In the vibrant world of children's literature, few authors capture the imagination quite like Andrew Zettler. With his latest offering, "Between The Chairs," Zettler continues to delight young readers and parents alike, weaving whimsical tales that resonate with childlike wonder and grown-up wit.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, as the fifth of six siblings, Zettler's journey from the frosty landscapes of the Last Frontier to the bustling outskirts of Washington, D.C., mirrors the adventurous spirit found in his works. Now, he calls the nation's capital region home, where he lives with his wife and two daughters, drawing inspiration from the daily joys and challenges of family life.
Zettler's artistic versatility shines through his impressive career. A member of prestigious organizations such as the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the New York Society of Illustrators, he has worn many hats in the creative world. From his beginnings as a cartoonist crafting daily and weekly strips for U.S. newspapers and magazines to his role as the former editor of Metro Home & Living magazine, Zettler's experiences have shaped his unique perspective.
His portfolio boasts an array of beloved works, including "The Teeniest Tiniest Yawn" and illustrations for children's books and young adult novels like "Alphabet Olympics," "Albert Acorn," and "Starless, Starless Nights." With each new project, Andrew Zettler continues to prove why he's a cherished name in children's literature, bringing smiles to faces young and old with his playful prose and charming illustrations.
Zettler shared with us a bit about his life, illustrating and writing.
Tell us a bit about your background and career.
Well, to begin, I was born the fifth of six children in Anchorage Alaska, but now call the outskirts of Washington, D.C. home where I live with my wife and two kids.
I started as a political cartoonist when I was an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, but pretty quickly migrated into the world of comic strips, illustrating for magazines, and writing children’s books.
When did you start writing?
My earliest forays into writing were newspaper and humor magazine articles for hire, cartoons, jokes for greeting cards, and that sort of thing. I eventually settled pretty heavily into the world of children’s books, and now the comic novel space. My earliest roots were as a comic strip creator though, so I think it will always be in my DNA to marry humorous illustration into my writing.
Tell us about your new book.
My latest book, Between The Chairs, chronicles the daily life of an 8-year-old boy who struggles with the constant indignities of life at the bottom of the family totem pole as told through his first-person narration and comic strip interludes.
To the set the scene for him, he’s buried seven deep in a family of eight, surrounded as far as he can see in all directions by the bland cookie-cutter streets of planned suburbia, and to make matters worse, he sits every night at a table that was sold to his parents with only six chairs for some inexplicable reason. It’s ultimately a numbers game based on seniority, so at every meal he’s forced to sit on a little stool wedged between older siblings who all outrank him.
He doesn’t exactly take his lot in life sitting down though, and is constantly scheming ways to stand out and be noticed. In this first book in the series, Between The Chairs - The Race for Space, we find his latest plan is to gain the attention of his whole town, and ultimately NASA, by flying a simple drugstore variety kite high above the clouds and into outer space. He’ll need a dump truck’s worth of extra string and has a host of other challenges in his way, but he’s blessed with a pretty self-delusional belief in the mission.
Like most eight-year old’s, he truly believes one grand stunt like this could turn his whole world around, so at the end of the day he’s trying to gain some respect, but also hoping it will elevate him to a seat at his own dinner table as well. His attempts often fail spectacularly, but he always seems to dust himself off and try again. Ultimately that’s what Between The Chairs comes down to, it’s a story of resilience, family bonds, and the magic of believing in yourself pretty unfailingly.
You also illustrated the book. Do you consider yourself more of a writer or illustrator?
That’s a great question. I’m going to call it a tie! In my process it seems one is always whispering to the other. When I’m writing, my mind will constantly wander off to one side to ponder a playful image that might put a cherry on top for the reader, but the same seems true in reverse, if I start sketching characters and settings first, a storyline often seems to flow.
It’s such a visual project, are you looking to adapt it as a film or series?
Absolutely. As a starting point, I’ve approached Between The Chairs as a series of novels chronicling the absurd struggles and larger-than-life quests of this 8-year old boy who feels invisible at home, but the world he lives in has such strong visual elements and a strong cast of household and neighborhood characters to develop around that I think it would translate very well to either film or series.
If people could take away one single message from this book, what would you want that to be?
I think no matter what your age, but particularly if you're a child or young adult, the biggest lesson from the book is that nothing can prevent you from dreaming bigger than your circumstances.
Specifically for children though, the truth is your day-to-day outcomes are generally not fully under your control yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own voice, which is an underlying point of the book.
What are you working on now and what can we expect from you next?
The first book in the series, Between the Chairs, The Race For Space, is scheduled to come out at the start of the New Year, but in the books that follow I’ll continue to chronicle the main character as his plotting, scheming, and comic nonsense makes its way through middle school and into his teenage years for sure.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
My website at www.AndrewZettler.com is always a great place, as well as updates on my work through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators at https://www.scbwi.org/members/andrew-zettler
