the adventures of beekle the unimaginary friend dan santat

I would draw one thing and tweak the text and then I would let Connie read the text and she would tweak that and then I’d end up tweaking the drawings again. Tell me more about how you worked with her on this project.ĭan: Typically when I do a book, I’ll write everything out and then I’ll illustrate it but in this case there was a lot of push and pull. It sounds like you worked very closely with Connie on the text. You have just enough there that makes it feel like fantasy. You have these gorgeous imaginary creatures and it’s like they are in this fantastical waiting room. You don’t have to really look for it because chances are someone is also looking for you. I hope a kid reading this book gets the idea that friendship is out there. You don’t need everybody to like you, you just need to start with one friend. What are the other kids going to be like? Are they going to like me? Am I going to find anybody that wants to be my friend? I remember telling him: be yourself. On my son’s first day of preschool he had all of this anxiety. As he goes on this journey, he’s worried: am I doing the right thing? In the first version of the book, I focused on how life experiences define who you are. My editor thought that was more of an adult theme and that we should talk about friendship, about making your first friend. The main character, Beekle, is a blank slate. There’s a metamorphosis from uncertainty to knowing exactly who you are which was very personal to me. Robin: Tell me more about creating the book.ĭan: This was one of the most intimidating projects I’ve ever done. I’ve gotten advice from other friends who have said the best thing to do is just take the option and then stand back and let them do what they do.

Robin:That’s so cool! What is your role going to be in the movie?ĭan: I’m solely a creative consultant. I know quite a few guys that work there and I know the beautiful work that they do. They liked it and then two weeks later they made an offer. We finally had a chance to meet and I pitched the idea for this book. They requested to see me because they had seen a picture book I had done a few years back.

Beekle is totally ready for the movies!ĭan: Thank you! My agent, Jodi Reamer at Writers House, shopped Beekle around and DreamWorks actually optioned the book before I got the book contract. A lot of film companies inquire at Writers House to see what kind of properties they have. Robin: I saw the book trailer for Beekle before I saw the book and loved it. Read on for a detailed behind-the-scenes look into the making of this beautiful and thoughtful story. There are so many things I love about this book and Dan generously gave me some serious inside scoop. Recently I got a chance to talk with Dan Santat about his latest picture book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend.

The adventures of beekle the unimaginary friend dan santat