The design problem we faced was keeping the free-flowing nature of Sandy Turner’s artwork while maintaining a framework within the book. We wanted to explore the various things children might be when they grew up without descending into utter chaos on the page. We encouraged the artist to give his imagination free rein, but also wanted to depict occupations children may be familiar with and could relate to. The approach came from a long tradition of making children’s books. We had a team that brought years of experience to the project. Our main goal was to keep the book as stream of consciousness as a child’s imagination, allowing the images and the text to have a fluid motion from page to page.

Sandy Turner works in a variety of media and also does not usually work in one size or proportion. We worked intensively in the dummy process to determine the trim size and page count that would best serve his vision. We wanted to allow him to continue his experimental use of media while creating a unified whole. The finished project was deeply satisfying and met with critical acclaim, including winning the Silver Medal at the Society of Illustrators 2003 annual show.

“The interior design is so innovative! Fun!” Isabel Warren-Lynch