I’ve been following the work of Matt Roeser since 2010 when he was posting book cover redesigns on his tumblr. Since then he’s gotten a gig at Candlewick Press and will make his authorial debut with the picture book Oh No Astro! illustrated by Brad Woodard, which arrives in spring 2016 from Simon & Schuster.

Mr. Roeser stopped by today to give us a first look at the cover.

Travis: What can you tell us about the book, Matt?

Matt Roeser: Oh No, Astro! is the story of an asteroid named Astro who’s stuck in his ways. Unlike most asteroids that love to crash and smash into each other, he just wants to be left alone to keep orbiting on the path he always has. Then one day, a satellite bumps into him and sets him off on an amazing adventure, whether he likes it or not.

Travis: What’s it like to go from designing covers to writing the words that go inside them?

Matt: During the day, I design covers for young adult and middle grade books at Candlewick Press. But, I’m always secretly writing stories in my head. While I have lots of ideas stewing around (mostly about my two favorite topics: space and dinosaurs) I kept coming back to the idea of an asteroid that doesn’t like confrontation. I’ve also always loved a good curmudgeon. So I sat down and wrote Astro’s story. I hope he doesn’t mind.

Without further ado, let’s have a look at the cover…

(Click to enlarge)