Torey Butner is the illustrator of ‘Too Many Moose’ — an all singing, all dancing, picture book about the biggest family of moose anyone has ever seen. This massive moose meet-up comes as a huge surprise to their bewildered host, who ends up dealing with a total of 256 mooose.
In this Q&A Torey discusses working with author Kathy Sherman, packing the book with visual gags, and making sure moose had a personality of their own.
‘Too Many Moose’ by Kathy Sherman and Torey Butner is available to order here.
Your illustrations in ‘Too Many Moose’ are so bright and lively. How would you describe your illustration style?
My work has lots of energetic colour, animal adventures, and hints of mystery and aims to inspire wonder and discovery of magic in the everyday. I am motivated by a mix of vibrant colour combinations, shaping compositions, and finding new ways to incorporate soft textures in my work.
Who or what is your biggest influence as an illustrator?
My rambunctious cats, my wonderful family, and my love of mystery.
How was it working with Kathy on ‘Too Many Moose’? What was your reaction when you first heard the idea / read the manuscript?
Working with Kathy is always a joy! Kathy and I have worked on quite a few projects together; CD albums, books, and animated music videos. So when she shared the music for ‘Too Many Moose’ with me, I was immediately on board. Kathy is an amazing songwriter and singer and as she was singing, I could see the moose dancing around and getting up to their shenanigans.
Talk to us about the Moose. How did you approach illustrating them to make sure they were packed with personality?
I tried out many different character designs for the moose and ultimately decided on the streamlined, triangular shape that we have now. I wanted a design that would be easily adaptable for an animated video, easy for kids to draw, and versatile enough to show off their mischievous behaviour. As for their specific shenanigans, I pulled from my own memories growing up with four siblings. We got up to many of the antics in the book including splashing in the mud and sliding down the stairs.
Do you have a favourite moose in particular? How about a favourite scene or illustration in the book?
My favourite moose has to be the one that snatches an entire cookie jar. The pure joy on the little moose’s face, as he scrambles out the door with something he shouldn’t, was hilarious to illustrate.
The book is full of fun visual humour. How important was it for you to incorporate these visual jokes or funny little details into your illustrations to complement the text?
It’s always important to me as a children’s book illustrator to bring my own imagination to the table to expand on the text and bring my own voice to the table. Personally, I love wacky visual jokes and try to put them in as much as possible.
Finally, what’s one thing you’d like readers to take away from this book?
The joy of unexpected chaos!
