Mr. Cordell’s work as a graphic designer carries over into his work as an illustrator. In his book hello! hello!, which he both illustrated and authored, his use of space carries the book’s message beyond its words and illustrations. Large pockets of negative space loom ghost-like over the book’s opening pages, where the main character, a little girl, fails to find conversation, creativity, and interest in technology and those immersed in it. When entering into nature and her own imagination, the little girl finds the inspiration that technology lacks. Mr. Cordell complemented this scene with pages filled with a bright range of colors and a varied collection of animals. While also encouraging children and adults alike to go outside and experience the world, the book’s open- ended minimalism allows for personal interpretation and imagination. Even the absence of words conveys meaning: the uninhibited sprawl of illustration, that fills the book’s end pages, suggests themes of imagination and personal interpretation. Third grade teacher Bev Gallagher, who runs the “Imagine the Possibilities” program, praised Mr. Cordell’s work, noting his “playfulness and themes of friendship – but also how his books can be very poignant as well.”

A great book of poems, If You Were a Chocolate Mouse, is another must- see. It interweaves comical illustrations with deeper messages, such as the value of doing your own work, expressed in “The Backward Man,” and being self-assured in your own quirks, portrayed in “Never Eat Your Pretzels Straight.” Matthew Cordell’s illustrations give expression to the poems and add an even deeper meaning: the foolishness of the backward man seemed evident to dog and birds in the illustration for The Backward Man.