Tale of young husky facing mistaken identity teaches about individuality and power of self-belief

Librarian Sarah Kurpiel's '10 love for picture books led her to create a timeless character any child can love and learn from. Thanks to skills she grew and lessons she took from her time at North Central majoring in English literature and French, she was able to make the story of Maple the husky into a critically acclaimed book called Lone Wolf, published in May by Greenwillow, an imprint of HarperCollins. It's been named to the summer 2020 Kids’ Indie Next List and was one of the Amazon.com Best Books of the Month. Kurpiel shared with North Central Editorial Director Laura Zahn Pohl what it took to get Maple's story to the masses.

What inspired you to write and illustrate a children’s book? Did you have this goal while you were studying at North Central? Was there anyone or anything at North Central that inspired your career (in library science) and book publishing?

I’ve always loved to draw. I can’t count the number of sketchbooks I’ve gone through over the years. Drawing was—and still is—very relaxing for me, which is probably why I’ve never stopped. When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy. So, by middle school, I was pretty sure a career in visual art was not in my future. Still, I drew. A lot. At North Central, I took several English courses from Dr. Richard Glejzer, who included graphic narratives—mostly graphic memoirs, but also Shaun Tan’s wordless The Arrival—in his reading lists. I had never read anything like these books before. They had a powerful impact on me. That was the first time I remember thinking, “I want to illustrate stories.” It wasn’t until years later, after my first library job reminded me of my love of picture books, that I knew just what kind of stories I wanted to make. I feel very lucky to have an opportunity to make books for kids.

My experiences at North Central also sparked my passion for special collections. Dr. Lisa Long took my English class on a trip to Northern Illinois University’s Rare Books & Special Collections to see examples of 19th-century popular fiction. It was amazing to handle antiquarian books. Before this point, I didn’t know the term “special collections.” Afterward, it was all I could think about. I researched the field. One day, I mentioned to my advisor, Dr. Martha Bohrer, I was considering library science with a specialization in special collections. She enthusiastically encouraged me to pursue it. She wrote me letters of recommendation for library science graduate programs and my first library internship and connected me with a librarian at the Oesterle Library.

How did your creative process work for this book?

Lone Wolf is about a Siberian Husky mistaken for a wolf so many times that she starts to believe maybe, just maybe, she is one. I think many kids (and people of all ages really) can relate to the way the main character, Maple, feels in her moments of self-doubt. Maple is inspired by my childhood dog, a husky named Mikayla. People compared her to a wolf from time to time, and that memory always stuck with me. Years ago, I sketched a few comic strips about Mikayla. When brainstorming picture book ideas, I returned to those comic strips and chose one idea I felt had potential for layers: a husky mistaken for a wolf. I had already drawn many a husky in my style, so Maple’s design (though she wasn’t named Maple yet) was ready to go. But I still needed a story. I think about picture books visually, so I started with what I call key pictures, those visual moments I can’t imagine the book without. I then constructed the overall concept and plotted what will happen on each spread. Sometimes I had words in mind, but usually the words came later. After thumbnailing the story, I created a dummy, which is a sketched version of the entire book. Thanks to helpful feedback from my agents and editor, the point-of-view shifted and the story arc evolved. Over time, visual motifs naturally emerged, such as circles, handwritten annotations, and dotted lines, which you’ll find throughout the book. Once the editor approved the final dummy, I started the final art. I draw digitally in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet, mostly using digital dry media brushes. I taught myself how to draw in Photoshop back in 2016 by watching YouTube videos, absorbing techniques from the many illustrators I follow on Instagram, and simply experimenting myself. I love the flexibility and possibilities of drawing digitally.