The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/David McMullin and Review of Rock N' Roll Baby!

Mar 4
7 min read

David McMullin is currently a full-time traveler and picture book writer. This comes after ten years as an actor, ten years as an educator, and most recently, as a youth specialist with the Henderson (Nevada) Public Libraries.

Photo of author David McMullin with a blurred desert landscape behind him.

He is the author of Free to be Fabulous, illustrated by Robbie Cathro (HarperCollins 2024) and poems in Hop To It: Poems to Get You Moving, by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, illustrated by Franzi Paetzod (2020), BABYBUG Magazine and two editions of the poetry anthology The Best of Today's Little Ditty (alongside such wonderful writers as Jane Yolen).

Collage of the cover of David's picture book and poetry anthologies.

His newest board book, Rock N’Roll Baby, releases on March 3^rd.

Welcome back David, thank you for coming to talk about your new board book!

Thank you. It’s great to be back.

Given all your recent travels, what is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written or illustrated a manuscript?

While traveling from Thailand to Laos, I came up with an idea for a new book. Our mode of transportation at the time was a two day slow boat along the Mekong River. We floated past remote villages where elephants and buffalo strolled down to the shore for sips of water. Gorgeous, exotic, relaxing, magical, one of my favorite travel experiences ever. And I came out of it with a manuscript I love.

Intriguing. I can't wait to see the book, What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Rock N’Roll Baby?

Book cover - a baby holding a multicolored guitar next to a rattle "microphone," with music notes floating around him.

I wrote the first version of this book back when fractured fairytales were all the rage. While exploring titles to play with, I discovered that the nursery rhyme Rock-a-bye Baby hadn’t really been touched yet. With the obvious play on words, a rock ’n’ roll parody seemed like a no-brainer.

I think its genius and such fun! How long did it take from the first draft to publication for Rock N’Roll Baby?

The first draft was in 2016, so a full ten years. The first draft was a four-stanza poem that I was hoping to sell as a picture book.

My agent sent the first version on a round of submissions in 2020. We had some close calls, but it didn’t end up selling. A couple years passed, and we decided to give it another try. My agent thought it might sell better as a board book but said if I was bent on it being a picture book, it needed to be longer. I was bent! I expanded the text from four to twelve stanzas, I gave it a more distinct arc, which included an exploration of various forms of rock music. My picture book was ready.

This time when we went on submissions we got our first offer within an hour! BUT … the editor wanted to make a board book. This was a case of the book knowing better than me, what it was meant to be.

Interesting. I do think it is great as a board book! What was the toughest aspect of writing Rock N’Roll Baby? And what was the most fun part of creating this book? How does this compare to your picture book Free to be Fabulous?

The funniest part was doing a deep dive into all of the various forms of rock music. It was almost as if I were researching a non-fiction book. The challenge was that I wanted each part of a baby’s day to represent a different type of music. This was a bit of a puzzle. I needed the moods to match—punk became the baby’s tantrum, the blues set the mood for nap time, and the tropical feel of Latin music worked perfect for bath time, and so on. Another challenge was finding the right words. Each type of music uses a different vocabulary, and I wanted to be authentic to the forms.

Oh my, you really set up a challenge for yourself. Congrats on working out the puzzle. When you first saw Allison Black’s illustrations, did anything amaze or surprise you? Which is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - on the left a baby spinning on its back by a kid's music player with notes coming from it. On the right, two dogs, on doing downward dog, the other howling, join the hip-hop baby.

Text © David McMullin, 2026. Image © Allison Black, 2026.

I love the energy, the colors, and the adorable characters. It’s fantastic how she used the everyday items from the baby’s world to create all of the musical objects. My favorite spreads are the Indie Punk Baby throwing a tantrum, and the Hip-Hoppin’ Baby dancing with her dogs.

I do like this one, too! Is there anything special you want your readers to know or discover about Rock N’Roll Baby?

This book can be sung. Since it was modeled after the Rock-a-bye Baby nursery rhyme I used the same rhythm pattern, so warm up your voice and go for it!

It is a lot of fun to sing it. I can see it becoming a favorite for bedtimes. Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I’m very excited about a project that should be announced any day now. I’m currently working on three books for an early reader series. The stories are told in a unique format that will hopefully be a lot of fun for kids.

That's exciting! We'll have to keep our eyes open for the announcement and the books. Last question, what animal or natural feature (place) do you want to learn more about? Why?

The Giant's Causeway, County Antrim

This one has been on my bucket list since I was a small child - The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Those amazing hexagonal basalt columns and that intriguing name ignite my sense of wonder.

I hope you get a chance to see the causeway! Thank you, David for sharing about yourself and your new board book with us.

For more information about David McMullin, or to contact him:

Website: https://www.davidmcmullinbooks.com

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

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

Review of Rock N' Roll Baby

Using Rock-a-Bye Baby as the basis for a board book about rock and roll music in a baby's normal routine is genius. What a fun way to introduce you ng kids to music and make it fun for the adult reader ~ as the book can be sung to the well-known nursery rhyme tune. This is such a wonderfully lively, colorful, and humorous board book.

Rock N' Roll Baby

Author: David McMullin

Illustrator: Allison Black

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (March 3, 2026)

Ages: Baby to 3

Fiction

Themes:

Music, fractured nursery rhyme, rhyming, rock and roll, and a baby's day.

Synopsis:

Rock on, Baby! Explore a day in the life of a baby, from waking up to bedtime, through different types of rock ’n’ roll music. A dazzling rework of the classic lullaby "Rock-a-bye Baby"!

From waking up and sliding on their knees to fading out of the spotlight as they get ready for their nighty night gig, join a diverse group of babies as they live it up rock ‘n’ roll style. This riff on the classic lullaby “Rock-A-Bye-Baby” follows the daily routine of a baby through the lens of different musical genres such as jazz, country, punk, and Latin American.

Opening Lines:

Rock 'n' Roll Baby, warm up your voice!

Give the whole world a cause to rejoice.

Look! It's your fans! They're here to engage,

so slide on your knees and take center stage.

What I LOVED about this book:

I love this opening spread. Allison Black's bright illustrations do such a fun job of incorporating elements of each style of music along with colorful notes and the employing familiar toys used by the babies that toddlers will identify. That rattle "microphone" for instance is genius. David McMullin does such a great job staying true to the rhythm of Rock-A-Bye Baby that the text is singable. It would be loads of fun to sing the original nursery rhyme and then sing this book to a child.

Internal spread - On the left, baby. kneeling next to crib, entertains stuffed elephant sining into a rattle "microphone." On the right, parent - shown as slippered feet and bottom part of a robe - and a dog listen to baby's early morning singing.

Weaving eleven rock music styles into a child's normal day was such a fun way to keep things familiar for the younger readers while introducing them to beboppin' (with a baby being fed breakfast), country rock (dressing for the day), headbanger (spoons and drums), and of course those "inevitable" moments of tantrums . . .

Internal spread - on the left, a baby jumping into a split, singing into a twist drum, with notes and jagged lightning symbols floating above her and markers and papers scattered about. On the right, a table with papers and markers scattered, a jar of balls falling & spilling, a stool knocked over, and mom standing with balled fists on her hips.

Indie Punk Baby, dive through the air.

Shout in your mic-those speakers will blare!

Throw up your fists while fireworks blast...

a gothic performance that's wild and fast!

represented by indie punk. I love the darkening of this spread, the twist drum as a "microphone," Mom's fists on her hips, and the jumbled "disaster" of an overturned stool, markers, balls, and papers scattered about.

Each of the babies' outfits beautifully complement the chosen music, such as a fedora for beboppin'; a cowgirl hat and boots; and stripped tank top for the headbanger). Especially the edgy, mostly black clothing for the indie punk baby.

Engaging text that plays well with each music style and fun illustrations continue the day through blues (R&B), pop (w/ a giant park xylophone), rap, hip hop, latin (with maracas ), and folk music. I love the peace symbols on the baby's pajamas and the toothbrush as the "microphone."

Allison Black filled the book with a wonderfully diverse cast of babies and families, allowing young readers to see themselves represented enjoying music, as well as including a great supporting cast of pets and beloved stuffies. The ending is a perfect wrap to an energetic, music-filled day. This is an excellent board book highlighting babies enjoying different styles of music.

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