Craft Chat with Larry Daley
Yesterday FLOAT, a debut picture book by author-editor Larry Daley, dropped into our world. This fun, engaging read includes hidden, buried surprises to entice readers trapped in the winter doldrums along with a subtle message on how to calm oneself when things don’t work out the way we'd like. What to do? You know . . .FLOAT!
Excitable, spunky main character Rosie knows her trip to the aquarium will be perfect. After all, she’s waited exactly twenty-three days, nine hours, eleven minutes, and nineteen seconds to see the baby sea turtle. But when a pesky seagull nabs her lunch, she’s frantic to retrieve it. In pursuit, she tangles with otters, penguins, seahorses, and even piranhas as they munch on her Slappy Sour Loopty Froots, lightly salted Corn Crackles, and even her fudge-covered Cookie Toes! (Such fun language in this book!)
When her madcap chase with the seagull leaves a trail of devastation throughout the aquarium Rosie is frustrated with herself and the mess she made. But the patient aquarium manager teaches Rosie to “float” and take a pause when the water gets rough.
FLOAT makes for a great read aloud with the humorous, kid-friendly language, and educators and librarians will appreciate the backmatter on what sea creatures really eat at snack time.
Kathy: I’m curious as to how your background in children’s media development and supervision of comic book brands such as Batman and Superman has influenced your debut FLOAT. What’s the connection between comics and picture books for you as a writer and illustrator?
Larry: I think when you’re a young artist starting out in pursuit of work, every opportunity put in front of you is worth exploring, even if it’s not your first choice. I had not read comics growing up, but an introduction during my first year in college presented me with a unique chance to intern at Marvel Comics in New York City, and for the first time, I saw writers and artists working professionally in the field, producing stunning work that truly energized me.
I knew this was not the artistic work I was good at and even wanted to do, but it made me want to learn everything about how books were made and how the art directors and editors worked with talented artists. It became an incredible education for how and who makes books. It helped me understand how to pitch stories, work with art directors, make corrections on press-checks (the process of checking how the color looks when printed), it even open my eyes to why some artists never get hired while others do.
All this exposure helped me jump into picture books with more confidence because I understood the business. Being a creative professional, more often than not, is about being reliable, courteous, and a team player, rather than the greatest artist that ever lived. Whether it’s making comics, picture books, or any other form of storytelling, I’m grateful to know that making anything takes many hands and every one of them should be appreciated.
Larry: I had been familiar with the publisher of Booking Media, Becky Gehrisch, creative work as we had met at a SCBWI conference in New York. I was very excited to see her start her publishing imprint and decided to submit a story. What immediately impressed me was her willingness to try something new to counter her own frustrations with the exclusivity of the children’s book market. Unfortunately, entry into kid’s publishing has become quite a mystery for most, so it’s not surprising to see so many aspiring writers and artists turning to self-publishing as their chance to share their stories.
Sadly, both the production quality and the marketing know-how is still not available to most who take that path. Success for people interested in a chance to be on the shelves still need a partner to make that happen and I believe small publishers have a lot going for them, depending on their business model. As for Bookling Media, their business model definitely has them doing some things right. For one, artists under their imprint retain the intellectual properties they create, meaning Bookling Media only licenses the rights to publish, versus owning the material. This is not the case for major imprints.
Bookling Media also puts out a high quality product. Most self published work will not find an audience because the quality is difficult for most bookstores to carry. Lastly, Bookling Media partners with artists in marketing their book by helping them understand what an artist must do to have their work recognized in an oversaturated marketplace. In the end, an artist must know how to both create and market their product. A small publisher will help an artist understand what they need to do, even if they themselves can’t do it themselves.
Kathy: The main character Rosie is likeable and engaging. Did your own daughters serve as inspiration for her? Did you do character sketches first in her development or imagine and write about her?
Larry: I would love to say that any one of my daughters inspired me for this character, but from the start, Rosie was always inspired by my grandmother. Standing at 5 feet tall, with fiery red hair, my Nana was a sweetheart who never seemed to be afraid of anything. She had a spark that was bold, brave and vulnerable in one package.She embodied a spirit that I wanted to see in this little girl, particularly in a situation when life threw her an unexpected curve ball.
There’s no right way to behave when a seagull steals your food, but it was funny to see Rosie process those emotions in a way my grandmother would have loved. That said, I went through many versions of what Rosy would look like and the process took me a few months before I found her in the artwork. It was also interesting drawing her with wet hair as her adventure takes her into some scenarios I had never drawn before. Thankfully, Rosy turned out the way she was meant to be and I think my Nana would have adored her.
Kathy: Informational backmatter and facts about sea creatures make this book stand out from others. How did you arrive at the topic of sea creature snacks and the idea of lunchboxes? It's so kid-centric!
Larry: One of the things I love about Bookling Media is that educational material at the back of the book was part of the agreement. It was their suggestion to find a theme that was relevant to the story but offered factual information that gave teachers and librarians a starting point for conversation. Learning about real snacks for ocean animals seemed a natural pairing with Rosy’s story, but the idea of lunchboxes came from my own memories as a kid.
For me, the start of school always began with shopping for school clothes and picking out my new metal lunchbox. I could have skipped the clothing part, but the thrill of selecting my lunchbox was the equivalent of having the newest sneakers in school. Why exactly? I’m not sure. They were just great. And to include them in the story as something all the kids owned was a personal gift to myself, which is also why there is a photo of me, at age seven, proudly showing off my King Kong lunchbox.
Kathy: As a former K-12 school librarian, I was impressed that you have already attended ALA! What tips do you have for authors attending their first library conferences? What were your goals for these events?
Larry: What an interesting question. I had never been to one before I attended the ALA this year in Philadelphia. For those that haven’t been, it’s a large conference event for not only publishers showcasing their new book arrivals, but also new technology manufacturers in publishing and library services that offer an interesting glimpse into how the industry works. Many authors attend only by invitation from their publishers to sign book copies and be the stars for the imprint brands.
It’s not the first place you would expect to meet and greet talent who work on the books, but it is a great place to better understand the book market. ALA is a space to ask a lot of questions and for the most part, those that attend are willing to give you thoughtful answers. What I appreciated was the great cross section of industry people in-the-know: publishers selling their new titles, reviewers such as the Library Journal or Kirkus Reviews taking note of what’s coming out, and librarians looking to order their next list of books.
If you’re lucky enough to be invited as a published author, your day will be filled with questions about your book. However, if you decide to attend on your own, it’s an opportunity to see what are the newest books in your genre and ask questions about why the marketing team is excited about them. As a creative writer or artist, this is the place to potentially see the next big hit and ask the librarians what kinds of books they’re interested in purchasing and why. Whether or not you decide to follow the book trends is up to you, but knowing what the market is looking for plays a role in how you pitch your ideas.
Kathy: You have a few fun secrets buried in FLOAT. Can you share what surprises are hidden and why you were interested in adding them?
Larry: Yes, FLOAT has a few secrets for the readers to find that might not be obvious at first glance. For starters, Rosy is not the only one having an adventure at the aquarium. If you look closely, you will discover a small white octopus, named Bubbles, has escaped her tank and pops up on a number of pages, looking for a way out of the building. I love finding secondary stories in picture books that are simply there to entertain curious eyes who happen to spot something in the details.
Another secret, that’s a bit harder to find, are the 20 tiny turtles that are hidden in the artwork, one for every page. If you have a magnifying glass and a lot of patience, you might be able to find them all. But the best secret in the book is a hidden riddle, written somewhere in the illustrations, that if found gives readers a chance to win a real treasure. Lucky participants can enter their name on my website at www.larrydaley.com/riddle if they can find and answer the riddle.
The prize in question is a treasure box with a 1 oz silver coin inside. The coin is adorned with marine animals and truly a treasure for one lucky reader. The drawing for the prize will occur on August 9, 2026 in a live event on my Instagram account @larrydaleyart, so I hope to see a lot of entries for this special event.
I’m thankful to be partnered with a publisher committed to seeing this story out in front of young audiences and I’m optimistic that some of the surprises buried in the illustrations will have readers turning pages with curiosity and a keen interest in finding my hidden secrets. In terms of what’s next, I’m developing a new picture book adventure, once again filled with chaos mixed with kindness, that I hope to announce shortly. Until then, I hope FLOAT finds its way into libraries, classrooms and sleepy bedtimes everywhere.
Larry Daley is an author/illustrator and freelance creative director in children's media development. An alumnus of Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Comics, Larry supervised major comic book brands such as Batman and Superman in film, television, video games, toys, comics, licensed promotions, and children's publishing. His illustrative and written work is known for its quirky humor, playful characters, and exaggerated perspectives. Right now, his focus is on creating funny stories that blend chaos with kindness. Larry lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three lovely daughters.
Find Larry on IG @larrydaley.com. and his website www.larrydaley.com
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