Award-winning author and illustrator Marc Remus, shared some of his amazing publishing journey with us! Remus's book, The Chocolate Clouds has now won two gold medals and the B.R.A.G. Medallion.
The Chocolate Clouds tells the story of Henry, a ten-year-old boy living in Sugarland, where everyone is overweight due to the abundance of sweet food. For decades, chocolate clouds have floated above Choco-Locoville, which Henry's family collected and used to build a candy empire that controlled Sugarland's food supply. But when the clouds suddenly disappear, Henry embarks on a journey beyond the Monster Mountains to save his family's empire and prevent Sugarland from starving.
Remus hopes that his book will teach children about healthy food choices without lecturing them. Childhood obesity is a major issue, and Remus wants to help prevent children from getting into unhealthy habits. He was inspired to write The Chocolate Clouds by a friend who had battled with obesity and became passionate about preventing children from making the same mistake. Unfortunately, Remus's friend passed away before the book was published.
Creating the illustrations for the book was the most challenging part of the journey for Remus, taking him two years to complete. He wanted to create a traditional illustration style that would appeal to children, featuring many main characters, and keeping the images consistent even as Henry loses weight throughout the story.
Remus was inspired to become an author by his college teacher, who taught him his first children's book illustration class in California in the 1990s. He eventually wrote and illustrated his first book, Painting Brian, which led to the Magora series. In the early 2000s, he studied for four years at the Institute of Children's Literature. Since then, his books have received over 15 literary awards and have been translated into multiple languages.
Currently, Remus is working on a new children's book while The Chocolate Clouds continues to be translated into more languages. Despite his love for chocolate, Remus hopes that his book will inspire children to make healthy choices for a better future.