Meet Ken Priebe, Author, Illustrator, Storyteller
A literary meet-'n'-greet in 10 pictures or less
Welcome back, friends!
If you remember the Muppets, Shel Silverstein, and stop-motion animation with any degree of nostalgia, then you need to meet Ken Priebe.
He’s the author and illustrator of kids’ books that capture how children experience the world as a bizarre and mystifying yet fascinating place to exist.
And now, I’ll let Ken take it away.
All About Ken
I am the author/illustrator of several fun collections of short stories and poems for young readers.
Originally from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, I’ve been an animator for 25 years, with experience working on several short films for Scholastic/Weston Woods through Bigfott Studios, and I’ve taught animation at several colleges. I’ve also written textbooks on stop-motion and teach animation workshops and drawing classes for kids.
I live near Vancouver Canada with my wife and two kids, and I enjoy music, movies, birdwatching, and hunting for treasures at libraries and used book shops.
All About Ken’s Books
Gnomes of the Cheese Forest and Other Poems. Open this book and embark on a journey where gnomes, monsters and strange things lurk in every corner, and where fantasy and reality become a blur of weirdness and wonder.
Let There Be Owls Everywhere: Another Book of Poems. A second volume of whimsical illustrated poetry to delight young readers of all ages.
The Ice Cream Truck at Midnight: Stories and Sketches. Here there be tales about used books, giraffes, space invaders, whispers from an Egyptian pharaoh, and many other mysterious happenings...including an ice cream truck that appears at midnight.
GOBLABET: A Murder Mystery (with Goblins). Goblabet is a curious collection of twenty-six goblins who are under trial for the mysterious murder of their king.
Side note from Michelle: I read this book with my two boys and they had a grand ol’ time solving the puzzle that unmasked the culprits. Personally, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek footnotes.
Books that Ken read and loved
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet (Read my review.)
The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Julie Morstad
Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
Here’s where you can connect with Ken
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Ken!
In and out of weeks is where you can geek out with
on Substack about books, movies, and music.Here’s where you’ll find everything you need to connect with Ken and the wild, whirlwind world of his books.
You can follow him on Instagram here for book reviews, here for illustrations, and here for writing.
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Thank you, Ken, for chatting books today!
And thank you for being here, readers.
Catch you next time,
Michelle
What a fun interview! We're big fans of Ken's work!
The “Ken’s books are like” section is perfect. Ken’s books are so great!