Meet Children's Author Kathryn Otoshi

Author Kathryn Otoshi-image taken from Hyphen magazine

Friends, meet author & illustrator Kathryn Otoshi, winner of 10 children literary awards.  I was first introduced to Kathryn's work when a friend gifted Bebe Bird the book One, a beautifully written & illustrated children's book about colors & numbers while simultaneously teaching them about the power of standing up for yourself and sticking up for others.  I am absolutely crazy about "One!  It has a powerful message & is an easy read.  I am bursting with excitement to introduce you to Kathryn & all of her magical children's books.

Children's book "One"-image from A Little Crunchy

Bebe Birds (BB): Hi Kathryn! Can you share your journey on becoming an author & illustrator of children's books?

Kathryn Otoshi (KO): My journey into the children's book industry was more circuitous that one might imagine!  While I had my degree in painting, my full-time job was a graphic designer in the film industry. Writing and illustrating children's picture books was simply a passionate hobby of mine for the longest time.  I decided to publish my own book, "What Emily Saw" - a book about discovery & imagination.  It was something I was doing 'just for fun'.   It was simultaneously a good way for me to learn more about the children's book industry which was still very mysterious to me.  Suddenly, I was launched into the wonderful world of children's books.  And now over 10 years later, I never looked back.

BB:  What were some of your favorite children's books growing up? 

KO:  I love "Corduroy"by Don Freeman for the little stuffed bear who shares his dream of having a home;  "A Bargain for Frances" by Russell Hoban for showing us through Thelma & Frances how to be a better friend and "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion, a book that still makes me chuckle to this day.

BB:  What has been some of  your works greatest influences? 

KO: The film industry has been a huge influence on me.  In fact, I see all my children's pictures books as mini-movies.  The book becomes a 'stage';my illustrated characters are my actors that I direct; the backgrounds that I've drawn become my set…even turning the pages represents a 'cut' in a scene.  I love being the casting director, costume designer, production designer, editor and director-all rolled up into one!

BB:  We love your books.  They are so cleverly done.  One & Zero, in particular, offer a theme of anti-bullying and finding confidence within oneself while teaching colors & numbers.  What lead you to such themes? Were there any obstacles you encountered when writing those books?

KO:  Thank you.  When I first started writing "One", the book was about differences.  For the illustrations, instead of using brown, gold or pink tones, I thought "What if I used green, purple and blue 'skin' tones to show physical differences?"  Originally all the blobs of color had eyes, noses and mouths-they all had facial features and expressions.  Then in my quest to make the written text simple and boil the narrative down to its core essence, I thought I should apply the same discipline with my illustrations to appropriately match the text.

Later as I continued to develop the storyline, the personalities and emotions of each blob color came alive.  The story eventually transformed from being just a book that introduced colors and numbers and differences into the story it is now-a book that introduces themes of acceptance, tolerance, standing up for others, the power of one and your choice to count.  The book Zero was created after "One" through a need to address "how do you become a ONE?"  "Zero" is about self-esteem and finding value in yourself and in others.

Inside children's book "One" by Kathryn Otoshi-image from Naptime in Naptown 

BB:  What can we expect next from you?

KO:  My book "Two" comes out this fall.  I'm very excited about it.  This story deals with complexity of shared friendships.  Two's best friend is One. They always say "One, Two, I'll count on you 'til  the end we'll be best friends."  That is until THREE jumps in between them.  This book explores exclusion, anger, grief…and finally acceptance, sharing, self-exploration and discovery.

BB: That sounds amazing.  We can't wait to read it.  Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

KO: I believe we as human beings look to both stories and metaphors as ways to help us gain understanding and perspective on our own lives. I can't think of a more fun way to help children reflect and identify larger-than-life solutions than through the power of children's literature.

That's sounds brilliant!  Thank you so much Kathryn.  Bebe Birds love ya!

To learn more about Kathryn Otoshi & her children'a books visit Ko Kids.  Her books can be found at Amazon.com & local book stores around the country.