annada hypes
Writing children's books for people of all ages in Charlotte, NC
hello!
A member of SCBWI and a graduate of the PB Rising Stars Mentee class of 2024, Annada writes picture books and middle grade novels.
fun fact:
Annada's first poem of memory was about a forgotten shoe on a highway, inspired by Shel Silverstein. Alas, the poem has been long lost, probably on a highway somewhere.
Q & A:
Q: Favorite writing environment:
A: At approximately 5am in my living room, with deer mingling outside the window, drinking too much coffee, in the quiet of a sleeping house, all to myself.
Q: What are your favorite picture books?
A: There are too many to list, but here are the ones that come to mind, listed in chronological-ish order:
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf & Robert Lawson
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Clown of God by Tomie De Paola
If You're Afraid of the Dark by Cooper Edens
A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman
People by Peter Spier
Just Us Women by Jeannette Caines
Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger
Animalia By Graeme Base
The Paperboy by Dav Pickley
What is Love? by Mac Barnett & Carson Ellis
Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen
I Talk like a River by Jordan Scott & Sydney Smith
Me & Mama by Cozbi Cabrera
Q: What are your favorite colors?
A: Silvery-periwinkle
Glacier ice blue
Deep indigo
Red & teal combos
Happy yellow
And grey, it often gets overlooked but shouldn't
Q: What makes a good picture book, in your opinion?
A: In my opinion, a good picture book has:
~snuggle potential (super important)
~lyrical, poetic language
~immersive, evocative, beautiful art
~a magical quality where the above three things combine into something where the sum is greater than the parts