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Technology is allowing parents to access educational tools from almost anywhere and at any time. And some of the best tools are the digital storybooks that are now available online in a variety of formats. Recently, I was thrilled to learn about
Illustrator Maroe Susti is the owner of Susti Graphics, and has created some of the most beautiful e-books that I have seen. Ms. Susti graciously consented to answer a few questions and share her story with the LBBC. I hope you will take a moment to read our mini-interview and to explore her work...
When and why did you become a graphic artist?
I grew up in a family of artists; my mother was a painter, and I think I inherited this inclination and it developed naturally throughout my childhood. It was an easy decision for me after high school to study fine arts at the Art School of the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Lima- Peru. I did a year of postgraduate study for design in Milan Italy, where among my teachers was Umberto Eco. I have extensive experience in both fine arts and graphic design. I really enjoy my work on both.
What made you decide to create educational and bilingual stories for children? And why Spanish?
I was born and raised in an Italian family in Lima, Peru. I grew up speaking Spanish and Italian, and had English classes at school; for me speaking multiple languages has always been a part of my life. When my daughter was 3 or 4 years old, I used to make up stories to teach her about simple life situations. And at bed time, I would also make up stories when she was young. She liked some stories more than others, and I would write them down to re-read to her exactly the way it was the first time; she was very particular about that.
As time went by (this was the 1980s) I roughly illustrated some stories but never got around to publishing them. My daughter was older then, and I introduced her to Sesame street magazine. She spoke only Spanish at that time and it was then that I though about a bilingual book. She eventually became an avid reader and fluent English speaker with an interest in writing.
In the 1990s, I found the stories in an old documents' box, and re-made all the illustrations in a few of the stories. At this time, I had a vague intention of publishing them sometime in the future. This lasted for several years. I worked on them on an off in my spare time. The "maybe one day I will publish," became a family joke with my daughter, but I finally did it! Or I could say we did it, because she has been part of all this process since she was very young. She would give ideas and sometimes reformat the stories. She wrote the text for Christmas Trouble/Navidad en Apuros when she was thirteen.
What is the process like? How do you go about creating an app for iPad?
All my stories are very simple since they are for 4- to 8-year-olds. They rely heavily on illustrations to promote curiosity, entertainment and a little dose of learning simple things. Since I am a visual artist, I tend to go with little text and enhance the story with the images. The hardest part is to come up with a story that not only your child will like, but all children.
The initial concept of the book is the most important. The process would begin with the concept, taking into account the kind of story you will like to write, the age of the reader, and the media of the final product. It could be for print or digital, and if digital, you have to decide for what platform. Could be iPad only, or produce a set of several versions for every tablet in the market, and/or for phones. If you plan to do a digital book and add a lot of interactivity, sound, bilingual choices, games or personalization; it has to be decided early in the project. If I had to begin from scratch today, maybe the outcome would have been different since I adapted text and illustrations that were originally for print, into an iPad format. My mind was set on a parent reading the book, promoting reading and bonding with the child. But, now that they are published, I think I will revise and improve at least two of them in some areas. I am planning to do a version 2 with more interactivity. It will upgrade automatically through the iTunes store.
How long does it take from start to finish to create a digital storybook?
If I had begun and publish the stories as if it was a deadline job, I think it would had taken me eight to twelve months for the lengthy ones. When I began with the publishing itself, the options for coding and bundling the stories where scarce. I did them with specialized coders - which I am not. Six months after I began the final production of the books, the technology has improved greatly for digital publishing with Adobe digital publishing for designers. I think publishing will be relatively fast once you have your story and illustrations finished, which is the hardest part.
You currently have four bilingual, digital books available. Can you tell us a little bit about each one? Do you have a favorite, and if so, why?
As this was "the project of my life,” I have two that are very dear to me. Sea Colours and Mr. Martin and the Birds.
SeaColours/Los Colores del Mar -I began in the late 70s. This is a story with 3 threads featuring “Mr. Green fish”, “Ms. Jellyfish” and “Octonio” the octopus. Each of the stories have common elements and tell a story of three families of sea creatures and their personal lives and activities. There is a fourth choice that gives some information about color also in both languages. I had the help of Liliana Nunez-Aguirre, an excellent translator proficient in both languages for this story.
Sea Colours concentrates on the rhyme in both English and Spanish and in detailed illustrations that promote an intimate time for the kids reading by themselves or with their parents doing it for them. There are opportunities to find and discover hidden fishes, see the jellyfishes one on one, and get to know the heroes in each story. To begin, the user has to tap on the English/Spanish seal on the cover. Every page has both languages side by side, which can help bilingual kids or those that want to learn a new language. The illustrations were digitally created.
Mr.Martin and the Birds/El Senior Martin y Los Pájaros - I began this story in 1987. It is about an old man that befriends birds he visits every day on the park. He enjoys his daily visit feeding the birds that recognize him from far away. One day is approached by a crow trying to tell him something he does not understand. He finally realizes that the little crow was telling him to leave because the rain was coming. There is some animation of birds flying in and out of the screen but no sound. The illustration are hand drawn and adapted for iPad.
The smelly Cloud/La Nube Perfumada - I began this story in late 70s. This is a very simple, short little story about a steam from a pot on a kitchen stove. The steam flies up to the sky and has some little adventures. This one has some animation and is also bilingual.
Christmas Trouble/Navidad en Apuros- This one began as images only, and later my daughter wrote the text as I said before. It is a very simple story about the troubles Santa encounters delivering gifts at Christmas.
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Some ideas came while my daughter was growing as I said before, while others, like Sea Colors were essentially related to my interest in color. Mr. Martin was inspired by real life. In early 1970s, I saw a woman coming every day to feed the birds in the park in front of my building where I lived. When her car approached the corner of the street, the birds would fly in circles and follow her until she opened the door of the car and spread grain on the ground. And the Smelly Cloud was an answer to one of my daughter's questions, i.e., "Mom is the steam a cloud?"
Do you have anything else you'd like to share?
Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about my stories. I hope your readers will enjoy the stories.
To learn more about Susti Graphics, or to purchase one of Maroe Susti's beautiful books, visit her site at SustiGraphics.com
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