Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Claudia Rueda (Meet the Smushkins)!
Meet the Author: Claudia Rueda
Claudia Rueda is a Colombian author and a New York Times Best Seller illustrator of over thirty picture books. Rueda’s books have been published in the United States, Mexico, and Spain and have been translated into sixteen different languages for Asia and Europe. She was a Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards nominee. Claudia lives in New York City and teaches picture books at the School of Visual Arts.
About the Book: Meet the Smushkins
The Smushkins are looking for a house, but what makes a good house for the Smushkins? They all agree: there must be lots of light, a big table everyone can sit on to look out the window, and an apple tree for making pies. Oh, and a playground, puddles to jump in, an ice cream cart, and so much more! But most of all, a good house for the Smushkins is a house full of Smushkins! Kicking off a delightful concept board book series, this boldly illustrated, giftable picture book introduces a family of characters so adorable, so goofy, and so lovable that readers of all ages can’t help but feel that they’ve known them forever.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
One day, I was doodling without any specific intention, and these creatures simply emerged on the page. They expressed the playfulness and curiosity I often see in children, and that really resonated with me. I saved those drawings for several months until I decided to create a story for them. Around that time, I was in the middle of a discouraging apartment search in New York City. Thinking of the Smushkins while working at the library, I started imagining the kind of home they would love—and that playful idea became the starting point for their story.
YABC: Is your main character like you?
There is often a bit of you in almost all your characters. Still, I would say I have a bit of Puff’s daring nature, Moe’s care for others, and Opie’s vulnerability.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
It’s never easy to know when a book is finished. I think most stories begin with a kind of disruption or longing, and I keep working until that tension settles into balance, as if it no longer needs me to keep shaping it.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always loved drawing, but I was most interested in telling something with images. That interest led me to make political cartoons for my local newspaper, and later, educational illustrated books. It wasn’t until we moved to California that I discovered children’s books writing, through a course I took at UC Berkeley. That’s when I realized I could bring fiction and images together to tell stories—and I haven’t stopped since.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
That’s a hard question to answer since I don’t really think about a specific audience when I write—except when it’s a book for preschoolers. I imagine myself as a storyteller, and I write with the idea that the words will be read out loud. Picture books are meant to be heard, so I pay close attention to rhythm, musicality, and clarity.
YABC: How do you plan to celebrate the launch of your book?
We’ll have a very nice book launch at Sullaluna bookshop in New York on December 1st. I will be speaking with my dear agent Janna Morishima about the creative process and all the journey to make these books happen.
YABC: What hobbies do you enjoy?
I love hiking, biking, cooking, going to museums and the theatre, listening to music, traveling, reading. watching movies, making quick portraits of people, painting.
YABC: What’s your least favorite word or expression and why?
Hate. It’s so hard to create something out of that word. It’s very destructive.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
I would say Halloween. I love the idea of a night where the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the worlds of the spirits are blurred. That’s the moment when storytelling and fantasy begins. I also love the contemporary iconography of halloween: the pumpkins, the bats and the black cats, the children’s costumes. It’s much fun!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m writing more picture book stories for the the Smushkins. Now that I am much more familiar with their personalities, I’m enjoying creating situations and watching them react and solve their problems. I’m also writing a book about picture book writing.
Title: Meet the Smushkins
Author: Claudia Rueda
Illustrator: Claudia Rueda
Release Date: Dec.2, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: Picture Book
Age Range: 3-5 years
