Q&A with Gideon Sterer

  

 

 

Gideon Sterer is the author of the new children's picture book The Underwearwolf. His many other books include The Christmas Owl. He lives in New York City. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Underwearwolf?

A: Honestly, just the pun, and I have no recollection of how or why I thought about it. I think I had it in a notes app and one day I was going back through notes and was like, "Hey, this is still funny to me," so then I had to figure out how to make it into a book.

Q: What do you think Charles Santoso’s illustrations add to the book?

A: Charles is one of my favorite contemporary children's book illustrators and his illustrations are a wonderful combination of beautiful and a little spooky while also being commercially appealing and HILARIOUS, so I think he adds everything to the book, really. He rules. 

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Sterer and Santoso mash the monstrous and the truly mundane in this gleeful picture book outing.” What do you think of that description?

A: I love it! This book is really one big joke, so that works for me!

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

A: I don't know if there are any explicit "take-aways" that I'm hoping for, but I hope they are inspired to imagine weird and off-kilter stuff and have a curiosity and wonder for the woods and just further like the idea of books, generally!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Lots of stuff! An interesting combination of hopefully poignant stuff and also a bunch of stuff with butt jokes.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I have another book with Simon & Schuster coming out called Tadpole Season, so look out for that!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb