The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Richard Ho and Daniel Miyares
Richard Ho is an award-winning children's book author who was once, himself, a child. At least that's what his parents tell him.
During his childhood, he harbored perfectly reasonable career aspirations: professional basketball player, astrophysicist, and Jedi master. When he "grew up," he studied English and literature in college, worked as a magazine journalist, and eventually became a scriptwriter and editor for an educational website. At some point (probably after his own children arrived on the scene), the thought of writing children's books popped into his head. He hasn't been able to shake it loose since.
Richard is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. In his wildest daydreams, he is also a member of the New York Knicks, the American Astronomical Society, and the Jedi Order.
He is the author of 15 books, including Golem, Golem, Golem: (Or How Chanukah Was Saved), illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami (2026), Stories of the Rabbis: Tales of Inspiration, Tradition, and Resilience, illustrated by Brie Schmida (2026), The Dinosaur and the Bird: A Tale of Prehistoric Friendship, illustrated by Jamie Green (2026), A Flame Burns On: Lighting the Yahrzeit Candle, illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami (2026), A Rock Is Born: An Epic Journey Through Time, illustrated by Lily Williams (2025), A Taste of Home, illustrated by Sibu T. P. (2024), If Lin Can: How Jeremy Lin Inspired Asian Americans to Shoot for the Stars, illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên and Phùng Nguyên Quang (2024), Two New Years, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield (2023), Year of the Cat: A Funny Picture Book About Animals, the Chinese Zodiac, and Apologizing for Kids, illustrated by Jocelyn Li Langrand (2022), The Lost Package: A Lot Can Happen Between the Post Office and the Destination, illustrated by Jessica Lanan (2021) and Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars, illustrated by Katherine Roy (2019).
Daniel Miyares is a critically acclaimed picture book author and illustrator. He grew up in the foothills of South Carolina before studying at Ringling College of Art and Design.
After graduating with a BFA in illustration he headed west to Kansas City. Daniel has been called “…a master of visual storytelling.”- Jody Hewston, Kinderlit, and “…enchanting, versatile” – The New York Times. He believes that our stories have the power to connect us all. Daniel’s story currently takes place in Lenexa, KS with his wife, their two wonderful children, and a dog named Violet that gives them all a run for their money.
He is the author/illustrator of 7 books, including How to Say Goodbye in Cuban (2025), Hope at Sea: An Adventure Story (2021), Night Out (2018), That Neighbor Kid (2017), Bring Me a Rock! (2016), Float (2015), and Pardon Me! (2014). And the illustrator of 15 books, including Homesick by Audrey Vernick and Liz Garton Scanlon (2026), nell plants a tree by Anne Wynter (2023), Sometimes I Cry by Jess Townes (2023) Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins (2022), Midnight and Moon by Kelly Cooper (2022), Night Walk to the Sea: A Story About Rachel Carson, Earth's Protector by Deborah Wiles (2020), The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan by Amy Alznauer (2020).
Their newest picture book, You Can Move Mountains: The Artful Life of Painter Bob Ross, was released on August 11th.
Richard and Daniel, thank you so much for stopping by to talk about your book, writing, and illustrating.
Thank you so much for having us, Maria!
Maria, thank you so much for having me back! It's always such a joy to join an interview with you.
I'm excited to talk with you both about this stunning book. First, let me ask, is there an author or illustrator (children’s of otherwise) who has had an influence of your writing or creativity?
RICHARD – There are so many, and it feels impossible to pick just one! But since we’re talking about You Can Move Mountains, I’ll mention someone who has had a major influence on how I approach nonfiction. I’ve long been a fan of Brian Flocca, and one of my favorite books of his is Moonshot. In addition to his beautifully detailed illustrations, the text is a masterclass in how to convey factual information through lyrical, poetic, even dramatic prose. Reading it showed me that nonfiction can be so much more than just a collection of dates and events. History and biography can be just as creatively compelling as any other story!
DANIEL - Dang. There's so many I think. Over the years I guess I've collected unwitting mentors for many reasons. Very early on I was enamored by Shel Silverstein and how he could captivate me with poetic words and drawings. As an aspiring professional I have to say Uri Shulevitz held a special place in my creative heart because of his book Writing With Pictures. His ideas about how we can let words and pictures each do their jobs in unique ways to tell stories has stuck with me for many years.
Oh, that you both for these great resources! Richard, what was the inspiration or spark of interest for You Can Move Mountains: The Artful Life of Painter Bob Ross?
RICHARD – I grew up watching The Joy of Painting on PBS, and I have such warm memories of listening to the soothing affirmations of Bob Ross as he brought an entire landscape painting to life in less than 30 minutes. The ease with which he created clouds and trees and mountains on a canvas seemed impossible. But the message he shared — that painting is possible, for everyone — was so inspirational. Not to mention the comforting lesson that mistakes are really just happy accidents! Whenever my kids get upset about “messing up” a drawing or an art project, I want to sit them down in front of an episode of The Joy of Painting and say, “Listen to Bob Ross!” So, You Can Move Mountains is my attempt to capture that positive reinforcement in book form.
I immediately felt/heard that soothing, inspirational, and affirming voice in your text. Daniel, what about You Can Move Mountains manuscript which appealed to you as an illustrator?
DANIEL - First off, I was so thrilled to even be reading a manuscript about the Bob Ross. I grew up being mesmerized by his show and watching his paintings come to life each week. Once I got into Richards beautiful manuscript I realized just how brilliantly he wove the biographical information of Bob's life with the emotional experience and magic of painting. I wanted to see how I could help tell that evocative story with pictures.
You definitely accomplished that and so much more through your amazing illustrations Richard, was there anything unusual you had to do to research You Can Move Mountains that differed from If Lin Can: How Jeremy Lin Inspired Asian Americans to Shoot for the Stars or other nonfiction books? Any research you couldn’t include in the book or backmatter?
RICHARD – For If Lin Can, the research was more straightforward because Jeremy Lin is a very public figure who is on social media and whose life is well documented. While Bob Ross is iconic and recognizable, he lived in a time before social media and was relatively private about his life away from the camera. Because of that, it was a challenge to glean enough information about his childhood and early career to properly fill out his story. I did find a biography and a documentary that proved helpful. But the bulk of my research really came in the form of marathon viewings of The Joy of Painting!
What a wonderful way to have to do research. Daniel, how did working on You can Move Mountains compare to any of the other biographies you’ve illustrated? Including your stunning graphic novel, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban?
DANIEL - You Can Move Mountains began like most biographies I've worked on. I started by trying to suspend what I thought I knew about the subject and dove into learning about him and his life. No matter how hard I tried to stay objective, I couldn't escape my childhood experiences with Bob Ross, his show The Joy of Painting, and my first ever Bob Ross painting kit (that I received for a Christmas gift as a kid).
When it came to working on my graphic novel, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban, I went into it knowing that it was an extremely personal journey from start to finish. It was about my own family. I had to remind myself to zoom out at different points and check my efforts against published historical accounts to ensure accuracy.
In either case, whether it was Mountains or How to Say Goodbye, I hope that the end result is a story that readers are able to connect with and see themselves right in the middle of.
The personal connection in each is what draws the reader in and makes these both such wonderful books. The structure of this biography is so unusual and fun. Was it your idea, as an art note, or perhaps the art director or editor’s suggestion to SHOW Bob’s life story on the left in images which mirror portions of the painting being created on a canvas to the right or that play with the text (which truly feels like Bob’s encouraging, slow, melodic voice)?
RICHARD – As an author, I love to sing the praises of illustrators, who truly bring magic to the process of translating and elevating mere words into a living, breathing book. Daniel did all of that, and more! I had written the manuscript with a vague notion of text that can be read on the surface as instructions for making a painting, while the illustrations depict the story of Bob’s life. But it was Daniel’s idea to place them side by side: a painting and a biographical sketch, unfolding in parallel. I’d never seen a picture book structured that way, and it was an absolutely brilliant choice!
DANIEL - When I first read the manuscript I immediately thought of an idea I had sitting in my "studio garden". For some time, I've wanted to try and create a visual story that was essentially one piece of art that we invite readers to see at different stages of its creation. I prototyped it and pitched it to Emily Feinberg and Richard Ho. I'm so grateful that I got to explore telling the story in these two ways. It seemed really important to attempt to capture some of the soul satisfying magic of Bob's tv show in how the book is structured.
It is so unique and absolutely engaging. I love seeing the ways Bob's life mirrors and contrasts with the text (experiences as a soldier and painting clouds). Richard, you’ve had 5 books come out this year. Was this planned? Had some been postponed or some accelerated? How have the launches and publicity for so many books in close succession gone?
RICHARD – Definitely not planned! [laughs] So many factors affect the publication timeline, and in the case of these five books — with four illustrators, from three publishers — it was truly a confluence of scheduling that created a perfect storm of 2026 release dates.
You Can Move Mountains came in August, which was sort of in the middle of it all. Two were published back in May: The Dinosaur and the Bird, illustrated by Jamie Green, and A Flame Burns On, illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami. And another two were released in September: Golem, Golem, Golem, also illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami, and Stories of the Rabbis, illustrated by Brie Schmida. It’s truly a blessing to have so many books arriving in a short amount of time, and I would never take that for granted. Still, it’s a lot to balance in terms of promotion! I did my best to give every book the attention it deserves, while recognizing that there’s only so many hours in a day . . . or days in a year!
Interesting. While we are focused on this book for the interview, I wanted to be sure to give them each a little spotlight, too. Daniel, many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in You can Move Mountains? If so, could you share one or more with us?
Text © Richard Ho, 2026. Image © Daniel Miyares, 2026.
DANIEL - Sure! One is that all the brushes that I show as closeups in the book are paintings of my actual brushes. Seemed like a good meta thing to do — homegrown brush models if you will. Another is that I painted the landscape painting that Bob is working on three different times at different sizes to use in the book. While working on the second piece, I paused my painting at different intervals to scan the progress so I could integrate it into the spreads. Lastly, on the page where there's four boxes of families watching Bob on TV around the world, the dog that's watching with a kid on the floor is my dog.
So, I actually found all three on the same spread - the dog, a brush, and the painting in progress! I love the idea of "adding a friend or two" covers both adding trees to the picture and adding more TV friends. What was the hardest or most challenging part of writing or illustrating You can Move Mountains? And what was the most fun?
RICHARD – As you mentioned, the text is meant to evoke Bob’s calming and encouraging voice. A big part of that was making sure to weave in as much of his own words as possible! While watching many, many episodes of The Joy of Painting, I compiled a running list of “Bob-isms” — familiar sayings like “happy little trees” or “you can move mountains.” Figuring out how to incorporate them naturally into a unified narrative of Bob’s life was challenging . . . but also so much fun!
DANIEL - For me, the most challenging part of making You Can Move Mountains was attempting to represent such a universally beloved personality in my own way. I wanted to do him justice! Hands down the most fun part was exploring what makes the painting process so inspiring. I'm so blown away with how Richard was able to weave that into the narrative in the book.
It's fun as an interviewer when the author and illustrator blow each other away! You've both created an ode to Bod Ross that will be treasured by many. Richard, when you first saw Daniel’s illustrations, did anything surprise or amaze you? Which is your favorite spread?
RICHARD – Not a surprise at all given how much I’ve admired Daniel’s work from afar, but of course his illustrations for this book are breathtaking! From the very first round of sketches, I remember being so amazed by how seamlessly Daniel matched each stage of the painting with a stage of Bob’s life. Stylistically, Daniel pulled off an incredible feat: an homage to Bob’s visual language while also retaining his own distinctive style. I can’t say enough about the illustrations for this book!
Text © Richard Ho, 2026. Image © Daniel Miyares, 2026.
As for my favorite spread? Yet another impossible choice, but I’ll just mention the opening spread: a blank canvas in a dark studio, with a silhouette of Bob and his signature hair. It’s one simple image that perfectly captures what this book is all about.
It totally captures the promise of a new project and the excitement of Bob starting a painting. Daniel, is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Which is your favorite spread?
Text © Richard Ho, 2026. Image © Daniel Miyares, 2026.
DANIEL - I do really like that the book ends with a girl approaching a fresh blank canvas just like Bob Ross is at the beginning. I like to think of it as the best kind of invitation.
It is the best ending for this book! What’s something you want your readers to know about, or take away from You can Move Mountains?
RICHARD – I hope readers come away from the book with the freedom to find joy in whatever they do. Whether in art or writing or any other field, children too often become discouraged by a perceived lack of immediate success. Through his show, Bob tried to teach his audience that success, in any creative endeavor, is only measured by the joy it creates for you. “Painting should make you happy,” he was fond of saying. How true that rings for all things in life!
DANIEL - Much like Bob's own message over the years, I hope that readers can see that if we aren't too hard on ourselves, and if we don't see our "mistakes" as final, anything is possible. Plus, painting can be really fun!
I also hope that kids (and adults) internalize these important messages. Are there any new projects you are working on now (or books coming out next year) that you can share a tidbit with us?
RICHARD – I have three books coming out in 2027, which is far more manageable than five! First up is Please Remove Your Shoes, illustrated by Xuan Lan, which explores the Asian custom of leaving shoes at the door. Next is Tov Is Good, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield, which highlights moments of Jewish joy throughout a day. And finally, there is Slow and Steady, illustrated by Natasha Donovan, which delves into the aftermath of the Tortoise and Hare fable. I can’t wait for readers to discover all of these books next year!
DANIEL - Well, I just finished up illustrations for a book written by the fantastic Gideon Sterer. It's called Here's to the Horses. It's a beautiful ode to horses and all that they've given to our civilization over the years. If you love horses, this is a must own book. It publishes Feb. 23, 2027, from the brilliant team at Clarion Books.
These all sound intriguing. We will have to keep our eyes open for them. Last question, what animal or natural feature (place) do you want to learn more about? Why?
RICHARD – In the spirit of Bob Ross, I would love to visit Alaska and behold the mountainous vistas that were such a source of inspiration for his work.
DANIEL - I would really love to make a trip to the pacific northwest. I haven't been to that area of the country yet and every time I see pictures of the coastline or forests up there I'm so drawn to it. I would love to haul my paints and sketchbooks out and soak it all up. It would make me very happy to spend time exploring that terrain.
I hope you both get to fulfill these dreams! Thank you Richard and Daniel for stopping back by to share with us about your newest picture book.
Be sure to come back for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF review of You Can Move Mountains.
To find out more about Richard Ho, or contact him:
Website: https://www.richardhobooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardhobooks
Twitter (X): https://x.com/richkarho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richkarho/
To find out more about Daniel Miyares, or contact him:
Website: http://www.danielmiyares.com/
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/danielmiyares
Comments