My hero: William Steig by Jon Klassen

There's no copying Steig, no map to follow. The only common thread I can find in his stories and illustrations is a gentle, empathetic voice saying: 'Just keep going. You'll figure it out'

William Steig is a mystery to me. Most of the time, when you find someone whose work you admire so much, the impulse is to try to parse it, to find some seams, to open them up a little and see how the thing is put together so you can admire it from the inside, and probably steal a little from the inside, too. But Steig's books are like perfect smooth stones, complete in themselves, with no seams to be found. The only thing you can do is hold them and enjoy the holding.

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