Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song
Written by Joe Raposo Illustrated by Brigette Barrager et al.
Random House, 2019
Medium: Photoshop
What an honor to be invited into a project like this. I’ve been a Sesame Street fan since the age of two—my dad credited it with helping me learn to read early. Some of those songs stick in your brain forever (one two three four five…six seven eight nine ten…eleven tweeeeelllve!). I jumped at the opportunity to be included in this roster of superstar illustrators. The text of the book is the words to the Sesame Street theme song, and each illustrator was assigned a lyric for their pages. Mine was “It’s a magic carpet ride. Every door will open wide.” The editor assured me that I didn’t need to interpret the “magic carpet” part literally, but the energy of that image felt so strong to me. I drew my nephew Rowan (in his favorite boots) and niece Alice among the diverse kids flying over a magical imaginary landscape (they are the blonde kids in the front). I also included Grover, my favorite blue furry monster!