Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Vikram Madan (BoBo And Pup-Pup: Hatch an Egg)!
Meet the Author: Vikram Madan
VIKRAM MADAN, an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, is the author of the Bobo and Pup-Pup graphic chapter-book series, which includes The Funny Book, We Love Bubbles!, and Let’s Make Cake! He grew up in India and spent many years working in the tech industry before coming to his senses and following his heart into the visual and literary arts, creating work that can be in turn humorous, quirky, fun, lighthearted, philosophical, thought-provoking, and sometimes all of these at the same time. When not painting and making public art, Vikram writes and illustrates humorous poetry. Visit him at VikramMadan.com.
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook
About the Book: BOBO AND PUP-PUP: HATCH AN EGG
Bobo is a monkey. Pup-Pup is a dog. They find a hairy brown egg that they need to take care of! Perfect for fans of Elephant & Piggie who are ready to graduate to two new buddies!
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s an egg falling from the sky? Best friends Bobo and Pup-Pup will discover what’s inside once it hatches. But wait…how will they help the egg hatch? Is it even an egg? Find out as they work together and discover a surprise while readers are in on the joke.
This hilarious and relatable graphic chapter book will have kids ages 5 to 8 laughing out loud while gaining confidence in reading. Graphic chapter books serve as a great bridge to graphic novels and longer chapter books. Don’t miss the rest of the books in the series:
We Love Bubbles!
Let’s Make Cake!
The Funny Book
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I first sketched the Bobo character – a cute monkey – when I was a teenager. Over the years, I would jot down hypothetical book titles next to the character. One day I wrote down ‘Brainy Bobo and Super-Pup’ and suddenly that became ‘Bobo and Pup-Pup’ and I knew right away I had the basis for a book about two best friends with different personalities. The ideas for each book in the series were inspired by incidents from my own life.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
I identify most, and empathize, with Pup-Pup. Whereas Bobo is a free-spirit and an improviser, Pup-Pup likes to do things methodically and follow the rules step-by-step, and sometimes that’s hard when all your friends are like Bobo!
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
A book is only finished when it’s finally printed on paper! Till then, it will undergo many rounds of revision – first from myself, then from feedback from my trusted readers, and then from feedback the editorial staff helping to publish the book. Many changes can happen between when a writer first thinks they are done, and when the book is finally published.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I have been writing since I was eight years old, but did not think I could be an author till, well into my adulthood, the day I saw an exhibition of Dr. Seuss’s original manuscripts. Looking at his handwritten notes, I realized that writing is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, and if it was primarily hard work, then maybe, perhaps, I could do it too?
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
When writing, I try to imagine myself reading the book aloud to kids of the target age, or imagine myself as a kid reading the book by myself. This allows me to make decisions about concepts, humor and words that are tuned to that age category.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space?
When I am writing, I need solitude and like to find a secluded corner in a large library. When illustrating I like putting on old B&W silent films in the background to help create some visual atmosphere.
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
I love writing funny scenes and imagining ways to create situations and even ‘page turns’ that would make a reader laugh out loud. In ‘HATCH AN EGG’ some of the humor comes from the fact that the reader is in on the joke, but the characters are not.
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
When I’m procrastinating, I’m usually finding other, unimportant things to do. To break out of procrastination, I find it’s best to create a working schedule with daily goals and then hold myself accountable to those.
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
My current books already fall into a variety of age ranges. BOBO & PUP-PUP are ages 4-8 (although also very popular with 2 year olds). My easy reader graphic novel OWL & PENGUIN is for ages 3-6, and my funny poetry book A HATFUL OF DRAGONS is for ages 7 and up.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
After BOBO & PUP-PUP: HATCH AN EGG launches, I have two graphic novel books launching in 2023: OWL & PENGUIN: BEST DAY EVER (ages 3-6) and ZOONI TALES: KEEP IT UP, PLUCKY PUP (ages 5-8).
Title: BOBO AND PUP-PUP: HATCH AN EGG
Author: Vikram Madan
Illustrator: Nicola Slater
Release Date: 1/24/2023
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Genre: Graphic Chapter Book
Age Range: 5-8
