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| Christian Robinson | |
Christian Robinson is an illustrator, author, animator, and designer. His many awards include a Caldecott Honor for Last Stop on Market Street, as well as three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors. His previous solo picture books are You Matter and Another.
Donna Bray: Christian, I'd love for you to talk about the inspiration for Dad.
Christian Robinson: During my book readings, I share a bit about my life--how I grew up, my family, my partner, etc. I show a photo of me as a kid with my mother. I tell the kids that this is one of very few photos I have of my mother, because I wasn't raised by her. My grandmother was my caregiver. I do this because I've learned that kids are as interested in the person talking to them as the book I'm about to read. I also know that families come in all different shapes and sizes, and little Christian would have loved to see an adult share that their family dynamic was non-traditional like mine. Strangely enough, over the decade of doing these presentations, it was only recently that a child asked where my dad was.
I thought, "What is a dad?"
I only saw my father a handful of times as a child, and don't really know anything about that side of my family. After some searching, my partner stumbled across my father's Facebook page. He had posted a link to an interview of mine with the caption, "Looking good, kid. Keep going." This totally disarmed me and took me by surprise, as I always wondered if he ever thought about me. Those two experiences were certainly seeds for this book.
Bray: I love that this book makes space for readers with all kinds of relationships with their fathers. I'd love to hear about your approach to creating the text and art in a way that achieves this.
Robinson: The words for Dad came to me while I was on a long plane ride. I was debating if I should reach out to my father and thinking about that question the kid asked at the school visit, and honestly, it just started to flow. I knew I wanted to focus on animals at the beginning. I felt like showing different father/child relationships in nature could open up the space for human interpretation.
Bray: Dad is one of the few picture books that is truly for all ages. Were you thinking about any particular audience beyond the typical picture book reader when you created it?
Robinson: I knew I wanted to tell a story that was layered. Some kids might just see animals they like and name them. Others might see traits of an animal father that they recognize in their own dad. I wanted every kid to see a relationship in the book that they could identify with, whether it's a dad that exudes strength, a dad's gentle, sweet side, or perhaps a dad who isn't there. Older, more insightful kids (or adults) might pick up on the deeper layers, which allows for conversations between caregivers and kids.
Bray: What do you hope readers will take away from Dad?
Robinson: Parent/child relationships are complex. I wanted to create a picture book that didn't shy away from that complexity, and I hope it makes space for conversation, grace, and understanding.