“Some time or another, we all experience that feeling that every day is the same, the same people and places, the same conversation, the same food – and wonder about what if it wasn’t?”
I’ve spent nearly half my 38 years living in the house where my picture book Sunday takes place, in a small townhouse in São that belonged to my maternal grandparents, home to my great-grandmother, my grandparents, my parents, my brother, and me—plus a host of animals. The last of these was a large, golden Labrador named Spike, who inspired the dog in Sunday. It was a bustling household, rarely quiet, yet it often allowed for moments of individuality. While the adults were busy with their tasks, my brother and I were free to play, either with each other or with neighborhood kids.
From a young age, I discovered a love for drawing and, whenever I had time to myself or felt bored, I would bury myself in sketchbooks, drawing characters, animals, people around me, and even copying illustrations from my favorite picture books. (My mother still treasures a drawing I made of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.)
I fell in love with children’s literature, especially picture books, and turned to childhood—my own memories and the future I imagined for my child—as I created my own.
One day, I envisioned a little boy examining the palm of his hand, imagining it as a map, and embarking on an imaginary journey. I sketched the hand-map and began brainstorming other parts of the human body that could symbolize a journey: my brother’s beard as a dense forest, my father’s bald head as a desert, and my grandmother’s iris as a galaxy.
Around the same time, I was deeply inspired by the story of Amyr Klink, a Brazilian adventurer who, in the 1980s, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. His journey—a 100-day solo trip from the coast of Africa to South America—added another layer of inspiration. Gradually, these ideas blended into the story of Martin, a boy who goes on an extraordinary journey around the world without ever leaving home, transforming boredom into adventure with the help of creativity and his dog.
“You never know where boring days will take you.”
Some time or another, we all experience that feeling that every day is the same, the same people and places, the same conversation, the same food – and wonder about what if it wasn’t? I wouldn’t trade anything from my childhood. I look back at those Sundays with the same people, the places, and food and am thankful — and hope kids recognize the magic that can come from ordinary aspects of daily life. You never know where those boring days will take you.
Very first sketches
First script
That’s the story behind Sunday. I hope it’s inspired you to pack your bags and join Martin and his dog Maize on their creative adventure.
Marcelo Tolentino is a visual artist and art educator from São Paulo, Brazil and studied graphic design at the Panamerican School of Art and Design. SUNDAY, which he wrote and illustrated, was selected as a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, received starred reviews from Kirkus and SLJ, and is his first picture book to be published in the US. Look for it January 22nd from Blue Dot Kids Press. Download a Boredom Busters Activity Kit and Educator’s Guide for book extensions.