The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Charles Santoso and Review of Others

Apr 9
8 min read

Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreaming about funny, wondrous stories.

Photo of author/illustrator Charles Santoso.

He gathers inspiration from his childhood memories and curiosities he discovers in his everyday travels. He worked at Animal Logic as a concept artist/art director and was involved in various animated feature films and tv commercial projects.

Charles Santoso’s work has been exhibited in Sydney and also internationally in North America and France.

Collage of the covers of 18 of Charles' books.

He’s the author/illustrator of Happy Hippo (2021). The illustrator of numerous picture books, the most recent include Piggypine by Richard T. Morris (2025), Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet by Beth Ferry (2025), Dear Duck, Please Come! by Sarah Mackenzie (2025), No Cat Like Tac by Alliah L. Agostini (2025), Being Kind by Kobi Yamada (2024) Sleepy Snuggles by Diana Murray (2024), Chasing Dreams by Kobi Yamada (2023), Mighty Muddy Us by Caron Levis (2023), Dear Unicorn by Josh Funk (2023), I Will Read to You by Gideon Sterer (2023), Feeling Grateful by Kobi Yamada (2022), Feathers Together by Caron Levis (2022), Wombat Underground: A Wildfire Survival Story by Sarah L. Thomson (2022), Finding Muchness by Kobi Yamada (2021), This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis (2020), and The Bookstore Cat by Cylin Busby (2020). He’s also illustrated a number of middle grade novels, including Odder (2022) and Willodeen (2021) by Katherine Applegate.

Please see our earlier interviews for additional information about Charles (here) and (here).

His newest picture book, Others, was released March 31^st.

Welcome back Charles, thank you so much for stopping back by to talk about your newest book.

Hi Maria, I’m happy to be back! I appreciate the opportunity to chat about the Others book with you.

What has been the most complicated or challenging book for you to illustrate so far?

Unfortunately, or may I say fortunately, each book that I have illustrated had its own challenges when I made it. I love changing my approaches for each book as it keeps me fresh and excited. Some use different illustration techniques, some pushed and bent me on how to tell a story with various pacing and compositions. This process added extra complications and challenges, but I do believe each story deserves its own unique solutions, and it's been rewarding for me to try.

That's probably why you keep creating picture books. I have adored seeing you work on various projects on your Instagram videos! What about the Others manuscript appealed to you as an illustrator?

Book cover - two boys standing in front a hedge with the word "Others" on the other side.

When Kobi brought me the manuscript, I knew straight away that this was an important story worth telling. I also know that it’ll be a challenging one to get right, and we all need to make sure that each element is thought out and done properly. We didn't want this book to be preachy and have worked hard to make it a conversational and thoughtful book. We tried out many approaches before arriving at the final direction. I'm grateful for the challenge and trust.

I think you both did an amazing job using wonderful illustrations and the straightforward logic of a child to explore this topic. What's something you want your readers to learn or know about Others?

I think this book is great to be read aloud, discussed, and contemplated a little bit longer on each spread. I feel each reader will have different views and opinions, which will be an interesting and wonderful moment to experience.

I totally agree. And I find new things every time I read it. How did illustrating Others compare to the other books you’ve worked on with Kobi Yamada?

Others has a bit more narrative throughout the book compared to other books written by Kobi that I have illustrated. As usual, I was given total freedom to come up with illustration ideas for each spread. As I mentioned previously, there were some back and forths with trying out different look directions to make sure we hit the right feeling for the book. I'm personally pretty happy with what we arrived at in the end.

As I've said before, you are an amazing artist and I adore your illustrations. This book is no exception. What was the hardest part of illustrating Others? And what was the most fun part?

The hardest part was to make sure each spread is told with the most impact, with enough sensitivity, and care as much as possible. This took a bit more time than usual, even though the book is quite sparse in terms of look and composition. We made sure it was as thoughtful as we could make it.

The most fun was to think about illustration possibilities for each spread. Making the first and 2nd drafts is always tough, but I enjoyed them the most.

Looking at the spread below, it's clear what you mean by creating the impact with sparse text and illustrations. Putting the hedge in the gutter to separate the boys and the "others" is genius and so effective. Is there a spread you are especially proud of? Which is your favorite spread?

Internal Spread - on the left, two boys talking. Down the center is a hedge. On the right, a woman stands lonely in a milling crowd of people.

Text © Kobi Yamada, 2026. Image © Charles Santoso, 2026.

The spread with a person feeling lonely in a crowd of people was one that I personally feel connected to. It was mentally challenging to do, but also fulfilling when it was completed.

This is powerful, very poignant, and something many will be able to identify with. You've beautifully captured the sense of being invisible, Many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Others? If so, could you share one or more with us?

I didn’t purposely do that for this book. I do always put my personal feelings and emotions in my illustrations automatically in a way. Some people may think that one of the kids looks a bit like a young me, but that was just a coincidence.

Ha! We're supposed to write and draw what we know, right?! Are there any projects each of you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I'm in the middle of illustrating another book by Kobi. Unfortunately, I can't reveal too much, but I have a new challenge with this one in terms of drawing size. It's so hard but so fun to do!

Intriguing! Now, I can't wait to see what you two have created. Last question, what animal or natural feature (place) do you want to learn more about? Why?

I had a conversation with a fellow traveler who was telling me about her experience visiting Madagascar and seeing various wildlife there, so that'll be on my list. I'm also currently fascinated by how colorful natural rocks and grass in different places can be. These beauties can often be overlooked or taken for granted.

Thank you Charles for stopping by and sharing with us. It was truly wonderful to chat with you.

Thank you, Maria! It's a pleasure. Take care and all the best!

To find out more about Charles Santoso, or contact him:

Website: https://www.charlessantoso.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/minitreehouse

Instagram: h ttps://www.instagram.com/charlessantoso/

Review of Others: A Story For All of Us

These two super talented creatives, Kobi Yamada and Charles Santoso, have joined forces again to create a powerful picture book that one could argue has been relevant since civilization began - but which is especially relevant now. When you don't take the time to communicate or interact with people (separated by physical and invisible barriers), it is easy to "other" them and create all manner of narratives about how they are different or odd or .... until with the honest simplicity of a child's logic you're forced to answer WHY. With governments and politicians using "others" as a way to manipulate citizens, it is especially important that we all ask WHY. This is a wonderful book for all ages.

Others: A Story For All of Us

Author: Kobi Yamada

Illustrator: Charles Santoso

Publisher: Ten Speed Young Readers (March 31, 2026)

Ages: 4 - 8

Fiction

Themes:

Kindness, understanding, community, emotions, prejudice, and perspectives.

Synopsis:

A universal story of kindness, compassion, and the importance of looking for the best in others by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Do with an Idea?

Standing by the hedge that divides them, two children wonder what the people on the opposite side are like. They're not like us, one child insists. The other child wonders: How are they different? Can they fly? Do they have tentacles? Are they machines? Or are they human? And if they are, do they think and feel? Maybe, just maybe, the people here and the people there are not so different after all.

Written with gentle humor and illustrated with spare, emotionally powerful pictures, Others is a thoughtful exploration of how our assumptions can prevent us from connection and a beautiful reminder that we are all human beings living together on this earth.

Opening Lines:

You really have to wonder

what they are thinking.

What do you mean?

Who are you talking about?

Them. The other people.

What I LOVED about this book:

This is such a fun way to begin the book. A child's innocent musing on what "the others" might be thinking, a tall hedge cutting diagonally across the page, and a group of amorphous shapes circling together in a spot illustration. Charles Santoso does a spectacular job in setting up the idea that anyone "over there" is different and perhaps scary or alien. The succinct text is entirely written as dialogue solely between the two boys.

Internal spread - on the left, two boys walk toward a tall hedge, cutting diagonally across both pages. On the right, a loose circle of amorphous shapes and a fun question mark wiggle.

With the page turn, the hedge is ingeniously shifted to span either side of the gutter, adding a visual separation between the groups, as the boys ponder the concept of "other" on the verso (left side) with a continually shifting image of the others on the recto (right side). And we're given the boy's definition of "other people" as "They're not from here."

Internal spread - on the left, 2 boys talk near a hedge (running down the gutter). On the right a group of alien, monster-like creatures mill about in a cameo circle.

They look different. They talk

different. Everything about

them is different.

As the inquisitive boy asks about the characteristics of these "different" people, the other child confirms (though perhaps grudgingly, at times) that they too have heads and bodies - not wings, feathers, tentacles, or motors (they are human after all). And the illustrations of the "others" on the right side of the hedge wonderfully shift from red and orange monsters, to green bat or owl-like creatures, to a dad and kid each with four very long tentacle arms, and then finally to three "Transformer"-like vehicles.

After giving the boy in the striped shirt confirmation that the "others" have hearts and brains, his companion has to admit that maybe that means they probably think, feel, cry, get hurt, feel lonely or scared, love their families, and have birthdays. As the boys discuss these points, through a spot-on child's perspective - "Do you think they get hurt feelings? Like when someone says something mean about them or when they feel like no one likes them?" - the illustrations shift to a diverse cast of kids and their families playing, grieving, standing alone in a crowd, and celebrating a grandmother's birthday.

Internal spread - on the left, two boys stand talking together near a hedge in the center on the book. On the right, a group of six diverse kids laugh and play together, next to the other side of the hedge.

Beautifully and poignantly highlighting that the "others" aren't actually that different, they are merely on the other side of the hedge. Ultimately, the boys descend into an argument about "here" and "there." Kobi Yamada's text wonderfully explores what these words actually mean. What happens if the boy in the stripped shirt climbs over the hedge? Is everyone both "here" and "there"? And is there actually a "them"? Is it all just a matter of perspective? If so, is there a 'right' perspective?

Charles Santoso wonderfully uses white space and the dividing hedge to great effect in facilitating this argument and providing a spectacular "aha" moment for the boys. The final two pages are expansive, stunning, and thought provoking. Though sparce and utilizing a lot of white space and limited color palettes within the "other's" spot illustrations, there is a lot of humor, emotion, and intricate little details that will encourage readers to pause and think about the images and the questions the boys pose. I hope caregivers will join their young readers in sitting with the pages and tackling some big questions. This is another spectacular book, tackling a big subject, from this super talented and dynamic duo.

Resources:

ask your parent or teacher if you can participate in a pen pal program. Or imagine writing to a pen pal. What fun and different things did you learn about your pen pal?

pair this with The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee (for another fun usage of the gutter), Colors by Arree Chung, and Imagine a Wolf by Lucky Platt.