Award-Winning Author Jon Agee Discusses George and Lenny Are Always Together and the Art of Children's Book Creation

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca
Schulze interviews award-winning author-illustrator Jon Agee
about his latest picture book George and Lenny Are Always
Together. They discuss Agee's creative process, his evolution
from writing about middle-aged protagonists to child characters,
and how he infuses gentle humor and nuanced storytelling into his
work about friendship, independence, and the delicate balance
between togetherness and solitude.





Transcription: You can read the transcription on
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Children's Book Review⁠⁠⁠





Highlights:



Creative Solitude: Why Agee guards his story
ideas like "living little creatures" and rarely shares them
until fully formed


Character Development: The organic process of
how George the bear and Lenny the rabbit emerged from simple
dialogue sketches


Artistic Process: His traditional art approach
using paper and paint, then scanning into computer


Humor Craft: The delicate art of infusing
subtle, nuanced humor that works for both children and adults


Illustration Philosophy: When to let pictures
do the work instead of words, creating space for reader
interpretation


Emotional Storytelling: How he almost came to
tears reading his own goodbye scene to school children


Literary Influences: Current inspiration from
Beatrice Alemangna and childhood impact of Edward Lear's
limericks






Notable Quotes:


"John Agee has made a career out of chronicling the masculine
midlife crisis for preschool readers." —Emily Jenkins review that
Agee never forgot

"I guard ideas almost like a living little creature that
could dissolve. So I don't want to share it with anybody until
it's more than just a little embryo." —Jon Agee on protecting
creative ideas

"I think there's parts of both characters in me...I can
identify with both George and Lenny, that very naive childlike
bear and that kind of analytical, intelligent, questioning
rabbit." —Jon Agee on character development

"Even if they're a bear or a rabbit or a grumpy old guy on a
marooned island, I need to be engaged with the characters." —Jon
Agee on storytelling

"My motivation is to engage with them, to make them think, to
make them laugh...but also to expand their imagination too." —Jon
Agee on his goals for young readers






Books Mentioned:


George and Lenny Are Always Together by Jon Agee:
⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠

Pepper and Me by Beatrice Alemangna: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠ or
⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemangna: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠

Terrific by Jon Agee: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠

The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠
or ⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠

The Nonsense Book by Edward Lear

The Friendly Book by Margaret Wise Brown






About Jon Agee: Jon Agee is an award-winning
author and illustrator with over 40 years in children's
publishing. Known for his distinctive humor and storytelling
style, Agee has created numerous beloved picture books. His
career evolved from writing about adult protagonists in the 1990s
to focusing on child characters, adapting to industry changes
while maintaining his signature blend of gentle humor and
meaningful themes. He has also written lyrics and stories for
children's musicals.





Connect and Follow:


Learn more about Jon Agee at ⁠⁠⁠his website⁠⁠⁠:
https://www.jonagee.com/

Visit ⁠⁠⁠The Children's Book Review⁠⁠ website⁠ for more
episodes






Credits:


Host: Bianca Schulze

Guest: Jon Agee

Producer: Bianca Schulze






The Growing Readers Podcast celebrates children's literature and
its power to inspire a lifelong love of reading.





Keywords: Jon Agee, Growing Readers podcast,
George and Lenny Are Always Together, picture book, children's
literature, friendship, independence, bear and rabbit, humor,
illustration, creative process, traditional art, character
development, publishing industry, Harry Potter impact, Edward
Lear, Margaret Wise Brown, Beatrice Alemangna, storytelling,
emotional connection