Meet Richard Ungar - Author / Illustrator / Lawyer-CANSCAIP

I met Richard Ungar at the CANSCAIP Conference last November. When I told him about my blog, he was very kind to agree to my interview. Thank you Richard!
Richard Ungar balances the worlds of law, art, and writing. A practicing lawyer by profession, he devotes his leisure hours to painting and writing.

He has studied painting at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He also took a five-month sabbatical to paint in France and Jerusalem. His work can be found in private collections in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Washington, and Denver.

He lives with his wife, two sons, and pussycat in Toronto.

He has four picture books published.Three of his books take place in the mythic village of Chelm (not to be confused with the real-life village of Chelm that is in Poland).

Richard says that once you have visited Chelm, (the mythic one that is) it is very hard to leave. You see, the people there are very silly. And, when you spend half your day being a serious lawyer, silliness is welcome.

Rachel's Library
The citizens of Chelm have always had a reputation for foolish­ness. How can they convince people otherwise and show outsiders their true wisdom? Surely the answer lies in the great city of Warsaw. They will send a delegation to the capital to find a solution.

Young Rachel is an unexpected addition to the group, but as always, she is the one with the answer. The clue to wisdom lies in books. What Chelm needs is a library. In her own creative fashion, Rachel finds a way to build a village library – different from any library you can imagine.

Two other books: Rachel Captures the Moon and Rachel’s Gift have introduced the endearing village of Chelm – always quirky and always full of surprises.

One of the many reviews:

"Though the story possess a humourous tone, it conveys a valuable and inspiring message; sometimes the answers to our problems are closer than we think - they lie within us. Ungar's watercolour and coloured pencil illustrations, rich with reds, oranges, and yellows, add vibrancy and warmth to this folktale..."
- Canadian Bookseller

Even Higher is Richard's most recent book:
Young Reuven has a problem. Every year, on the day before Rosh Hashanah, the beloved rabbi of the village of Nemirov disappears until nightfall and no one knows where he goes.

That evening, when Reuven watches the rabbi through the synagogue window, he gets an idea. Determined to follow him at daybreak, Reuven is baffled as the rabbi, disguised as a simple woodcutter, passes the synagogue, the cheder, and Beryl the Baker’s house — his usual stops — only to enter the great forest. Where could the rabbi of Nemirov possibly be going?

Adapted from a beloved story by I.L. Peretz, Richard Ungar once again captures the joyous spirit of the Jewish folktale with lighthearted humor and a rich palette of colors as vibrant as the story he tells.


Read one of the reviews:
"The story is charming and instructive for children, and Ungar's adaptation is written at a level that can be read by capable children in the target age group. Parents and teachers will also find that the story has been structured well to engage children's minds - the mystery, the dare, the adventure, the truth, the lesson"
- CM Magazine

Richard graciously accepted to be interviewed for this blog post:

Q: Which contemporary illustrators continue to inspire you?
The first illustrator to have a big impact on me was Ed Young. I saw his work in a bookstore near my office and was blown away by the looseness and elegance of his pastel paintings in his book Lon Po Po. His work opened my eyes to the idea that there is not just one way to illustrate a children's book - which led me to thinking that one day I could possibly illustrate my own children's book.

Other illustrators whose work I admire include Jirina Marton, a Canadian illustrator who recently won the Governor General's Award, Murray Kimber (The Wolf of Gubbio) and Marie Louise Gay.

Q:How do you generate ideas to write about?

With my picture books (I've written 4 so far), my inspiration has come from Jewish folktales. My stories have been either adaptations of classic Jewish stories or inspired by Jewish folktales. For example my book 'Even Higher' is a retelling of the classic story of the same name by I.L. Peretz.

Lately, (the last few years) I've been trying my hand at writing middle grade fiction. The source of ideas for my writing in this genre are a bit harder to pin down. Sometimes an idea comes to me by looking at a photograph, or when I'm walking along a street. Often though the ideas come when I'm actually writing.

Q:What childrens lit blogs would you recommend to kidlit bibliophiles?

I haven't spent a lot of time lately on kit lit sites, so I might not be best positioned to answer this question. But I've heard from others that Verla Kay's site is a good source of info for kid's writers. I also like to read Richard Scrimger's blog because he is very funny.


 Q:How do you manage your time with two careers?
I scramble a lot... when I'm doing my lawyering I am completely focused on it and since that is the career paying the bills, it tends to take precedence over the writing. But even when I'm busy at my day job, I somehow find time (mostly late at night) do do my writing. For me, consistency with my writing is the key rather than quantity. I try to write every night - even if its only a few words. By the end of the year with any luck I'll have written a bunch of words.


Thank you so much for your time, and for sharing your insightful art. It is beautiful and most inspiring!

Richard Ungar does school visits too!