By Tracey Schindler
I believe there is something magical about picture book illustrations—they bring stories alive, depicting nuance and often conveying more meaning than text alone. The best picture book illustrations capture children’s attention, encouraging them to actively engage with the story. But what makes a great illustration is not so easy to define. Canada is blessed with a plethora of incredibly gifted illustrators of children’s literature who use unique and varied illustration techniques. Some unconventional illustration styles have become synonymous with the artist. Barbara Reid’s detailed and vibrant Plasticine sculptures, Geraldo Valério’s layered paper collages using bold colours and geometric shapes, and Elise Gravel’s trademark sketch-like comic style and quirky monsters all come to mind. Nova Scotia-based nature photographer Nancy Rose’s distinctive, beautifully executed photographs of squirrels engaged in very human activities put her squarely in this group.
Photography is a unique illustration style for picture books. Photographic images are more often seen in children’s non-fiction books and occasionally in board books for the very young, such as Andrew Knapp’s Find Momo books, in which youngsters search for Momo the dog, or Susan Hughes’ Time To series, featuring photographs of animals and young children napping, bathing and playing. But retired home economics teacher and guidance counsellor Nancy Rose turned her passion for photography into a second successful career as a picture book author, with her first book, The Secret Life of Squirrels, published in 2014. The book, with its vivid and delightful photographs of a red squirrel named Mr. Peanuts barbequing, playing the piano, and washing his clothes, was received enthusiastically by children and teachers alike.
An avid nature photographer, Nancy was originally inspired by the red squirrels who raided the bird feeder in the backyard of her home in Bedford, Nova Scotia. With lots of patience and even more peanuts, Nancy was able to get the squirrels that visited her yard to take nuts from her hand. As a lifelong crafter, it seemed like a natural progression to start making little props for the squirrels—hiding peanuts in a tiny barbecue or mailbox—and taking pictures as the squirrels struck poses getting at the hidden treats. Importantly, Nancy never handles her subjects, but lets them pose naturally. And she does not use Photoshop except to occasionally edit backgrounds. The resulting whimsical photographs, which she first posted to Flickr, went viral and have since morphed into seven fabulous picture books, the most recent of which—Oakley's Great Canadian Adventure—is just out this fall. This latest book, which celebrates the diversity of Canada, sees Oakley the squirrel travel across the provinces and territories, tasting poutine in Quebec, canoeing in the Yukon’s Kluane Park and exploring Cathedral Grove in British Columbia. Each province’s diorama is rich in detail, a real feast for the eyes.
For Nancy, meeting her readers is one of the best parts of her work. In a 2016 interview with Publishers Weekly, she said, “I had no idea how many squirrel lovers there are out there—readers have offered me ideas, and even sent me their homemade props! And I especially love to see the feedback from teachers and kids who have used my books in school for nature projects, making props and taking photos themselves. I truly love that my photos of my little squirrels have inspired such creativity in others.” Classroom visits continue to bring delight to both Nancy and the students she meets. In a 2023 interview with CTV, she commented that she “hopes to bring a little joy to her readers… There's too much sadness in the world. We've got to have something fun."
I’d say “mission accomplished!”
Could you start by telling me three curious facts about your life thus far?
NR: My first published story was in a Harlequin Romance novel. Readers were asked to submit stories about how they met their spouse for the Valentine's edition. I met my future husband when he was locked in the trunk of my car. He had been looking to see where the water leak was, and someone jokingly closed the truck, and the keys were in his pocket.
I confess I am more of a maker than a reader. I read mostly non-fiction, and I have a hard time sitting still long enough to ever finish a novel… I guess that’s why I like kids’ books.
I grew up with six siblings, and we all loved creating. I learned numerous painting and craft techniques as a child and teen, and chose to live at home while I was at St. Francis Xavier University because I didn’t want to be away from my sewing and craft space. This is the foundation I draw from today.
Has photography always been a passion? What do you enjoy most about photography?
NR: I started a photography club in my high school, but we didn’t do much because of the cost of film. I always owned a camera, but once things went digital, I took a course and was hooked. I joined Flickr and learned a lot from that wonderful photo community. Photography is my meditation; I can escape from everything and lose track of time when I am involved in a photo shoot or editing photos. Most of what I do is nature-related, but the squirrels are a special challenge, and they merge my crafting interests with my photo interests, and the best part is, I don’t have to leave home.
What inspired you to begin building miniatures and dioramas for the squirrels in your yard?
NR: I put a pumpkin on my deck one Halloween, and the squirrel went in and out and made me laugh, so I thought I should add some props to make my photos more amusing. Since I couldn’t buy many squirrel-sized items, I decided to make them. The first ones were made from recycled materials from my kitchen and craft room: a barbecue, a mailbox, and a washer and dryer. I posted photos on Flickr, got good feedback, and just kept making more.
Can you tell me about the process of getting your first book published?
NR: I was extremely lucky that a Halifax newspaper article about me appeared in the Toronto Star. I got a phone call from an agent who loved the photos and asked if I had ever considered making a children’s book. I had, but had no idea how to start, so I sent her a story which she shared with a few publishers and both Little, Brown and Penguin were interested. My story was an alphabet story, but Little, Brown was looking for something else, so I worked with the editor to develop the storyline. I took lots of new photos and used some I already had to create The Secret Life of Squirrels (2014), which was the name I had been using for the calendars I made each year for family and friends.
Can you tell me about your creative process? How do you develop a theme for your picture or board books? Do you build your own dioramas? It must take many hours to create such intricate scenes for your books.
NR: Most of my photos are inspired by things I am doing myself, and making calendars helped me come up with variety because I was thinking about the holidays and events or activities that would happen throughout the year. I make everything myself and try to use as few purchased items as possible because of copyright and trademark issues. After the first book, the publisher suggested the next themes, so in some cases, I already had photos I could use, and then, as I developed the story, I took more photos. My first props and scenes were pretty simple, but they have become more detailed and complex in the last few years. Sometimes the dioramas take much longer to make, like some of the scenes in my newest book. I worked on the Old Quebec scene on and off for about a week. Then I set everything up outdoors on a table or a platform of some sort with a backdrop, and wait (with the camera on a tripod) for the squirrels to come and find the hidden seeds or nuts. Sometimes I can get lucky right away (like the mailbox photo on the cover of my first book—it took 5 minutes to get the perfect shot). Sometimes I might put the diorama out for a couple of days and take hundreds of photos to get a few with the squirrel in perfect focus, doing something “humanish” and preferably looking at the camera. The biggest challenge is that the lighting changes throughout the day, and the squirrels generally only come at “mealtimes,” so I spend a lot of time waiting. I was lucky I finished the photos for this book before the leaves all came out on the trees and made my deck area too shady (though I had to wear my bug net to avoid the spring black flies).
Could you share a funny anecdote about photographing the squirrels? You must have had many unique moments in your yard…
NR: Yes, lots of amusing things happen. The squirrels often like to take my small props. I made a bowling alley diorama and kept having to make new clay bowling balls because they kept taking them. Sometimes they take things up in a tree to hide, but blue jays are always watching, and they fly to the object expecting to find a nut and often knock it out of the tree. I had a tiny wooden guitar that I put peanut butter on so the squirrel might pick it up. He did, I got a shot, and off he went. I found a well-chewed guitar a few days later in the garden. They also move things around in my sets, so I am constantly trying to keep things glued in place and sweeping little bits of shells out of the scene.
What illustrators/creators inspire you?
NR: I always loved children’s books that used animals as the characters, like Peter Rabbit, The Berenstain Bears, etc. When I first started posting my squirrel photos on Flickr, I discovered a man in Sweden who was also taking fun photos of squirrels with some props. I hate to feel like I am copying people, so I tried not to look at his photos, even though his style differed from mine. I followed a lady from Russia who takes photos with hedgehogs, and we chatted now and then, but her photos are all taken indoors, so she can control the light better, and she uses pets. Recently, local author and creator Meghan Marentette has inspired me with the intricate perfection in the tiny props she made for her little felt mouse in Rumie Goes Rafting. I am following some amazing knitters who do stop motion with little knit frogs and make complex miniature dioramas.
Do you enjoy getting opportunities to interact with children during class or library visits? How do children respond to your books?
Meeting with students is the best part of what I do. I have been doing author/illustrator visits through the Nova Scotia Writers’ Federation’s Writers In The Schools program for about 10 years since I retired from teaching. I always bring a big tote box of some of the homemade props used in the books and read them a story or two. They are fascinated and love helping dream up Mr. Peanuts’ next adventure. Some have sent stories after my visit, showing me their homemade props, and teachers have had students in grades 4 to 6 make dioramas and write stories as a class project.
Can you tell me about your newest book? I absolutely love the illustrations. A picture book focusing on the diversity of our country seems very timely!
NR: Thanks!! I have wanted to do a travel-themed book for several years, and my husband and I have taken road trips to gather ideas, so when my agent suggested the theme to Whitney Moran at Nimbus Publishing, I was ecstatic that she was excited about it. It took a while to figure out the story and how he would travel from place to place, but one morning I woke with the first two verses in my head, in rhyme, and the challenge of making the rest of the book in rhyme began. I had to think about (and research) places kids might like to go (one per province and territory) and come up with an action the squirrel could be doing in that place that I might be able to photograph. Trying to make the dioramas was another challenge because they were so large in order to have some perspective. I worked from photographs of specific locations, and I used LOTS of recycled Styrofoam (donations from neighbours), and my house was a fun mess all winter. I rarely slept soundly as my brain was always working, trying to imagine how to make things and what I might use to represent something else. The text boxes on each page were Whitney’s idea, and the hardest part was keeping them short. My hope is that the book will be in schools, and teachers will use it to get kids started on their own research projects about our beautiful country.
What’s on the horizon for you? Any hints about your next projects?
NR: Besides books, I have been working on calendars for Workman Publishing since 2020, and recently on puzzles for Cobble Hill and quilt fabric for Clothworks. Unfortunately, I had a pretty uncreative summer since I had a lot of pain from some degenerative disks in my neck (probably exacerbated by too many hours on the computer editing photos and writing). I am finally starting to feel better, and my creative energy is returning. I will do some school visits and perhaps a bit of book promotion, and then think about another book. Students keep suggesting themes. Maybe a birthday party, though I have a rough draft and realized some of the scenes would be impossible to photograph with the squirrel, so it will need rewriting.
And finally, do you have words of wisdom or advice for aspiring author/illustrators looking to get published?
NR: I would recommend joining your provincial writers’ guild if there is one to help you network or take courses, and when you think your book is ready, get several people to edit your work before submitting it. Use the internet for resources and how-to’s. Since many publishers are not accepting manuscripts these days, it is harder to get started, so an agent is really helpful, though they are hard to find, too. Look at the smaller publishers in your province who want to publish local authors and see what genres they prefer and what themes they may be looking for. Trying to have a unique style can make you stand out. Many authors are self-publishing, but it can be expensive, and not everyone has the time, interest, or energy to do all the promotion and marketing needed to drive book sales. So it is important to know your skills and interests. Be prepared for rejection and don’t give up. Many popular writers were rejected numerous times before they were finally published.
Tracey Schindler is a book reviewer and former teacher living in Bethany, Ontario.