Ben Hatke
Ben Hatke is the author and illustrator of the New York Times–bestselling Zita the Spacegirl trilogy, the picture books Julia's House for Lost Creatures and Nobody Likes a Goblin, and the graphic novels Little Robot and Mighty Jack. He lives and works in the Shenandoah Valley with his wife and their boisterous pack of daughters.
Ben Hatke
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Ben Hatke
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1. Do you tend to think of yourself more as a writer or as an artist?
In my case, I think the two are pretty inseparable. I work a lot on the structure of my stories and I get a lot of joy out of that, but my art is not just in the service of the story, it's very much a part of the storytelling. I find things like characters' body language to be a wonderful storytelling tool. I've also lately been interested in projects that separate words and pictures -- illustrated novels on the one hand and wordless comics on the other.
2. The Zita books feature some pretty strange creatures. You must've had a strange childhood!
I've always been drawn to weird creatures. Some of my early drawings are vast underground scenes full of creatures that aren't that far removed from some of the species in the Zita books. I was lucky in that my parents exposed me to a lot of different influences -- all kinds of books and movies. And we spent days spent exploring rivers. We were even active members of the Society for Creative Anachronisms!
3. Out of all that, what kinds of things influenced you the most?
When I was a very small child my older cousin took me to see The Dark Crystal at the theater. We had to leave about halfway through the film because I was crying. The grownups all said it must have been too scary. I've seen The Dark Crystal since, but I also remember very clearly seeing those creatures on the screen for the first time. All these years later I wonder if maybe I wasn't just frightened, but overloaded by the the intense creativity. I still think that they did more with those puppets than we do with CGI today.
4. How does Legends of Zita differ from Zita the Spacegirl?
I feel like this volume lives up to the title a little better in that there are scenes that take place in SPACE. I'm finally putting some "space" in "spacegirl.
5. Can you tell us about one of your favorite scenes or moments in this new story?
There's a chase through the back alleys of a domed space city that culminates with the dramatic entrance of a new character. I'm proud of that part. There's another moment toward the end of the book, a moment of danger for Zita, that I decided to make into a single image spread across two pages with no dialogue. That's the joy of comics: you can show any given moment a hundred different ways but when it works it's a lot of fun.
Princess in the Piazza
Ben Hatke
Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press
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Available 05/01/2021
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Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl
Mighty Jack
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
It's the middle-grade team-up of the century as the heroes of New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke join forces to save the world in Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl....
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Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Sticky-Fingers Cure
Missy Piggle-Wiggle
Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell; illustrated by Ben Hatke
Square Fish
Square Fish
From powerhouse author Ann M. Martin, this third book in a delightful series and revitalization of a classic series is sure to draw in readers both new and old.
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The Zita the Spacegirl Trilogy Boxed Set
Zita the Spacegirl
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
Don a cape and follow the indomitable space explorer Zita from start to finish! From her unlikely origin as a humble earth girl to her wildest spacefaring adventures—robot doppelgängers, space...
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Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won't-Walk-the-Dog Cure
Missy Piggle-Wiggle
Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell; Illustrated by Ben Hatke
Square Fish
Square Fish
A storm, damage to the upside-down house and children behaving badly... What's Missy Piggle-Wiggle to do? The second book in a middle-grade spin-off series of the wildly popular Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, about a young nanny in a world where magic can solve problems.
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The Worm Whisperer
Betty Hicks, illustrated by Ben Hatke
Square Fish
Square Fish
You've heard of Horse Whisperers and Dog Whisperers, but Ellis thinks he might be a Worm Whisperer! When his family falls on hard times, Ellis thinks his weird skill might be able to help.
Ellis...
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Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
Mighty Jack
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
Ben Hatke, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Zita the Spacegirl, concludes his latest middle-grade fantasy-adventure series with the energetic finale to his retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.
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Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure
Missy Piggle-Wiggle
Ann M. Martin, with Annie Parnell; illustrated by Ben Hatke
Square Fish
Square Fish
New York Times-bestselling author Ann M. Martin brings her signature warmth and comic genius to a new character. And artist Ben Hatke brings it all to life!
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle...
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Mighty Jack
Mighty Jack
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
Ben Hatke, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Zita the Spacegirl, returns to middle-grade fantasy-adventure with the first of two graphic novels retelling Jack and the Beanstalk.
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Nobody Likes a Goblin
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
An unlovely little goblin must leave his dungeon and become a hero in this picture book by #1 New York Times-bestselling graphic novelist Ben Hatke (Zita the Spacegirl).
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Little Robot
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
A lonely girl befriends a sweet little robot in this brand new adventure from Zita the Spacegirl author Ben Hatke!
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Julia's House for Lost Creatures
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
Julia's housemates have to do their chores—even if they're fairies, goblins, mermaids, and dragons!
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The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
Zita the Spacegirl
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
The final adventure! Zita the Spacegirl is back and the odds are stacked high against her. Will everyone's favorite spacegirl prevail?
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Legends of Zita the Spacegirl
Zita the Spacegirl
Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
Adoring fans and a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc: Zita's got her hands full in this rollicking sequel to the critically acclaimed Zita the Spacegirl.
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Between the Panels 2
Zack Giallongo; Ben Hatke; Thien Pham; J.T. Petty; Hilary Florido; Mark Siegel
First Second
First Second
Have you ever asked yourself what goes on in comics between the panels and behind the scenes? Between the Panels 2 gives you an inside look at the making of four great new graphic novels: Broxo,...
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Zita the Spacegirl
Zita the Spacegirl
Written and illustrated by Ben Hatke
First Second
First Second
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Zita's life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye.
When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds...
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