SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

March 2, 2021 by Travis Jonker

Tim Miller on the Making of TINY KITTY, BIG CITY

March 2, 2021 by Travis Jonker   1 comments

When it comes to picture books, it’s pretty simple – if Tim Miller is involved, I’m interested. He has a new book out today – Tiny Kitty, Big City – so it seems like a good time to chat.

TRAVIS: What was the spark that led to Tiny Kitty, Big City?

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

TIM MILLER: There were actually two sparks, set three years apart. The first was  unconscious and occurred around the time when I was leading school tours of the Panorama of New York City at the Queens Museum.

The Panorama is a giant to-scale model of NYC from the 1964 NY World’s 
Fair. I had adopted a rescue cat a few years earlier, and one day 
without thinking about it I scribbled a sketch of a tiny kitty staring 
up at a massive skyscraper in a big city, then the name for the book 
popped into my head.

I played with the idea for a while, but eventually gave up when I couldn’t figure it out. Fast forward three years later, I encountered a stray cat and her litter of kittens when parking my car in Queens. I fed them for about a week until I was able to rescue them from where they were living in a beat-up cardboard box under a subway trestle. Then, I fostered them until I was able to find them new homes with the help of a local cat rescue called Jersey Cats. The experience of seeing how the stray and her litter had to survive and imagining what that felt like through their eyes was the next spark that became the heart of the story.

TRAVIS: So it’s safe to say you’re a cat person?

TIM: Don’t tell my cats this, but I think of myself as more of an animal person in general, than just strictly being a cat lover. I grew up on a farm with cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese, and thought of them all as my extended family (except when I had to do my 
chores). My father was also a K-9 trainer, so dogs were a big part of my life as well. If I had the room to fit all these animals in my 900 square foot apartment now, I would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, things are a bit tight, so I’m limited to three cats for the time being.

TRAVIS: How did you make the art for Tiny Kitty, Big City?

TIM: Here is the secret creative formula I used to make the book –

Fear + Anxiety + Procrastination + Day Dreaming + Doubt + Self-Despair 
+ Deadline + Panic + Acrylic Gouache + Digital Hocus Pocus = Voilà!

TRAVIS: Sounds like an effective formula! Is there a line or an illustration you’re especially happy with in the book?

TIM: I love the dramatic punch of the second spread in the book and the 
emotion it packs, but my favorite moment is the spread with the 
pigeons:

I’m really hard on myself in general and dwell on all the things I wish I would have done better, but I look at this one and think that I got it right. I’m especially happy with the handling of the paint for “Wildlife city.” (the pigeon spread). It has the kind of spontaneity and energy to it that I love in a painting because it’s alive.

TRAVIS: Key Question: What snack puts you in peak creativity mode?

TIM: It’s a toss-up between caffeine and almonds.

Almonds keep me afloat when I’m caught in the never-ending tunnel of completing a project. However, caffeine is the magic elixir that brings me to peak awareness and creativity (unless consumed in massive quantities, in which case I collapse inward).

TRAVIS: Thanks for taking my questions, Tim! Here’s a description of Tiny Kitty, Big City from the publisher:

A heartwarming, gorgeously painted picture book about a kitten on the streets of a city who ultimately finds a warm, loving home, by acclaimed author-illustrator Tim Miller.

Tiny, brave, playful kitty goes on an adventure through the crowded, noisy, swinging city in a story about finding love and kindness in unexpected places.

Filed under: Authors

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

How To Say Goodbye in Cuban: Excerpt Reveal PLUS Q&A with Daniel Miyares

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Godzilla: Skate or Die | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Happy Birthday, Anne of Green Gables. I have a present for you…, a guest post by Rex Ogle

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

Behind the Scenes of a Caldecott Honor Winning Book: Molly Mendoza and Aida Salazar Discuss JOVITA WORE PANTS

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

2 College Love Stories for Teens | YA Spotlight

More Than 50 Standout Titles! | Starred Reviews, June 2025

9 Titles to Learn About Juneteenth

23 Titles to Welcome Little Ones Back to School

Tiffany D. Jackson Empowers Teens Through Gripping Page-Turners

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Isabel Roxas says

    March 2, 2021 at 9:52 am

    So great to see the backstory to this wonderful ode to NY. Hooray pigeons (I mean, Kitties)!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025