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I don't. I make books for me and kids just happen to like them. #authorillustrator #illustration

As a child I could stay hours staring at the beautiful illustrations in the books (I still do). I love the idea that maybe some child would look at my illustrations and feel the same.

To fill their lives with HOPE!

Because kids aren't cynical yet. Because kids can still feel wonder. Because good stories can keep that alive in them long after they aren't kids anymore.

Because stories change hearts and minds. They encourage empathy and critical thinking.

I make books I wish I had as a kid.

I like to think about our work as an investment in a future we can't yet see. The books I acquire now are for children to read 2-3 years from now, in a reality we can't fully anticipate. These stories will carry them forward for years to come and will help shape the world.

It's because I believe in a future for them. Beautiful thread of answers 💙 Thank you for the reminder!

I’ve loved books & oral storytelling since I was very young. I didn’t grow up with PB’s. I went straight into chapter books & comics. My love of PB’s was sparked as a young teen aunty reading Sendak’s WTWTA to my 3yo nephew. The poetry of words & art jumped off the pg. I wanted to do the same.

Because children still maintain the glimmers of hope and happiness for the future that become harder for us to find as we get older. They have a presence, an intelligence, and an imagination that lets them view the world in magical ways we can often struggle with recapturing in our adulthood selves.

I write to support the children who read them.

Because books were my refuge when I was a kid, and I want kids today to have that too.

Honestly? Because it’s fun! And hopeful!

Because kids deserve books made with care and thought, they deserve to have little worlds to peek into or dive into and swim around outside of the real world for a while. They deserve to feel the joy of reading, to have their minds expanded in fun and transformative ways! They need it! I know I did.

I am a firm beliver that finding joy in reading at a young age can inspire a love of learning that will last a lifetime

To give them a safe place to be themselves, explore their imaginations; I’m always thinking about the kid sitting alone in their library pouring over a book, finding comfort and stability among the quiet shelves 📚

Because I want children to see joy, beauty, different things outside of their world, and to know about compassion, empathy, kindness, and courage. To see themselves and to see what they have the potential to be. To bring joy and comfort through words and pictures.

Easiest, selfish answer: because I always wanted to. 😅 Better answer: to shield my inner child against the cynicism of adulthood and share stories, knowledge and visions on an empathic, equally respectful and joyful setting, as in “I get you, too”. ☺️

I love this,l. With books, the medium is always a message. So here for it!

Every night I read picture books with my sons, and together we witness something hilarious, sad, fascinating, or hopeful. We download it all differently, but it’s a magical connection we share. I want to be a part of creating more of that.

I write for kids cause a book can be a window into a world a child had never had a reason to consider. A window into unexpected lives and possibilities. And because a book can be a mirror to a child, to say your life and experiences are seen, valuable, and deserving of recognition.

Because I love books. They don't need updating software, they contain stories that connect us with all the people that preceded us, they are a wonderful way to understand the world we live in. And we can exchange them with other people, we can read them over and over, and pass them to our kids.

Books were my escape as a kid, but also found things lacking in them (positive representation for one). I want to do that for others and be able to make a beautiful world for children and create the books I needed back then too.

To heal my devastatingly broken inner child & and be a voice for the voiceless. My work hasn't reached that level of honesty yet. Humor is a crutch. #kidlit

I enjoy the creativity of writing, but the reaction of children to the reading or telling of a story I wrote is the real payoff.

I loved picture books as a child and still do. The best picture books are for any age! I choose to make them because I can’t imagine not doing so!

To inspire kids to love & protect the world as much as books inspired me when I was young (and still do). Also to show kids theres magic in the world if we listen! And healing the inner child. What a great question & reminder to continue creating :)

I write YA because high school is the era of my life that screams loudest in my memory, and although I identified with certain book characters, a lot of my experiences were never represented. I want the autistic overachievers to feel seen and to be protagonists, not stereotyped side characters.

For my own kid. Plus I'd love to bring smile to everyone who sees my work. I hope my art can be just like presents that brightens up people's day. Books for young readers falls in the same direction. Of course I'd hide some personal opinion there but no one has to notice XD.

To entertain them and fill their lives with wonder, positivity and strength!

To show a life for kids that is safe, loving, intentional, and full of wonder. I was a weird, soft kid living surrounded by chaos. A better world is possible if we choose to build it, and if the kids learn that early they can do it. I think kids stories are the most important thing in the world.

To bring joy to both me and my readers.

Love this question and all the answers. To plant that seed of empathy in children. It takes a lot of work to be able to imagine what it feels like to be in another person’s shoes. Storytelling and books help exercise that mental muscle.

a. for fun. theirs and mine b. to remind / assure kids that the world is bigger than the part that gets presented to them daily

Reading good books as a kid is an undeniable part of how I became myself, and I want to pass that joy and self assurance on to the next group of kids, and the next, forever. Because EVERY kid deserves to find themselves in a good book 💖

As a kid when I was scared about things going on around me, books were my escape. They were the only way I could let my imagination run wild instead of harping on my anxieties. I want to give that same sense of peace to kids today, even if it’s just for a few minutes ❤️

For the same reason I design: it's my way of showing love to the world. I ask myself almost every day how I want to leave this world. I want to leave it with a bit more connection, a bit more understanding, a bit more love. In the end, it's all we have.

I want to make the kind of books that made life special when I was a kid. I always wanted to read the spooky, magical, unearthly books over and over and now I want to make them!

Oh wow! 🤩 we were meant to work together on this project. So lovely! 🥰 🦋 🌊 🇨🇦 @marielaurecouet.bsky.social @tielmourpress.bsky.social

To recreate that feeling I had as a child (and still do) of full immersion in a fantastic world.

Because every time a strong author/illustrator/editor/art director collaborate to create a book, they're handing a kiddo a piece of art. Many say this better: art (being generative) is the opposite of destruction.

I like cute stuff and most adults are too lame to appreciate cuteness (thus I make cute stuff for children instead)

Because it's the last stop for kids to gain culture, awareness, and empathy before things like Minions and Paw Patrol take over.

I want to make books that capture a child's imagination, make them think, smile, appreciate the world, and most of all that they read over and over, and the corners are dog-eared through reading .

Because we all deserve wonder, joy, and thoughtful exploration of the world around us and children’s books are filled with those things. Love this thread.

It brings me joy and I like knowing that it might bring others joy. It's like having your favorite food or recipe that you want to see others enjoy too, because you just want to spread that kind of happiness to others.

I do it because all children deserve to feel seen and their stories told, and I think that books can be bridges that help us learn about and celebrate one another.

Same here!

Too many answers to this but one I believe is that kids are smarter and more open to whatever they have in front of them than many adults.

Yep this is the right answer ^ I think books are what got me through a lot as a kid and gave me hope that I could leave the world I was in and make a new one for myself.

To give kids a sense of place both in our broader ecological world and in society in general, and to help them feel they belong. I make books for the weird kids and the queer kids and the kids who didn't know how much they loved bugs until they picked up a book about them.

Books bring, to kids and their grown ups, a world of possibilities and shows a doorway to imagine an alternate reality/ a better world for us.