I like the illustrator Dan Santat. While I like the colors, the silliness and the medium to busy details, I have never been sure exactly what draws me. The nice thing is, there are a lot of titles (some he is the author as well of), to explore to figure it out. And there are three new/recent ones that you should try out to see if you can help explain it to me.
First, there is Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson. It is a silly story why you should not trust a fish. While I was not sure that the narrator made their point or not (I will have to do several readings to make sure), I do know that the off-beat humor will be a hit with most people. It has a universal appeal that you might not like all of it, but all of it will have pieces for each person. The interesting part for me is that the illustrations are signature Santat, but also not everything jumps up and says, “I am drawn by Dan Santat!” There are little differences now and again on the page. Of course, you have the nature ranger and there is no question this is Santat. This slight change in the style makes the book both familiar and fresh.
In July 2025 we will get a double header with him writing and illustrating All the Hulk Feels (a Mighty Marvel Comics Picture Book) and illustrating a Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard book, The Day the Books Disappeared. I read all three books via an online reader (at the time I read Fish, it was not out yet).
Hulk is pretty straightforward. We have Hulk and Bruce having a tug-of-war with each other, (themself?) about feelings and the validity of having them/who is having them. To get the Hulk, he must be angry, but Bruce, on the other hand, gets to feel all the emotions and this is the start of the adventure (with typical superhero events too). Which is, In a series of orange crayon written notes to the other, we see how this idea of feelings plays out. Honestly, the story was not my favorite part, but it was fun and that Marvel Kid (or adult) will love themself a Hulk story. And of course, this is pure Santat illustrated. Fun colors, low to medium amount of details and that goofy, cleverness that takes you on a sweet visual ride. 
We will also have The Day the Books Disappeared in July. This time we have a more solid story, but still had a few bumps for me. Yet, the idea of books and sharing them is a theme close to my heart. We have a young man who loves airplanes and thinks his friends would love them too. If they would just stop reading books about flightless birds, submarines and tomatoes! Afterall, how can they compare the glory of the skies? A well-meaning wish later, our character learns some amazing things, things that actually make those books as cool as planes. And then how sharing that amazingness can be your favorite thing.
And the fun does not stop there. In September 2025 we will be getting Detective Duck V03: The Mystery at Emerald Pond written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver (yes that Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver). And I am not off to find a reader copy….