Ed Young's session focused on his newest book, Nighttime Ninja, written by Barbara DaCosta. While seeking a diversion from his work on The House that Baba Built, Ed was cleaning out drawers. He came across a small, self-published work by DaCosta. Taking it upon himself to storyboard the 90 word book, the bumpy road toward publishing began. The seemingly easy task of publishing the book became complicated due to creative disagreements between Ed & the publisher. He had created all the collages for the book, but was asked to reconsider using the original sketches instead. "Well," Ed was prompted, "maybe you should just think about it." His response? "I'm done thinking. Maybe you should think..." Eventually the book was taken to another publisher and more of Ed's creative genius was allowed to shine.
Listening to Ed describe different artistic decisions I couldn't help but be reminded of my Choice Literacy workshop with Franki Sibberson this summer and our discussions about visual literacy. Ed was extremely intentional about every decision, even down to how the ninjas dropping down the endpages turn into the title page. At one point the book's designer made the decision to put a spoiler of sorts on the cover flaps. Again, Ed's response was unwavering. "Well, why don't you just tell the whole story right there?" He believes that the pictures tell the story and the words only confirm. He also shared his belief that certain stories demand certain colors, mood, & tone.
Ed's book dedication stems from his belief that it's all about suspense & that kids like that. "There's something about mystery that intrigues us all." Cheryl & I also loved his final thought - "Two minds are better than one if you want to make something great. More minds are better than two."
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