Cover Reveal for A Big Surprise for Little Card by Charise Mericle Harper and Anna Raff

A Big Surprise for Little Card is the perfect book to inspire a rocking program for Library Card Sign-Up Month. It won't be out in time for this year's celebration, but don't forget to use it in September 2016. OK? Promise? :) 

Collaborating with Charise and Candlewick has been one of the highlights of my career. I feel extremely lucky that they thought of me for A Big Surprise for Little Card, giving me the chance to visualize his world. Charise created this wonderful character whose enthusiasm is infectious. For the cover, I had a few initial ideas that my Art Director, Ann Stott thought revealed a little too much of "the big surprise," so we came up with this one, which I thinks still conveys Little Card's spirit. The magic with good publishers is they know who to pair with what story, for the right marriage of words and art. I like to call it the secret sauce of children’s books.

A Big Surprise for Little Card by Charise Mericle Harper; illustrated by Anna Raff | Candlewick Press | Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Fall in love with a disarming picture-book hero in this quirky ode to spirit, identity, and the joy of having (or being) a library card.

In the world of cards, each one has a special job to do. Big Card keeps important papers in order. Tiny Card can be exchanged for a prize in an arcade. Round Card hangs out in a glamorous boutique. But is any card as lucky as Little Card? He’s going to school to become a birthday card — in other words, to sing, play games, eat cake, and be happy all day long. But wait! On the day he’s supposed to take his talents into the world, Long Card tells him there’s been a mix-up and they need to trade jobs. How can Little Card bring his exuberance into a library, a quiet place of books and rules and hushing? Offbeat and utterly endearing, this tale of a little guy who gives it all he’s got is complete with a sweet twist and a surprise ending.