Chatham’s Bob Staake Collaborates With David Sedaris On New Book

CHATHAM – Until last week, Bob Staake had never met David Sedaris, even though they recently collaborated on a children’s book.

 But as a longtime fan whom he calls “America’s premier humorist,” Staake was excited to work on “The Selfish Sister,” even though Sedaris’ text proved a bit of a challenge to illustrate.

 The story, about a girl who thinks everything is hers, packs in a lot of detail, which is often Staake’s forte. But his approach was to be somewhat restrained, focusing on the message of how unhappy the sister is by the end. Told from the point of view of the girl’s brother (whose kidney she claims, among other possessions), the story leaves her, at the end, possessing everything but having nothing.

 Staake, a long-time Chatham resident who has written and/or illustrated some 80 books, said the book took him out of his comfort zone, both in the way he approached the drawings and the collaboration. With no input from the author other than the manuscript, he “just followed my instincts,” creating the drawings with pencil before scanning and coloring them, “but not as much as I’d usually do.”

 “It was probably the most unusual collaborative experience that I’ve had,” Staake said during a recent interview in his studio, “because David and I had no communications. Zero.”

He enjoyed Sedaris’ first picture book, “Pretty Ugly,” and was contacted by Françoise Mouly, the cover editor at The New Yorker, about the possibility of illustrating a book for her Toon Books imprint. 

 “At one time I told my agent I’d like to illustrate a book by David Sedaris,” Staake said. “Just as a joke.” When he got the manuscript, it didn’t identify the author. “But I said to myself, this seems like Sedaris.” When he learned his hunch was correct, he saw it as a good sign.

 "It's an equal collaboration,” Sedaris said in a statement issued by the publisher. “Bob's illustrations really brought the book alive."

 Staake likes to work outside the box — his book “Bluebird” has no words — and liked the idea of a main character who was not likeable. It might make some readers uneasy, but it also makes them think.

 “I’ve fought with publishers about this for a long time,” he said. It’s an approach that speaks to children where they are, because they can often see the world more clearly than adults. It harkens back to the tales of the Brothers Grimm.

 “It’s a crazy world,” he said of how he wants the book to come across, “so get ready and take the ride. Let a kid experience it their own way.” He’d like to see more books in this vein, “but the publishing world is becoming safer and safer and more corporate,” he said.

After meeting Sedaris and signing books with him at Symphony Hall April 9, Staake said the writer measured up to his expectations. 

 “David is a national treasure, and finally meeting him was an absolute delight,” he said in an email. “He could not have been more generous in his comments about my illustrations for the book. It was such a unique, fun collaboration and we clearly share the same twisted sense of humor — though he dresses far better than I.”