Adam Rubin Talks Tacos, Pizza, Dragons and Squirrels… (and sometimes, he talks too much about China!)

My daughter and I love tacos. So when I saw “Dragons Love Tacos” on a bookstore shelf, it was an immediate purchase. It quickly became one of my daughter’s favorite reads, for both the funny storyline (I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say there is some serious fire breathing from some dragons at one point) and the fun illustrations.

This past Christmas, we added to our collection with “Secret Pizza Party” by the same author-illustrator duo of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri. So pizza and tacos… what can beat those topics in a little girl’s mind? (Adam and Daniel, here’s a hint for your next book: ice cream.) We’ve also contemplated adding “Those Darn Squirrels” to our library, especially given that two of her grandfathers consider squirrels their great nemesis.

Both books have captivated my daughter’s imagination, as you’ll see below in a joint Q&A conducted by me and my daughter, Laura, with author Adam Rubin. (A Q&A with Daniel is forthcoming.)

Robin: Let’s start with the obvious question of… where do your ideas come from?
Ideas come from everywhere for me. My first book “Those Darn Squirrels” was based on my father’s struggle with his bird feeders when I was growing up in the Hudson Valley. “Dragons Love Tacos” was inspired by a small sculpture. Sometimes a phrase pops into my head and I just like the way it sounds—I like the way it feels to say. “Secret Pizza Party,” “Big Bad Bubble,” “Bonga Bird,” “Booyah.”

Robin: Did you know Daniel before illustrating any books together? Or did you all meet via your publisher?
Daniel and I were introduced by our gregarious friend Corey Mintz. Daniel knew Corey from Laguardia High School in New York and I knew Corey from Washington University in St. Louis. We exchanged portfolios and hit it off immediately. I wrote a manuscript for Daniel, he did some sample art and brought it into a meeting he had with some editors in Manhattan. They liked the story, they liked the art and a few months later, Clarion wound up publishing our first book, “Those Darn Squirrels.” Daniel and I didn’t meet in person until a few months after the book had been published but six books and six years later, we live in the same city and we’ve become great friends.

Laura: Do dragons like pizza as much as they do tacos?
Dragons love tacos more than any other food in the world but the classic Pizza vs Taco debate rages on amongst the general public.

Robin: Why children’s books?
I never planned to become a children’s book author. When I wrote my first picture book I was working at a Chicago ad agency writing commercials. I wrote for theater, TV, sketch comedy and a few trade magazines. Even still I love to write all sorts of different things. The picture books have gotten such a tremendous response that it’s encouraged me to focus a lot of energy in that area. It’s a really wonderful medium, so timeless and elegant when done well.

Robin: What children’s books do you find inspirational and/or inspired you to write for children?
There are lots of inspiring picture books out there. Some of my favorites from childhood are “Strega Nona,” “The Three Robbers” and “The Giving Tree.” As an adult, I’ve loved the work of Jon Scieska, Jon Klassen and Oliver Jeffers.

Laura: Is there anything dragons don’t like on their pizza?
When eating pizza (or anything else for that matter) dragons avoid spicy salsa.

Robin: Now that you have what seems to be a somewhat permanent relationship with Daniel, can you talk more about how the two of you work together?
Daniel and I are very close collaborators. We hang out outside of work and we have really similar sensibilities. What’s nice is that we each have different creative strengths so working together is very easy. Throughout the process, we check in with each other and share. It’s really fun. One of my favorite parts about writing picture books is collaborating with Daniel and I don’t understand how sometimes there is so little communication between the author and illustrator of a picture book.

Robin: What animal do you want/plan to write about next?
I’ll probably write about an ocelot next. Ocelots are going to be big in 2016.

Laura: Why do people not tell people about secret pizza parties?
If you tell too many people about a secret pizza party it becomes a plain-old regular pizza party which is less fun and possibly, less delicious.

Robin: What’s your funniest/favorite story involving one of your fans?
Sometimes I do school visits and once I went to a kindergarten where the kids all thought I physically made the books in my apartment. So I explained to them that there is a process: I write a story, a book company buys the story, Daniel draws the pictures, the files all get sent to a factory in China where the books are printed then shipped on a boat back to the US where they get put on big trucks and driven by around the country to bookstores and schools. One little girl raised her hand politely and asked, “Can you please stop talking about China?” The teacher and I just fell apart.

Robin: Since you have such a vivid imagination, if you could re-imagine or re-write a fairy tale or fable, what would it be and why that particular one?
This is an excellent question and if I come up with a good answer, I’ll be sure to write a book about it!

Laura: How do I get a membership into the secret pizza society?
The only way to be granted membership to a secret pizza society is to mail a formal request to your congressman.

Robin: If you had to guess, which animal likes hot dogs the most?
I would guess giraffes like hot dogs most.

Robin: What’s the most difficult part about writing for children?
The most difficult part about writing picture books is answering questions about yourself and your process.

Laura: Do dragons like strawberry cupcakes?
I’m told, on good authority, that they do.

Adam Rubin is the New York Times best-selling author of half a dozen children’s stories including “Dragons Love Tacos,” “Secret Pizza Party,” “Big Bad Bubble” and the Darn Squirrels Trilogy. He lives in New York City, went to school at Washington University in St. Louis and spent his “formative” years in Chicago. Adam’s interests include puzzles, camping, magic tricks, improv comedy, 3D printing, fine dining and cartoons.