In Korean!

how Pearl came to be

Pearl is my second book to be published as an author and illustrator, but the story of Pearl was born as I was waiting to hear from my publisher about another book I had written about a little boy porcupine who just loves balloons. That book, Percy's Big Idea, will be published in January of 2012.
I was picking up my daughter from school when I watched one of her classmates (named Pearl as a matter of fact,) giving all her friends goodbye hugs as they left the classroom, and I --since I very much had porcupines on my mind at the time-- heard the thought in my head: "That would be pretty sad for Pearl if she were a porcupine!"
Unable to let a situation of such pathos remain unresolved, I raced home and began to write Pearl's story.

hi from Pearl!

Hugs From Pearl, by Paul Schmid. Available Fall of 2011, Harper Books.