It’s almost a book! Now available for pre-order: HOW ATOMS MAKE FRIENDS, a new picture book written by the wonderful Ainissa Ramirez and published by the good people at MIT Kids Press/Candlewick will be out 1/26/27. You can buy a copy for the future scientists in your life now by visiting the bookseller of your choice here.
Speaking of making friends—Ainissa and I have yet to meet in person, but if we were atoms, and books were electrons, the two of us bonded over science picture books several years ago through Twitter…back when it was a fun place. So imagine my delight when I was approached by one of my favorite publishers, and an art director I’d always wanted to work with, to illustrate Ainissa’s wonderful text about the smallest of particles and how they connect to make the world around us.
This was a challenging conceptual project to visualize, but one that entertained me immensely once I got going. Growing up, I never considered myself a “science kid” but I always enjoy the process and learn so much through these projects. I hope our book brings the same joy and wonder to readers once they get their hands on it in January.
If you’d like to get a bit more of a sneak peek at ATOMS, check this out.