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Behind the Scenes of

Malty the Blue Tiger

As we near the launch of Malty the Blue Tiger

(find it March 19 on Amazon!), we've been taking a look back at all the exciting moments we've experienced along the way. Because you're a special part of the Malty community, we wanted to share those moments

with you! After all, having you as a friend is one very, very special part of this journey. 💙


It all started when we teamed up with brilliant illustrator Risa Horiuchi, whose work has been featured in various children's books and Highlights magazine. We knew she would bring the story to life in a number of beautiful ways, but first we had to answer some questions: How old, approximately, would Malty be? What article of clothing would she wear? How large would her eyes be? 


Here are just some of the first sketches that came out of those discussions: 

We just loved the personality Risa gave Malty! 

After much consideration, we decided she'd be a tiger cub, and wear a yellow scarf with a little fringe but no ruffles. And of course, her roar would be grand and unforgettable!! 


Next, we needed to choose the color palette for the entire book. Malty's hues were one piece of the puzzle, but how would the rest of the characters and landscapes compliment her ravishing blue fur


We considered these color palettes:

Tough choice, right!? 

We decided to opt for the very bottom row, but with the blue from the row above. We loved how those colors just seemed to jump from the page in a cheerful way

Next, it was time to start sketching out the story and deciding how it would all come together. To do this, we created a storyboard, drafting the layout of the book with unformatted text and sketches of the illustrations. 

Here's an example page from the storyboard! 

Eventually, we ended up tweaking the text and made this illustration one of three on the page, but this original thought process was so important for organizing the book. 

After the storyboard was complete, we went through every page of the book, carefully editing the text and creating the illustrations. Once that was complete, numerous editors double checked both the English and Spanish text for style and absolute accuracy, and our spectacular designer

Kim Fleming helped to select fonts and design each page.


This was also the time to format the cover and other interior pages, such as the

Words I Learned Today section: 

Finally, after checking the book hundreds of time—and having others do the same!—we were ready for the proofs.

Here's what it looks like to proof the book digitally!

And here's author K. Kloss with the real proof!

We were so excited to finally hold it in our hands and celebrate! 🎉👏🏽😍 

Thank you so much for following along on this journey!

The adventure is just beginning:

Be sure to mark your calendars for March 19 (it shall be the most roar-tastic day in all the land!), when 

Malty the Blue Tiger launches on Amazon—yippee!

Hugs and roars, 

Your Malty Friends 💙


Make your bedtime story routine better than ever!

Here's how!