Read on for an interview with Bea Jackson, the illustrator of the gorgeous new book SUMMER IS HERE by Renée Watson (of Piecing Me Together and Ways to Make Sunshine), as well as the best-selling PARKER LOOKS UP!

As you all know, especially since my own children outgrew pictures books (as much as one can outgrow them), I’ve been focusing this blog on middle grade books. Even then, I have difficulty keeping up with reviewing all the books I read. So when an unsolicited picture book for review arrived at my house a bit ago, I was a little bit chagrined. Then, I opened the book – Renée Watson!! Bea Jackson! The lyrical text that economically and yet perfectly describes a perfect summer day! The realistic yet magical illustrations! Well, I might not have time to do the book justice with my own review, but I still wanted to share it with you. Happily, Bloomsbury’s publicity director Faye Bi was able to connect me with Ms. Jackson, and the picture book librarian at my library, Ms. Nicole, came up with questions for her. We all had a great time picking out our favorite spreads!

Summer is Here
by Renée Watson
and Bea Jackson

Bloomsbury, 2024

ISBN 9781547605866

Review copy kindly sent by the publisher

Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to work on SUMMER IS HERE,
and what the art process was like?
When I heard about Summer Is Here, I was immediately excited to work
on it. I love books that focus on joy, friendships, and fun experiences.
After reading Renée Watson’s words, the images came to my mind
effortlessly. It was a very nice flowing process with a lot of creative
freedom, which I love!

Did you always want to be an artist? How did you start working on children’s
books?
When I was younger, I loved to write and draw, but I veered more toward
being an artist as I got older. I first started working in children’s books in
high school. A friend of mine told her aunt that I liked to draw, and her aunt
put me in contact with my first publisher. Children’s books, from then on,
helped me get through some of my college education.

What do you love to draw? Are there any recurring motifs in your work that have
special meaning to you?
I love to draw fantasy and magic! Even a story isn’t based in fantasy, I try
to incorporate a sense of magic in ordinary settings, mostly through the
use of vibrant colors and leaving little speckles in my work.

What was your favorite image/page/illustration that you made for SUMMER
HERE?
My favorite page to illustrate was the spread with the bubbles. It was fun
to work on the details of the character’s face and hair, and all the colors I
got to splash into the bubbles.

What do you love about summer? What’s your fondest summer memory?
What I love about summer is the free time it gave me, especially when I
was a kid. Once we kids were out of school, we could play from sunup to
sundown. It’s hard to pick a fondest memory since there were so many
great experiences, but I would say the night all the neighborhood kids
decided to go swimming in the pool!

About the Illustrator:
Bea Jackson creates to encapsulate a moment in time, challenging herself to combine her boundless imagination with experiences and emotion and capture the result on paper. A lifelong collector of both picture books and comics, she admires art’s ability to speak perfectly on its own and translate ideas without words. As a digital painter using textures that mimic pastels, oil paints, and watercolor, she pursues the rainbow in her palette, seeking to add a touch of childhood magic to her work. From one of her earliest illustrated picture books, Hair Like Mine, to the New York Times bestselling Parker Looks Up, Bea explores themes that unify rather than divide.

Thank you so much, Ms. Jackson!

SUMMER IS HERE is out now, available at your local library and wherever books are sold.