Creator Corner: Author and Illustrator Ashley Barron
Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent books. For this post, we interviewed Three City Kitties author and illustrator Ashley Barron, whose book published September 15, 2024!
Owlkids Books: Ashley, how and why did you begin writing and illustrating children’s books?
Ashley Barron: I grew up reading and loving picture books. They took me on a journey without leaving the house. So, it’s no wonder I tried replicating the book form as a kid, with my own words and pictures. I’m glad I didn’t stop!
OKB: What themes or topics do you enjoy exploring in your illustrations?
AB: I like making connections between people and animals. That theme is pretty apparent in my previous book, Love You Head to Toe, where similarities are drawn between human babies’ actions with those of baby animals. Does Three City Kitties also play off this theme? You’ll have to read it to find out!
OKB: What was the inspiration for writing this book?
AB: My cats spend a lot of time gazing out our front windows onto the street. People in my neighborhood have gotten to know them because of how present and visible they are. So, I was thinking a lot about windows and how they only show one side of a story, and how fun it would be to view our neighbourhood from the cats’ perspectives.
OKB: What was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?
AB: I really enjoyed drawing from my own neighborhood, my own home, and my own cat family. The most challenging part was paper-cutting three long-haired cats on EVERY PAGE, all while keeping their characters consistent.
OKB: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
AB: I hope readers will see little bits of themselves in Nori, Yeti and Flo. I think children especially will relate to the rollercoaster of feelings the kitties experience throughout their day: curiosity, boredom, shock and surprise, fear, shyness, excitement, goofiness, hangry/crankiness, impatience, satisfaction, prankish playfulness, and bursts of energy that inevitably lead to quiet time and rest.
OKB: What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?
AB: I grew up around pet dogs and pet rabbits, but for whatever reason, I never got the chance to really know a cat until I was an adult. I used to believe a lot of those misconceptions you hear about cats — how they’re solitary, nocturnal, moody animals who can’t be trained. Well, all of those myths flew out the window upon the arrival of my first cat, Nori. He’s such a cool dude.
From left to right: Flo, Nori, and Yeti!
