What happens when a writer’s imagination meets an architect’s precision? At Santos Press, it’s a bit like a game of high-stakes creative “telephone” except the result is a 12 children’s picture book global legacy.
Today, we’re sharing a glimpse of the playful “translation” process behind the scenes of the third installment in The Adventures of Chomp the Chimp children’s picture book series, Chomp the Chimp and the Noisy Night, set to release internationally in June 2026.
Step 1: The Word-Map
It all starts with the text. When Franco E. Santos writes a line like, “chasing the butterfly then the honeybee,” he isn’t just looking for a picture of a running chimp. He’s looking for the feeling of a joyful moment, captured with biological accuracy.
Step 2: The Architect’s Sketch
This is where Marta Maszkiewicz, our Master Illustrator, takes over. Because Marta is a trained architect, she doesn’t just draw, she builds. She takes those words and asks: How does gravity pull on a young chimp’s shoulder? How many fingers are gripping that branch?
In the sketch below, you can see Marta “finding” Chomp in the middle of his play. She’s giving “meat” to the words, ensuring that every limb follows the laws of physics (and the strict “five-digit” rule of great ape anatomy!).
Step 3: Finding the “Quiet Room”
The most playful part of our collaboration is the “Text Hide-and-Seek.” While Marta creates these sweeping, dramatic scenes, like a herd of gazelles leaping across the savannah, the Author is busy in the background, looking for “Quiet Rooms.”
These are the negative spaces in Marta’s art where the words can sit comfortably. Sometimes the art is so beautiful that the Author hates to cover even a corner of it (it’s a constant battle between “Look at that bird!” and “I need a place for this paragraph!”).
Step 4: The Final Glow
Once the “bones” of the sketch are locked in, Marta adds the magic. Using a lush, heritage gouache style, she turns a pencil outline into a living, breathing world. The father chimp’s face brightens, the forest shadows deepen, and suddenly, the words on the page aren’t just text anymore, they are an atmosphere.
The Santos Press Promise
Watching Marta create imagery out of words is the best part of our day. It ensures that when you hold a Santos Press book, you aren’t just holding a story; you’re holding a conversation between two people dedicated to the “Heritage Standard” of children’s literature.