Chronicle Books : Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!

Beloved children's book writer/illustrator Bob Barner talks to Chronicle Books about his new book, Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! (February 2007). Mr. Barner has been drawing since he was three years old. Since publishing his first book, The Elephant's Visit, Bob has written and illustrated over 25 titles. His award-winning books have been translated into several languages, set to music, and made into short films. When he is not writing, drawing, or playing one of his guitars, Bob enjoys speaking to young readers at schools and libraries around the world. He lives with his wife, Catherine, in San Francisco.

CB: What inspired you to do a book on penguins?
BB: Students and teachers inspired me to do the penguin book. About five years ago I started getting requests to do a book like Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! but all about penguins instead.

CB: What kind of research did you have to do for this book? Was this process similar to your work on previous books?
BB: I think I did more research on this book than any other. I used the Web and other books (both children and adult titles) to draw upon in my research. Also, my friend, Paul Erickson, at the New England Aquarium, helped me very much.

CB: Describe a typical workday in your studio.
BB: Most days I actually spend more time on e-mail and administrative things than on art. I will try to change that in 2007!

CB: Of all the penguins you researched, is/are there any who stood out as the most interesting? If so, which ones and for what reasons?
BB: My favorite penguin is the Macaroni penguin. They have those crazy feathers on the top of their heads. I just love the way they look.

CB: Is there anything you did not know about penguins before working on this book? If so, what?
BB: I liked penguins but I didn't know much about them. I was amazed to find out that there are 17 different species and that all but six live in warm weather. Who knew?!