Jessica Lanan

Six stars for IN THE WORLD OF WHALES! You might have caught reference to this at some point because we’ve known for a while that @thehornbook review would be starred. It finally went live last week, so now it’s official! Thank you to The Horn Book! 🐳 (Read all six reviews at the link in my bio). #STEAM #KidsLoveNonfiction #Whales #animals #kidlitbooknews #SteamTeamBooks 🌊

Check out that shiny Sibert Honor sticker in the final placement! I haven't seen it in real life yet, but I'm liking the digital version quite a bit. And swipe for the sketch that started it all: October 2, 2020! Who could have guessed how far Jumper would go? (Not me!) Thank you every one of you who has rooted for her and who has read and shared this book. It means so much to me and to spiders everywhere! I promise I will start posting non-spider things again soon. I do have other interests. Thank you for your patience. #nonfictionpicturebook #picturebookillustration #nonfictionforkids #spider #jumpingspider #phidippusregius

I had such a blast at #ncte25! It was so wonderful reconnecting with kidlit publishing and educator folks this weekend and making new friends. Great to see you all! #kidlit #picturebooks #booksforkids #ncte

I’m honored to announce that one of my original watercolors from IN THE WORLD OF WHALES by @mcusolito will be included in this year’s @soi128 Original Art exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York. Congratulations to this year’s medalists and to all the other artists who will be in the show. What company to be in! Your work is inspiring, and I can’t wait to see it all on display at the exhibition. Many thanks to the Society and everyone who works tirelessly behind the scenes to put this together every year. ✨ #societyofillustrators #originalart #watercolor #whale #artwork #picturebooks #artexhibitions #kidlitartists #illustration

I’m honored and delighted to see IN THE WORLD OF WHALES featured by @kirkus_reviews alongside two other dazzling books. (I absolutely love both THE ESCAPE ARTIST and I AM WE and couldn’t recommend them more.) Thank you so much KIRKUS and Mahnaz Dar for the feature! Read the article here, or click the link in my stories: /news-and-features/articles/kids-will-go-wild-for-these-books-about-animals/ #kirkusreviews #whale #booksforkids #wildlife #spermwhales #kidlit #picturebook #nonfictionforkids

Dive into the creation process for IN THE WORLD OF WHALES with illustrator Jessica Lanan!

Hello! I haven’t posted in a while since I’ve been busy prioritizing books-in-progress and the parts of my life that are not online, but now I have lots of catching up to do. I was excited to celebrate the publication of my 13th book in June, IN THE WORLD OF WHALES by @mcusolito , and am happy to share that we have received an amazing *five* starred reviews! I think this might be my all time record. Anyway, big thanks again to my editorial team at @nealporterbooks and to Michelle and everyone who took the time to read, review and support the book! It’s so exciting to see it making a splash (get it? Ok, ok…) P.s. I’m also joining the faculty of the @cuddlefishacademy this Saturday, July 26 for a workshop on how to manage your busy schedule as an illustrator. More on that in my stories, and hope to see some of you there! #illustration #picturebookillustration #nonfiction #whale #spermwhale #stemforkids #womenillustrators #kidlit

It's taken me a couple of days to absorb the fact that we earned a 5th Star! Thank you @readbookpage ! “Humans have an ugly history with sperm whales,” acknowledges writer Michelle Cusolito, who lives near the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts. However, her new book, In the World of Whales, is a celebration of the two species’ coexistence and curiosity about one another. This magically immersive picture book experience takes readers on a (literally) breathtaking underwater journey with a free diver who witnesses a sperm whale birth. Michelle Cusolito has explored the oceans before, with titles like Flying Deep, and here she draws on the experiences of Belgian free diver Fred Buyle, who, along with diver Kurt Amsler, became the only people known to “have been welcomed at” such an event. Cusolito’s precise, evocative prose and Jessica Lanan’s radiant aquamarine illustrations beautifully capture this transformative underwater encounter. Lanan shows the diver’s repeated surfacing for air, moving “slowly, like a merman, copying the whales’ movements, graceful, patient, allowing the whales to approach.” Lanan’s pages are bathed in sparkling shades of blue, conveying the delicate dance between the immense whales and the long, lithe human, whose initial concern about possible parental and pod aggression turns to complete awe as he witnesses the whale calf being born. In one spectacular spread, he and a whale watch each other up close, with brief text that wonders, “Who’s studying whom?” Here, for a magic moment, the two almost appear as one, their ocean-blue hues matching, as the whale’s piercing gaze meets that of the diver and his camera, which boasts a protruding, eye-like lens. With abundant back matter about whales and free diving, this book will appeal to a broad audience. While In the World of Whales focuses on one type of marine mammal, it manages to convey the magic and wonder of the broader natural world, and the careful, respectful ways in which humans need to understand, observe and protect it." #Whales #Nature #MarineLife #MarineMammals #KidsLoveNonfiction #STEM #STEAM

It’s hard to believe that my next book, IN THE WORLD OF WHALES by Michelle Cusolito comes out in just under a month! In anticipation I’ve shared a new post over on Substack about some of the research I did for the book, including learning to dive (eep!) I’m really enjoying the more blog-like format on that platform. It’s like going back to the Olden Days before everything became short video clips. Ahhh. Link in bio, or find it here: /p/watercolor-whales-and-the-terror #watercolor #behindthescenes #workinprogress #illustration #picturebook #nonfictionreads #nonfictionforkids #whale #diving #freediver

I’m very happy to share our second starred review today for IN THE WORLD OF WHALES by @mcusolito . Thank you @kirkus_reviews ! This is a bit of what they had to say about the art: “Lanan’s fluid, pristine artwork echoes the underwater photography, with clear, blue-washed images that suggest both immense grandeur and the shadowy sublime.” Aww, gee! 😊 You can find links to read the whole review and preorder in my bio. #kidlit #nonfictionforkids #picturebook #amillustrating #illustratorsofinstagram #whale #spermwhale #oceanlover #oceanconservation

This might not look like my usual illustration style, but I assure you that it *is* my work. I recently migrated my newsletter over to Substack and I thought I’d share a bit of today’s post about the elementary school creations that I uncovered in my garage. Hope you enjoy it! __ My mother (hi, mom!) has embarked on a big project to digitize old family photographs this spring, so I’ve been receiving occasional text messages with images from the past. This reminded me that I have a big box in my garage with art and schoolwork from my younger days, and I thought, what would be more fun than sharing some of my finest elementary school works with you, my beloved readers?? And so, without further ado, I bring you… ~My Early Works~ Read the rest at jessicalanan.substack.com ! #earlyworks #picturebookillustrator #kidlitillustrator #substack #squirrel #kidart

I received a fun surprise in the mail on Saturday: my first copy of In The World of Whales written by the talented @mcusolito ! @holidayhousebks did a brilliant job with the production. Here’s a little peek inside. (Also you get to see my table and feet, sorry. It was a very rainy day and that was the brightest spot in the house.) This book was a lot of fun to illustrate. It was a challenge to try to convey the grace and elegance of both free divers and sperm whales in the expanse of the ocean. The story is based on an incredible true story of interspecies connection experienced by free diver @fredbuyle . Coming to bookstore near you in June, but you can preorder now at the link in my bio! #picturebook #nonfictionforkids #watercolor #authorcopies #childrensbookillustration #spermwhale #nonfictionreads #whales #marineconservation