The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast The Art of Arguing: Corinna Luyken on Finding Humor in Human Nature
In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze interviews award-winning author-illustrator Corinna Luyken about her latest picture book, The Arguers. They discuss Luyken's decade-long journey developing this story about a royal kingdom where everyone argues, her evolution from a dark cautionary tale to finding hope through humor, and how she captures universal human nature through whimsical observations about the silly things we fight over and the deeper issues beneath them.
Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review (coming soon)
Highlights:
- Creative Persistence: How Luyken held onto The Arguers for 10 years, working through multiple endings to find the right balance of honesty and hope
- Artistic Process: Her mixed-media printmaking techniques using foam rollers, acrylic washes, and charcoal pencils that sometimes "argue" with each other
- Color Philosophy: How she uses controlled palettes to evoke specific emotions, focusing on greens and oranges for this royal fairy tale world
- Story Evolution: Transforming from a never-ending argument concept to finding humor and humanity in our universal tendency to bicker
- Writing Craft Wisdom: Finding inspiration in George Saunders' Substack about focusing on line-level storytelling rather than grand visions
- Classroom Connections: The enthusiastic response from students when given permission to talk about their own silly arguments
- Visual Storytelling: How art guides story development, like discovering the unraveling bows during storm scenes
Notable Quotes:
- "The people that we love the most are the people we argue with the most." —Corinna Luyken on family dynamics
- "Sometimes the silly argument is the sign that something else is actually really wrong. There is something out of balance." —Corinna Luyken on the deeper meaning behind surface conflicts
- "We are never going to stop arguing, all of us ever. And thinking that is gonna happen is futile." —Corinna Luyken on accepting human nature
- "It can be so refreshing and also soothing to feel like you're not alone and to have something called out for what it is." —Corinna Luyken on addressing uncomfortable subjects in picture books
Books Mentioned:
- The Arguers by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- ABC and You and Me by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- In the Dark by Kate Hoefler, illustrated by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- Patchwork by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell, illustrated by Corinna Luyken: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- The Very Persistent Gappers of Fripp by George Saunders, illustrated by Lane Smith: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss: Amazon or Bookshop.org
About Corinna Luyken: Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of The Book of Mistakes (which The Wall Street Journal called "sublime"), My Heart (A New York Times Best Seller), and The Tree in Me (an NCTE Notable Poetry Book). She's also the illustrator of Patchwork (A New York Times Best Picture Book of 2022) by Matt de la Peña and several other acclaimed picture books. She studied dance improvisation, poetry, and printmaking at Middlebury College and now lives in Western Washington, near the Salish Sea, where she enjoys surfing, gardening, and reading with a cat (or two) on her lap.
Connect and Follow:
- Learn more about Corinna Luyken: https://www.corinnaluyken.com/
- Follow George Saunders' Substack: "Story Club"
- Visit The Children's Book Review
Credits:
- Host: Bianca Schulze
- Guest: Corinna Luyken
- Producer: Bianca Schulze
Sponsor:
The Best Bunny: The Adventures of Lil Shen: https://www.chefaloconsulting.com/best-bunny