Interview by Hannah Luppe
Jess Hannigan is a writer and illustrator making picture books, editorial artwork, and more in Hamilton, Ontario. She is a lover of bold, graphic illustration and an appreciator of silly nonsense. Spider in the Well is her first picture book.
Hi Jess! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us here at Young Adulting today. We’re so excited to have you! What drew you to writing and illustrating for younger audiences?
Thanks so much for asking to interview me, this is neat! I think for me, I never fell out of touch with my sense of kid humour, so it feels really natural for me. I try to aim for that sweet spot where both a kid and an adult will laugh at the same jokes and can both enjoy the same story. Examples of this from my childhood are things like Spongebob or The Muppets, which had my whole household in a riot and deeply affected my personality. So really, I’m just trying to entertain myself. That takes funny faces, ridiculous plots, and for the adult brain, it’s satisfying design, and layers of interesting depth in my characters. A creative win-win!
Your debut picture book Spider in the Well is a hilarious and fun story for both children and adults. It reads like a folk tale or fable with such delightfully unexpected twists and turns! Can you tell us what your favourite part of the creative process was when working on this book?
Thank you so much. I think my favourite part it might have been actually deciding where to put my biggest, loudest jokes. Usually this works by setting up on the page before, and then executing a big BAM moment on the page turn. It’s fun to visualize how someone would preform it during a read-aloud, and where to set up what pieces for the biggest impact, how I’m going to make that BAM page feel unique. For example, the page where we discover the true wishes of the town, and the page turns to the newsboy exclaiming “UNBELIEVABLE!”. It feels like solving a puzzle, which can be frustrating, but really satisfying when they land! This might be what stand-up comedy is like too, I have no idea.
Your next picture book, The Bear Out There, is set to be released April 2025 (I can’t wait!). What sparked the idea for this story, and can you tell readers a bit about what to expect?
I can’t wait either! It’s accidentally a Goldilocks re-telling. The reader is inserted into the story too, with our strange main character speaking right to us. If you’ve ever read The Monster at the End of This Book, I was basically trying to rip it off and capture some of that first-person magic that worked so well. In the story we’re being warned that there is a bear out there, but we should be safe inside this house with our mysterious host, so long as we do as she says. The end has a big fun twist that I won’t spoil, but if you know Goldilocks, you can guess. There are lots of yelling moments and high tension. Like a thriller, but, not in a scare-your-pants-off way, since it’s largely bright pink.
Who are some creatives (not limited to writers/illustrators) you’ve been inspired by lately?
Always at the top of my author/illustrator lists are Taro Gomi and Tomi Ungerer. They both have such a fantastic brain for both design and good storytelling. Also, anything to do with Dick Bruna’s Miffy. I just bought the Freight Train board book by Donald Crews, and now I think I’m obsessed with trains. Maybe with toy cars too, because I’ve been going crazy for the Candylab series of themed toy trucks and cars. They’re perfectly blocky, and mid-century modern, and I fear I need to buy them all. Also, anything to do with Dick Bruna’s Miffy.
Were there any memorable words of encouragement that stuck with you that you could share with emerging writers and illustrators trying to navigate the publishing industry?
I think as far as the publishing industry goes, it’s so helpful to either develop an ability to advocate for yourself, or surround yourself with people who will push you to do so. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you need a backbone (which I surely lack), so a good agent or a good wack of friends can do wonders for getting yourself on track. In terms of your work and finding success, the more uniquely “you” your work is, the more people will take notice! One of my illustration teachers from Sheridan College, Pete Ryan, always made sure we knew that the work doesn’t hide much, and people can always tell if you’re in our out of the zone, or doubting yourself. Delusion (aka confidence) can be a great asset to combat imposter syndrome. I also wouldn’t be afraid to lean into what feels natural, sometimes that’s a sign you’re meant to be there!
Hannah Luppe is currently completing her MA in Children’s Literature at UBC.
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