Happy Friday, Everyone, and welcome back to Perfect Picture Books!
Golly, it's fun to get back in the groove, isn't it? I know some ambitious bloggers kept up with Perfect Picture Book Friday through July and August, but for those of us who have been lazing away our summer on hiatus, what better time then the start of the new school year to explore all the fabulous, fun titles coming out?!
I love sharing every Perfect Picture Book I find, but I especially love it when someone who is a favorite author and good friend has a new book out. Today's title is an absolute delight and I hope you'll all enjoy it... and then rush out and get a copy for yourself and copies for all the littles in your life! :)
Title: Old King Cole
Written & Illustrated By: Iza Trapani
Charlesbridge, August 2015, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-5
Themes/Topics: Nursery Rhymes, Language Fun (poetry)
Opening: "
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,And a merry old soul was he.He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,And he called for his fiddlers three.
"Welcome all to the King Cole ball."Said the king to the guests within."We'll romp and we'll dance in the royal hall.Let the tunes and the fun begin!"
Brief Synopsis: Old King Cole stays up so late preparing for his annual ball that when the festivities begin he can't stay awake! Numerous familiar nursery rhyme characters try to come to his rescue, but only the Queen of Hearts can save the day!
Links To Resources: music and lyrics are included on the final page of the book for sing-along fun; take time to explore the illustrations and see how many nursery rhyme characters you can find;
Old King Cole craft;
make a paper crown;
easy recipe for fruit tart (get the mini graham cracker crusts for smaller tarts :))
Why I Like This Book: As you all know, I am a die-hard Iza Trapani fan, so it is no surprise that I love this latest addition to her stellar collection. The story is amusing and fun with enough suspense to keep youngest readers wondering whether Old King Cole will EVER wake up. The rhythmic rhyme is fun to read (and sing!) aloud. The illustrations are bright and delightful with plenty of details to keep pre-readers interested, including the ruckus caused by the rooster, Old Mother Hubbard's dog investigating the treat table, and the goats who take advantage of every opportunity to kick up their heels :) Kids (and grown-ups) will enjoy searching for and finding so many familiar nursery rhyme characters! You won't want to miss this one!!!
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit
Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I can't wait to see what everyone has to share this week after so long out of the loop!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)
Fasten your seat belts and prepare for take off! It's finally here!
The First Ever Pretty-Much-World-Famous Illustration Contest!!!
 |
the fact that this particular illustrator resembles a female
is in no way meant to deter any male illustrators! :) |
The Contest: Draw/Paint/Create a children's picture book cover illustration (no text required - art only) for one of the following stories (which you will recognize as the top finishers in the March Madness Fractured Fairy Tale Writing Contest - a little extra surprise for those authors :)):
- The Three Wiggly Worms Bluff by Wendy Greenley
- Goldilockup by Mike Allegra
- Goldibawks And The Three Pairs by Dawn Young
- The Sweetie Witch by Pen Avey
- The Princess And The Stinky Cheese by Lauri Meyers
- Mongoose's Holi Party by Darshana Khiani
- The "Princess" And The Pete by Jennifer Caritas
- The Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster by Elliah Terry
Illustrations should be 8x10, horizontal or vertical, any medium, posted in jpg at least 72 px
All stories can be read on the March Madness Finalist Post HERE so you will know what to illustrate :) Illustrators may enter more than one entry if they're feeling ambitious enough to illustrate more than one book title :)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Monday April 28 at 9 PM EDT (contest deadline!), and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below. This post with the link list will remain up through Tuesday April 29 so that people can come visit and enjoy your gorgeous artwork! (For regular blog followers, there will be no PPBF on Friday April 25, no new post on Monday April 28, but there will be a brief interruption for WYRI on Wednesday April 30 because I forgot to leave it open for the contest :)). If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, you may email me and I'll post your entry for you! Also, since this is the first time we've done an illustration contest, I'm not sure if you actually CAN paste your entry into the comments. If this turns out to be a problem, email them to me and I'll add them directly to this post.)
Judging: entries will be judged by multi-talented, award-winning author/illustrators Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of over 20 gorgeous picture books, and Lisa Thiesing, author and illustrator of at least 16 beautiful and fun picture books and early readers! Judging criteria to include:
- is the picture readable to a young audience,
- how well does it show the character(s) and
- is the character(s) appealing (character development),
- does it make you want to read the story,
- originality
- skill.
They will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more or less depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Thursday May 1 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Sunday May 4 and the winner will be announced on Monday May 5. (No PPBF on Friday May 2.)
The Prizes!: There will definitely be a 1st prize. Whether we give prizes for 1st only, 1st-3rd, or 1st-6th will depend on how many entries we get. We need at least 12 entries to place through 3rd, and at least 20 to place through 6th.
First Prize is absolutely amazing! A portfolio critique by celebrated author/illustrator Michael Garland, who has over 20 picture books to his credit!!! - Third, Fourth & Fifth Prize will be winner's choice of one of the following books:
Whoopeee! Yahooo!
I'm excited!
Can you tell I'm excited?
It's because I'm about to launch a new hare-brained scheme and you guys are all going to get to be part of it!
(And no, just because it's April 1st and we just had a contest, this is NOT an April Fool. I just couldn't add this to yesterday's Winner Celebration Post or tomorrow's WYRI!)
I've been thinking for a while that children's authors get all the fun. Contests and prizes and being able to claim top finishes in Pretty Much World Famous Writing Contests. . .
It isn't entirely fair.
In the world of picture books, authors are only half the story.
We couldn't do what we do without our illustrators!
I think it's high time to let the illustrators have some fun and a contest and prizes and be able to claim top finishes in a Pretty Much World Famous Illustration Contest!
So that's what we're going to do!
Are you ready?
Announcing
The First Ever Pretty-Much-World-Famous Illustration Contest!!!
|
the fact that this particular illustrator resembles a female
is in no way meant to deter any male illustrators! :) |
The Contest: Draw/Paint a children's picture book cover illustration (no text required - art only) for one of the following stories (which you will recognize as the top finishers in the March Madness Fractured Fairy Tale Writing Contest :)):
- The Three Wiggly Worms Bluff by Wendy Greenley
- Goldilockup by Mike Allegra
- Goldibawks And The Three Pairs by Dawn Young
- The Sweetie Witch by Pen Avey
- The Princess And The Stinky Cheese by Lauri Meyers
- Mongoose's Holi Party by Darshana Khiani
- The "Princess" And The Pete by Jennifer Caritas
- The Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster by Elliah Terry
Illustrations should be 8x10, horizontal or vertical, any medium, posted in jpg at least 72 px
All stories can be read on the March Madness Finalist Post HERE so you will know what to illustrate :)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between Thursday April 24 at 7 AM EDT and Monday April 28 at 9 PM EDT, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on my Thursday April 24 post which will remain up through Tuesday April 29 so that people can come visit and enjoy your gorgeous artwork! (No PPBF on Friday April 25, no new post on Monday April 28, but there will be a brief interruption for WYRI on Wednesday April 30 because I forgot to leave it open for the contest :)). If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments of my April 24 post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, you may email me and I'll post your entry for you! Also, since this is the first time we've done an illustration contest, I'm not sure if you actually CAN paste your entry into the comments. If this turns out to be the case, email them to me and I'll add them directly to my April 24 post.)
Judging: entries will be judged by multi-talented, award-winning author/illustrators Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of over 20 gorgeous picture books, and Lisa Thiesing, author and illustrator of at least 16 beautiful and fun picture books and early readers! Judging criteria to include:
- is the picture readable to a young audience,
- how well does it show the character(s) and
- is the character(s) appealing (character development),
- does it make you want to read the story,
- originality
- skill.
They will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more or less depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Thursday May 1 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Sunday May 4 and the winner will be announced on Monday May 5. (No PPBF on Friday May 2.)
The Prizes!: There will definitely be a 1st prize. Whether we give prizes for 1st only, 1st-3rd, or 1st-6th will depend on how many entries we get.
First Prize is absolutely amazing! A portfolio critique by celebrated author/illustrator Michael Garland, who has over 20 picture books to his credit!!! - Third, Fourth & Fifth Prize will be winner's choice of one of the following books:
- Sixth Prize - sketch pads/pencils
Illustrators, we can't wait to see what you've got in store for us!
Everyone else (authors, parents, teachers, librarians, farm equipment retailers, etc. :)) think how much fun it's going to be so see what the illustrators come up with!
You've got three weeks, illustrators!
On your mark, get set, GO!!! :)
Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everyone!
I have a present for you!
It's not green. And it's not Irish. But it's still a great present :)
Remember on Friday I promised a guest post on a very interesting topic?
Ta-da!
Allow me to introduce the multi-talented and delightful Iza Trapani!
 |
| Author/Illustrator Iza Trapani |
Hi Iza!
Thank you so much for joining us today!
I personally am very interested in the topic of Skype school visits. I think they're a wonderful alternative to in-person visits for many schools, allowing authors and illustrators to visit classrooms without the expense associated with in-person visits. Having never done one myself, I was curious to know the details of how one goes about it, and I thought you guys might like to know too! So I asked Iza (who is a pro :)) to elucidate, and she very kindly did (VERY kindly because not only did I ask her for a guest post, it was on short notice!)
Take it away, Iza!
While an in-person school visit is always better, a Skype session is a nice alternative for schools struggling with tight budgets and/or for schools wanting to invite an out-of-state author. Most authors charge travel expenses in addition to their presentation fees, so it can get expensive. Skype visits are a convenient and affordable option. They are also great for authors and illustrators who are often up against deadlines. Cutting out the travel leaves more time for the works in progress.
I’ve been doing skype visits for a couple of years now, and I’m glad to share my experience.
Getting Skype Visits
Setting up the Session
I set up right in my studio which has good, glare-free northern light and overhead track lights. My laptop will rest on a small table. I’ll have a stool to sit on and my materials (illustration samples, books I’ll be using etc.) will be within reach on top of my flat file cabinets on the left. To my right will be an easel with an 18x24 pad on which I’ll do drawing demonstrations. Behind me, a low bookshelf will showcase some of my books face out. It makes a nice backdrop.
Before doing my first school visit I did a test with my sister (in Poland!) to make sure the light was good, that the books behind me were well arranged and that the easel was at the right height. When I first started I was worried that the class wouldn’t see me well, but I soon learned that the image I see of me in the little window on the bottom right in Skype is what they are seeing. I can tilt the computer screen to adjust the view as needed.
Makeup? Attire?
One of the advantages of a Skype visit is that I don’t have to fuss over my appearance. First of all, it’s never a crystal clear image-at least not on my end. I rarely wear make-up but I will wash my hair and wear a nice, casual top for the session. It doesn’t matter what’s on my bottom half- clown pants or a tutu- they won’t see it :-)
Interruptions?
I turn off the phone and leave a note on the front door. If it’s UPS or FedEx, they can drop off in our front foyer. My big Mastiff, Jambo, might stay in my husband’s shop- but I have had requests from some schools that the kids wanted to see my pets, so in those cases I will leave him with me. Part of the attraction of Skype is seeing the author at home.
Technical Problems
Sometimes there are technical problems - usually no sound. So far, the problems were on the school’s end and were quickly fixed. A quick test Skype with the teacher ahead of time is always a good idea. I also do a test Skype with a friend or relative beforehand.
Sound can be a bit problematic. When the children join me in singing there is a slight delay. Also, I don’t always hear the children when they ask me questions; the teachers usually have to repeat them, and I can hear the teachers just fine. They say they can hear me very clearly, so I am glad about that.
My Presentation
My Skype presentations are the same as my in-person visits. I start off with a short intro, telling a little bit about me- how I was born in Poland and came to the U.S. when I was seven and went right into first grade not speaking any English, and then how my dream of making books for children came true. Then I sing/read one of my nursery rhyme books, and I’ll have the kids sing at least the first verse along with me. Then I will discuss the bookmaking process, talk a bit about getting ideas and turning them into stories, and then the many revisions that are needed. I will show samples of my storyboards, dummy sketches, color studies and final art. I will also show some of my rejected works- paintings I had started but wasn’t happy with. And I have some press sheets to show them so they can understand the printing process. After that I will do Q+A then go on to a drawing demonstration. I’ll choose a character from one of my books and have the kids think of some ideas of what the character could be doing and I will draw it for them. Then I’ll ask the kids to help me add details to the drawing and I will put them in. A typical scene might be a bear riding on a skateboard and juggling. For details they will ask me to put in the sun, birds, bunnies, flowers, ladybugs, etc. I love that! There are so many edgy books out there and it’s reassuring to me to know that kids are still charmed by the beauty and wonder of nature.
My books are ideal for preK to 1st grade, but I will also present to older kids. I will adjust my presentations- doing more singing and reading with the little ones and more bookmaking discussions with the older kids.
Fee
I charge $150 for a 45 minute to 1 hr session. My in-person visits are $250 per session plus travel expenses beyond 50 miles. I will do up to 4 presentations in one day. In both cases, the school will send me a check after the visit.
And that’s all there is to it! :-)
Thank you, Susanna, for featuring me. I hope this info is helpful to your many wonderful readers!
Thank YOU, Iza! I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say it was very interesting and enlightening!
Iza is the author and illustrator of 20 lovely picture books for children, including Itsy Bitsy Spider (a favorite in our house), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Bear Went Over The Mountain, Little Miss Muffet and many more. She is also the illustrator of 4 books written by other authors.
Teachers, you can learn all about Iza's school visits here:
and everyone - teachers, parents, readers, writers, homeschoolers, librarians, kids etc. - you can find Iza around the web here:
www.izatrapani.comhttp://izatrapani.com/blogLike me on
Facebook Follow me on
twitterI hope you enjoyed learning about Skype visits (I know I did! :)) and if you have any questions, I think Iza will be happy to answer in the comments!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone, and once again, Happy St. Patrick's Day! :)
By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 29, 2011
During the holiday season it’s a great joy to share family traditions and spend time together. Every year, I look forward to reading these beloved books below to my daughter.
By Rumer Godden; illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Rumer Godden begins The Story of Holly & Ivy with the sweetest line, “This is a story about wishing.” When an orphan named Ivy and a dreamy doll named Holly see each other through a toy shop window, magic happens. In this classic Christmas tale, Holly and Ivy both find a sense of belonging in their new home and to each other. Wishes come true in part thanks to Barbara Cooney’s tender illustrations of the festive village and toys. Godden captures the precious beauty of a brave girl unwilling to give up on her dream. (Ages 5-10)
By Aliki
My daughter and I love returning to Christmas Tree Memories by Aliki each December just like the family’s tradition in the book of sitting by their tree with cookies and a roaring fire to recount each story behind their homemade ornaments. Aliki imbues such gentleness to each character, whether it’s Papouli or the children, the love this family feels for each other comes across with her every detail. (Ages 4-8)
By Iza Trapani
Jingle Bells (as told and illustrated by Iza Trapani) is a rollicking fun songbook filled with holiday customs and traditions from around the world. Children will enjoy learning about bearded little gnomes in Sweden, lantern parades in the Philippines, breaking the piñata in Mexico, and presents found in their shoes in Italy. (Ages 4-8)
