Children's Book Illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg:
"When I was young my world vision was shaped in part by looking at picture books, either at home or in school. They aided my reading skills by visually identifying objects first before I knew how to read their names. With that memory in mind, my approach to illustrating children’s picture books is that the art must convey an author’s story in a clear way, filled with details. As much as children are literal thinkers, I hope to never speak down to them. I respect their inate intuitveness and curiosity. My goal is to broaden their visions and help them to learn to read between the lines.
"My challenge as the illustrator is to dig deep into the author’s story for it’s message or glue that drives a book on for 32 pages. Even mundane manuscripts reveal layers of wisdom. Breaking a manuscript down through the process of thumbnails, storyboards, and dummies becomes alchemical. Treasured findings, golden philosophies are the underlying layers translated into a tapestry of bright lollipop colors and cinematic inspired compositions. Through the process, secondary stories counterpoint the main theme which can be told silently, adding flavor to the mix.
"In “Down in the Subway” I discovered the Island Lady to be Mother Nature. She offers the hot riders a few examples of her never-ending powers of transformation. Her bag posesses the four elements. Air,Water, Earth and Fire: the breeze, the sea, the food, the creative musicians."
ORDER HERE FROM AMAZON: Down in the Subway