Writer Minh Lê and illustrator Dan Santat tackle 'The Blur' of parenthood in new children’s book
Listening to Minh Lê and Dan Santat talk about one another, one would think they were lifelong friends. In fact, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, the writer-illustrator team behind two bestselling children’s books often make it sound as if they’re artistic soul mates.
The duo’s partnership has paid dividends for both creators since their first collaboration in 2018 on the bestselling “Drawn Together,” a children’s book that went on to win multiple awards and make over a dozen year-end “Best Book” lists. They followed this up with “Lift” in 2020 and now “The Blur,” which is being released this week. And while each of the books is a distinct story, they could be seen as a trilogy of sorts that explores the complexities, absurdities and delicacies of family.
“I hear him talk about those experiences and I remember what it was like at that age,” says Santat, whose own sons are now teenagers. “Or I just think to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, that felt so long ago,’ but it really was only five years ago. As a parent, you can just really connect with the idea of how fast time goes.”
A first generation Vietnamese-American, Lê also grew up on the East Coast, attending Dartmouth College and Harvard University before settling in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area. He moved to La Mesa in 2019 with his wife and children.