As part of our Who Chains You Books First Anniversary Celebration, we’ll be bringing you a “Connect with our Authors, Illustrators, and Narrators” Series, so you can learn a little more about the animal lovers we represent, and why they’ve taken on the challenge of bringing the plight of the animals to life through creative writing, art, and interpretation.

We’ve given each of our authors, illustrators, and narrators a list of questions to answer. They are free to answer any of our suggested questions or substitute their own—staying on the fun, surface side of life, or getting as deep as they’d like. Feel free to ask them questions in the comments area, and we’ll ask them to drop by and answer.

Q. Give us your ‘official’ bio.

April Pedersen is a freelance illustrator, mainly of rubber art stamps, but also of logos, magazine cartoons, and books. April is the illustrator of our highly-acclaimed Adopting Adele book, and also the upcoming Brave Benny, about a bat.

Q. Where did you grow up and what was your favorite thing you remember about where you grew up?

I grew up in Alaska, Nevada, and Oklahoma. I have fond memories of watching fireflies blink on and off
during the summer nights when I lived in Oklahoma.

Q. What made you want to become a book illustrator?

I loved drawing from the age of 4—as most kids do—but I just stuck with it, and never really thought about doing anything else. It’s who I am.

Q. Tell us one thing about you that nobody knows. Until now.

I still like the Rubik’s cube (but I’ve forgotten how to solve it).

Q. Tell us what you love most about illustrating?

I enjoy seeing an idea become a visual manifestation. Seeing the illustration in print or on a website never gets old for me either.

Q. Do you have pets? How many and what are their names?

Currently I have two “mystery snails”, Otto & Turbo, plus a betta fish, Jackaby. I previously had tree frogs, goats, a horse, and a cat.

Q. Where would you travel for your dream vacation, and why?

I’d pick the South Pacific islands, where I could lounge around, peer into tide pools, and read a stack of great books.

Q. If you could wave a magic wand and make one thing better for animals, what would it be?

Have a mandatory “be kind to animals” curriculum, aka humane education, in all public schools.

Q. Tell us what your favorite book of all time is, and why.

I’m gonna go with The Time Machine by HG Wells. I would love to see what thousands of years will bring. This novel opened my eyes to thinking about the far future, the present, and the past.

Sneak peek at one of the Brave Benny illustrations

Q. What’s next for you with Who Chains You Books?

I recently finished illustrating Brave Benny—it’s in line for publication now—and I might be illustrating a third, too, we’ll see! I look forward to seeing Brave Benny in print.