Behind the Book: The Very Worst Ever #3: Catch Zoo Later

The third book in THE VERY WORST EVER SERIES, CATCH ZOO LATER, is out today! Written by Andy Nonamus and published by Simon & Schuster US/Little Simon. We caught up with the illustrator Amy Jindra to talk about how she maintains consistency throughout the series, the inspiraiton behind the character design, and how she conveys humor and silliness through her artwork.

“It’s been so great working with Amy on this series and seeing her truly flourish across nine titles! VERY WORST EVER may actually be the BEST ever to showcase Amy and her many talents.” - Emily Fernandez, who worked with Amy on this deal.

Very Worst Ever #3: Catch Zoo Later is out on May 21st. Published by Simon & Schuster US

Give us a quick synopsis of the story and main characters.
This super fun series features our main character (REDACTED) who hides his name and identity because he is just SO unlucky. To prevent himself from being identified, his face is covered by an emoji! Luckily, he has some pretty great friends that are always there to support and partake in all of his adventures (and misadventures!). His super squad of buds include: Jake - the slightly aloof and top school athlete, Glinda - the lovable curmudgeon and queen of doom and gloom, and Regina - the popular peppy girl whose family owns a video game emporium. They all bring so much unique humor and fun to every story, it’s quite enjoyable to develop these characters more and more in each book as the series builds.

What inspired the artistic style in the series?
The series really lends itself to so much comical drama, action, and silliness, I wanted to match that vibe with a somewhat comic book feel. I use strong lines, halftone accents, and sound or feeling words to the illustrations to add to the fun and goofy nature of the scenes. I also play with lighting and angles to add to the visual fun and flair. Each time I sit to draw for this series, I think of what it was like being in grade school and how everything felt like the best and worst EVER…all the time, so I wanted to capture that in every line, dot, and expression.

What inspired the character design?
Working with the phenomenal team at Simon and Schuster, we developed these little kiddos with BIG personalities. It was a group effort to visually develop the perfect cast of characters that helped support the stories. Each character has an element of fun and uniqueness about them - it was very important to me to intently follow the script and then transform the descriptions into my interpretative visuals. The character design includes exaggerated features and I use swooping line work to accentuate the bold and fun little personalities on the page. I know that I have got it right when the character literally makes me giggle after I draw it - that’s my indicator that the character is done and ready for the stage of the page!

You’ve just signed on for books 8 & 9 of this series! How do you make sure your work is cohesive across all books in the series? Do you do any advance planning?
In the beginning, when I was first getting to know the series and the characters, I would constantly do cross-checking, re-checking, and countless drawing reference sheets to make sure I was staying cohesive with all of the scenes and characters. Now, I feel that I know the characters all so well, it is like second nature. When I read each story scene, I can visualize exactly how that character would feel, look, and act in that circumstance. I can compare it to actual people that you know - after a while, you just know instinctively how they will react. It’s a wonderful place to get to when you learn your characters so intimately like this, they become real in a way when you draw them into the scene and it’s so fun to see. I continuously use overly exaggerated sketch lines and character sheets to always make sure I am pushing the action and emotion to the max for the ultimate laugh or impact.

What was your favorite part of working on The Very Worst Ever 3?
It is hard to pinpoint my favorite part of The Very Worst Ever 3, or the series as a whole because I am just so grateful for the entire experience. I have loved every minute of character development, collaboration with the amazing Simon and Schuster team, and the ideation and process of each new book. I love the development of character and style that has come out of this series. I am enjoying creating these characters and expressing their personalities onto every page. The wonderful experience of pushing the weird and wacky in these stories is probably my favorite part.

Is there anything specific you hope young readers take away after reading The Very Worst Ever 3 (or the whole series)?
I hope that young readers find the magical beauty of the weird and wonderful that is in each book and that it makes them laugh, as it does for me. My intent with my illustrations is to bring smiles and to inspire readers to read on, read more, and then pick up another book and do it all over again. My mission as an illustrator is to promote reading and literacy through laughs and lots of fun!

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Amy Jindra is represented by Anthony Hannant. To work with Amy, get in touch here.