Jarod Roselló on Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger

In this post, we feature artist and author Jarod Roselló, whose previous titles include Red Panda & Moon Bear, a winner of the Washington Library Association’s Otter Award. You can hear him speak about his new book for young people, Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger, the second title in the Super Magic Boy graphic novel series for young readers. You can also try his “invitation to imagine” activity and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger

Written and illustrated by Jarod Roselló
Published by Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House
Release date: December 17, 2024

Oh no! Today is Mami’s birthday and Hugo forgot to get her a present! But with Hugo’s imagination, and some help from Dino, they figure out that the best place to find a gift for the best mom in the world: OUTER SPACE! When they land on the planet of Space Tigers, Hugo is excited to get help from his new alien friends! But the Space Tigers have their own problems that need to be solved. Luckily, Hugo can turn into a Space Tiger and help his new friends out, hopefully find the best present ever along the way! Following Super Magic Boy: I Am a Dinosaur, this second entry in a graphic novel chapter book series is filled to the brim with friendship and zany adventures!

A spread from Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger, by Jarod Roselló, featuring panel illustrations of two cartoon characters: a dinosaur and a space tiger who are working together to solve a mystery.

A spread from Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger, by Jarod Roselló, featuring two cartoon characters: a dinosaur and a space tiger. The text reads, "Look around!"

Explore Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger

Listen to Jarod Roselló talking with TeachingBooks about creating Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Jarod Roselló.
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Imagination Activity with Jarod Roselló

Here’s a short activity I do with my own students to help them make a quick, diary comic. A diary comic is a way to share what happened in your day. Diary comics are usually done quickly, so it’s okay if it looks like a sketch comic or if you do it right in your sketchbook in pencil. Diary comics don’t usually have a narrative arc or even a punchline. It’s just a way of sharing the small moments of your life with others.

Make a list of everything you did yesterday. Don’t just think of the big stuff, but the little things too: conversations with friends, food you ate, things you saw, feelings you felt.
Narrow your list down to the 4 events you find most interesting.
Using a four panel grid, draw a single image for each of those 4 events (in chronological order) that represents what happened.
Add text to any of the scenes that might need some context, clarification, or reflection.
Put the date at the top of the comic.

For an alternative version of this, you can pick 1 of the events from your big list, and draw that event happening in the 4 panel grid, using text to clarify, contextualize, or reflect on what happened.

Finish This Sentence . . . with Jarod Roselló

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Jarod Roselló’s response.

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is listening to music and watching cartoons. Some people have a hard time writing when there’s music or television on, but it’s really helpful for me! I like to listen to music that matches the tone or energy of the scene I’m writing. And I like to watch cartoons that inspire me to tell stories. All of this fills up my creative bucket and helps me make more stuff!

More Connections to Jarod Roselló and Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger

Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Jarod Roselló and Penguin Random House and may not be used without expressed written consent.