Design Discussions with Grace Maccarone, Executive Editor at Holiday House and Author Paul Meisel

For our third Design Discussion post, Grace Maccarone, Executive Editor at Holiday House, and author Paul Meisel share the development of Paul’s beginning reader I See a Cat from submission through publication.

Grace has long been passionate about beginning readers, and it’s thanks to her that Holiday House’s I Like to Read® books were born. “My daughter is a brilliant visual thinker with a language processing disability,” Grace said. “When she was learning how to read, she needed good books that were easy to read. Easier than Frog and Toad, which was difficult for her for quite some time.” When Grace started at Holiday House, editor-in-chief Mary Cash asked her to start a series of beginning readers. Grace explained, “I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to duplicate the books that were already available. I wanted to publish good books for the newest readers. And for struggling readers who need easier books. And for kindergarteners, who are now learning to read.”

Grace Maccarone and Paul Meisel
Courtesy of Grace Maccrarone

The development of I See a Cat began on January 10, 2014 when Paul sent Grace a submission based upon his beloved dog Coco’s passion for squirrels. (You can see Coco chasing a ball on Paul’s website.) Grace told me that manuscripts and dummies are sent to her. “Only rarely have I approached an artist with a concept. I often find that if I approach someone with a concept, what I get back is unoriginal and bland. Stories that come from the heart and the need of the author are best.” Looking back to receiving Paul’s manuscript, Grace said, “I liked the premise but felt the story, written in the first-person voice of the dog, needed to be fleshed out, and I suggested to Paul that he add more characters and develop the story as an I Like to Read® book.”

Some editors provide their authors with design guidelines or word lists. Grace prefers not to give her authors any limitations. “I don’t give people word lists. Again, word lists are restrictive. Words in word lists tend to dictate the story. It’s better to have a story that comes from the heart.” However, Grace notes that I Like to Read® books always use simple fonts and large type. Specifically, they prefer the “stick-and-ball” “a.”

Paul fleshed out the story and added more characters (a cat, a mouse, a bee, and a rabbit) and sent Grace a revised manuscript with sketches. The narrative also changed from first to third person. “The original story is about the dog wanting its owner to let it out to chase squirrels, and the dog’s anxiety about being ignored and not being able to go out,” Paul explained. “In the final story, the idea of chasing squirrels remains a constant although other animals are added for variety and a better reading and learning experience.” Grace was especially attracted to the mysterious and intriguing front endpapers, just why was that dog barking up the tree?

Nearly all I Like to Read® titles are authored and illustrated by the same person. I asked Grace if this is a conscious choice. “Yes,” Grace confirmed. “The visuals are doing the heavy lifting in these books. In our example, I See a Cat, it’s the interplay between text and art and the visual execution that makes the book exciting to read.”

Example of Paul’s original sketches (from January 2014) - Courtesy of Holiday House

Example of Paul’s final art (November 2016) - Courtesy of Holiday House

September, 2014 rolled around and Grace requested a contract with Paul. Grace and Paul began considering how to position the book: Should this book be a companion to See Me Run (a Geisel Honor Award Book) and See Me Dig (a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013)? The question floated around and then dissipated. The sketch dummy was also reviewed by the copyeditor (for typos, and grammar, etc., and for art continuity), as well as the art director—Kerry Martin—and Grace (for everything).

Paul then made another set of revisions based upon Holiday House queries and comments, as well as some of his own new ideas. For instance, the rabbit was eliminated; the squirrel made an additional appearance. The text was in first person again. Everyone looked at the revised sketches, and Paul started to work on final art. He decided to use to use watercolors, acrylics, and pencils on Strathmore paper, which he would then scan to make digital enhancements. Paul explained: “I wanted a bold, graphic line, but was hesitant to draw it in Photoshop as I wanted the line to have the same qualities as my line when I draw on paper. So I drew the story in pen and ink on paper and scanned and greatly enlarged the drawings in order to get that bolder look. Working in Photoshop, I was also able to make the line solid black where I wanted it and change it to other colors in places such as the rug, the grass, and the background trees and bushes.”

Meanwhile, Paul continued to tweak the compositions and even make some major changes. The cat became more meaningful to the story. It is fascinated by the dog and serves as a kind of Greek chorus. The bee moved indoors to make for a more interesting design. Grace notes that she communicated with Kerry and Paul constantly about “concerns too numerous to list” right up to right up to the last minute and beyond.

Example of Paul’s original sketches (from January 2014) - Courtesy of Holiday House

Example of Paul’s final art (November 2016) - Courtesy of Holiday House

Paul gave Grace and Kerry some early finished pieces so they could see what the color would look like. Based on some of Kerry and Grace’s concerns, Paul changed the color of a holding line and made adjustments to eliminate a grainy texture.

In September, 2016, Paul delivered the final art. And in October, 2016, Paul, Kerry, and Grace had a celebratory lunch. Grace told me, “Lunch is an opportunity to learn more about a book. An artist might share some special challenges or secrets.” For example, “The rug is a bit of an homage to a favorite artist, Jean Dubuffet,” Paul explained. “He often used the same colors, along with a bold line. And in the grass, although a bit more subtle, you can see an homage to another artist, Jean Arp. I overlapped organic, Arp-like shapes in order to give the grassy areas more interest in a somewhat abstract way. I didn’t attempt to make the grass realistic.”

Example of Paul’s original sketches (from January 2014) - Courtesy of Holiday House

Example of Paul’s final art (November 2016) - Courtesy of Holiday House
Note: The original setting with the dog looking out from inside the house remained the same even as the story line changed.

Even with the lunch past, Paul continued to make a few more changes, such as redoing the door frames to make them less purple. After seeing the proofs in November, 2016, he redid the art to heighten the contrast between the light and the shadows on the floor. Paul explained: “The light and shadow became part of the story without using words. As the day progresses, the direction of the shadow changes along with what one would perceive as the position of the sun. Along with all the animals that pass by, the shadows give the impression that the dog is waiting a long time for the boy to return.” Paul also decided he didn’t like the bird, so he changed it. And he changed the position of the cat on the back endpaper after that. “Whew!” remembers Grace!

I See a Cat by Paul Meisel
Book cover courtesy of Holiday House

Paul also provided two cover sketches to Kerry and Grace, which were shared with sales, marketing, publicity, and upper management. After looking at both, Kerry and Grace asked Paul for a combination of the two. The Art Department had some suggestions on the title type, which was discussed back and forth until they reached an agreement. Grace said: “After cover and interior layouts were complete, we made same-size, full-color photocopies and sent them to an outside reading consultant for a guided reading level. Double whew!”

I asked Grace when and how reading levels are determined for Holiday House’s I Like to Read® books. She shared that all books are sent to Marla Conn at Read-Ability, Inc. “She determines guided reading levels, grade levels, and reading recovery equivalents. We don’t know what level a book is until Marla tells us.”

June, 2017 was exciting. That’s when I See a Cat received its first review, and a starred one at a that! On September 5, 2017, after over three years of work, the book will finally be published. After hearing so much about the book, I can’t wait to see the published book and read it with kids!