Preview From The Talented Gilbert Ford

As you may know, authors and artists generally work separately on the picture books that are published under their joint bylines. There are good reasons for this, and there are good people--editors and art directors--who work in between the author and illustrator to help bring about a book that realizes all of our visions.This is how it has been for my forthcoming book, Soldier Song. The book tells the true story of a concert on the banks of the Rappahannock River during the Civil War that united soldiers from North and South, if only for an evening. Illustrator Gilbert Ford has his hands full with this project. Unlike most picture books, which are usually 32 pages, maybe 40, maybe 48, Soldier Song will be 80 pages. That is a lot of art. I saw Gilbert's sketches several months ago, and was excited to see the direction he was taking. Now, on the blog EMU's Debuts, he shares one of the illustrations in its glorious, somber, surprising color. I was right to be excited. I can't wait to see everything else the talented Gilbert Ford has been creating for this book, to be published by Disney-Hyperion in 2016. Here is the picture, with the relevant part of his interview: