Mr. Pig LIVE with Leroy Ninker!

Howdy, cowpokes! Welcome to another edition of my hit talk show. . .

MR PIG LIVE!

. . . where we bring you in-depth, exciting interviews with characters from your favorite children's books. Today we have a very special guest!

Please give a warm yippie-i-oh to LEROY NINKER, star of the latest collaboration from two-time Newbery medal winner Kate DiCamillo and award-winning illustrator Chris Van Dusen: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, Tales from Deckawoo Drive (Volume One).

<<applause>>

Let's get started. Or as they say on the range, giddy up!

What is your full name?
Leroy Sassafras Ninker

What one word best describes you? 

Yippie-i-oh

Naturally. Do you have a belly button? 

Dag flibber it. Let me check . . . I do.

What is the best thing about being you?

Having a horse named Maybelline.

From LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP. Illustration (c) 2014 by Chris Van Dusen.

What is the worst thing about being you?
Being Maybelline-less in the time before Maybelline arrived. I was not my best self until she came along.

I feel that way about the Cottagers. If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
Maybelline. And also spaghetti.

Describe your perfect day.
Riding on the open plains with my horse. Or riding on the sidewalks, that is good, too. Yippie-i-oh.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I have a super-power. I have a horse.

Indeed. What are you reading right now?
Love Poems.

Didn't see that coming. What is your favorite word?
Maybelline.  

Do you have a least favorite word?
Thief.

From LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP. Illustration (c) 2014 by Chris Van Dusen.

What is your favorite sound?
A whinny. 

Please share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
I like ketchup.

Speaking of condiments, if you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be? 
Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, and one of those tiny little Borrowers.

Paddington has been to the Cottage for tea. Lovely fellow. Very busy now, though, promoting his new film. Where was I? Ah, yes . . . if a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for?
I already have it.

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now?
A cat's eye marble. It is very pretty when you hold it up to the light.

From LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP. Illustration (c) 2014 by Chris Van Dusen.

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
Toast. With a great deal of butter. At the Watson’s house.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Getting captured by a pig.

Well, I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. What is your pet peeve?
Popcorn without butter. It’s wrong.

Agreed. Tell us, what was it like working with Kate? 

She is not much taller than me, so it was good.

Thank you, Leroy! It's been a pleasure. We look forward to reading many more tales from Deckawoo Drive. And please stick around after the show. Our fabulous chef Nina, from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love, has rustled up a mighty delicious Literary Lunch for us today. She even packed carrots for Maybelline! Scroll down for a peek.

Oh! And before we go, I'd like to remind our viewers about tomorrow's special Cottage event! It's a birthday party! A book birthday for Garth Stein's Enzo Races in The Rain written with Zoë B. Alley and R.W. Alley and illustrated by R.W. Alley. You should come, Leroy. The Alleys are well acquainted with Paddington Bear. I'm sure they wouldn't mind introducing you.

Well, that's all the time we have folks. Nina's here with lunch. Yippie-i-oh! Thanks for tuning in!

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Kate DiCamillo is the author of many books for young readers. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal (Flora and Ulysses, 2014; The Tale of Despereaux, 2004); the Newbery Honor (Because of Winn-Dixie, 2001), the Boston Globe Horn Book Award (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, 2006), and the Theodor Geisel Medal and honor (Bink and Gollie, co-author Alison McGhee, 2011; Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, 2007). She is the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress.

A native of Florida, Kate now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Candlewick Press, August 2014
Early chapter book, ISBN 978-0763663391

Yippie-i-oh! Saddle up for the first in a spin-off series starring favorite characters from Kate DiCamillo's New York Times best-selling Mercy Watson books.

★"DiCamillo effortlessly slips back into the comfortable rhythms of Mercy’s world, infusing every chapter with subdued wit, warmth, and heart. Van Dusen matches the text stride-for-stride, delivering caricatured spot art and full-page scenes of the Pinocchioesque Leroy and the four-toothed, spaghetti-loving Maybelline, who Leroy comes to consider 'the most splendiferous horse in all of creation.'"—Publishers Weekly

"DiCamillo’s quirky, eccentric characters speak in flowery sentiments and employ charming wordplay. Along with Van Dusen’s well-matched illustrations, there’s a sweet, retro innocence reminiscent of McCloskey’s classic "Homer Price." Despite the old-fashioned accent, the absurdities will easily appeal to a modern audience. Filled with love and kindness and glorious sweet-talk: 'Yippee-i-oh.'" —Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of Mercy Watson will delight in meeting Maybelline, a horse who loves to hear the melody of pretty words, likes the company of others, and enjoys spaghetti noodles. ... Van Dusen’s black-and-white cartoon pictures provide a lighthearted humor that makes the book a good choice for transitioning readers. Character driven, this fast-paced story is sure to please. A fun new edition to the cast and crew of "Mercy Watson." —School Library Journal

"DiCamillo’s use of inventive and colorful language and Van Dusen’s stylized gouache illustrations make this story click; give this to graduates of the earlier series looking for a bit more of a challenge."—Booklist

Literary Lunch . . . Leroy Ninker

Meet Leroy, the dreamer who wants to be a cowboy, from LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP, written by two-time Newbery medal-winning author Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a lunch perfect for rescuing the horse of your dreams:

• carrots for Maybelline, the horse
• popcorn from the Bijou Drive-in Theatre concession stand, where Leroy work
• and a Leroy Ninker Salami Sandwich

Mr. Pig Visits. . .Chris Van Dusen!

Howdy, folks!

Today, I'm paying visit to the studio of talented author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen! How about a little vocabulary lesson on the way. Here's our word of the day... Prolific: producing a large amount of something. Chris Van Dusen is not only talented, he's PROLIFIC! Meaning he has made so many wonderful books I love, I almost can't name them all. But I'll tell you my favorite: Mercy Watson, of course! That's one amazing pig. Oh, but I also love Circus Ship! And President Taft is Stuck in the Bath... and...and...oh, I am so excited to read Chris's latest collaboration with Kate DiCamillo: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up. (Leroy's going to be on Mr. Pig Live, you know!) 

Well, would you look at that... I've been going on and on, and here we are! Chris's studio is on the second story of a barn attached to his house here in Maine. 

<<knock, knock>>

Hi, Mr. Pig!

Hello, Chris! Thanks for inviting me.

My pleasure, Mr. Pig. Shall we get started? As you can see my commute (from the kitchen) takes 20 seconds!

How convenient! And what a beautiful, sun-filled space you have here. 

Thank you! This is the giant drawing board where I create my illustrations. In the background you can see my light table which helps me to trace my sketches (although it's covered with reference books right now!) and behind my chair are my flat files and robot collection. I love robots!

Me too! You should do a book about a pig robot. I bet that would be a big hit.

Hmm...not bad...I'll remember that. Looking across my drawing board, you see an illustration in progress. It's for my next book titled "Hattie & Hudson" which will be published by Candlewick Press spring 2016. Beside it is a finished painting from the same book. I often will refer back to completed illustrations so I can keep the colors and details consistent. Everything has to be in the same place and the characters have to look the same from page to page. Believe it or not, that's really hard to do!

These are my messy paints. All my illustrations are painted with gouache. It's easy to remember gouache because it rhymes with squash. Gouache is like an opaque watercolor. I mix the paint on cheap plastic plates. If you look closely, you can see I've written "distant shore-base" on the rim of the plate. This tells me what I've used that color for and I can use it again throughout the book.

Gouache-squash. Got it.

Over in the corner of my studio, on a bookcase, I have a model of a Chevy pickup towing an Airstream camper. I like to surround myself with toys and fun stuff!

On my flat files, my robots stand guard! In front of them you can see more of those plastic plate palettes in ziplock bags. I can use and reuse these paints for the whole book.

This is the front of my flat files where I keep all the materials I use to make a book. The labels refer to the titles of my books.

Looking back down the flat files, you see the rest of my robots and some of the finished art for "Hattie & Hudson." I would really love to have a wall where I could put my illustrations up and see them all together, but since my studio is under the eaves, I don't have the space. This is what I do instead.

My Iron Giant (one of my all time favorite movies) mechanical bank with President Taft in front. Again, more fun stuff.

Great film. I reviewed it for Pigs Weekly. Gave it five out of five oinks.

Two plush Mercy Watsons sit on top of my boxes of original art in another corner of my studio. It was pretty neat how the company that made these stuffed animals took my flat drawings and turned them 3-D! I think they did an amazing job. They really LOOK like Mercy!

Oh, they do. You wouldn't mind if I just... um... cuddled them, for a moment, would you? Our readers will want to know how cuddly they are.

Not at all, Mr. Pig. Go right ahead.

Thank you. Please proceed...

This is a detail from one of the finished illustrations for "Hattie & Hudson." This is Hattie. She's my first ever female main character.

Under my flat files is a long bookcase containing mostly children's picture books I love. But I'm also fascinated with animation, so I collect these "Art of..." books, too. I love looking at the character development sketches. 

Another studio view with my robots on the right, drawing table on the left and between the windows on the back wall hang my two Lupine Awards given by the Maine Library Association for the best Maine picture book of the year.

Congratulations! Well-deserved.

Thanks! Speaking of awards, here's a collection of some I've won for my books- along with a tiny pickup.

Another view of my flat files, robots and finished art. You may recognize the robot with the red body as B-9 from "Lost in Space." I received one of these for Christmas when I was six years old. Not the same one pictured here, however.

Thank you, Chris, for showing me around your amazing studio!

Anytime, Mr. Pig. But um... can I have my Mercy Watson back?

Oh, er... right, ha, ha. Of course. 

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Chris Van Dusen was born in Portland, Maine on St. Patrick’s Day, 1960. As a child, he spent hours drawing pictures with his brothers.

After high school, Chris studied fine art at The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and graduated with a BFA in 1982. He worked for more than ten years as a freelance illustrator doing editorial work for magazines like Nickelodeon, Family Fun and Disney Adventures.

While freelancing, Chris began thinking about drawing a picture of a boat stuck high up in a tree. "I thought that would be a really funny and intriguing illustration,"says Chris. At the same time, a refrain kept running through his head: “Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee/ Hopped in the car and drove down to the sea." The combination of these two things eventually became his first book, Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, which was published in 2000. He's been busy writing and illustrating children’s books ever since.

Chris has collaborated with award winning author Mac Barnett on President Taft is Stuck in the Bath; and two-time Newberry winner Kate DiCamillo on the popular Mercy Watson series, as well as the newly released follow up in the series Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, in addition to his own titles: Circus Ship; King Hugos's Huge Ego; Randy Riley's Really Big Hit; If I Built a House and others.

He now lives in a beautiful little town on the coast of Maine with his lovely wife Lori, his two tall sons, Ethan and Tucker, and a yellow lab named Pearl. For more about Chris visit his website: http://www.chrisvandusen.com

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up (Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Book One)

by Kate DiCamillo

illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Candlewick (August 26, 2014)
ISBN: 978-0763663391

“DiCamillo has always been at her best when dwelling on the good and the bad in relationships between humans and animals, and Van Dusen knows precisely how best to present Leroy to us.” —The New York Times Book Review

“DiCamillo effortlessly slips back into the comfortable rhythms of Mercy’s world, infusing every chapter with subdued wit, warmth, and heart. Van Dusen matches the text stride-for-stride, delivering caricatured art of the Pinocchioesque Leroy and the four-toothed, spaghetti-loving Maybelline.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“DiCamillo’s quirky, eccentric characters speak in flowery sentiments and employ charming wordplay. Along with Van Dusen’s well-matched illustrations, there’s a sweet, retro innocence reminiscent of McCloskey’s classic ‘Homer Price.’” —Kirkus Reviews

“DiCamillo’s use of inventive and colorful language and Van Dusen’s stylized gouache illustrations make this story click.” —Booklist