Oct 7, 2025
The Viking Press was founded in 1925 and will be celebrating its one hundredth anniversary this fall. I began working there in 1983 as a pub
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The Viking Press was founded in 1925 and will be celebrating its one hundredth anniversary this fall. I began working there in 1983 as a pub
In the fall of 1983, I came to New York City from Colorado to work in the book business, and found a job as a publicity assistant at Viking
An interesting read on Viking's past and some of their authors.
The Viking Press was founded in 1925 and will be celebrating its one hundredth anniversary this fall. I began working there in 1983 as a pub
Her story collection “The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing,” her first book, has been translated into dozens of languages and has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla by Azadeh Westergaard, illustrated by Julia Sarda
A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla by Azadeh Westergaard, illustrated by Julia Sarda
A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla by Azadeh Westergaard, illustrated by Julia Sarda. Viking. 2021. 9780593114605 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover Genre: Biography What did you like about the book: A wonderfully written and illustrated biography of the important electrical engineer and inventor, Nikola Tesla. As a child, he was born during a…
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A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang
A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang
A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang. Viking, 2021. 9780593203446 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre: Picture book What did you like about the book? In this elegant outing, James Yang imagines the childhood musings of Japanese-American sculptor and designer, Isamu Noguchi. The artist is depicted as a young, solitary boy who has…
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Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans, and ME! -creating illustrations for series of new MADELINE picture books
Most everyone around the world knows of MADELINE, one of the most beloved characters in children’s picture book literature. The brave and charming little girl living in a Paris boarding school, along with eleven other girls, always under the watchful eye of Miss Clavel.
However fewer people may know that Madeline was created by the uber talented writer and artist Ludwig Bemelmans (born 1898 - died 1962) whose whimsical, impressionistic drawing style brought the Madeline character to life. From 1939 through 1957 five wonderful Madeline picture books were released written & illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, with a sixth and final picture book title released posthumously in 1985.
Madeline 1939
Madeline’s Rescue 1953
Madeline and the Bad Hat 1956
Madeline and the Gypsies 1959
Madeline in London 1961
Madeline’s Christmas 1985
So where exactly do I come in? In a nutshell, the publisher Viking Press (Penguin/Random House) has been planning a series of 6 new Madeline mini hard cover picture books and board books with the first title scheduled for release in 2022. But they needed an illustrator capable of taking on this delicate task of creating the illustrations by purposely mimicking the distinctive drawing style of Ludwig Bemelmans.
In the fall of 2019 this project was tentatively offered to me…
Initially this project offer posed a dilemma for me because as an illustrator my career never has had anything to do with actually mimicking another artist’s style. But in this unique instance I really mulled it over, knowing that I had the inherent skills to successfully emulate the Bemelmans unique style, perhaps even better than anyone else, so I felt a kind of obligation to take on the project as the proper guardian of the Madeline style ensuring that these new pictures books will indeed look and feel (as closely as possible) as if they were created by the hand of the originator, Ludwig Bemelmans. So I said yes to the project!
Posted here are just a couple of the preliminary test sample illustrations I initially created purposely in the manner of the Bemelmans’ Madeline style, assuring Viking Press I could actually handle such a project, as well as to also gain approval from the Bemelmans estate.
Click on the link below to also get a sneak peek at a few of the preliminary rough sketches I’ve been working on for the first picture book in the new series.
Look for the new Madeline picture books beginning in spring 2022!
Visit this link to the spotlight section of my web site where I describe this unique project in more depth.
How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi
How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi
How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi, Viking (an imprint of Penguin Random House), 9780593202876, 2020
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Realistic fiction
What did you like about the book? The set-up for this coming-out story was intriguing and sophisticated. All we know in the beginning is that eighteen-year-old Amir, his younger sister Soraya, and…
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