The Cat's Out of the Bag: Isabella Kung and NO SNOWBALL by Kathy Halsey

Book Review

Cat lovers rejoice, author-illustrator Isabella Kung’s regal NoFuzzball is back with a sidekick, NO SNOWBALL. This meow-velous picture book comes in on little cat feet November 1, 2022, for readers 4 - 8 years. But I paw-sitively believe any reader will enjoy these two personalities as they vie to charm their “subjects,” AKA  “family.”

Snowball is a cuddly ball of fur who embodies all the characteristics of very young children–their enthusiasm, their endless questions, and their boundless energy. Cat and kitten tussle for attention, but that energetic “cat-titude” captures NoFuzzball as she trains Snowball to be a proper princess.

Kung’s illustrations set up compelling interactive scenes between the main characters, while her use of perspective encourages readers to really emerge themselves in this magical queendom. Attention educators and librarians, NO SNOWBALL begs for more than one reading, is a great choice for read alouds, and is ripe for Readers Theater for older kids.

Craft Chat with Isabella Kung

KH: Fuzzball and Snowball are such diametrically different personalities. (That’s part of the fun of this picture book.) Tell us how you create characters.

 

Isabella: Fuzzball was inspired by my cats Bubo and Bella, her personality is basically a combination of both of them in the body of a fuzzy black cat (I just love how ambiguous their body looks under all that fur). She was initially designed as a set of emojis with Ree Stickers. Designing emojis is very similar to doing a character sheet, I drew her in all kinds of expressions and poses and I got to know her personality very well through this process. Her story eventually came a few months later. I’m glad I got to pay homage to her origins and use most of the emojis on the endpapers in the first book.

 

For Snowball, I had the concept a long time ago while I was on submission for NO FUZZBALL!  I love the idea of Queen NoFuzzball encountering her complete opposite – an itty-bitty, clueless, overly enthusiastic, and affectionate white kitten! Being a visual thinker, I was pretty clear about what I wanted her to look like. So I began by writing about their very first interaction with each other instead – immediately knowing Fuzzball

will want nothing to do with Snowball (an interaction inspired by Bubo and Bella’s first encounter with a foster kitten), and Snowball will fall in love with Fuzzball at first sight. After that, the nature of their relationship – the classic sibling rivalry and love, just fell into place.

KH: I know you worked on NO FUZZBALL off and on for four years. Was NO SNOWBALL easier and quicker? Did the process differ?

 

Isabella: Yes, definitely quicker and maybe a little easier because I know what works from the first book and there is a foundation to build on, but it’s hard to compare because it’s just different. NO SNOWBALL! has always been a seedling of an idea while I was submitting NO FUZZBALL! Unfortunately, due to deadlines and the passing of my late cats at the beginning of a global pandemic (2020), I was lost in grief and didn’t work on her story until after NO FUZZBALL!’s big debut, when my editor finally asked me about the second book. I zealously promised her a draft by the end of the month and gave myself a deadline for writing! (I’ve never done that before!) I thought since I already have the concept, the setting, and the characters, it should be fine! I ended up anxiously staring at my screen for more than a week before solving the puzzle of how to reach the end of my story. Boy was that stressful! After my ah-ha moment, it was a mad dash to finish my submission by the date promised. I was proud of myself for accomplishing a draft so quickly but I don't think I should attempt it ever again. Luckily, my editor liked it!

 

I found when writing a sequel, the process and challenges are completely different, mainly figuring out a good balance between introducing a new character to the book and adding new elements (eg. dialogue) to the story, while still staying true to the previously established voice, jokes, rules, and structures set up in the first book. I wanted the sequel to still be a No Fuzzball book but with a new co-star! Initially, I was worried about Snowball taking too much spotlight away from Fuzzball. Fortunately, I found that the two characters complemented each other and their personalities only shone brighter together. All in all, while the concept has been living in my head for a couple of years, it only took 6-7 months to solidify the story (from the first draft to the sketches being approved ), then another 4-5 months to complete the final  illustrations. SO MUCH faster than NO FUZZBALL!

 

KH: In this duology, you use first person point of view. Did you draft any versions in third person? How did you ultimately decide on first person or third? 

 

Isabella: As far as I remember, NO FUZZBALL has been written in first person, but I had to double-check, and I found it was actually written in third person for my very first draft! I realized very quickly that to fully express Fuzzball’s sass and attitude, as well as convey just how much she is misunderstanding her name and almost all her family’s intentions, I must tell it from her point of view, thus switching to fist person on my second draft. This way, I can really play up the humor and play with the unreliable narrator's angle against what is depicted in the illustrations. This engages the readers; it makes them feel like they are in on the joke and lets them figure out what is really happening on their own. It also engages me as the author-illustrator to figure out the perfect balance between the text and illustration for this book! It’s my favorite kind of puzzle to solve!

Fuzzball and Ori as kittens. They were a big source of inspiration for Snowball! 

KH: I first connected with you via your illustration and watercolor classes at Storyteller Academy. Please share advice for beginning illustrators, seasoned illustrators, and writers who want to understand the illustration process better.

 

Isabella: For beginning illustrators - it's all about practice, practice, practice. These days, there are so many great online illustration workshops and classes to take and learn from, but knowledge taught in those courses will only truly be yours when you practice using it. I know it's intimidating and sometimes even discouraging to see your artwork not align with the way you’ve envisioned it. That's okay, it's even expected to produce work (a lot of work) that you are not proud of at first! You’ll learn from every piece. You’ll be training your brain and gaining muscle memory from doing the work, and before you know it, you are improving.

 

For seasoned illustrators - Take care of your body and your mind! Take breaks! Go for walks, exercise, meditate and stretch. Our job puts a lot of repetitive stress on our bodies and it can take a toll on our mental health as well. I notice more aches and pains lately, and I have also experienced my fair share of burnout. Trying to recover from injuries or a mental rut is so much more difficult than taking better care of yourself regularly. I know it's easier said than done, it's advice I need to remind myself from time to time too.

 

For writers who want to understand the illustration process more - Thank you for taking the time to learn more about it! We, illustrators, appreciate authors who know when to make suggestions and when to give us the creative space to do our jobs. But most importantly, it will help you become a better picture book author too! Learning how to make a dummy, (even if all you draw are basic shapes and stick figures) will help you properly envision your story as a book. You will get to test out the page turns, get a good feel about the pacing and rhythm and see if the emotional arc is progressing the way you want it.

 

KH: Writers are curious about how to leave room for an illustrator’s magic. What’s your advice?

 

Isabella: I love art notes when used appropriately! For example, if I’m reading a manuscript where the author intends the text to tell one part of the story and the illustration to show another, I would want to know what the author has in mind. Especially if the text is deliberately spare, poetic, or lyrical, or if the text is from the point of view of an unreliable narrator… etc. In other words, only use art notes if the text doesn’t convey the whole story. Small details like wanting the character to have pink hair because it is their daughter’s favorite color is more a personal preference rather than helping with the storytelling. It might interfere with what the illustrator is planning.

 

KH: What are you working on now?

Isabella: I have one story on submission about two twin Koalas that I hope can find the right publishing home soon! I am also working on my very first near-wordless picture book. This story is very different from what I’ve created before. It is a very emotional and personal story for me too. I was trepidatious at first, doubting why I even want to work on something so out of my comfort zone. But this idea and vision have been revisiting me again and again for the last 4 years, so how can I not feel compelled to create it? I hope to share it with the world one day.

Bella (top) and Bubo (bottom), Isabella’s late cats who inspired Fuzzball.

About Isabella Kung

Isabella Kung is the author and illustrator of NO FUZZBALL! (Scholastic, 2020) & NO SNOWBALL! (Scholastic, 2022), about a fuzzy feline Queen that was described as an “expressive, endearing little chunk of well-meaning evil” by Kirkus Reviews. Continuing her feline obsession, she also illustrated over 120 cats for the board books 123 CATS and ABC CATS (Candlewick, 2021). Her illustrations have received accolades from institutions such as the Society of Illustrators, Spectrum Fantasy Art, 3x3, Creative Quarterly, and SCBWI. Outside the world of publishing, Isabella teaches illustration and watercolor classes at Storyteller Academy and Etchr Lab. Isabella resides in San Francisco with her husband and two adorable – you guessed it – cats! She is represented by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary.

 

Instagram: @isabellakungill Twitter: @isaberryk

Website: www.isabellakung.com