Spotlight on Lita Judge

Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Flight School, Penguin Flies Home, Red Sled, Red Hat, Good Morning to Me!, Born in the Wild, Even the Smallest Will Grow, When You Need Wings, and her illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. 

Q:  Don’t Worry, Wuddles is an adorable story about friendship. Is there a real-life relationship that inspired the friendship between Duckling and Fleecy Wuddles?

There is, though it’s a human friendship rather than between a duckling and sheep. Don’t Worry, Wuddles was inspired in mid-March, 2020. Besides the fear at the beginning of covid lockdown, our area had a wind storm that blew hundreds of trees down and left us without power for several days. Through all that, I felt a little like duckling in this story. But I have a dear friend, pretty much the only friend I saw during those early months of covid and the following winter, because I am immune suppressed and she was willing to stand fully masked and several feet apart in the snow and cold for hours. She is always my safe harbor and though she doesn’t have a big fleece to share, she shares her big mama heart. We supported each other through those endless months, cried, and even laughed by how people were strangely unnerved by toilet paper shortages. The ending to the book was obvious! Because for 18 months, while I was working on the book, and we were forced to stand several strides apart and masked, we dreamt of giving each other a giant, long hug.

Q: Many of your picture books touch on the themes of community and sharing in some way, why are these messages important for you to bring to young readers?

Yes community is everything to me! When I was little, my family spent most of our time uprooted and moving, even living in a van for much of the time. It exposed me to a lot of nature and rich experiences, but it meant that I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. I was always new at a school, or in between schools. It was a lonely time for me and the only real comfort or sense of belonging came from my imaginary friends. That experience, I realize now, created a rich foundation for becoming a writer and illustrator. Creating stories in my head gave me comfort as a child, but writing and illustrating books has given me a real sense of community. With every story I create, I want young readers to feel a sense of joy, comfort, and belonging that I found through stories.

Q: Which part of the creative process comes easiest for you, writing or illustrating? How does being the writer and illustrator for your stories impact the way you approach a message?

Illustrating always comes easier and almost always first. I see stories with pictures rather than hear them with words. And I draw constantly. I find if I draw characters in my sketchbook, eventually they spring into full-fledged personalities with stories to tell. I often go from sketch to full dummy stage, loosely illustrating each page of a book before I find any of the words to accompany them. After I find the words, I may revise and go back to change art, but the act of drawing is where I explore plot, character, setting, story arc, all the things that go into a rich story. I love working this way. It means that ultimately, the images and words weave together into a whole, and don’t overlap each other. I find if I try to write first, I explain too much. If I have pictures, I know I can let them do much of the work. It allows me to convey a message or theme without being too heavy handed. As a child I responded to images long before I was a reader. I love creating books for very young kids that have bold imaginations and already grasp pictures while still learning to read.

Q: Your books features a lot of adorable animals, what is your favorite animal, and which is your favorite to draw?

Oh I am a lifelong animal lover so it is so hard to choose. I could say something interesting like drawing the grizzly bear that I grew up watching and drawing in the wild. Or the female golden eagle my grandmother shared her home with. I did love drawing her. Or the barred owl that sits outside my studio window and has me running for my sketch book on a regular basis. But the fact is, I love drawing most my mouse, Pantalaimon, and my cats, Pulina and Willow, because they share their lives with me. At the end of the day, my favorite thing is to sit with them and sketch. Originally, the little duckling in Don’t Worry, Wuddles, was my mouse, Pan, in need of a tail scarf. He sleeps in my sleeve and often snitches pieces of my sweater for his nest. But Pan has appeared in many of my books, and the thought of drawing an adorable little yellow duckly was too irresistible. So I changed Pan to a duck. I don’t think he minds.