illustrators — blog posts

On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue -How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America... the new picture book from publisher Clarion Books/Harper Collins is released today! / December 13, 2022 by steven salerno

My latest illustrated picture book, ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE is available starting today from publisher Clarion Books/Harper Collins. It's the inspiring life story of Milton Hershey -the chocolate king who brought milk chocolate to America. Wonderfully written by Tziporah Cohen & illustrated by Steven Salerno.

And here is the direct link to the podcast, The Happy Writer... hosted by NY Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer. In this latest episode Marissa chats with Tziporah Cohen and Steven Salerno about their new picture book - ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE: HOW MILTON HERSHEY BROUGHT MILK CHOCOLATE TO AMERICA - as well as the process and timeline of a picture book, from manuscript and revisions to artist selection, preliminary sketches, and beyond; the vast amounts of research that go into the creation of a nonfiction picture book, for both the prose and the illustrations; why its important for writers to leave room for the illustrator to bring their own ideas and interpretations to the story; how so often rejection is a result of poor timing, not necessary the quality of the work; having the confidence to identify as a writer; and a few different inspiring stories of perseverance - from chocolate makers to writers!

http://www.marissameyer.com/podcast

And here is the link to my illustration web site where you can view some of the illustrations from ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE

https://www.stevensalerno.com/on-the-corner-of-chocolate-ave

illustrator & children's book author STEVEN SALERNO -bio update / August 27, 2022 by steven salerno

illustrator & children’s book author **Steven Salerno** (photo 2019) -visit stevensalerno.com

STEVEN SALERNO has illustrated 37 picture books for major publishers -with 5 of these titles being both the author & illustrator: Little Tumbo (Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books), Coco the Carrot (Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books), Harry Hungry (Harcourt Children’s Books), Wild Child (Abrams Books for Young Readers), and his most recent author/illustrator title is Tim’s Goodbye (Farrar Straus Giroux 2018).

Steven Salerno lives and works in Manhattan (NYC) and is a graduate of Parsons School of Design. (Note: while a student at Parsons his instructor for a year long picture book illustration course was the famed author/illustrator Maurice Sendak, creator of Where the Wild Things Are.) Over Steven’s long freelance illustration career, in addition to the 37 picture books he has illustrated thus far, he also creates illustrations for magazines, newspapers, print & web advertising, publishing, packaging, and retail graphics.

visit stevensalerno.com to view many samples of his editorial and advertising illustrations -and click here to see a list of all his picture books published through 2023.

**Steven Salerno** has illustrated 37 picture books to date, and is both the **author & illustrator** for 5 of these titles (shown above) -visit stevensalerno.com

**Steven Salerno** working on an illustration for the picture book, ***BOOM!*** -published by Hyperion Books/Disney. -visit stevensalerno.com

LATEST PICTURE BOOK NEWS

In December 2022 Steven’s most recent illustrated picture book was released, On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue -How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America (nonfiction) written by Tziporah Cohen and illustrated by Steven Salerno, published by Clarion Books/Harper Collins. The true story of the poor kid from Pennsylvania, Milton Hershey, who first introduced his innovative HERSHEY’S milk chocolate candy bar back in 1905 -and went on to create his massive chocolate empire, becoming one of the largest chocolate candy producers in the world.

COVER: ***On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue -How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America*** (nonfiction) written by **Tziporah Cohen** and illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, published by Clarion Books/Harper Collins 2022. (A **Junior Library Guild GOLD STANDARD** selection for 2022) -visit stevensalerno.com

one of the inside of book illustrations from *On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue -How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America* (nonfiction) written by **Tziporah Cohen** and illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, published by Clarion Books/Harper Collins 2022. (A **Junior Library Guild GOLD STANDARD** selection for 2022) -visit stevensalerno.com

Steven Salerno also has been working on a very special picture book project for VIKING -an imprint of Penguin Random House. In 2019 the publisher had asked Steven if he would illustrate 5 new MADELINE picture books written by John Marciano Bemelmans, the grandson of famed Ludwig Bemelmans (b.1896 - d.1962) who was the author/illustrator creator of the five original classic MADELINE picture books which were released from 1939 through 1961. Yes, THAT Madeline! The brave little girl in the yellow hat living in a Paris boarding school along with eleven other young girls, all under the watchful gaze of the towering Miss Clavel. This special project request meant that Steven wasrequired to create the illustrations for these 5 new MADELINE picture books in the recognizable drawing stye of Ludwig Bemelmans! Thus far Steven has competed the first 4 titles in this 5 book series:

1) Love from Madeline (this book was released in January 2022)

2) Madeline’s ABCs (this book was released in June 2022)

3) Madeline’s 123s (this book was released in November 2022)

4) Madeline’s SEASONS (this book was released in Spring 2023)

5) the 5th picture book in the series is still in development.

**above:** the new mini-hardcover picture book, **LOVE From Madeline** -written by **John Marciano Bemelmans** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, released in January 2022 by VIKING (imprint of Penguin Random House) -visit stevensalerno.com

**above:** detail of the Title Page from the new mini-hardcover picture book, **LOVE From Madeline** -written by **John Marciano Bemelmans** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, released in January 2022 by VIKING (imprint of Penguin Random House) -visit stevensalerno.com

**above:** detail of the one of the interior illustration spreads from the new mini-hardcover picture book, **LOVE From Madeline** -written by **John Marciano Bemelmans** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, released in January 2022 by VIKING (imprint of Penguin Random House) -visit stevensalerno.com

AWARD NEWS

In 2019 The Crayon Man -The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons (nonfiction) written by Natascha Biebow & illustrated by Steven Salerno was released by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It’s the story of Edwin Binney, who loved color, but his chemical manufacturing company in the late 1800’s only produced black ink, black crayons, black powder, and black dyes… until the day in 1903 when Edwin finally came up with just the right recipe for making color crayons especially for school children, which he and his wife named CRAYOLA CRAYONS… This wonderful picture book not only was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, but in 2020 it also won the prestigious Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature, voted for by children all around the world.

COVER: **The Crayon Man -The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons** (nonfiction) written by **Natascha** **Bibow** and illustrated by **Steven Salerno**, published by Houghton Mifflin 2019. (A **Junior Library Guild GOLD STANDARD** selection for 2020 and winner of **The Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature in 2020**) -visit stevensalerno.com

Heat Wave -drawing by Steven Salerno / July 26, 2022 by steven salerno

“Heat Wave” drawing by Steven Salerno (placed into a mock-cover design of *The New Yorker* magazine)

This is one of my recent drawings (digital) -created in response to news of ever increasing temperatures being recorded around the globe, due to climate change -represented by the earth as a scoop of ice cream atop a cone, and rapidly melting under the hot sun.

Many years ago some of my drawings appeared on the inside pages of a few The New Yorker magazine issues… but never on the cover. When I created this drawing of the melting “earth” ice cream I had the thought that it would make for a provocative New Yorker magazine cover, so just for the fun of it placed within the mock-design of the magazine’s iconic cover design. (To be clear, my drawing posted here was not created for The New Yorker magazine nor published by the magazine.)