Matt Holm has always loved to draw, especially comics. With his sister Jennifer Holm, he co-created two enormously popular graphic novels series — one featuring a pink-obsessed mouse (Babymouse) and another starring a brave amoeba (Squish). Holm is drawn to the graphic novel format for its storytelling power. “Graphic novels actually provide a great stepping-stone between picture books and chapter books, and can be incredibly complex works of art and literature.”
You can watch the interview below, view the interview transcript, read a short biography of Matt Holm, or see a selected list of his children's books.
Biography
Holm wanted to be a comic strip artist since he was a kid, and kept drawing throughout high school. At Pennsylvania State University, he took a detour and majored in English, but he never lost his interest in drawing and comics — he was the political cartoonist for Penn State newspaper.
With his sister Jennifer Holm, he created two popular graphic novel series — Babymouse and Squish (an amoeba). Prior to working on Babymouse, Holm spent eight years writing about kitchens (among other topics) for Country Living Magazine. His freelance work has included a great deal of science writing (which he also puts to use in the Squish series).
In addition to creating graphic novels for kids, Holm is the web creative director at Hot Knife Design. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and dog.
“When I’m not drawing mice or talking to educators or schoolchildren, I’m usually thinking about food.”
Learn more at Matt Holm’s official website.
