Peter Catalanotto's Biography

Being affected by art is as important to me as enjoying it. I want paintings, movies, music and stories to make me think and feel.

After graduating from Pratt Institute I wanted to work as a painter and a cartoonist. Being a children's book author and illustrator helped both these dreams come true. When I illustrate another writer's text, it's often an earnest topic, like a parent going off to war or the death of a pet. I'll extend the writer's words by adding new ideas in the art. My pictures stray from the words but not from the story. I enjoy illustrating stories that are ethereal, airy, and emotional, not locked into a specific time and place. I think an illustrator also needs to recognize what not to paint. Some lines of text are so poetic and perfectly descriptive that a picture would dilute their effect. Metaphors and similes are important things not to illustrate. I don't think we ever need to see someone's heart "beating like a hammer".

When I write my own stories, they are full of humor as my cartoonist self rises. My style of painting will reflect the nature of the text, whether it is serious or whimsical. One of the things I tell children is that there are many different ways an artist can draw!

In several books, I placed the title and credits after the story begins, a format I always find very appealing in movies. However, I only do it when it feels right for the story. Ideas can be gimmicks if used at the wrong time. Most people I meet in schools, libraries and bookstores are excited to see a new format. A few people have told me that they find it confusing. I'm just glad I affected them. I've published 38 books for children, 13 of which I've written, including Ivan the Terrier, Matthew A. B. C. and Emily's Art. I've illustrated for some wonderful writers including Cynthia Rylant, Mary Pope Osborne, Joanne Ryder, Megan McDonald, George Ella Lyon and Robert Burleigh.

I believe a good book doesn't explain everything. It's a springboard, an open door and it gives readers some space to make their own choices and connections. To laugh. To cry. To be affected.