to stay engaged. It makes me wonder if kids are the audience for this or adults. If it’s adults then I’m sure how many will be interested in middle grade graphic novel art as a focus.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

This is cool, but definitely written for an adult/older audience. Most kids will likely find this boring.

[Diana Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book for the behind the scenes bits about the making of Telgemeier's books and am inspired to reread Smile, Guts, and probably Sisters as well. This book seemed the right fit for me - an adult who reads middle-grade graphic novels, but I think a lot of it would be over the heads of middle-grade readers. They'd probably like the behind-the-scenes stuff like I did, such as the variety of possible cover images for Smile, Guts, and Sisters. There's a little about Drama and Ghosts in here as well, but not as much as Telgemeier's biographical works.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

My library kids are going to eat this up!

This is an exhibition catalog for the May-November 2023 exhibition “Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier,” a retrospective exhibition at the Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

It does feel like adults & teens are more of the target audience but middle grade fans will enjoy it.

[Ismah Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier is not really a kid’s book. It is more for adults or older readers who want to understand the author and her work better. I have been reading Raina Telgemeier’s books during the 2010s, so it was very interesting for me to learn where her ideas come from.

The book explains how she gets inspiration for her stories and characters. It also shows how she uses her own emotions and experiences to create her books. I liked seeing how she turns real feelings and situations from her life into stories that many people can relate to.

Another interesting part was learning how she expresses emotions through her drawings and storytelling. It made me appreciate her books even more because you can see how personal her work is.

Overall, the book was interesting and insightful, especially for fans who grew up reading her work. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good to revisit Raina's work.It was good to revisit Raina's work. But the interview and other text material was my favorite part. Definitely here work is worth a re-read, I'm pretty sure I've read each only once. And I've yet to make it through all of the Babysitter's Club. I am even more curious to see what she does next. Her fictional works were at least as strong as her non-fictional.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply phenomenal book. A must-read for everyone who works with children or likes graphic novels. I learned so much!!

[Erica Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this so much. I'm not sure if kids will really be able to manage all the content because it feels a little over their heads, but if they love her, they may be able to do it. It's a great read as an adult though.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the companion to the exhibit that was held at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University. Raina Telgemeier is considered one of the most influential comic creators for children, practically developing the genre.  The book starts with an extensive interview with Raina about her life, process, and influences.  The rest of the book is broken up into parts of her life, influences on her art, and then how each of her books were developed.

The book shows lots of behind the scenes art - thumbnails, sketches, and alternative panels that were not in the final books.  There are also copies of pages from her books where she comments on why she portrayed something in a certain way, etc. The book is filled with her art, and readers will really feel like they understand her process of creating graphic novels by the end. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Robert Greenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most times, you can buy an overpriced, lavish edition of a book representing a museum exhibit. Here, you can have a nice, affordable book derived from the Raina Telgemeier exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Telgemeier has topped bestseller lists and outsells most everything from DC, Marvel, Image, etc. by several factors. People discover comics and graphic novels through her works: Smile, Guts, Drama, Ghosts, and Sisters, as well as adaptations of the The Babysitters' Club novels.

The book opens with a 45-page interview with Telgemeir, conducted by curator Anne Drzod, and then includes the works from the exhibition. Telgeimeier provides personal commentary not only on her process but also on the real-life incidents that inspired the stories.

If anything, I wish there were more of her thumbnails to show how we go from idea to finished page, along with the intermediate steps. But this was a good collection of works from across her career, from student to master creator. If you like any of her work, this is a fine companion volume.

[Graeme Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier by Raina Telgemeier is an insightful and visually rich companion catalogue that offers a thoughtful retrospective on the career of one of the most influential voices in contemporary graphic storytelling. Drawing from an extensive museum exhibition, the book brings together artwork, commentary, and personal reflection to trace the evolution of Telgemeier’s creative journey.

The collection highlights key works such as Smile, Sisters, Guts, Drama, and Ghosts, offering readers a behind the scenes perspective on both artistic development and emotional storytelling. The inclusion of early sketches, curated exhibit captions, and an in depth interview provides valuable context for understanding her lasting impact on middle grade graphic novels.

As both a celebration and critical exploration of her work, this catalogue will appeal to fans, educators, and readers interested in the craft and cultural significance of modern graphic memoir and illustration.

[Thompson McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier

Based on the exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum

by Raina Telgemeier

Illustrations by the author

Grapix

An imprint of Scholastic Inc.

2025

240 pages

Ever wonder how cartoonists and artists come up with their creations? If you're Raina Telgemeier, you go back to your childhood and those cringe-y teen years. Full of early cartoons and sketches, including interviews with the author, this interesting AND ENTERTAINING look at an artist's thought process is a must for future cartoonists and graphic artists; really, any creatives will gain knowledge on how to "prime the pump."

Pages are devoted to each of Telgemeier's graphic novels (Smile, her HUGE breakout hit) and later Sisters and Guts.

An excellent gift for wannabe artists, today's doodlers and dreamers. Today's doodlers are tomorrow's graphic stars!

[Clint Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dream for fans of Telgemeier's work, with a couple notable caveats. Ghosts is mentioned about three times, and The Cartoonists Club isn't mentioned at all. The BSC books also weren't gone into in much detail either, to my disappointment.

But it gives some great behind the scenes for the creation of her three memoirs, with actual dental pictures and a ton of early sketches. it's especially cool to see all the ways the cover of Smile could've gone.

the book is laid out beautifully and easy to zip through. some of my favorite bits are when she explains how to draw each emotion. it's a little tough to imagine who the audience for this book is because kids will probably be bored stiff, but that's not really a criticism.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well now I want to go visit the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum!

This is a mix of sharing the creative backstory of Telgemeier, her life, and her craft. Most creators end up writing a manual on writing or how-to eventually-, it's how you know you've made it, so this one coincided with the exhibit of "Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier". The book is a mix of her early art through her published work, family photos, her thought and creative process which can all be boiled down to realistic life experiences and expressions-- living the feelings of everyday life.

Young creators will eat it up.

[Jessica_loves_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part Q&A with Telgemeier, part notes on her illustrations in her graphic novels, this book, started out slowly-not enough illustrations to make the pace reasonable. However, once Telgemeier starts breaking down each emotion with examples from her sketches and her books, this book became very compelling and a much quicker read. All-in-all I found the content interesting and getting a sneak peek into her process was fun. Her illustrations are understandably the star of the show. They are so fun to examine and explore.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This is definitely more a guide to the retrospective exhibit at the Billy Ireland museum. There's a lot more text than readers may be expecting, and seems to be aimed at more of an adult audience, so I will probably pass on purchasing. The interviews are intersting. Adult fans of the author will love seeing all of the backstories to her work.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of the graphic novels Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts will adore this volume of work done by popular writer and illustrator Raina Telgemeier. Known for her autobiographical graphic novels Guts and Sisters, this is a retrospective of Ms. Telgemeier's work that was on display at The Ohio University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Any admirer's of her work will be intrigued by the sketches of her early work as well as the interview she gives with so much of the honesty and emotional candor that her graphic novels are know for. A great collector's item.

[Bridget]

I'm SO glad this book exists and that excellent cartoonists like Raina Telgemeier are getting exhibitions. It's enlightening to see an artist's influences and their work process and I loved every second of it.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring look at Telgemeier's work and how she wove her own life through various books. She was a huge part of the beginning of the graphic novels genre. I appreciate the artwork from her work and her own recollections about her life.

[Grady Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors growing up! Reading her books was a gateway for graphic novels to me. Learning about Telgemeier’s process on creating comics and how she does it by focusing on emotions more was eye-opening to me. Love Telgemeier’s books and forever will!

[norah melden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stoppp 10 yo me would've chopped off an arm to read this 😭😭

[alina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Educational.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read about the author.
I have read all of her books.

[Alicia Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never actually read this but it sure sounds good!😁

[Tiffany Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it she was one of my fav authors as a kid