Novgorodoff ‘honoured’ with historic Kate Greenaway win for graphic novel

"I felt a lot of pressure to make the artwork good enough to live up to the text,” says Danica Novgorodoff of Long Way Down, written by Jason Reynolds (Faber), the winner of this year’s Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal for outstanding children’s illustration and the first graphic novel to scoop the prize in 50 years. 

The story, originally published as a novel-in-verse in 2017, centres on Will, who seeks revenge after his brother is shot, but is visited by the ghosts of people killed in his neighbourhood as he rides the lift down from his flat. In her acceptance speech at the British Library ceremony yesterday (16th June), Novgorodoff called it “a dream project” to work on. 

As often as I could, I wanted to find ways to break out of that square format and incorporate cityscapes or different compositions to make the page a little bit more dynamic and not just a bunch of talking heads

The artist, who lives in Kentucky and is also a writer, graphic designer and horse wrangler, read the novel in a day after being approached by Reynolds’ US publisher Simon & Schuster—and she “loved it”. Her two-year adaptation process began with close reading of the text, noting what could be expressed through imagery. She created a script before starting on the art, which she created using watercolour with ink. 

Though much of the story takes place in a lift, Novgodoroff used a variety of spreads to keep it visually engaging. “As often as I could, I wanted to find ways to break out of that square format and incorporate cityscapes or different compositions to make the page a little bit more dynamic and not just a bunch of talking heads.” While the colour palette is fairly muted, there are pops of colour throughout; however, the book’s many flashback scenes are depicted in a monochrome, bluish-grey tone. These were some of the images Novgodoroff most enjoyed creating as she could focus on “form and shape and the atmospheric, ghostly type of painting”.

When I ask about working with Reynolds, she says: “That’s the funny thing. I never talked to Jason directly.” She was fed his feedback through the publisher “but there really wasn’t very much feedback… He pretty much gave me freedom to make the book and trusted me to try to do a good job on it.”

Novgodoroff has several different projects in the works, including a graphic novel about young climate activists created in collaboration with journalist Meera Subramanian. Earlier this year, she published illustrated non-fiction children’s title Alexander von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist & Environmental Pioneer and Not a Cat: A Memoir, a picture book written by Winter Miller. She hopes the Kate Greenaway recognition will “open up new doors and new projects”. 

Reflecting on her win, she says: “I’m honoured and delighted that this book has been chosen... I’m just so grateful.” In her acceptance speech, she highlighted the merits of graphic novels and called for kids to have more access to them. She tells me: “I hope that this award will convince a few people that graphic novels are a valid type of reading.”