"One of the best books of the year."
-The New York Times, NPR, the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.
-The New York Times, NPR, the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.
Red Scare is a Cold War adventure about a girl with polio who gets her hands on a mysterious and powerful artifact that both the USA and the USSR want for their arsenals. Red Scare is full of bicycle chases, flying kids, cunning FBI agents, and enigmatic spies.
The New York Times described it like this:
"Walsh, a New Yorker cartoonist and picture book author, conjures a universe familiar to older fans of the period’s science fiction, film noir and True Crime comics, but he does so with such vigor and excitement that younger readers will turn the pages at a speed rivaling that of the mysterious artifact.
The story — tightly wrought, intense, unpredictable — offers plenty of heart-stopping set pieces, but the real strength of the novel is Peggy’s gradual transformation from an aggrieved, explosive character into a selfless, courageous one."
"Walsh's storytelling skills are superb and the drawings are even better."
—Roz Chast, Shortlisted for the National Book Award for Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
The New York Times described it like this:
"Walsh, a New Yorker cartoonist and picture book author, conjures a universe familiar to older fans of the period’s science fiction, film noir and True Crime comics, but he does so with such vigor and excitement that younger readers will turn the pages at a speed rivaling that of the mysterious artifact.
The story — tightly wrought, intense, unpredictable — offers plenty of heart-stopping set pieces, but the real strength of the novel is Peggy’s gradual transformation from an aggrieved, explosive character into a selfless, courageous one."
"Walsh's storytelling skills are superb and the drawings are even better."
—Roz Chast, Shortlisted for the National Book Award for Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
"RED SCARE is a brilliant, fast-paced adventure. Action, history and a tiny bit of fantasy collide in eye-popping panels, loaded with heart." —Max Brallier, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth Find it at: Bookshop.org Amazon.com |
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"Henry Bear's ... dilemma will resonate with any child who has ever wished their parents were more fun. Readers will hope to see more of Henry Bear." -Kirkus Reviews
And be sure to pick up a copy of my first book, FISH.
"A full-bodied story with an economy of style."
-Kirkus, starred review
"... A deliciously retro style ... Walsh's graphic skills and visual storytelling are highly polished."
-Publisher's Weekly
FISH is available from your favorite bookstore, and on Amazon!
More stuff about FISH:
Here's an interview I did for Kirkus Reviews.
And another for The Dunn County News.
Here's an interview I did for Kirkus Reviews.
And another for The Dunn County News.
The Story of FISH:
FISH began life as a scheme to encourage my nephew (a reluctant reader, but enthusiastic fisherman) to read. Above, you can see the original idea, hastily scrawled on a scrap of lined paper. The final story is basically there already, but there isn't much to it: it's too direct, too literal, too repetitive and predictable. I drew and redrew the story in thumbnail form, adding stuff, subtracting stuff, following trails that led nowhere, doubling back and trying a new path, until I hit on a good story. I used to think what a writer did was find the right story. Now I know an idea can contain many different stories. If you wrote about a boy fishing for letters, I bet your story would be completely different; I didn't find the right story, I found my story.
When I started drawing FISH I first sketched in non-photo blue pencil, a technique that saves you having to erase your pencil lines before scanning. I liked the way the blue looked with the black ink so much I decided to do the art in two colors. (Which became three colors when I added red for the letters.)
I experimented with art techniques as I worked on the story:
At one point I actually drew up a pretty finished version of the whole book, before scrapping it and starting over. Not the most efficient way to work, perhaps, but the effort wasn't wasted: sometimes going the wrong way helps you figure out the right way.
After revising the story many times, with the help of friends, my agent, and my editor, I drew the finished artwork with a sable brush and ink. I scanned that into my computer, and added color in Photoshop.
All finished!
