Interview with Elizabeth Lilly, Illustrator of “Soon, Your Hands”
In children’s books, illustrations can play many different roles. Sometimes the illustrations provide context for the words. Sometimes they extend the meaning of the words. Sometimes they illuminate a particular idea. In Soon, Your Hands the illustrations do all three, and so much more; they breathe life into the words, telling the stories of three families that cannot be captured in so few words. How did you choose what stories to tell, and what representation to provide, with the illustrations?
That’s a great question! It was a collaborative process between myself and my editor, Rotem Moscovich. It was a little intimidating at first to approach the story, because at the heart of it was the love between a child and their parents, but the text was open enough to be about ANY child or family—the sky was the limit as far as the specific story I would tell with the illustrations. I started by drawing in my sketchbook to find the characters. I started to sketch one family, the Reyes family who are Mexican-American and whose father flies a plane for his job. I definitely knew I wanted their story in the book. I’m Latinx myself and my father is a private pilot; I’d never seen a Latinx flying family in books before, and I knew I wanted this specific, particular family to appear, which reflected my own experience.
Then my editor, Rotem, suggested I add two more families with equally unique, specific experiences to illustrate. I loved the idea! I wanted to represent more families that I rarely see in books. I drew the Franklin family, a Black family with gay parents, and the Park family, an Asian American family with a multigenerational household and a single mother that works night shifts and is asleep during the day.
In both the Reyes and Park families, parents can’t physically be with their children much of the time because of the demands of their jobs. A close family member of mine is in the military and often parents his daughter by Facetiming and making special trips, rather than being home with her every day. But the love and connection she feels with her dad is just as strong as a parental bond in a so-called “typical” family. Long-distance parenting is so common but not often talked about in a positive, loving way. It was a very specific family experience that I also strongly wanted to represent in the book.
There are so, so many picture books that represent white, upper middle class families with one mom and one dad, who are home with their kids every single day. For many kids, that family structure and schedule isn’t their reality. I wanted to show those kids that their families, too, are so special and beautiful and loving.
And on that note, how much did you collaborate with Jonathan Stutzman to coordinate your visions for the story?
As it happens, I didn’t collaborate with Jonathan at all! I think it’s a common misconception that authors and illustrators collaborate closely in picture books, and that the illustrator is executing the vision of the author. In most published picture books, the publisher acquires the manuscript as a piece of writing that is set in stone, then gives the text to the illustrator to interpret and engage with as they see fit.
That’s what’s so special about book illustrators—they are storytellers in their own right and if you let them fly freely, they will often take that beautiful story and add something extra that the writer could never have predicted. That’s the magic of picture books—the writing and illustrations together are really more than the sum of their parts.
How has art helped you to understand aspects of yourself - as a child and/or as an adult?
Art has helped me understand myself in the most profound ways. I started out in college on track to become an architect—it was an “artsy” job with salary and prestige. But designing fancy buildings for rich people felt meaningless and hollow. I felt like I was making a difference in the world when I brought happiness to people, especially children, with my drawings and writing. I was called so strongly to art that I quit architecture school after two years and transferred to an art school to start on the path of becoming a children’s book illustrator. Immersing myself in art, and staying true to that difficult path, taught me so much resilience and strength. I feel I found my true purpose, and it brings me immense joy that carries me through all the ups and downs of having a creative career.
What are some of your most memorable experiences or takeaways from your work with students (or anybody) when you visit schools or give talks about writing, art, and illustration?
I have had so, so, SO many special and memorable experiences with people who have read my books—both kids and adults have talked to me about the impact of my books on them, and the things they share always stay in my heart. My second book, which I also wrote, is about my own experience growing up in a biracial white and Latinx family, and the joy and love of that experience. I’ve since received emails and talked in person with many adults and kids who have families just like mine. They feel seen and appreciated when they see a family like theirs in a book for the very first time. That is so meaningful.
My first book, Geraldine was about a giraffe girl who moves to a new school with only humans and feels lost, lonely, different and unable to connect with any of her human classmates. Someone emailed me that the book was deeply special in her family—her adult son, then age 20, had a lot of social difficulties in school growing up and felt lonely like Geraldine. When he read the book for the first time, he cried. I think he felt truly seen and understood when he read about Geraldine’s experience. What a meaningful impact my work had! I think about that family all the time.
I wrote Geraldine to be a lost, lonely and different girl because when I was growing up, I was lost, lonely and different. Many of my characters are me, in different forms. Through my characters, I’m able to meet people and give them a gentle hug. I hope that when kids or adults read my books and meet those characters, they find someone like themselves, and feel a little less alone.
