Night Driving was a success and received positive reviews. Laura Godwin, the editor, offered me a contract to write and illustrate the next book. I was giddy with the possibilities and I could not choose. I created characters that lacked a storyline. My sketchbook was filled with talking hot dogs and creatures from the pit of my imagination. My wife, Yunhee, told me to get a job where I could think about the book and get paid. I got a job delivering doorknobs to new houses around Denver. The scenic route of grass and mountains inspired the setting for
Little Bunny on the Move.
The other inspiration came from watching hours of television. I saw a documentary about the "Oregon Trail". After the program, the image of a little white rabbit walking with purpose came into my head. Laura is an incredible editor with words. She advised that the book should have descriptions like "over, under, past, and across". These words engaged the reader on the journey with the Bunny.
Drawing the Bunny was surprisingly fun and easy. Most of my time was spent on creating the foliage on the trees and the blades of grass. The little girl who wants to keep the bunny, is the daughter of a friend of ours. For the reference photo, she is actually playing with Fabian, the cat.
When I finished the final illustration, I laid out all the drawings on our couch. My cat, Fabian jumped onto the drawing of the bunny going under the fence. As I screamed and picked him up, he dug his claws into the paper. After a few hours of panic, I sanded down the grooves using a power tool normally used for sanding details on doorknobs. I could not forgive Fabian for at least 3 years, which is apparent when I made
Hondo and Fabian.
