It Simply Can't Be Bedtime -just released, my 38th picture book! / May 8, 2025 by steven salerno

This month is the release of the wonderful new picture book, It Simply Can't Be Bedtime -written by Pamela Paul (2nd picture book by the former New York Times Opinion columnist and editor) & illustrated by Steven Salerno (that’s me!), my 38th illustrated picture book. It’s published by G.P. Putnam & Sons (an imprint of Random House).

It Simply Can't Be Bedtime is a unique, entertaining story of a little girl who becomes defiant when her charming and well meaning Dad suddenly announces it’s time for her to get ready for bedtime. She just does not want to stop with any of her engaging, fun activities. So Dad cleverly gets his daughter’s favorite stuffed animal, the very British Lady Pigsworth, to help convince the girl to get ready for bed. (But in the end even Lady Pigsworth needs a tucking-in, too.)

Below are a handful of the illustrations I created for this wonderful picture book story… rendered mostly in tints and shades of blue, lavender, and yellow.

You can view other illustrations from all of my 38 picture books previously published by visiting my web site, stevensalerno.com

**^ above** -a detail from the endpapers artof the new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, a fun and charming new bedtime story, released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**

**^ above** -the **Title Page** of the new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, introducing the very British character, Lady Pigsworth… wearing her garden hat, ascot, and holding her Union Jack handbag. The title was released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**

**^ above** -the opening sceneof the new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno.** Here we see the girl fully engaged with all her bedroom activities -when suddenly her Dad calls from the other room announcing that it’s time for her to get ready for bedtime.

**^ above** -a detail of an illustrationfrom the new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno.** Here we see the girl character in a defiant pose in response to her Dad suddenly announcing it’s time to get ready for bedtime.

**^ above** -detail of an illustration fromof the new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, introducing the very British character, Lady Pigsworth… released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno.** Here we see the Dad when he first seeks the assistance of the stuffed animal **Lady Pigsworth** to help him convince his daughter to get ready for bedtime.

**^ above** -an illustration fromthe new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, introducing the very British character, Lady Pigsworth… released in May 2025 published by G.P Putnam & Sons, an imprint of Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno.** In this scene the girl and Lady Pigsworth, both with drooping eyelids, are *finally* tucked into bed and ready for sleep!

This new picture book is released in May 2025 by publisher G.P. Putman & Sons (and imprint of Random House) written by Pamela Paul & illustrated by Steven Salerno.

You can view other illustrations from all of my 38 picture books previously published by visiting my web site, stevensalerno.com

Lady Pigsworth -A Smashing British character in an upcoming new picture book! / September 26, 2024 by steven salerno

**^ above** -the **Title Page** **illustration** from the upcoming new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, slated for release in Spring 2025 published by G.P Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**

To date I’ve had 37 picture books published. And back in April 2024 I completed all the final illustrations for my 38th picture book, It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime, slated for release in Spring 2025 published by G.P Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House. A jaunty and charming story about a stubborn little girl who refuses to get ready for bedtime. So her wise Dad cleverly elicits the assistance of the girl’s very British stuffed animal, Lady Pigsworth, to help him prompt his daughter in getting ready for bed. It’s wonderfully written by the prominent NY Times editor & columnist, Pamela Paul, her first picture book story!

Back in April I delivered all my final illustrations (the interior spread illustrations, the Endpapers, Title Page, and Cover art) to the art director Lily Malcolm and senior designer designer Cindy De la Cruz. They finalized their design layout & production files -which were sent to the the printer to do test printings. And just this week I received the 1st run of color proofs from the printer for my review, in order to give my thoughts on the accuracy of the color reproduction. These color proofs are printed on the exact paper the final picture book will be printed on. So sometime soon the printer will get the official approval and the picture book will be scheduled for printing. I won’t see a hot-off-the-press copy of it probably until the beginning of the Spring in 2025.

Below are a few sneak peeks at finished illustrations (and a sketch) from It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime. I created all the illustrations almost entirely digitally in Photoshop, though I also paint gouache textures -which were scanned into Photoshop and integrated into the many layers involved to create the final illustration.

NOTE: When this picture book is released in Spring of 2025 at that time I’ll also add more images from this book into the fiction picture books section of this site.

**^ 2 images above** -the **preliminary sketch** and the corresponding **finished illustration** (a cropped detail view) of the stubborn little girl character in the upcoming new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, slated for release in Spring 2025 published by G.P Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**

**^ above** -a cropped detail view of an **illustration** -with the Dad in discussion with the very British stuffed animal Lady Pigsworth -from the upcoming new picture book, **It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime**, slated for release in Spring 2025 published by G.P Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Written by **Pamela Paul** & illustrated by **Steven Salerno**

my 38th picture book... in the works! / September 1, 2023 by steven salerno

To date, I’ve had 37 picture books published -and in August I just signed the contract to illustrate my 38th picture book! It’s for a new fiction story being produced by Penguin-Random House. This is my 10th picture book for Penguin-Random House. I won’t divulge the title of this new picture book quite yet, nor the name of the writer. (It’s the first picture book written by a prominent national newspaper editor and columnist.)

Right now I’m in the laborious sketch/story board stage, as well as creating many character sketches working out the look of the main characters in the story… like the sketch I’ve posted here depicting one of the main characters, a very British pig.

This is a just a little sneak peek…. I probably won’t post more on this picture book project until after I have completed all the sketches and all the final illustrations, at which time I’ll submit a post showing all the details in the entire process creating the final illustrations for this picture book.

Here’s a link to view all the picture books I’ve had published to date.

Visit stevensalerno.com

"The Crayon Man" picture book wins the 2020 Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature! / October 19, 2020 by steven salerno

^ cover of The Crayon Man -The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons …winner of the 2020 Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. — ^ cover of ***The Crayon Man -The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons*** …winner of the 2020 Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature.

WINNER OF THE 2020 IRMA BLACK AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

The Crayon Man -The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons (nonfiction) written by Natascha Biebow & illustrated by Steven Salerno -published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019.

The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award) goes to an outstanding book for young children—a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book. Thousands of children in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and the United Arab Emirates participated in the voting process. Sadly, this year, the award ceremony scheduled for Thursday, May 14th 2020 was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

See the illustrations from The Crayon Man, illustrated by Steven Salerno

See how the illustrations for The Crayon Man were created by Steven Salerno