>> Antonio Williams: Well, 
welcome. It's my pleasure to
welcome you guys to the Library 
of Congress' National Book
Festival. We're thrilled to have
you here at the Discovery
Stage. I also want to welcome 
all of our viewers online and
around the world. We're all 
glad we're so glad that everyone
can be with us here today.
I'm Antonio Williams and I am
the chair of the of the District
of Columbia Public Library
Board of Trustees. DC Public 
Library is a proud -- proud partner
with the Library of Congress
and with the National Book
Festival. D.C. Public Library is 
the center for the Book in D.C.
And we're very proud of that 
fact. DCPL is deeply invested in
access to reading for young
children. For example, through
our Books from Birth program.
More than 80,000 of our young
youngest residents, including
both of my children, have been
able to receive one book a month
from the age of birth till
they're five years old. 
You know, I like to think about
the possibilities that this 
opens. The possibilities to
explore diverse cultures, the
ability to to think about and
experience stories that mirror
their own lives, and open doors
to imagine what they can aspire
to. As our young people grow,
we actually invite them then to
participate in what we call our
Beyond the Book program.
That -- that program helps to
reinforce the love of reading
that they've developed with
amazing in-library programming
and experiences. Our goal at
DCPL is simple. We want children
to see reading as a tool that
shapes them into well-rounded,
empathetic individuals. Not just
seeing themselves, but about
understanding others and
dreaming big. It's our 
commitment at D.C. Public Library
that it's not just about the
library. It's about building
community. A community that sees
the world in their power to
shape it. On behalf of the
Library of Congress, I do want
to mention that if you do see
a survey taker, however. Please
take that survey. The Library of
Congress is very interested in
in hearing from each of you and
incorporating your thoughts into
future national book festivals.
And with that, let me get to
our event at hand. Our first
event on this stage is titled
"The World is a Big Place for 
Little Creatures" and I
certainly think that that is 
the case. We are happy to
feature Doug Salati. He is the
author and illustrator of the
Caldecott Medal winning picture
book, "Hot Dog" Among many
others. Lane Smith.
Lane Smith received the
Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Society of Illustrators.
And has received the Caldecott
honor twice. His brand new book,
"Stickler Loves the World"
and and then our moderator is
Juanita Giles the -- and she
is the founder and executive
director of the Virginia
Children's Book Festival.
She's a lifelong lover of books.
Giles' passion and forceful
advocate for access and 
diversity in storytelling.
So with that, thank you all for
joining us at the Discovery
Stage. And let's welcome our
three presenters. Thank you.
>> Doug Salati: Thank you.
>> Juanita Giles: I guess it's on.
Is this -- it's -- oh. 
>> Lane Smith: Is this on?
>> Juanita Giles: It's magic.
>> Lane Smith: Oh, it is.
Well, I want to say, first of
all I see parents and caregivers
with children and it is nine,
ten in the morning.
So congratulations. Very good.
Very good. I hope everybody
had breakfast. Did you have
breakfast? Did you have
breakfast? Oh, good. I can tell
you that Mr. Lane here had
oatmeal for breakfast.
>> Lane Smith: I did.
>> Juanita Giles: He had oatmeal
for breakfast.
>> Lane Smith: I didn't get the
memo that you'd be serving
breakfast to everyone today.
>> Juanita Giles: I'm not
serving breakfast. You have to
serve lunch afterwards.
>> Lane Smith: Okay.
>> Juanita Giles: That's -- yeah
that's your job. So these --  so
if you're here, then I guess
you know that these two guys are
kind of impressive. There are
three Caldecotts up here among
us, and I am the third one
without a Caldecott. So again,
that tells you -- I'll get mine
later. I'll borrow one of yours.
But their newest books, as you
may know already, Stickler Loves
The World, is not out yet.
August 23rd. Is that correct? 
>> Lane Smith: Yeah
>> Juanita Giles: August 23rd.
That's Lane's latest book.
And then, of course, Hot Dog. Is
Doug's book that won the
Caldecott this year. And I have
a couple of questions for y'all,
before we just talk because,
y'all, we've been talking all
morning. They're pretty funny
guys. How creepy did you want to
make Stickler?
>> Lane Smith: Oh, creepy?
>> Lane Smith: That's my first 
that's my first question. Does
anybody out there think he's a
little creepy? A little creepy?
Yeah, if -- a little creepy?
Yeah. Yeah.
>> Lane Smith: No. I -- that's
true because I like characters
that are maybe not what you'd
expect to be, you know, normally
if you had a book like this with
a character that's so joyous, it
would be a little kitten, or a
sparkly unicorn or something.
So I like that the expectations
are flipped. And in fact, when
I start the book, you sort of
see all these shadowy, strange
creatures and then the fog lifts
and all the other creatures are
just normal, you know, birds and
squirrels. But Stickler's still
kind of an odd, odd guy.
But then you quickly learn that
it's a -- it's a -- it's a happy,
happy little stickler.
>> Juanita Giles: So how did
Stickler develop?
>> Lane Smith: Well, I did a
book last year called A Gift for
Nana. Most people say Nana, but
we always said Nana to my mom.
And that was -- and Stickler
made an appearance in that book
only on one page, but I just
couldn't get the character out
of my head. And I, like, I found
myself, you know, drawing
Stickler in people's books when
I would sign the other book. And
so eventually it just the story
sort of built and built and now
it's got its own book.
>> Juanita Giles: Are you also
prepared for kids to put googly
eyes all through the book?
>> Lane Smith: Yes, I am.
>> Juanita Giles: Because it's
I don't. Has anyone seen the
inside of this book? It is it is
ready for googly eyes on every
page. So I'm just telling you,
get your googly eyes ready.
>> Lane Smith: Well, Stickler's
eyes change, and if it gets more
excited, he'll go from or it'll
go, he's a it, from three eyes
to eight eyes and back to two
eyes. 
>> Juanita Giles: The good news
is you can get a variety pack 
>> Lane Smith: Yes.
>> Juanita Giles: of googly eyes
for a variety of sizes. And I
mean, you can get 300 of them in
a pack. So.
>> Lane Smith: I'm glad, Juanita
you're putting that idea in
kids' heads
>> Juanita Giles: Yes.
>> Lane Smith: so that they will
destroy their books.
>> Juanita Giles: Well, then,
they have to buy more than one.
>> Lane Smith: Oh, there you go.
>> Juanita Giles: See, There
you go.
>> Lane Smith: Or just do it in
library books.
>> Juanita Giles: Oh, that's a
good idea. That's a really good
idea. I'm going to move on to
I'm going to -- y'all we're
going to try to keep it together
we have really been misbehaving
this morning. I'll tell you.
We're going to try. So, Daug.
>> Doug Salati: Yes?
>> Juanita Giles: Do you own a
Dachshund?
>> Doug Salati: No, no, no.
I -- I -- we -- I don't know if
I should be admitting this in
such a formal setting, but even
I always wanted a dog as a kid
and, you know, begged my parents
to get one. And we had. We tried
one. It didn't work out. I tried
another. It didn't work out.
We were too busy, you know.
You know, and my parents ended
up taking care of the dog.
So and as an adult, I have never
fulfilled that. But I live in
New York City and it's constant
people and dog watching. And I
feel like that the people in the
book, the dog, Hot Dog, that
is kind of where it all started.
>> Juanita Giles: So this book
is not just to make your parents
feel bad that you didn't have
a dog when you were a kid.
>> Doug Salati: They're very
happy now, now that it's -- that
I found success with dogs.
>> Lane Smith: I'll bet, yeah.
>> Juanita Giles: Is there one
particular Dachshund that lives
near you that inspired this
book?
>> Doug Salati: About ten years
ago, I -- it was, it was, it 
was, now, I guess 11 years ago.
This time August, I went out
from New York, which can be
pretty steamy in August. And
took the train, took the Long
Island Railroad. Took the
shuttle bus. Took a ferry boat
out to Fire Island, which is
this barrier, small barrier
island. And friends of the
friend that I was with.
They owned the Dachshund. And it
was meeting that dog and seeing
how. Thrilled the dog was to be
out on the beach, to be off
leash. You know, I mean, you
know that feeling, right? Of
just letting the wind run
through your hair. All of that
stuff. Right? He was just so
happy. And I think I was having
some parallel feelings of
escaping the city. So that's
where it kind of started.
>> Lane Smith: It's so funny
because as a dog owner,
you nailed it. You know.
>> Doug Salati: You heard it
here.
>> Lane Smith: That's true.
>> Juanita Giles: That's true.
>> Doug Salati: Thank you.
>> Juanita Giles: Oh, my
God, So did they know that
their dog is famous here?
>> Doug Salati: Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah. They -- and lucky me, one
of the owners is a photographer.
So the dog Charlie was the
original dog and then Charlie's
not predecessors, but the dogs
that came after Charlie, Lou and
Ted are also dachshunds and
they're very well documented.
So I had three different models
that I used for the dogs.
>> Juanita Giles: People who
have Dachshunds are very
dedicated to the breed.
>> Doug Salati: They are. 
Yes. I've learned that.
>> Juanita Giles: Yes. One after
the other.
>> Doug Salati: Yeah.
>> Juanita Giles: What kind of
dog do you have?
>> Lane Smith: I have a little
Shih Tzu named Jojo. And I have
a cat named Lulu who likes to
attack Jojo. Yeah
>> Juanita Giles: You also seem
to like vowels a lot.
>> Lane Smith: I have three
vowels.
>> Juanita Giles: I know it's
true. So one of the things that
I love about Hot Dog is it's
it reminds me of one of my
favorite childhood books. With
not in theme or anything, but
Cloudy with a Chance of
Meatballs.  Because every time
you open that book, you see
something new. Even as an
adult, I'm always finding, you
know, when the lady's teeth are
coming out of her mouth, biting
the hot dog and things like
that. So is that intentional for
you or are you just I mean, do
you do you hide any Easter eggs
in here? And what
>> Doug Salati: Sure. There's lots of things.
>> Juanita Giles: Lot's of secrets. 
>> Doug Salati: You know, I
think the part of it is that
New York City is more is more.
You know, there's just so when
you step outside, it's kind of a
visual assault, you know, of
everything going on all the time
all at once. So it I feel like
that just happened to have to be
in the book because that's kind
of the city it was based on.
>> Lane Smith: And that's hard
to do. To put that much stuff in
there and not have it be a mess. 
>> Doug Salati: Yeah.
>> Lane Smith: And the thing
that's beautiful about this book
is it's every page is alive not
just with the characters, but
the sky is animated and the
waves are going. And the fur,
you know, it's just, it's like
it's animated. It's like it's
moving.
>> Doug Salati: It's moving.
Yeah. Thank you. Yeah.
>> Juanita Giles: Are you trying
to pitch a show? It could be a
show. And then Hot dog is turned
into a show.
>> Lane Smith: Netflix.
>> Juanita Giles: That's right.
Netflix, anyone?
>> Doug Salati: The best.
>> Juanita Giles: So I do -- I
did want to ask you all. Both of
you are telling your stories not
with a child character. And that
is, you know, that always seems
to me a very deliberate choice.
So what is it that you think
about having characters that are
not even human really, does for
kids? What do you think that
does for kids?
>> Lane Smith: Well, for me,
selfishly, I just like to draw
animals more than kids. But,
you know. Or creatures and imbue
them with childhood, you know,
child like personalities. So
that's more fun. I've done a lot
of books with human characters.
 But I always like drawing
Stinky Cheese Man, or Stickler
or you know, Gappers. I just,
like I, don't know. It's just
what I gravitate towards.
How about you?
>> Doug Salati: I think it's
easy I -- when I was a kid, my
favorite thing was to pretend
that I was something else.
You know? And so I feel like
with hotdog. I was just
thinking, oh, I'm -- I'm the dog
and I'm that -- his companion.
And it -- I don't know.
I didn't think of it. I think
you can you can look at the
characters and see them as stand
ins for kids easily, right?
So I think that's part of the
fun. I guess, for me is.
>> Lane Smith: Hey Doug, can you
tell us more about your
multiple personalities?
>> Doug Salati: Well, Lane.
>> Juanita Giles: I thought you
were going to say, I like to
pretend that I have a dog. I
thought that's what you were
going to say. I like to pretend
that I have a dog ever since
you were little. So I'll say.
I came up here from Farmville,
Virginia, which is sort of.
I don't know if anybody knows
where Farmville is.
It's sort of smack in the
middle of Virginia, and I do not
drive on 95. I won't do it
and I won't ride on it either.
Okay. It's not going to happen.
So we took the train from
Richmond, which is a drive in
and of itself. I don't know if
you've gone through Richmond to
get to the train station.
You have about 30ft to cross
four lanes of 64 to get to the
exit. It's nerve wracking.
And so I had these books with
me and I thought, I'm really
going to have to go over these
again and make sure I have
poignant questions, which I'm
not going to have.
I'm sorry if you have one,
you're going to ask it in just a
couple of minutes. But there
was a family there at the train
station with a young child,
maybe about three years old, who
was very antsy to get on the
train.
And I turned to the family and
like the creeper that I am, I
said, Can I bother you for a
second? I have two children's
books. I'd love to watch your
son look at these children's
books. And they said they said,
absolutely. They were thrilled
that I had something to
distract them. Yes, exactly.
And so they they read both of
these books to their little son.
And he was so enamored and he
wanted to talk all about his own
dog, Sophie. I learned her name.
And he said I said, is she a
big dog? And he said, very big.
And the mom said, the dog is
like this. But to him, it's a
very big dog.
>> Doug Salati:
Exactly exactly. Yeah.
>>juanita Giles: And Stickler, he went, I
was my kids are a little older,
so I wanted to see how a little
child reacted to this loved
stickler. Not scared at all.
So I would have been like, can
I sleep with the light on
tonight after this, after I had
read it?
But I just I was so excited to
see the kids reaction.
Do you ever do that when you're
writing your books?
Do you ever do you have friends
with children or anything where
you try it out on them before
you say, okay, this is it?
Or do you trust your own gut
instincts?
>> Doug Salati:
You know, I don't know if I
share it with a small group of
friends, you know, And one of
my studio mates, Robert Watkins,
I had this version of Hot Dog
where the dog just ran away from
his owner. The first version
was not a story.
It was just sketches of him
going to the city, going to the
beach, coming back. Not a good
story.
But then I thought, what else
is happening here?
And Robert, who is who is is a
dog owner.
The dog comes to the studio.
He thought, you know, that kind
of what kind of dog would do
that to its owner, you know?
And I thought, oh, I've struck
a chord here, you know.
So then I started thinking more
about that relationship, that
friendship. And so that
completely changed the book.
You know what it ended up being
getting that kind of feedback
from him or that point of view.
Yeah.
>> Lane Smith:
I'm the same deal I have.
I don't have children of my
own, but I've been doing this
for, I don't know, 35 years.
So I have friends I can rely
on.
So I showed this to Laurie
Keller and Bob Shaye, and
sometimes you get so into your
own work.
You miss the most obvious
things, you know.
And Laurie will say, Well,
what's going on here?
You know? And so I have good
friends.
I could run stuff by, and a lot
of times they'll give you a
great idea, but you don't use
that idea.
But it sparked something or you
think, well, if they're confused
on this page and something's
confusing, but I think there are
almost two different types of
children's book writers.
There are the types who go to
classrooms and maybe write for
current kids, and then there
are the kinds that are just
perpetually stuck in their own
childhood and reliving their own
childhood. I love nothing more
than just making the book.
You know, it's just the act of
painting and writing and sitting
in my little barn in
Connecticut.
It's just like a wonderful
pandemic that never ends.
>> Juanita Giles:
I was going to say, there are
people to help you with that.
You know, if you you know, they
get paid to help you work
through being stuck in your own
childhood, that's that's good.
I didn't know I was wondering
actually, I was going to say,
does this mean that you're one
of those people you have to get
a t shirt that says, I'll take
the chicken nuggets?
Have you ever seen those for
grown ups?
Like, I'll just take the
chicken nuggets for people who
are perpetually stuck in their
own childhood.
I'll get you one of those. No,
I won't.
One. So I see that we're having
to wrap up.
We have two minutes left.
And so I know.
And so I'm sure that somebody
out there has questions for Lane
or Doug. Does anybody have
questions for Lane or Doug?
Oh, I see. Hands everywhere.
So let's see.
Let's do this one over here.
>> Art Teacher:
I am an art teacher.
Elementary age.
How would you convince your.
Was that your trajectory or.
>> Juanita Miles:
Did you all hear her?
You. So she wanted.
She's an art teacher.
And she wanted to know how they
would encourage children to
become illustrators themselves.
>>Doug Salati.
I feel like I'm here because of
amazing teachers.
Our teachers, drama, teachers,
course teachers, all everything.
So it's so important.
First of all. Right. And thank
you.
And I feel like there's that
certain age where you start to
feel like, Oh, you have to draw
this certain way for it to be
good, right?
Or a good type of art making.
And I feel like and that
happens to all of us, I think
that's a natural progression.
But if there's a way to kind of
keep that other channel open of
just exploration experimentation
and not really judging it as as
a good and bad thing, if kids
are able to do that or to help
them to do that.
I think that's so important,
you know, because you don't know
where that type of storytelling
is going to lead.
And they're naturals, right?
When they're when you're young
and that.
>> Lane Smith.
You know, children's books
weren't as big as they are now.
When I was a kid, it wasn't
really an option.
But like you, I was in high
school and my art, I never knew
you could even make a career in
any kind of art.
But I had a fantastic art
teacher, Mr.
Boffman, and he encouraged me
and he personally drove me to an
art school and got me an
appointment with a counselor and
got me in that school.
And it just I was the first
person in my family to go to
college, you know, Oh, you're
going to be a doctor?
No, I'm going to be an
illustrator. But it completely
changed my life.
But I agree with Doug a lot.
I remember when I was at Art
Center, they were saying, you
know, now this is a maserati
and this is an airbrush, and
you're going to paint that to
look just like that.
And I'm drawing, you know, big
heads and little bodies and like
I did in elementary school, you
sort of lose that.
But if you could retain that,
then you may have a career in
children's books.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Oliver and I. New teacher
And I was delighted to see that
they have a huge section.
Try to encourage that. But I
was curious what what was the.
>> That I do most love.
>> Juanita Giles: So she
just asked what were their
favorite children's books as a
child and how that influences
them.
>> Lane Smith:
Well, I'm old, so when when I
was a kid, probably why I did
the stickler. We just played
with a stick.
We didn't really have that
many.
I don't remember kids books.
Now kids are blessed to know
their children's book libraries
and stores. We didn't really
have that.
So my education with kids books
really came when I was in art
school and definitely Where the
Wild Things Are.
I love swimming.
That was a big influence.
All the story and the textures
and anything by William Steig.
Those are my biggies.
>> Doug Salati: Yeah, yeah.
All the same.
And I feel like my sister and I
really she started almost
drawing. We read Trina Schart
Hyman books so much that that
she almost started drawing
right like her.
It really sunk in.
I think the books that really
pulled you in kept you in that
through line and then kind of
popped you back out at the end,
Right? They were a satisfying
they were as satisfying as
watching a movie or going to
see a live performance.
You know, that that ability to
just hold your attention, make
you want to turn that page.
I mean, that's, I think, a goal
for any book maker.
>> Lane Smith: Better than a movie.
>> Doug Salati: Better than.
>> Lane Smith: you're in your own
head. That's right.
Yeah.
>> Doug Salati:
Yeah, yeah.
>> Juanita Giles:
We have time for one more
question.
Right down here.
Right there. Yes.
>> Why is the doll called hot dog
if it's if it's not a hot dog?
Oh.
>> Lane Smith: Best question all day.
Why you do that?
>> Daug Salati: 
That is a great question.
Why is a dog called hot dog if
it's not a hot dog?
I think because he's hot dog.
Hot dog is a hot in temperature
dog and he's kind of a long and
skinny like the hot dog food.
So between those two things,
that's why I called them hot
dog.
>> Juanita Giles:
Dachshunds are called Wiener
dogs.
Did you know that? And wieners
are.
It's another word for hot dog.
So you really again, as you
say, there's a pun in there.
That's what you said before.
Well, I just want to say thank
you both so much.