Cover Reveal Q&A: TOAD ON THE GO by Jashar Awan

Toad on the Go, the sequel to the Geisel Honor-winning Towed by Toad, comes out on June 16, 2026. Today, we have a first look at the cover. But before the big reveal, I wanted to talk with author/illustrator Jashar Awan about how the book was made.

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Travis: What was the inspiration for Toad on the Go?

Jashar Awan: This is the first time I’ve returned to characters—it was so nice to have the opportunity to spend some more time with Toad and Pop after Towed by Toad.

I started off by figuring out what adventures Toad will get up to and then honed in on what I’m saying with the story and, boy, have these books been revealing! It’s a funny aspect of writing—you share things about yourself whether or not you mean to.

I’m very hard on myself when I make mistakes and, in Toad on the Go, Toad makes a very big mistake. This book is about allowing yourself the grace to be imperfect, forgiving yourself when you do make a mistake, and taking responsibility for the mistakes you make along the way.

Travis: What are the best parts and the most challenging parts of making a new book with the same character?

Jashar: I looked at a lot of books in series to see how other creators handled this same challenge. I got such a kick out of Ludwig Bemelmans’ retelling the entire first half of Madeline on the first page of Madeline’s Rescue!

And there are moments that seem essential to Peter Rabbit’s story that take place in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. All of this is to say that there’s no one way to continue a series. 

I wanted the second book to feel like a natural extension of Towed by Toad, so I had to work within the creative constraints set up by that book. The first book gave me a template or at least something to react to as I wrote the second book—I could pick and choose which elements of the story structure to revisit or ignore or approach in a different way. I had to keep the cold open!

At the same time, I tested those self-imposed boundaries to see how I could build Toad’s world out. For instance, there’s a lot of signage this time around—I had fun playing graphic designer for all the local businesses Toad rushes past. 

I also love naming the new characters in these books! (There’s one name in particular that I’m especially proud of in Toad on the Go—see if you can guess which one!)

Travis: How did you make the art for this book? Was it the same or different from your other books?

Jashar: Toad on the Go was drawn on a Cintiq Wacom. It’s the first book I’ve done entirely digitally from thumbnails to finals. I do miss having the physical originals, but this has streamlined my process. In the past, moving from sketchbook to scanner to computer felt like a series of roadblocks to me. Having everything in one place has been helpful and, honestly, working digitally in this way feels like putting pencil to paper. It takes the same skills—there’s just less cleanup (although, I do somehow still manage to make a mess of my studio).

I usually do something a little different stylistically for each book, just to keep things interesting for myself. Towed by Toad was part of a two-book deal, so, when I was making the first book, I had the thought in the back of my mind that I was going to have to return to this style. That made me very deliberate when making decisions about technique or character design or palette. I was able to relax a bit during Toad on the Go because those big decisions had already been made. Not that they were set in stone or anything—I did add three colors to my palette (red, yellow, and green are very important to this story) and Pop’s look got a bit of a polish, too. I even found a way to mix up my art process. 

For Towed by Toad, I’d thumbnail, do a tight sketch, block in color, and then ink in Photoshop. This time around, I skipped the tight sketch stage and allowed myself to play more as I inked. Hopefully, the reader won’t notice the difference! 

Travis: What snack puts you in peak creativity mode?

Jashar: I want to say something healthy like grapes, but the honest answer would have to be Cheez-Its (original flavor, of course). About halfway through a work day, I usually take a break and have a handful or two!

Thanks, Jashar!

And now, for the very first time, the cover for Toad on the Go by Jashar Awan, coming out on June 16th, 2025 from Tundra books.

A bit about the book (from the publisher):

Little ones. Big ones. Everyone makes mistakes . . . even Toad!

Toad and his tow truck are on the go, racing to the rescue of anyone who needs help on the road. But still, Toad always obeys the rules and NEVER makes mistakes. He waits patiently for the green light. Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . GO! . . . Uh oh.

What happens when Toad does make a mistake? After all, everyone makes mistakes — what really matters is how you fix them!

Filed under: Cover Reveal