Interview with Jashar Awan, TOWED BY TOAD

Toad and his tow truck are always on the move to lend a hand to anyone who needs help. Pop does his best to try to get Toad to slow down and take care of himself, but there always seems to be someone else who needs to be towed by Toad. How can he say no?

Max's Boat Pick:

TOWED BY TOAD

By Jashar Awan

Publisher: Tundra Books (September 3, 2024)

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Welcome back, Jashar! It's always a pleasure to have you on Max's Boat. Let's start the way these interviews always start. What inspired Towed by Toad?

Jashar Awan: "My son loves trucks! One day while we were talking about vehicles, the title popped into my head—”Towed by Toad.” The words together made me laugh and suggested a jumping off point for a story—a toad drives a tow truck.

Jashar Awan's early sketches and final title page for Towed by Toad (above)

"I made a list of vehicular trouble that would require a tow but Toad driving around and helping other animal motorists—while cute—isn’t much of a story.

He would need some help along the way, too. I added scenes where Toad skips meals in his eagerness to help others. He doesn’t stop until he breaks down.

A funny thing about writing is how revealing it ends up being. What you write is informed by where you are or what you’re going through or what you’ve been through. I thought I was writing a funny animal / truck book and ended up making a book about burnout and self-care."

Jashar Awan's early sketches and final pages for the breakfast scene in Towed by Toad (above)

Jashar Awan's early sketches and final pages for the lunch scene in Towed by Toad (above)

I love the homophonic wordplay. What's next for Toad? If I remember correctly, it's going to be a series? Any news you can share about the forthcoming Toad books? 

"I’m working on the next Toad book right now! I'm continuing to explore the themes of helping others and being kind to yourself. It should be out next year!"

Jashar Awan's early sketches for Towed by Toad (above)

Are there any books that directly or indirectly influenced Towed by Toad?"

"Towed by Toad starts off with a series of comparisons that were definitely inspired by Big Dog…Little Dog: A Bedtime Story by P.D. Eastman. That was a favorite of mine growing up. I love the rhythm of that book."

"Of course, it’s hard to write a picture book about an animal driving a vehicle and not think about Richard Scarry! When our son was born, we got him “The Biggest, Busiest Storybook Ever”—a collection that included Busy, Busy Town, Cars And Trucks And Things That Go, and The Best Word Book Ever. We read that book into oblivion. All that’s left of it now is the cover! I think that’s the fate of most childhood copies of those classic Busytown books."