Author Moore reflects on childhood influences

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Michael Hvizdos, 7, of North Lima gets an autograph Wednesday from childrenÕs author and illustrator Cyd Moore at the Boardman Library. Moore spoke about her life and artwork to kick off the public libraryÕs summer reading program..

Reporter Ashley Luthern talked with Cyd Moore before Wednesday’s presentation at Boardman Library.

Q: What influence did the public library have on you growing up?

A: I didn’t go to the library very much growing up because we were a farm family and back then we didn’t go. Our parents were working on the farm and you didn’t just drive 15 miles to go the library.

The library came to me in the way of a book mobile, and every summer it would drive up in the front yard. A little lady would beep the horn and we’d come out. We would go get on the bookmobile, and it was like a traveling library — there were hundreds of books.

Every summer my mom always signed us up for the summer reading program. We’d get a sheet to write all the titles you had read, and I had to make lots of copies because I read so many many books. It’s a big part of my life, and strangely, I never even went ... to the real library in the town near me.

Q: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer and illustrator for children’s books?

A: I always loved children’s books. I loved reading them, and I would copy pictures inside of the books. My mom was an artist, so we had a lot of art supplies around the house.

... I decided to be a graphic designer, and as a result that’s how I wound up in children’s book. ... I did illustrations for ads ... and one of the clients was the children’s theater. I was doing illustrations, and they looked very children’s book-ish. ... I started getting children’s books because of the type of work I was doing (with ads).

I loved it. After a while ... I made the decision I would just do that.

Q: What advice would you give to young, aspiring illustrators?

A: The market is changing tremendously. There may not even be books in 10-20 years unless you find the old ones.

... I tell college students to learn how to build websites, animated books with flash ... and learn how to think visually. ... The world keeps growing. If you embrace what’s going on, you’ll get ideas and you’ll get inspiration to work in the modern world. I have hope for us all that books will be continued in some form ... They might not even be called books.

SEE ALSO: Kids dive into summer reading program at Boardman Library