At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Stephanie Graegin!
About the Author:
STEPHANIE GRAEGIN makes books for hedgehogs and humans of all ages. She spends her days and nights observing, recording and drawing the adventures of her hedgehog friends and neighbors. Her picture books include Little Fox in the Forest, Fern and Otto and The Long Ride Home. Stephanie has also illustrated numerous other children’s books, such as the Heartwood Hotel series. She lives in New York.
Q&A with Stephanie Graegin:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I’m pretty happy with living in New York City. It has everything I like in one place: great art museums, tons of bookstores, great food, beautiful parks, and four seasons.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Chocolate. Feeling like things are “working” while writing, or making a drawing that feels just right. And I always feel better after a run, because it feels like an accomplishment.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Dinner, because it’s a time to unwind and relax. Especially if it’s Friday night sushi being eaten while watching a favorite show.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Sufjan Stevens for a Celebrate Brooklyn concert. It was transcendent, he’s an unbelievable performer. The concert was outside in Prospect Park on a hot summer day. It started pouring buckets of rain which somehow made the whole experience more magical.
What do you look for in a friendship?
Kindness. Bonus points if we can talk about books for hours.
Books by Stephanie Graegin:
Everyday Bean
By Stephanie Graegin
56 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774886205 | Tundra Books
Meet Bean, a very tiny hedgehog. She loves ghosts, swings and a stuffie called Clem. Meet Bean’s grandma. She loves strawberries, sweaters and tiny Bean burritos. And they both love stories. In ten tiny stories we follow Bean and her grandmother through adventures of the everyday. Bean loses her bad mood in a meadow and Grandma thinks she sees a ghost (don’t worry it’s just Bean!) — and there’s even a story with giant strawberries. This first volume in the Tiny Bean’s Big Adventures series by acclaimed author/illustrator and hedgehog friend/insider, Stephanie Graegin, is the perfect gift for little (and big) readers and hedgehog admirers everywhere.
Fern and Otto: A Picture Book Story About Two Best Friends
By Stephanie Graegin
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9780593481325 | Dragonfly Books
When best friends Fern, a bear, and Otto, a cat, go searching for an exciting story in the forest, they have different ideas about what that means. Fern thinks they should stop and watch a race between a tortoise and a hare, but Otto worries that a tortoise is too slow to be exciting. Fern thinks listening to the three brothers talking about how to build a house is incredibly interesting, but Otto isn’t convinced. Along the way, the two friends meet a little girl in red who is off to visit her grandmother (and a wolf headed the same way!), a cranky girl complaining that her porridge isn’t the right temperature, and many others. But it’s not until they run into a big scary witch that they can both agree: this is not the kind of excitement they had in mind. With irresistible illustrations and tons of charming details, this is a delightful fantasy that proves the best adventures are the ones you share.
Little Fox in the Forest
By Stephanie Graegin
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Paperback
ISBN 9780553537895 | Random House Studio
When a young girl brings her beloved stuffed fox to the playground, much to her astonishment, a real fox takes off with it! The girl chases the fox into the woods, with her friend, the boy, following close behind, but soon the two children lose track of the fox. Wandering deeper and deeper into the forest, they come across a tall hedge with an archway. What do they find on the other side? A marvelous village of miniature stone cottages, tiny treehouses, and, most extraordinary of all, woodland creatures of every shape and size living there. But where is the little fox? And how will they find him? Stephanie Graegin’s oh-so-charming illustrations are simply irresistible, and readers young and old will want to pore over the pages of this delightful fantasy adventure again and again.