Bianca with Matthew Cordell on the Cornbread and Poppy Series

Matthew Cordell discusses the Cornbread and Poppy series. Cordell draws from his personal experiences to create playful and adventurous stories that kids will love. With Cornbread and Poppy, he focuses on building a cozy and entertaining world for beginning readers to explore. We hope you enjoy listening to this interview about his creative process!

Matthew Cordell is the author and illustrator of many celebrated picture books, including Hello, Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, and Wolf in the Snow, recipient of the 2018 Caldecott Medal. As an illustrator he has collaborated with many more authors including Gail Carson Levine, Philip C. Stead, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Matthew lives with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children in suburban Chicago.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on ⁠The Children's Book Review⁠.

Order a Copy:

Poppy and Cornbread At the Museum on Amazon or Bookshop.org

Resources:

For more information about Matthew Cordell and his books, visit https://www.matthewcordell.com/.

Discussion Topics:

Matthew Cordell talks about:

• His motivation for creating books for kids
• Using personal experiences and observations to create stories
• Shifting towards writing fun adventures as an escape from darker themes in children's literature
• Improving writing skills through reading books for young readers, being around kids, and being immersed in the world of publishing
• Showing, not telling in picture book storytelling
• His love for loose and expressive art, particularly in pen and ink and watercolor
• The characters of Cornbread and Poppy and how their contrasting traits complement each other
• Creating endings that leave a lasting impact on readers
• The friendship between Cornbread and Poppy and how they overcome their differences to make each other feel better
• Providing a cozy and humorous world for readers to escape into while also pleasing both adult and child readers