Dan Yaccarino, a power hitter in the world of children's books, is a featured guest at next week's "Read to Me" conference in Honolulu.

The New York author/illustrator has sold more than 1.5 million books, is the creator of the animated television shows "Oswald" and "Willa's Wild Life," and he created the characters for "The Backyardigans," a show on Nickelodeon, as well.

Yaccarino first made his mark in children's stories with his signature whimsical, bold, vividly illustrated books for the very youngest readers. His "Every Friday," an ode to fathers and family rituals, was named New York Times Illustrated Book of the Year for 2007. His two newest titles are the first geared to older children. Why the shift?

"I've never really thought about it until you just asked me," Yaccarino responded by e-mail. "I guess one reason could be that my children are getting older (as they occasionally do) and I'm exposed to books they're reading, which of course gets my brain going. Another reason is my interests are simply expanding."

The first of Yaccarino's new books, "The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau," is stirring, and terrifically suited to Hawai'i kids from about 6 to 9 years old. In this, the author/illustrator's first biography, he writes:

"Growing up in France, little Jacques was a weak and sickly boy. Doctors encouraged him to swim to build up his strength. He discovered that he loved the water."

Yaccarino has been a fan of Cousteau since childhood.

"A few years ago I did some personal paintings and a lot of them were of lush underwater scenes. Suddenly a diver began to appear in them, which lead to a little portrait of Cousteau." Yaccarino said. "Then I asked myself, 'Why not do a picture book biography about him?' So I did. The portrait ended up on the cover."

"Go, Go America," is Yaccarino's second new book, with a fabulously fun 1950s feel.

"That book was really inspired by my son's fascination with maps and facts about the U.S.," Yaccarino said. "He took a book out of the library about the U.S. which dedicated a page to each state and presented some facts (when it was admitted into the union, chief agricultural product, population, etc.), all very informative, but dull as watching paint dry (or perhaps reading about paint drying)."

"Go, Go America," begins with a warning: "Many of the facts in this book are wacky and outrageous. Fasten your seat belt!"

"I thought it would be fun to put together a book about all the weird strange things about the U.S. that always interested me when I was his age. The idea of the Farleys (the family in the book) came from all the road trips my family and I went on when I was a kid and I occasionally go on with my wife and kids now."

Yaccarino will be joined at the conference by Hawai'i's own award-winning picture book author/illustrator James Rumford, and author, playwright and Honolulu Advertiser columnist Lee Cataluna.

Jolie Jean Cotton is a freelance writer in Honolulu. Her reviews of children's books appear here on the first Sunday of the month.