The inspiration behind Utah author and illustrator Mark Pett's newest picture book came from his oldest daughter, now 8 years old, who used to get frustrated when other children wouldn't do what she wanted them to do.
“She would get really upset when other kids wouldn’t follow the rules of the games she created," Pett said in an interview with the Deseret News. "I know there are a lot of kids who have trouble letting other people do what they want to do.”
“This is My Book!” (Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99, ages 3-7 years) is a story about an author who gets frustrated when the characters in the book, specifically a panda named Spike, aren’t following his rules. It is a personal story for Pett because it stars him as the author and illustrator of the book.
"As the author and illustrator, I become extremely frustrated when my freshly drawn helper panda, Spike, does not follow my rules for the book," Pett wrote on his website at markpett.com. "He starts by coloring on my clean white pages, then adding words, and then characters! He even goes so far as to add flaps, pull tabs and more! By the end of the book, I realize that this book doesn’t just belong to me, and we invite creative input from the reader."
In addition to the interactive elements, there is a blank, miniature version of the book in the back for young readers to write and draw their own stories.
“It was fun having extra elements in the book — like a flap, a pull tab and even a pop up. I had never done anything like that in a book," Pett said. "It was fun working with a publisher who is just gung-ho about putting stuff like that in books. This was a fun adventure into that area of publishing.”
Pett has two daughters, and of all the books Pett has written, this is their favorite, he said.
When Pett was a little boy, he loved reading the comics in the newspaper and wanted nothing more than to have his own comic strip, he said.
The self-described “authorstrator” landed his first job out of college as a political cartoonist in Prague, Czech Republic. Eventually, he continued creating political cartoons in Utah.
“I eventually had two comic strips, which ran in the Deseret News: ‘Mr. Lowe’ and ‘Lucky Cow,’” he said. "Then my wife and I had kids, which is when I decided I wanted to start writing children’s books,” Pett said.
He is also the “authorstrator” of “Lizard from the Park,” "The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes” and the wordless picture books “The Girl and the Bicycle” and “The Boy and the Airplane.”
If you go ...
What: Mark Pett book signing
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m.
Where: The King's English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City
Web: kingsenglish.com
Note: Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of the featured book from The King's English.
Email: kadams@deseretnews.com