Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library
Chicago-based children’s author Jacob Grant will return to his home city of Cincinnati on Wednesday, July 29, to share two of his books — Umami and Turtle Slept In — at the Madeira and Anderson Branch Libraries.
Jacob grew up in multiple Cincinnati neighborhoods, including Colerain and West Chester. He recalls digging through pop-up books at the Groesbeck Branch Library and being blown away by the scale of the Downtown Main Library.
“I remember going there and being able to look up Garfield joke books. When I was older, I remember digging through young adult literature and finding my first chapter books, particularly Redwall, a series by Brian Jacques,” says Jacob. “I fell in love with it at the Main Library. To be able to come back and be in these spaces where I have very fond memories of being a child is very, very cool.”
Read and Draw with Author Jacob Grant
Jacob will host two events with CHPL on Wednesday, July 29. Jacob’s first stop will be at the Madeira Branch Library at 10:30 a.m., where he will read sections of his books aloud accompanied by draw-along activities. The morning session is best suited for toddlers and preschool age youth.
A presentation best suited for youth K-6 will be held at 2 p.m. at the Anderson Branch Library. Jacob will read both Umami and Turtle Slept In, lead a detailed draw-along activity, and talk about his creative process.
Both presentations will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Jacob curated the activities on his own, which he says was a joy.
“That’s one of the things inspired by my kids,” says Jacob. “They were watching draw-along videos and thought, ‘Oh, this is something I should add to what I do.’ Not only do young kids enjoy it, but even adults enjoy doing these simple draw-along activities.”
About Jacob Grant
Jacob is the author and illustrator of just over a dozen picture books, including Turtle Slept In and Umami. His work has been featured in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Exhibition, and the Society of Illustrators Original Art show.
Many of his stories come out organically, starting with sketching an object or animal that looks like it might have a story. Umami, for example, came from a doodle of a penguin eating a giant bowl of ramen.
“A lot of my stories have a sense of what it is to be a child. Not so much in a nostalgic way, but the idea of the empathy of what a child is experiencing. So much is new to them. When I’m creating these, I’m thinking: ‘Okay, what is the child experience?’”
Jacob has loved creating art from as far back as he can remember, and that passion was always encouraged. After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Jacob worked as a graphic designer, but he missed drawing. The impetus for stepping into the world of children’s books stemmed from his niece’s birth.
“My wife and I were in bookstores and were blown away by how many cool books were out there. Naively, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, surely I could make one of these.’”
While the process proved more difficult than he originally thought, the spark of the idea led to his now career. His first book, Scaredy Kate, was published in 2014. For that project, he did all his shading with charcoal. As he continued to make books, he looked for ways to incorporate handmade materials. With Umami and Turtle Slept In, he used oil pastels and colored pencils to make monoprints, a process he says results in art that feels human and handmade.
Jacob says his children often refer to his job as being a "library guy."
“It’s a pretty good description because I spend so much time at libraries,” says Jacob. “I work with librarians, and they’re always the best people. The role that the Library plays in society is so important: a space that’s not about needing to come and spend money. You go here; you get any book you can think of. It’s a magical concept.”
Mackenzie Manley is currently reading “Room to Dream” by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna.
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