Seeing that this Blog is directly linked to Amazon, and soon to my publisher's websites, I'm going to concentrate on books and leave most of my general illustration stuff at Neubecker.com. So, without further ado, here is my first book "Wow! City!"

   "Wow! City!" was written by my daughter, Isabel, when she was eighteen months old.  I'd lived in New York City for twenty two years and I'd moved to Utah to be in the mountains and to start a family. As all New Yorkers would, I felt quite like a fish out of water once the novelty of a "long vacation" wore off. Taking Isabel back to New York enabled me to see the city anew through her eyes. Her two words were "wow!" and "mom!" I took her everywhere on the subways in a backpack because, as new parents, we didn't trust the taxis- they have no car seats. By the time we had our second child, we'd just hold them on our laps.  Many of the scenes in the book are Izzy's reactions to actual events; many, like Chinese New Year, the fire truck, and the long, warm cab ride home at night are my own fond memories. 

    "Wow! City!" was quite a hit when it was published in the fall of 2004. It won an ALA notable book award, the short list for the Caldicott Medal- about twenty books long, out of the tens of thousands of children's books published each year. This was my start as a children's book illustrator and author.

      "Wow! City!" garnered many glowing and starred reviews, and here is my favorite:

From Booklist: Starred Review: If Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie had been painted with a two-year-old in mind, the result might have been something like this. Bold colors and undulating forms jitterbug across the big, 20-by-10 inch spreads of Neubecker's first book for children, an ode to urbanity that chronicles his Utah-born daughter's first experience of the Big Apple. Though Neubecker is a seasoned contributor to the New York Times and other journals for adults, his artwork here couldn't be more attuned to toddlers. Each double-page scene, hand-drawn in thick, toothsome black line and tinted digitally in riotous carnival colors, showcases a city sight writ large, accompanied by a two-word exclamatory phrase: "Wow! Taxi!" "Wow! Skyscrapers!" "Wow! Fire Engine!" Neubecker then crams every square inch of the surrounding area with things to point, identify, or wonder about, including a yellow dog somewhere on every page (a stray ultimately goes home with guess who?). Sharp eyes will eventually notice that this seek-and-find subplot extends to the stunning endpapers. A dazzling picture-book debut that beautifully transmits the wonder of the view from a bay-carrier backpack-so different from the more jaded perceptions of adults who, like the father illustrated here, stand agog before the unintelligible squiggles of a subway map.

While I'm at it, here's the New York Times Travel cover that will be published this Sunday, 9/20/09, together with the sketches. It's having to do with devotees of Wagner's Ring series... much like trekkies or Star Wars fans....

The first review of Sophie has come out; here it is;

THE FOLLOWING BOOK RECEIVED ITS FIRST STARRED REVIEW IN THE OCTOBER 1, 2009 ISSUE OF KIRKUS REVIEWS. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE REVIEW:

SOPHIE PETERMAN TELLS THE TRUTH!
Written by Sarah Weeks
Illustrated by Robert Neubecker
(Beach Lane Books; ISBN 9781416986867; November 2009; Fall catalog pg. 271)

Straight shooter Sophie Peterman gives readers the lowdown on babies: They are your “worst nightmare.” With a cocked eyebrow and a clear, authoritative voice she lists reasons why you can’t trust a baby. They leak, they smell, they swallow (and eventually return!) your favorite marble, they rummage in your drawers and they devour your hidden Halloween candy. While not the first book about a disgruntled older child and the arrival of a cooing, burping bundle, this effort finds success through Sophie’s fresh voice. Never whiny or petulant, she deftly delivers deadpan observations that evoke smiles. Neubecker’s vivid artwork pops as he uses his bright palette and unique perspectives to create facial expressions that perfectly capture Sophie’s annoyance, her mother’s frustration and the baby’s clear-eyed joy. Oversize, all-caps, hand-lettered portions of narration add emphasis and allow Sophie’s voice and the artwork to seamlessly merge. When Sophie finally warns that you can go from hating baby to liking baby, she offers truly touching anecdotes that make her transition believable: Upon hearing a tiny voice call out, “Soapy!” to her, she just melted. Readers will too.
(Picture book. 4-8)


Wow. How great is that. Never would have happened, of course, without Sarah's wonderful manuscript- having spent the last few years cleaning up baby poop and getting barfed on, I jumped on this as soon as my wonderful editor, Andrea Welch, offered it. Also much thanks has to go to Lauren Rille, my art director, who put me through five sets of sketches. I would do it again tomorrow. Her type and design is as good as it gets! Go buy this book!

Summer stuff

Too many Monsters; A Halloween Counting Book is nearly done- here's a sneak preview. It's been a busy month. I did an entire issue of In Character magazine- a small journal put out by the Templeton Foundation (Sir John invented international mutual funds) that devotes an entire issue to a single virtue- in this case, wisdom. It's a collection of terrific essays by notable scholars. We liked it so much, we subscribed. I'm showing a wise doctor looking "inside" a patient. I usually draw my wife, Dr. Ruth, in these situations, although I gave her a haircut here. The piece was written by one Dr. Groopman .
The last drawing was for Slate- about Twitter and how an influential (irate) Twitterer can slam a product or service...

While I was looking up Dr. Groopman, it occurred to me how lucky I am to be able to work with such extraordinary people. Back when Slate was owned by Microsoft, we'd have these semi- lavish weekend retreats at resorts in Washington State. I volunteered to drive from the Seattle airport deep into the interior mountains of Washington (mountain driving is one of my acquired skills)- anyway, I had Emily Yoffe, her husband John, their young daughter , and Robert Wright in my car. The conversation was so interesting that I missed the turn and drove us all the way to Canada, where the Canadians politely turned us around. We drove through mountain passes and an avalanche that crossed the road. Arriving hours late, Mike Kinsley asked me what kept us. Always nervous in the great scholar's presence, I told him that my main goal was to keep the car between the white line and the yellow line, and not to miss a word. He was horrified.

These are spreads from "Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth" by Sarah Weeks from Simon & Shuster due out in November. I love how the drawings came out and I especially love how Lauren Rille, my art director, did the type.

No agenda today. I've been out planting with my wife. We carved a small lawn out of the woods just off our patio. Didn't cut any trees, just underbrush. Continuing work on Wow! Ocean! and a special project that I'm not talking about yet. Got my editor's and art directors comments back on "Too Many Monsters". Very helpful, but it's always a bit of a shock, since I don't always agree with them and have to process it for awhile- then decide what to incorporate and how to improve upon the suggestions that I don't think work. That's kind of the secret with working with all ad's and editors whether it's a book, an editorial assignment, an ad, a movie poster, whatever. Supply your own thinking first, always. Then take their ideas and make them better. I'm just going to post what's on the hard drive today, starting with a moose. We've been getting lots lately. Yesterday we had this female in the morning, a juvenile male in the evening (my wife, Ruth, said his little downy antlers were really "cute") and this morning we found tracks from a big mom and a baby that passed through last night. They're quite dangerous if you get close, by the way, especially a mother with young, so don't try petting one. We stay in the house when they come by. For the rest of today's post, here's a financial piece for Forbes about the states trying "Stupid Budget Tricks", a Slate piece on shock therapy for computer addiction in China, (homage to R. Crumb), and a sketch... R.