Rebecca Thornburgh: A Kid’s Guide to Illustrating Books

“When I was seven, I announced at the dinner table that when I grew up, I was going to be a bookmaker. Everybody laughed. But ever since I can remember, making books — creating stories and pictures — was what I wanted to do.

So, now that I’m more or less a grownup, I’m more or less a bookmaker. I’ve been illustrating children’s books (and other stuff for children) full-time since 1996. My very first book, Celtic Designs, was published when I was 21, and it’s now in its seventh printing! I’ve illustrated over a hundred books — a whole bunch of early readers, a number of board books for very small people, and a nice little clump of picturebooks. Some of my favorites are Lewis the Librarian, and The Shelf Elf and The Shelf Elf Helps Out! My newest books are a series about a little boy and his toy monkey — the Rufus and Ryan series.”

Here’s an inside peek at the life of children’s book illustrator, Rebecca Thornburgh–a program for kids of any age!