In I PAINT MY WORLD (Apples & Honey Press, 2026), written by Esther Novak and illustrated by Susan Gal, a young boy expresses a range of emotions, each matching the season of the year he is experiencing. Esther’s gentle, lyrical rhyme is perfectly paired with Susan’s deeply hued, evocative illustrations. I PAINT MY WORLD is a beautiful picture book that honors a child’s feelings with great tenderness. It will be a wonderful selection for libraries, classrooms, and family collections. I am excited to learn more about the creative journeys that inspired I PAINT MY WORLD.

Welcome, Esther and Susan!

Esther, what inspired you to write about a picture book about the connection between emotions and seasons? 

Esther: I’ve always wanted to write a children’s picture book but I never knew what I would write about. Then one day I was listening to a class, part of a course I had signed up for called “Mastering Your Emotions”. It just so happened to be during the outbreak of Covid-19 when I began listening to it, and no I did not master my emotions. But I remember the lecturer introducing the concept of using your thoughts to guide your emotions. It was so simple and so profound. I thought to myself, wow. If only I had been given this information when I was younger. Which led to a new thought…what if I give this information over to the children of today? As a mom of young children, I am also drawn to books that share emotional insights and understanding. Now I knew what message I wanted to give, the next part developed over many, many drafts. The first title I gave the book was: What Will You Do When It Rains? So it developed from there into all kinds of weather, and then into the seasons. 

Susan, what were your thoughts when you first read the manuscript for I PAINT MY WORLD?

Susan: My agent Kelly Pelsue sent me the manuscript. I was intrigued with Esther’s way of showing children how to think about and process their emotions. Our editor mentioned that Esther is the mother of boys so it made sense to portray the child as a young boy. As I started sketching the boy and his environment I thought it would be fun to include a pet dog as another character to assist in visualizing Esther’s text. My beloved little dog Mabel was my model and inspiration.

Esther, what were your thoughts when you first saw Susan’s illustrations? 

Esther: Well, I remember smiling and thinking wow. It’s an incredible experience seeing an abstract idea that started in your brain turn into an actual book. The colors are so vibrant and the little boy’s face shows so much emotion which is really what stood out for me.  

Susan, can you share a bit about the medium you used for I PAINT MY WORLD?

Susan: I was delighted that our editor Aviva Gutnick and art director Dena Neusner were willing to give me complete freedom to interpret the text. Having that freedom allowed me to take some risks and try new ways of working. I usually work with gouache and watercolor so I broke away and experimented with acrylic paints. I struggled a bit at first—I haven’t used acrylics in years, but eventually the paintings started coming together. It was a lot of fun mixing up mediums and I hope that joy of letting go comes through in the work. 

Esther, your rhyme is so lovely. What comes first for you – the story or the poetry? Can you share a bit about that process?

Esther: I actually first wrote I Paint My World in prose. I had the concept of what I wanted to do (sort of) and I wrote it in a simple, straightforward way. A true writer-friend gave me the most important feedback I’ve ever gotten on my writing. I had felt stuck with the book, but I didn’t know what it needed. She told me that Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss only became who they are becuase they wrote in their own most natural form. You need to rewrite this in your voice. I knew she was right. That’s when I went back and rewrote it in verse. 

Susan, your illustrations are beautifully layered – the specific colors for each season/emotion, the movement, the subtext, etc. How do you plan/organize your illustrations?

Susan: I wish I could say I was organized and completely intentional! The way I work is more like creative chaos. I start my sketches with pencil on newsprint. Once they’ve been approved I’ll figure out a palette and begin painting on paper. For this book it was important that the art looked loose and fresh. I painted each character and spread several times until I felt that I got it right. Then I scanned those paintings and sketches and collaged them together in Photoshop. I tried painting digitally but I missed the way that paint lays down on paper and those happy accidents that can happen when you work with various mediums. 

Do you have a favorite season in the book?

Esther: This is a hard question. I don’t have a favorite in the book, though I can tell you that Spring is my favorite in real life and Fall is my hardest transition. It was the hardest one for me to write a positive page for.  

Susan: Oooh, that’s a tough one to choose—I would have to say Winter. I grew up in San Diego where every day seemed like the perfect summer day. I’ve traveled to cold and snowy places but have never lived in a place where there is snow in Winter. The drudgery of living in “slishy slushy brownish sleet” was interesting to me and challenged me to try and capture that feeling. 

Thank you, Esther and Susan!

Esther Novak is a copywriter, freelance writer, and mom to four amazing boys. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Management and Finance at Brooklyn College. She minored in English which turned out to be a really good idea. I Paint My World is her first book. She lives in New York.

Susan Gal is the award-winning illustrator of several picture books, including Joyful Song: A Naming Story, The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs, No More Chairs, and Awe!  She lives in Northern California. 

You can see more of Susan’s work at galgirlstudio.com.

Tagged Apples & Honey Press, Esther Novak, picture book, Susan Gal