Jan Brett

Professions :

Illustrator

Born :

December 1, 1949

Writing a story is like going down a path in the woods. You follow the path. You don't worry about getting lost. You just go.

stories worry writing

A children's book is the perfect place where young readers can understand the world because they can take a deep breath and look at it and imagine and contemplate while they're looking at.

perfect book children

The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real.

details real might

I like to pretend that each book is my first one and last one, because it takes a tremendous amount of energy to do a book.

lasts energy book

I would like teachers to look deep because sometimes kids do have a faade that they put up because they feel vulnerable. Their creative truth may not be ready for their friends to see.

creative teacher kids

When I was little, I loved books that gave me lots of detail so that I felt like I could be transported to this other place, or, in the case of an illustration, I felt like I could walk into the page.

illustration details book

Of all people, children are the ones that really understand when there's a truth there for them - an emotional truth. The characters really have to work. Children, as an audience, are very inspirational for me.

emotional character children

I remember the special quiet of rainy days by Jan Brett

I remember the special quiet of rainy days

real beautiful book

I loved being a child. If I do have a talent, it's not so much being an artist, but it's being able to remember back to that time.

able artist children

Teachers have to respect the privacy of students' creative life, but at the same time give them a chance to express themselves.

creative teacher giving

The books take a year just to do the drawing. I will travel to a country to do the research and get ideas. Sometimes I don't travel to do research, but mostly I do. It takes a long time, but do I ever get tired of it? Not really. The characters kind of grow and evolve.

tired country book

We're going to Surf City, gonna have some fun. Now, two girls for... by Jan Brett

We're going to Surf City, gonna have some fun. Now, two girls for every boy.

girl song fun

When I go to another country, I try to be a big sponge and look at what the houses may look like and what colors predominate. I do not do research as much as just get ideas and ask people about things.

color country ideas

People may think that because I have illustrated and written all these books it must be easy for me, but it's not really easy for me. The drawing part is easy - I love doing it. But continuing to move forward is hard.

book moving thinking

I knew that I wanted to be an illustrator since I was in kindergarten. I can remember the exact day. The art teacher usually came to our classroom once a week, but she was absent that day. Instead, our regular teacher gave us each a huge piece of paper and crayons, and we could do whatever we wanted.

pieces teacher art

I love children because that's a part of my life that was so happy, and I like to remember back to those days where everything is a discovery, and the world is so fresh.

discovery children world

I remember kids used to give me a penny for drawing them a horse. I loved horses, but I couldn't have one, so I would draw a horse for myself. I would make it food and a blanket for it to wear and a place to live.

horse drawing kids

I create books for six-year-olds. I don't know why that time of my life was so important to me, but no matter what I draw, it always looks like it comes from a children's book. I can't resist. I'll set out to paint a serious picture then think, "Well, maybe there would be a little bunny in that corner."

book children thinking

When I was little I used to wish I could talk to the illustrators because I wanted to discuss something about the books. With so many of the other art forms that children experience, such as movies and television, they don't get to control the pace.

book children art

I always feel like my book is a success when I see a child reading it, and they have their pointer finger out, and they kind of keep their place as they look all around the page. I've always been impressed by how children are so observant.

reading book children

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