kidlit

Under the Mike-croscope: Illustrator-Author Katya Tabakh

By on October 9, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews, books, kidlit   /   Leave a comment

I first crossed paths with Katya Tabakh on Instagram and fell in love with her art and her illustration skills. As a follower and participant of the Instagram Book Series Challenge, the pieces from Katya caught my eye immediately. I was completely blown away by her Alice in Wonderland illustrations, one of which was selected for the Children’s Market category of Illustration West 63, an exhibition organized by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. 

Her Alice in Wonderland series of pieces are a fresh and fantastic interpretation of a classic story that is familiar in both story and visuals. It is an honor to host Katya for a From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors interview and have the chance to take a closer look at her wonderful illustration work.

 

Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils

Katya, welcome and thank you for being our guest today. Can you give us a glimpse into your origin story and background as a creator?

I am a San Francisco-based artist, children’s book illustrator, and author (this title I am still getting used to). I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, and moved to the U.S. in the mid-1990s. I got a degree in theatrical set design, but then learned traditional drawn animation and worked as an animator here and there for a while. However, when traditional animation jobs gradually started moving overseas, I ultimately decided to devote myself fully to the art of bookmaking.

 

When did art first show up in your life?

I grew up in an artistic family, surrounded by my parents’ brushes and paints – the smells, the textures, and the sound of a pencil on paper. So I didn’t think much about choosing my career path and went straight to art school.

 

WIND IN THE WILLOWS, Procreate, watercolor textures

 

Did you have a support structure for your talent and interests when you were young?

Being an artist’s child gives you one benefit: unlike many other parents who think art is just a hobby and their child should get “a real job,” my parents were very supportive and encouraging.

At the same time, they were very busy with their own projects and very successful in their endeavors, so they didn’t bother to give their child any formal art lessons. That’s why, even after graduating from art school, I felt like an impostor for many years. It only went away recently. 🙂

What is your formal training in art?

I graduated from the famous Moscow Art Theater School with an MA in Theatrical Set Design. Can we also consider years of working in traditional drawn animation as formal art training? There were hours and hours of drawing and redrawing characters in different poses. 🙂

Can you share some of your art and cultural influences?

Frankly, there are too many. I am lucky that I was taught art and art history, which “calibrated” my eye for good visual art.

There are artists I keep returning to when I’m looking for answers to my questions. I have three fine art books on my desk right now: Bruegel, Paul Klee, and contemporary Russian illustrator and painter Evgeny Revyakov.

When did narrative illustration blossom and take hold in your creative life?

I got my first book illustration offer out of nowhere – and it was for a Japanese publisher’s YA edition of Chekhov. I ended up making three books with them. It was the most liberating project I had ever done at that point.

Pivoting from animation to book illustration gave me much more freedom, because as an animator, you need to adapt to the very different artistic visions of art directors. I now illustrate children’s books for all ages, from toddlers to young adult readers.

 

WIND IN THE WILLOWS, Procreate, watercolor textures

What are some of your favorite children’s books and stories?

The classics: Astrid Lindgren’s books, Winnie-the-Pooh, Mary Poppins, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice series (dah!). I can also mention a great Russian children’s book writer, Yuri Koval.

These are my favorites – the books my grandma read to me as a child and that I read to my own kids many years later.

Of all your fabulous work, my personal favorite is your Alice In Wonderland series. Can you walk us through your process on these exceptional pieces?

 

Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils

 

Genesis of the idea.

The project itself started as a collection of drawings for a small art gallery. An artist friend asked if I could do a series of Alice in Wonderland works for their Mad Tea Party room.

The first artwork was not what you see now, but I enjoyed the process so much that it pushed me toward one of the greatest classic children’s books of all time. And I was free to draw whatever I wanted. Isn’t it fabulous?

Concept development.

Basically, I create illustrations that I would have liked to see as a child. I feel a little bit like Alice myself. Doesn’t everyone need to be Alice sometimes?

At the same time, this is probably the hardest part of every illustration project for me. Sometimes I can sit for hours and days drawing things that look like doodles. My sketchbooks are filled with these scribbles – not like the beautiful sketches I see on some artists’ Instagram accounts.

The phantasmagorical nature of the text gives an illustrator the widest range of possibilities. I think thousands of illustrations for this book have already been created. So I need to close my eyes and listen only to myself.

I can’t describe the moment when the scribbles turn into something real. I think every artist knows that feeling. It’s like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. And then you only need to draw that butterfly on a piece of paper.

When I started this project, I knew I wanted to give Carroll’s amazing original narrative as much space as possible. I also love doing hand-lettering, so I got the idea to incorporate handwritten quotes into the illustrations. That brought me to the final concept: the text behaves as a texture and as one of the book’s characters.

Design choices.

The design I use is rather classical, although I would love to be a bit more wild sometimes.

 

Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils

 

Execution (media, color palette, etc.)

I work on Canson Canva Artboards – pretty big ones, 12” x 16”. First, I tone the surface a little with ochre watercolor. I love the warm undertone it gives me.

The artboard’s surface is very sturdy, so I can lift that yellowish undertone with an eraser wherever I need pure white. Then I draw the design with a yellow colored pencil. I love drawing with colored pencils instead of graphite, so the final colors stay purer and more interesting.

After that, I use watercolors and finish with another layer of colored pencils. I can also add some final touches with white acrylic gouache.

By the way, you can see my whole process in this IG post:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyONmPcLzWT/

What’s your favorite subject matter or sweet spot for your illustration work?

I generally love drawing kids. Any kids – big and small. 🙂

 

Planets: Stories of Ajudaris

 

What challenges, if any, do you find in illustrating material for the older reader in the middle-grade space? Does your visual approach change with the target audience?

Of course, the visual approach changes with every book because different texts require different art concepts! I think a more mature audience demands more accurate and visually precise illustration. With younger kids, you can be more liberal and add more fantasy to the visual side of the story. The research usually takes more time in the illustration process for middle-grade and YA books.

Are there some past projects that you want to highlight?

Well, I’d like to mention not a project, but one single drawing that I did for the SCBWI Tomie dePaola Award, which brought me that national award in 2017. It was a pivotal point in my career as an illustrator. I am so fortunate that I had the opportunity to meet Tomie dePaola in person and hear his stories, humor, and enthusiasm for his craft.

 

SCBWI 2017 Tomie dePaola Illustration Award: First Snow, Tree. Watercolor and sepia pen

 

What is on the horizon for your illustration career?

I am currently quite busy with a project that is actually related to my Alice in Wonderland pilot illustrations, but it’s too early to tell you all the details. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂

Can you briefly share how you navigate the business end of your illustration practice?

I do my own projects, which usually don’t bring in much money. For everything else, I’m lucky to be represented by a literary agent.

Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to make ends meet solely from freelance book illustration unless you are really famous. 🙂 So, my husband and I also run a small art business: we do fine-art printing, provide children’s book publishing services, work with some art galleries, etc.

I also teach children’s art and craft classes – and enjoy it very much.

Are you available for commissions? If so, how does a prospective client contact you about a project?

Yes, I always welcome new projects and illustration opportunities. I am represented by Jen Newens at Martin-Newens Literary Management, so for inquiries, please contact her directly at Jen@MartinLit.com.

Please share your website, portfolio, and social media information so we can follow your career.

My website/portfolio is at www.KatArtist.com.

You can find me on Instagram as @katya_tabakh

Thank you for being our guest on From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors! This opportunity to learn more about you and your work has been incredible. I hope people can discover your work and enjoy it as much as I do.

The pleasure is mine! Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about my creative endeavors.

Take care and keep creating the fabulous work you create.

Same to you, and all the best wishes to your platform and your audience!

 

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Author Interview – Anna James – Alice with a Why

By on February 9, 2026   /   Author Interviews, kidlit, New Releases  
Alice With a Why by #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna James (Pages & Co., Chronicles of Whetherwhy), illustrated by Matthew Land. AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD!

cover of Alice with a Why featuring a nest with book print in the middle with a cutout of the main character AlycePicture of Author Anna James - woman with long curly red hair

In this enchanting standalone retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice’s granddaughter, Alyce—with a Y—finds herself tumbling down into a Wonderland at war. The once-whimsical world is now divided between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon, and it’s up to Alyce, guided by familiar characters like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat, to restore balance and find her way home.
As Kirkus raves, “This homage sparkles. Delightful in every way.” A pitch-perfect blend of literary nostalgia and fresh adventure, Alice With a Why both honors Lewis Carroll’s classic and reimagines it for a new generation.

 

Tell us why you decided to revisit Alice in Wonderland? Why was this story so inspiring for you?

I’ve always been fascinated by the original book – it’s such an important book for children’s literature and there aren’t many books that are as foundational to the collective imagination. The mix of wordplay and nonsense with so many iconic and beloved characters make it a really fun world to play in, but the relative lack of plot in the original allows a lot of space to create your own stories within Wonderland. 

I really enjoyed your mix of old characters (from the original Alice in Wonderland) with the new. How did you go about deciding who would be included from the original story and also what might compliment them with the new characters?

So firstly, I knew I wanted to only use characters that appeared in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (as opposed to Through the Looking Glass) so I had that list. And some were obvious like the White Rabbit and the Hatter who feel very integral to Wonderland, and I think people would hope to see. I really wanted to use the Caterpillar, but I only worked that out when a literal bookworm ate one of my books of poetry. Seeing all the tracks through the poems gave me the idea to make him a bookworm who has started smoking poetry instead of whatever he was smoking originally…! The main new character is the Fox, to whom my Alyce is sent, and who becomes her guide through Wonderland. This is a key difference between the original and my version, as Alice doesn’t really have anyone helping her; the Fox, while very much of Wonderland and its nonsense, is a steadier presence than anything that exists in the original.

So much of Alice in Wonderland is all the fun language choices, and you’ve captured that same feeling here beautifully. What was your writing process like to capture some of that essence of the original writing in Alice with a Why?

Thank you! This was both the hardest and the most enjoyable part of the whole book. I spent a lot of time just reading and rereading the original, and I also listened to a lot of nonsense poems on audio while wandering around the woods near where I live to try to get into those rhythms. I had a big list of idioms pinned above my desk as inspiration, too. I also really relied on Martin Gardner’s The Annotated Alice, which is a great resource for understanding all of Carroll’s references, so I went back to that often to try to sort of reverse-engineer that Wonderland feel. And then it was just a lot of trial and error—rewriting sentences until they had the right feel.

Some of the most vivid aspects of your story and the original is the setting. I think the setting is so important to your story, and I would love to know how you thought up the different settings in your story?

Wonderland really allows for a lot of flexibility; you can put almost anything in there.

Two of the key settings are the palaces of the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon, who are at war with each other. The Sun King was heavily inspired by Louis XIV of France, who was known as the Sun King and adopted the sun emblem as a symbol of power. He was also the king who transformed the Palace of Versailles and built the Hall of Mirrors, which is, of course, very Wonderland-coded. Accordingly, my Sun King also holds court in a hall of mirrors, although his courtiers are birds.

I took a lot of inspiration from history more generally; the place where Alice and Alyce live is inspired by Wrest Park, a stately home in Bedfordshire, England, that was used as a hospital during World War One.

What do you hope readers will take away from Alice with a Why (despite the ambiguous ending)?

As the last line suggests, I’m a big believer in letting readers take from books what they will but I certainly hope that readers who’ve lost someone will take some comfort from my Alyce’s journey through her grief at losing her father during the war. I think above all, I hope that young readers in particular come away feeling that words and language are a lot of fun. 

What are some of your favorite middle grade novels and why do you like them so much? 

My favourite middle grade author is Diana Wynne Jones who writes brilliantly quirky fantasy middle grade. My favourite classic is probably Anne of Green Gables, I think Anne Shirley is perhaps the greatest fictional creation of all time. More recently I’ve enjoyed reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, Dragonborn by Struan Murray and Greenwild by Pari Thomson. 

Now that your book is out in the world, what’s the next step for you?

As we speak, I’m currently on tour in the U.S. to talk about the book. I love touring and meeting readers and booksellers! Once I’m home, I’ll be editing the third book in my Chronicles of Whetherwhy series (the second one is coming out in the spring in the U.S.), and then beginning to draft in earnest my second Wonderland book! I always wanted to write two to mirror the two Wonderland novels that Carroll wrote, so I’m excited to get properly started on that. I’m also working on my debut adult novel, a rom-com called Good Fortunes, inspired by Pride and Prejudice and coming out in spring 2027!

Is there anything else you want to share about Alice with a Why for our audience of teachers, librarians, and middle grade authors?

Alice With a Why is rooted in a deep love and admiration for the original, which I hope shows. I also hope that readers who already have a relationship with Wonderland enjoy returning there, and that readers who haven’t yet find a bit of magic there and are inspired to seek out Carroll’s original two books.

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD!
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When the Hammer Builds the House: Grappling with AI in Kidlit

By on November 20, 2025   /   Articles, For Writers, kidlit, News, Op-Ed  

Two years ago I wrote an article about how to utilize AI as a tool in children’s writing. At the time, ChatGPT was still in its first iterations, and many creatives had only the faintest ideas about generative AI. In the middle grade world, authors were mostly just trying to figure out what AI would mean for them, if anything at all. 

I think it’s safe to say things have changed since then, and I wanted to come back to this topic with fresh eyes to see if the undertones of techno-optimism that permeated my first piece on the subject still resonate the way they did back in 2023. There are, after all, some new realities that authors must face head-on.

For one, it’s simply no longer accurate to say that AI writing is cheesy, formulaic, and easy to spot. Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have become astonishingly good at mimicking human authors in tone, humor, and even complex themes woven through longer pieces. YouTuber and developmental editor Alyssa Matesic recently did a side-by-side of AI writing and short stories written by professional authors, and the two were startlingly difficult to tell apart.

That also begs the question of how AI models have gotten so good. Since 2023, big tech companies have scraped vast libraries of unlicensed and copyrighted material to train their models. It’s a controversial topic, and too intricate to dive into here, but it has forced many authors to divert attention away from the creative process and think carefully about how to protect their work.

Still, the biggest issue probably isn’t about detectability or fair use, but the mere fact that AI writing exists at all. The very possibility of humanlike AI writing has cast a shadow over the legitimate efforts of human writers everywhere. Even the once-loved em dash has become a symbol of AI skepticism, with many authors consciously adjusting their tone and techniques to look less like the AI that used their writing to develop its own voice in the first place. It’s a strangely ironic dance that creators across all fields have been doing since generative AI exploded onto the scene in the last few years. 

So is it really fair to say that AI is “just a tool” the way I described it back in 2023? It would be a bit like a master craftsman returning to his worksite after a lunch break to find that his hammer had come to life and built the rest of the house without him. It sounds nice, but what if the craftsman actually enjoyed building houses? What if he’d spent his whole life learning to do it well? What if everyone then assumed that all his houses – countless hours of work – had been built by the magic hammer? 

So what is a middle grade author to do in this strange new world? Since this post is just around the corner from Thanksgiving, I’m choosing to slant toward gratitude. Even in this weird and sometimes scary landscape of publishing in 2025, there are quite a few things to be thankful for.

 

Authors are fighting back and winning.

A U.S. federal judge gave preliminary approval to a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic PBC and authors who alleged nearly half a million books were pirated to train AI chatbots. It’s a major win for writers wanting more accountability from AI developers.

Readers want human-made books.

As AI writing continues to permeate the book market, consumers are becoming more vocal about their preference for human work. In a recent poll by YouGov, well over half of respondents reported that they’d feel less fulfilled after learning a book they’d read was authored with AI. There are also new projects popping up like the “Human Authored” initiative from the Authors Guild. It’s a promising sign that readers are rediscovering the incredible value of human connection and contribution.

 

As a tool, AI is only getting better.

In its rightful place, AI continues to be a transformative technology that can untether creators and allow them to make and explore more than ever before. As a research tool, for example, AI cites its sources with more accuracy than it did back in 2023, and it can also summarize and synthesize material extraordinarily well. Even for this piece, which is admittedly a bit skeptical of AI’s prevalence overall, I used AI tools to find sources and make connections. I just had to keep that hammer locked up in the toolbox when it came time to write, design the art, etc. Many have equated this dynamic with letting AI “do the dishes”. Artificial Intelligence can handle the chores so creatives can do the fun stuff (although not all the time, as we learned from NEO — skip to 2:55 for a good laugh).

 

So have I changed my mind about AI over the last two years? Should you? These are questions worth exploring, but let’s not spend too much time perseverating on a dynamic that changes almost daily. 

After all, we’ve got writing to do.

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