In 2016 I published my first children’s novel, The Wild Robot. It’s the story of a robot named Roz and her struggle to survive on a remote, wild island. As it turns out, Roz doesn’t just survive, she adapts, and learns to communicate with the wildlife, and then she develops animal friends and even a family. Roz makes the island her home. But that wasn’t the whole story. You see, from the moment I started dreaming up The Wild Robot, I was also dreaming up the sequel. It would be another survival story, only this time Roz would have to… 

I was blown away by the amazing response to my first novel, The Wild Robot. Thank you to everyone who read and shared it! I’ve been hard at work on the sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes, and I cannot wait for you all to find out what happens to Roz after she leaves the island. What I love most about writing children’s novels is how it forces me to focus on what’s truly important to the story. I don’t want to bore young readers with unnecessary details. And so, when in doubt, I keep the story simple. This approach worked… 

You probably haven’t noticed that I’m really bad about blogging, because there hasn’t been anything to notice. My excuse for not blogging recently is that I’ve been chin-deep writing and illustrating my newest picture book, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild…which I just finished. HALLELUJAH!!! I was very late with the art for Mr. Tiger, which is a bad habit I’ve gotten into over the last few years. The reason I’ve been late is that I’ve been experimenting with the art style of each of my last few books. I like trying new materials and styles, but it takes time to refine…