The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Carrie Finison and Review of Even Steven

Apr 23
7 min read

Carrie Finison began her literary career at the age of seven with an idea, a box of markers, and her father’s typewriter. She has been writing off and on ever since, though she has (somewhat regretfully) traded in the typewriter for a laptop.

Her poetry for children has been published in magazines including High Five, Ladybug, and Babybug. When she’s not writing, Carrie enjoys reading mystery novels, trying new recipes, and curling up on the couch for family movie nights. She lives outside Boston with her husband, son, daughter, and two cats who permit her to write in their cozy attic office.

Collage of the covers of seven of Carrie's books.

Carrie is the author of 8 books, including Plenty of Pancakes, illustrated by Brianne Farley (2026), Touch a Truck Day: A Lift-the-Flap Book , illustrated by Viola Wang (2026), Pigs Dig a Road, illustrated by Brian Biggs (2024), Lulu and Zoey: A Sister Story, illustrated by Bea Jackson (2022), Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School!, illustrated by Erin Kraan (2022), Don't Hug Doug: (He Doesn't Like It), illustrated by Daniel Wiseman (2021), and Dozens of Doughnuts, illustrated by Brianne Farley (2020).

For additional information about Carrie Finison, see our earlier interview (here).

Carrie’s newest picture book, Even Steven: A Book About Sharing, releases April 14^th.

Welcome back Carrie,

What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

Good question! When my kids were little and doing lots of sports and activities where I needed to stay on-site, I would bring manuscripts along so I could work from the sidelines. I’ve worked at baseball fields, in skating rinks, and sitting on the floor at gymnastics studios. I also used to bring my laptop weekly to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston when my son was taking drawing classes there. That was probably one of the most inspirational spaces where I’ve written.

That sounds like it would be a really fun place to write. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Even Steven: A Book About Sharing?

Book cover - eight kids staggered about the title, five under the words, one perched on Steven, two climbing on the "E" of Even.

I love names and titles that rhyme, and so of course when I thought of the familiar phrase “even Steven,” it struck me as a great character name and book title. What brought the phrase to mind was probably my kids arguing in the backseat of the car over who had crossed the imaginary dividing line. They also used to frequently get out the kitchen scale to weigh treats and make sure no one was getting more than their share. Thankfully most of those squabbles have died down – I’m not sure at what age they go away entirely. Maybe never?

Ha! Love that they used a scale to even their treats. What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Even Steven? And what was the most fun?

The hardest part about writing it was figuring out how to tell the story in a way that would feel funny and not ridiculous. I knew I wanted Steven to be a character who didn’t “get” the logistics of sharing a lot of things, but I didn’t want kids to think he was baby-ish. It took a few years of pondering before I finally realized that the format of my first book with Daniel Wiseman, Don’t Hug Doug, could work really well for Even Steven. With lots of comic panels and a cast of characters, it provides the opportunity for us to explore the topic from many different angles.

The most fun part of writing it was coming up with those different angles – all the ways that Steven would misunderstand how to share things, or be so literal about it that it backfired on him. For example, he tries to share a lollipop by trading licks, and he tries to share roller skates by giving each person one. The story puts readers in the position of “knowing more” than the main character, but also thinking through the nuances of sharing each thing, which I hope is a good warmup for when the book asks about some more complex topics, like sharing a bedroom or a best friend.

Actually, that sounds like a fun challenge to work out! Did anything amaze or surprise you when you first saw Daniel Wiseman’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

Actually, the biggest surprise came back when I first saw the illustrations for Don’t Hug Doug. I had seen a round of sketches early in the process, but since they were black and white, I had no idea that the backgrounds of the final illustrations would be saturated with vivid color. When I saw the close-to-final art, I was VERY surprised! I love Daniel’s style and his use of background color makes the illustrations so appealing.

Internal spread - nine kids excitedly riding a big-wheel, skateboards, scooter skates, go cart, and scooter.

Text © Carrie Finison, 2026. Image © Daniel Wiseman, 2026.

For Even Steven, it’s tough to choose a favorite spread, but if I had to pick it might be the spread where all the kids go riding – sharing bikes, scooters, skateboards, and Big Wheels – and Doug and his friend Finn from the first book make a cameo appearance.

This is such a fun spread! I love the energy and enthusiasm. What's something you want your readers to know about Even Steven?

I’ve had so many readers of Don’t Hug Doug tell me that they sometimes feel like Doug. I hope that readers of Even Steven will recognize themselves in the same way. Lots of people, including adults, get a little hung up on things being even, equal, or fair – even though those words are not always interchangeable. Like Steven, I hope maybe readers can relax a little bit about sharing and know that we’re all just trying to figure it out. Most of all my hope, as always, is that they’ll find the book entertaining enough to read again and again!

I think you succeeded in lending a bit of humor to this important topic. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

Yes! Fans of Don’t Hug Doug and Even Steven will be happy to know that there’s a THIRD book coming, called Jake Makes Mistakes. I had to keep a rhyming name in the title, of course! Daniel Wiseman is working on the illustrations now. It was a lot of fun coming up with all the silly mistakes that Jake and other characters could make – for example, scoring a soccer goal for the wrong team, or drawing on a fake mustache with permanent marker. Oops!

Intriguing. Sounds like a fun book and I am looking forward to seeing it. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

I’ve always wanted to go to Arches National Park, along with Bryce Canyon and Zion, because I love the rocky, rugged landscape and the idea of seeing all those beautiful formations. It was a book that first inspired me – Madeline L’Engle’s Meet the Austins series which I read as a teenager. Since then, I’ve been to parks in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and California, but still need to make it to Utah.

Thank you, Carrie, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new picture book.

To find out more about Carrie Finison, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.carriefinison.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriefinison/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/carriefinison.bsky.social

Review of Even Steven

The talented duo of Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman return with a wonderfully humorous and thought-provoking book about fairness and sharing.

Even Steven

Author: Carrie Finison

Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (April 14, 2026)

Ages: 3 - 7

Fiction

Themes:

Sharing, fairness, humor, manners, and friendship.

Synopsis:

A lighthearted, humorous picture book from the author/illustrator duo behind Don’t Hug Doug about a boy who wants everything to be perfectly even.

Say hello to Steven. Steven likes to share! He knows the best way to share something is to split it in half. It’s fun! It’s fair! And it’s EVEN.

But some things aren't so easy to split in half . . . Like a nickel. Or a book. Or a slide. Sometimes taking turns is better. Or giving one of something to each person. Steven likes these options because they're fun, and fair, and still EVEN!

But...can some things be even, but not fair? Can some things be fair, but not even? Steven isn't so sure, and he'll need YOUR help to figure it out!

Opening Lines:

This is Steven.

Steven likes to make everything even.

You can't spell

Stephen without

E-V-E-N!

What I LOVED about this book:

What a great way to introduce a main character with a strong need for everything to be divided evenly. I love the illustrator's playful way of showing even amounts, lengths, and heights.

Internal spread - on the left, a pencil case with 6 identical pencils, 4 jars of pickles with 100 pieces in each jar, and 2 bowls of noodles with chopsticks. On the right, a boy flups a nickel onto a stack to make 2 even tall towers of nickles.

Carrie Finison does a great job of creating a refrain for Steven, "It's fun! It's fair! And it's EVEN!" As the book follows Steven's attempts to find a 'rule' for making things even between him and his friends, it explores some hysterical consequences that Steven runs into. Obviously to be 'even' it is best to share with friends. And in Steven's mind, the best way to "share something is to split it in half." Great idea for cookies and okay for a crayon. But what about a nickel or a . . . book?

Internal spread - lower left, a boy karate chops a cookie in half and breaks a crayon in half, for a confused friend. On the upper right, the boy tries to break a nickel in half as his friend laughs. On the lower right, the boy stands with a pair of scissors and a book as three friends yell STOP.

Steven next tries giving one of something to each person. This works great for many things, but what about one skate or a large slide per person? Ultimately, Steven faces the question of whether things can be "even, but not fair . . . or fair, but not even." Are even and fair synonymous? Does everyone need to have identical things for there to be "fairness"?

Internal spread - on the left, young boy tries to ride a bike identical to ones that two older boys are riding, but it is too big for him. On the right, friends excitedly show the boy that fairness - in all having their own transportation (bike/scooter/skates/bigwheel) - is fun.

These are some big, complex ideas and concepts. Ones that can even stump adults. But Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman have masterfully employed some outrageous and silly scenarios, with a perfect touch of kid's logic and a dash of flexibility, to jump start conversations and thoughts about each of our definitions of fairness, equity, and equality. It's such a great way to play with the concepts of fairness and sharing.

Resources:

can you think of other ways that trying to make things "fair" or "even" can lead to some funny or crazy consequences? What is the silliest one you can imagine?

what has been the hardest thing you've ever had to share? Which of the book's "tricky things to share" would be hardest for you to come up with a plan for sharing that you and your friends would think is fair? Why?