Sarah Kurpiel and A LITTLE LIKE MAGIC: Review and Craft chat by Kathy Halsey

 

A LITTLE LIKE MAGIC BOOK REVIEW

Author-illustrator Sarah Kurpiel weaves spare text with a limited color palette to share a heartfelt story of a young girl overcoming her fears to find the everyday magic our world holds, if we give it a chance. 

We’ve all been in our young main character’s shoes: a bit grumpy, a bit whiny, and we just don’t want to go where we are supposed to go. But, after she dons her scratchy coat, and pockets her trusty plastic horse, she and Mom join a group of people to witness ice carving until it gets too cold, even with hot chocolate. 

On the way home, our main character wonders about all the fuss over ice. But when she discovers her toy horse is gone, she and Mom go back to the exhibit. It’s colder, more crowded, but NOW she’s OK. This time there’s “only light and ice and stars” as she sees the glowing magic of ice animals and ventures out to find an ice foal, and at its feet, her tiny horse. Yes, the ice melts, the seasons change, but the memory of that special night stays with her.

Writers will appreciate the weight and care that simple words and perfect pacing deliver to create a poignant story. Educators and librarians can dive into the SEL themes of perseverance and seeing things with a different point of view with their students.They could even go on a wonder walk to look at ordinary things and see the extraordinary. While the main character is in a wheel-chair, it is noteworthy that being differently-abled is not the story's focus. We can all walk in wonder with this picture book.  

Craft Chat with Sarah Kurpiel

Kathy: Tell me more about how your real-life experience as a child watching ice sculpting competitions and how inspired this book. Did you have a toy horse? 

Sarah: Hi there! Thanks so much for welcoming me onto the GROG! A Little Like Magic is about a young girl who visits an ice festival with her mother. It’s a story about art, memory, and the way venturing outside our comfort zone can sometimes lead to special experiences. The book is loosely based on an experience I had as a kid. When I was a few years older than the main character, my hometown hosted a professional ice sculpting competition. It was the only time I ever saw ice carving in-person, and it’s always stuck with me. 

One of the most memorable moments (which I didn’t include in the book) is when an unfinished sculpture collapsed. At competitions, sculptors often take risks with the ice, and then there’s the weather to contend with. For us onlookers, it was surprising and sad to see so much work come crashing down. I also remember the sculptures melting, which is something that worries the young girl in A Little Like Magic. She tends to worry and feel nervous, which is why she carries a familiar toy horse with her when she goes out. I didn’t have a favorite toy horse as a child, but I did have a favorite stuffed animal–a little bison that I got as a souvenir on a family vacation–which I certainly thought about as I wrote the story.

Kathy: As an author-illustrator what comes first for you - images or story? What informed your choices for the color palette? The color feels cold, until it feels cozy blue, and then “lit” up with white light as you illuminate the sculptures.

Sarah: Great question! Usually, I start with a loose concept and then thumbnail the story before working out the final words. Then, revise, revise, revise. In this case, however, the words and pictures emerged at the same time. It felt like the story was fully formed from the start. (I sure hope that happens to me again one day!) 

As for the color palette, at first I wanted to make the whole book monochromatic in blue, which seemed fitting for a wintery book about the power of memories. I love books that use a minimal limited palette, and I thought it might work well with this story. But, in the end, the story called for more colors, especially to show seasonal change and the difference between inside and outside. So, I changed course. But as you’ve noticed, the book still has a lot of blue. Even as her outfits change, the main character is always wearing blue, and the base of her wheelchair is a shade of blue as well. 

Kathy: I love the simplicity and pacing of the story. For writers only, like me, how can we play with pacing? I admire how two sentences can fill a whole spread! Example:  

“It's not there when I wake up

or while I'm playing and with my friends.

 It's not sitting on my knee 

or getting ready to go out.”

Sarah: Thank you. I think thumbnailing is one of the best ways to feel the pacing–even if you’re not the illustrator. It helps me find the natural page turns–like a setting change or a small cliffhanger–and helps me see where I want readers to speed up or slow down. There’s a particular moment in A Little Like Magic where I wanted readers to really slow down and linger for a while. On that page, I still kept the sentences short to retain a childlike voice, but I wrote them in a way that allowed me to insert several commas to create extra pauses. 

It’s a tiny, sentence-level thing, but I think all those tiny things, once added up, can make a difference. This was my first time writing a story in first-person using a childlike lyrical voice. I tried as much as possible to stay true to that voice throughout. If, during revision, a sentence became too long or too poetic, I’d ask myself, “Would a kid ever really say anything like this?” If the answer was, “Definitely not,” I looked for another way.

Kathy: How long have you been drawing? What are your favorite mediums? how would you suggest interested readers begin teaching themselves art?

Sarah: I’ve been drawing as a hobby for as a long as I can remember, but I didn’t start drawing digitally until 2016. I often sketch in pencil or pen, but I create my final illustrations digitally using a Wacom tablet connected to my computer. I tend to use digital dry media brushes because I like the rough textures they offer. Lately, though, I’ve been playing with some new techniques and digital brushes, which I’m enjoying quite a bit. 

Doodling for fun is one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes it leads me to new characters and potential story ideas. I try to carve out time for doodling regularly because it both relaxes and re-energizes me, especially when I’m feeling discouraged. I know I’m not a highly skilled artist, but I love creating and learning new things, and that’s what I try to focus on–the enjoyment of it all. 

For readers interested in teaching themselves art, I suggest asking yourself what kind of art you enjoy looking at most and what specifically you like about it. Then, dive right in! Don’t wait for permission to start. Just start. Get a sketchbook or notebook (if you’re like me, the cheaper the better so you don’t get too worried about “wasting” pages) and keep it handy. 

If you’re not sure what to draw or paint or collage, try a fun art prompt list–October has some of the best, like Artober, Calmtober, and Peachtober. Pour over your favorite picture book illustrations, explore portfolios of your favorite illustrators, watch free art tutorials online, check out art handbooks from the library–whatever helps and inspires you most. But mostly, play around. Experiment. 

Make the art you want to see. And if, like me, you have a disability or limitation that makes it difficult to use a certain medium, tool, or technique, try a different one. Find what works for you. Sometimes it’s our limitations that help us find our unique style.

Kathy: Did you consciously think of the SEL aspect of the main character's personality, or am I reading that into the story?  I'm noticing phrases like “heavy coats, itchy hats, cold winds, the sounds of whirrings and  brr-ings.” (Great language by the way!) 

Sarah: While I didn’t consciously think about SEL as I wrote A Little Like Magic, I did think about the main character’s emotional arc. She starts off nervous and worried. Everything feels uncomfortable–possibly because she’s nervous or possibly because she’s sensitive to certain clothing, temperatures, and sounds. Either way, going to new places isn’t an easy thing for her. To help, she brings along her favorite toy horse, a little piece of home in her pocket. Without giving away too much of the story, suffice it to say, by the end, she’s different–not miraculously different, but different enough to see the value of pushing through those challenging feelings.

Kathy: From your website, I see that you are a librarian and a self-taught artist. Tell us how being a librarian helps you write for children. 

Sarah: My background is in academic libraries, so I don’t (usually) get to work with children’s books. However, my first library job involved cataloging children’s books used by college students studying to become teachers. That’s how I came to read A Sick Day for Amos McGee, which is the book that set me on a path toward making books myself. 

Later, I worked as a librarian at a small college that had a fairly large picture book collection–which I made ample use of as I was learning to write and illustrate books. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, since I work in the library field, I’m engaged in conversations on topics like information literacy, intellectual property, universal design, accessible design, and the freedom to read, all very relevant in the world of children’s publishing.

Kathy: What are you working on now and do you have any events where we can find you in person or online?

Sarah: Thanks for asking! I’m working on final art for my next picture book, which is about a kid struggling to say goodbye to a beloved old oak tree. It’s currently scheduled to come out next year from Rocky Pond Books. I’m also always working on personal art, which I share on Instagram and Bluesky. If you’re interested in learning more, consider subscribing to my monthly email newsletter.

More about Sarah

 Sarah Kurpiel is a self-taught picture book author and illustrator. Her debut book, Lone Wolf, received a starred review from the School Library Journal, while her books Original Cat, Copy Cat and Snake's Big Mistake were Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Her latest book, A Little Like Magic, was published in Fall 2024.

A librarian by day, Sarah lives in the Midwest. Her stories are inspired by animals, nature, and moments of wonder in everyday life. She hopes her work brings a bit of happiness into the world—and a bit of disability representation too. Sarah uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity.

Learn more at sarahkurpiel.com