Amber McBride, the author of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Gone Wolf and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent winner Me (Moth), made her picture book debut in January with Magick Hoodoo Child, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación. In a similar vein, Printz Honor recipient and National Book Award finalist candice iloh, author of Every Body Looking, is charting new territory this year with their forthcoming picture book debut Emeka, Eat Egusi!, illustrated by Bea Jackson. We asked the two creators to discuss how they both landed on highlighting different aspects of Black culture, their first time collaborating with illustrators, and their personal connections to their works.

Amber McBride: What called you to write a picture book? Was it the story first or simply the desire to write one?

candice iloh: I can’t quite remember what came first, but I’d always said to myself that, if I was ever going to write a picture book, it would be inspired by my younger siblings and the Nigerian culture I was raised within. I think, though there has been a huge and necessary surge in cultural picture books featuring Black children and all children who are differently abled, we still need a lot more nuanced stories featuring kids navigating circumstances that are given lesser light in our industry. But at the end of the day, it came down to wanting to write something affirming and supporting of my brother, who is on the autism spectrum.

McBride: I love how a lot of the inspiration for Emeka, Eat Egusi was inspired by your siblings and Nigerian culture because that’s also where the heart of Magick Hoodoo Child blossomed, from culture and childhood. I spent entire summers in the country with my grandmother when I was a child and I learned so much about herbalism, life, and nature from these adventures. Also, when I was thinking of this idea, there were no picture books that talked about Hoodoo, which is such an important aspect of Black culture.

iloh: I’m intrigued by this idea that there have been none or very few children’s stories about Hoodoo. Did you find hesitation in our industry around what topics are deemed appropriate for children’s books? Why do you think it might have taken this long to introduce topics such as traditional spiritual practices and how to integrate children who have different needs?

McBride: Hoodoo is such a cornerstone of Black culture but interestingly enough, it’s not actually practiced as widely as it used to be. Hoodoo functioned underground for so long because laws were put in place that criminalized the practice in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. In some ways, it became a practice that was forgotten or even demonized because of misrepresentation. In reality, it is a grounding tradition rooted in herbalism, ancestral veneration, and magick. Hoodoo being a practice and not a religion is a testament to the environment it took root in, and once readers and editors understood this, I did not have much pushback when including it in so many of my books. I think history is for everyone and sharing our histories helps to open the eyes of so many children to different cultures. I thought that having a children’s book about Hoodoo was important so that it became a word that was heard early on and that some of the taboo surrounding it could dissipate.

iloh: I love that—specifically introducing words early on. What you said about history, and the sharing of histories, being for everyone is something I think people forget or believe is an idea reserved only for adults. But history is simply practices and happenings of the past. I can only see access to that being empowering for children to experience as early as possible to embolden them around the vastness of what is possible for the future.

McBride: What was your experience like working with an illustrator? It’s such a collaborative process.

iloh: I really enjoyed working with Bea because, like you said, it was very collaborative in ways that I wasn’t expecting and that I hadn’t heard of for others. Though we don’t live in the same city, we cooked together over Zoom. I had her shop for all the ingredients and observe me using them in my kitchen while I made a pot of egusi soup. We talked about measurements and the typical approaches to cooking traditional Nigerian dishes. As things simmered, Bea sketched and asked me about how I wanted Emeka and his family to be represented in the imagery. It was such a sweet experience to see her render both the dish and early images of my protagonist in real time. I love Bea’s hyper-realistic approach to illustrating food ingredients and it tickled me how much her sketches mirrored photos I have of my brother. It was important to me for the illustrations to ooze love, patience, and joy and I couldn’t be happier.

What was your process with Violeta?

McBride: See, I love this aspect of Zoom and how we can utilize it for community—connecting over distances, making egusi soup. My experience was a little different. I found Violeta on Instagram and quickly became obsessed with her work. Her lush, detailed illustrations that played with light and shadows were gorgeous, and thankfully she signed on! Violeta asked me a few questions via email and I sent her some photos of my dog, Shiloh, my grandma’s house with blue shutters, along with a letter explaining the essence of the book. Then I just trusted her and the first drafts blew me away. I teared up the first time I saw them.

iloh: Okay, last question. It’s clear there’s lots of personal meaning for both of us behind why we decided to create these works, so I’m itching to know: How do you plan to release this book into the world? What are the intentions, the vibes, the rituals on your itinerary?

McBride: I am so excited for both of our books to be in the world! I’ll be hanging out with my grandmother who turns 90 on release day. Then making my ancestors dinner, probably a big pot of soup, and leaving an offering in the woods for them. The vibes are to stay grounded and present. What about you? Will food be involved?

iloh: Absolutely. I keep dreaming of making a big pot of egusi soup with pounded yam. Frying some plantains. Pouring grains into the rice cooker and making a tomato stew. Having a bunch of friends over for a feast. I envision talking to them about what being able to make these dishes for them means to me.

Magick Hoodoo Child by Amber McBride, illus. by Violeta Encarnación. HarperCollins, $19.99 ISBN 978-0-06-339540-4.

Emeka, Eat Egusi! by candice iloh, illus. by Bea Jackson. Atheneum, $19.99 Mar. 17 ISBN 978-1-665-93761-0