Book Hour - The Donut Chef

Mindy took a break from press coverage of the election to interview Bob Staake, whose job is drawing goofy pictures and writing silly books. His drawings appear in The Washington Post, Mad Magazine, New Yorker Magazine, Hallmark Cards.

His latest book in The Donut Chef. Influenced by poster art with bright colors and fun shapes. He was attracted to the graphic, colorful, bold style.

How do you want to spend your time? He just finished a few pop up books; one about animals. There is no easy answer to whether the idea or the illustrations come first. Sometimes you go back and forth between drawings and the story. He spends all day imagining and drawing and creating.

He draws with a mouse to create big forms and then nudges and cuts using a computer mouse.

The Donut Chef was gong to be about a donut chef going to war with the bagel maker. But he thought that there is only one word that rhymes with bagel (finagle), so he scrapped that idea.

Bob is endorsing "The Weirdo".