One way to say it is that it’s a fad and publishers are getting interested in graphic novels, but I think in the larger scheme that more readers are collectively understanding that there’s a variety of ways to absorb a story. Mariko Tamaki: I think that comics have been kind of emerging in stages. I think that by being recognized by, say, library associations - and it’s great to be recognized by comics people as well - I think it just means that a wider variety and range of people are reading comics, which I think is a good thing for creators and the medium itself. What does it mean to you to be recognized for non-comic-exclusive awards? And this past fall you also picked up the first Governor General Award for Children’s Literature Illustration given to a graphic novel. Mariko Tamaki: I think American Born Chinese was the first one? Paste: This One Summer is the first graphic novel to receive the Caldecott Honor, and I believe it’s only the second to receive Printz recognition. I guess I was surprised only in that I wasn’t expecting a call like that, and I did presume that a Caldecott would be more for a picture book, but I think we’ve been surprised throughout our collaborations at where our books could fit in. Jillian Tamaki: I was surprised only because I didn’t know when it was happening… I don’t pay that much attention to awards. Mariko Tamaki: I knew that they were coming up but I was trying not to think about them too much, so I was super honored and happy, but not necessarily surprised.
Paste: Congratulations on your Printz and Caldecott recognition, which, up until today, felt mutually exclusive! Were you surprised to find you’d been honored in both categories, including one that’s traditionally for picture books? Paste spoke with the cousins over the phone to discuss award recognition, collaboration, and writing for audiences of all ages…or not. With a mélange of marital tension, local teen drama and complicated friendship, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have created a quietly heartbreaking - and hopeful - microcosm of life on the cusp of growing up. Rendered in a lush, monochromatic blue, This One Summer takes place at a summer lake house as two young girls find themselves on opposite sides of the widening gap between adolescence and young adulthood. It’s not every day that a graphic novel is recognized for a prestigious literary honor, but writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Jillian Tamaki’s evocative masterpiece, This One Summer, just accomplished the unprecedented feat of taking home both a Printz Honor (for outstanding young adult literature) and a Caldecott Honor (for exceptional picture book art), awarded by the American Library Association at the Youth Media Awards in Chicago yesterday.
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