She took photographs of a panda in a tree who was having trouble falling asleep. When we were in China, my wife took a 24-hour trip to the city of Chengdu, where the pandas are. The US State department has sent me to Russia and China to speak about creativity. Tell us about your latest book, Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep? I knew at that moment that a book was born! I tore a piece of paper one day in my studio and it looked like the mouth of an alligator. Educators kept asking if I could teach how I do that. Paw prints on a painting turned to clouds and a coffee stain turned into a monster.

In my PowerPoint, I show two images which were created from mistakes. I travel around the world speaking about the creative process. Where do you find inspiration for your books? Meet Barney at Fairytale Town the weekend of September 27 & 28 at the ScholarShare Children’s Book Festival! Barney will read Beautiful Oops! and his latest book, Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep, and sign copies of his books.īeautiful Oops! is an inspiring read about creativity and how “oops” can transform into something wonderful. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three dogs. Barney has been working with the United States State Department as a part of the Cultural Exchange Program and has traveled to China and Russia to speak about the creative process.

Additionally, he’s recorded four CDs of music for children. Meet Barney Saltzberg at the ScholarShare Children’s Book Festivalīarney Saltzberg is the author and illustrator of close to 50 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, Andrew Drew and Drew, and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series with over 800,000 copies in print.

Barney saltzberg books