1. How does the text alone make me want to turn the page? How about the illustration?
2. How does the text leave things unsaid in a way that allows the pictures to help propel the action?
3. What words infuse emotion into the story and give the illustrator an opportunity for vivid interpretations?
4. How do the illustrations enhance the written word, and how can I apply these lessons to my writing?
“Hello? Is this the doctor? I have an emergency! Is this Dr. Mira Reisberg?" Thankfully, it is!
Kirsti: What exactly should illustrators consider when transitioning from study to studio?
Dr. Mira Reisberg: The key is to have fun with it and pay attention to what you like or don't like so that you can learn from it. I hope the following reflection questions help:
1. How does the illustrator show emotion through body language, expression, and color?
2. Do they have a recognizable color palette throughout the book that helps convey the overall mood of the books?
3. What does the illustrator do to make her or his contributions fresh and original and do they complement or extend the text? If so how?
4. How does the illustrator mix it up to have different compositions on each spread that play with scale, point of view, balance, and perspective?
Thank you Dr. Mira! After reviewing Dr. Mira's questions, I realize that even those of us who aren't illustrators can benefit from thinking like one. Dr. Mira kind of saved the day, didn't she?

Kirsti Call reads, critiques and revises every day. She is a member of various critique groups, and blogs for Writer's Rumpus, Children's Book Academy, and the Institute of Children's Literature. As the published author of The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall and a homeschool mom, Kirsti coaches revision for children ages 5-18. Her school visits involve interactive writing, singing, and of course, reading for research! Kirsti contributed as a 2015 CYBILS YA Fiction panelist and is proud to be the 2016 ReFoReMo co-coordinator. You can follow her journey at www.kirsticall.com.
