Cover Reveal: Myra and the Drawing Drama by Rosemary Rivera, ill. Mario J. Menjivar

Most of the time I’m asked to do a Cover Reveal on this site I’ll pair it with an interview of some sort. Might be an interview with the author or the illustrator. Might be an interview with their editor. Whatever the case, I like a little text to go along with the books. Particularly if you haven’t heard of the creators before.

Today.. I got nothing. Nothing but the cover of a picture book that I happen to find absolutely fascinating. A book that’s so strange and interesting that I have difficulty parsing it in my head. Essentially, it’s a picture book about a culture that prizes adult panic over childhood creativity. Based on an incident that happened to Rosemary when she was a kid, the book follows a kooky kid who creates a picture that she thinks is marvelous. It also happens to freak out every adult that comes in contact with it. And let me tell you, when you get to that moment where you see the art for yourself, you’ll have this amazing moment of disconnect. The kid part of you will suddenly wrestle with the adult. I’ve never encountered anything quite like it in a picture book before.

On top of all that, you’ve the art of Mario Menjivar, who is tapping into some serious 1930s animation vibes with his heroine. Add in the Seuss-esque cover, and you’ve got yourself one of the most ORIGINAL books of the year.

And the book jacket? Feast your eye poppers on this:

Myra and the Drawing Drama will be on shelves September 22nd. Look for it then, if you want a picture book that doesn’t blend nicely into the background like all the rest. Just make sure your jaw is tightly fastened to your head when you read it and doesn’t go rolling under the futon like mine did.

Filed under: Cover Reveal