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A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young Written by Michael Rosen Illustrated by Chris Riddell Candlewick Press    9/22/2015 978-0-7636-8116-6 74 pages     Ages 3—7 “Mo’s in a muddle She slipped in a puddle Mommy gives Mo A great big cuddle.” “Michael Rosen’s joyful new collection of poems bounces right off the page …

Artist Chris Riddell has created a Christmas gift for the world. He took it upon himself to draw some illustrations for a Neil Gaiman short story called “Nicholas Was…”

Follow this link to see a digital album with all 11 of Riddell’s artistic pieces. Gaiman describes the piece as a “heartwarming Christmas story” in a Facebook post. Readers will find this piece within the 1998 anthology, Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions.

In the past, Riddell has illustrated the U.K. editions of Gaiman’s children’s books. He has also created illustrations for one of Gaiman’s poems, “Locks,” and his “artist’s creed.” Riddell’s daughter, Katy, also followed in her father’s footsteps by producing illustrations for a Gaiman short story called “Babycakes.”

A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young
By Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Candlewick Press
$19.99
ISBN: 978076368116
Ages 0-4
On shelves now.

Did you know that, generally speaking, Europeans have absolutely no interest in the works of Dr. Seuss? It’s true. For years his works have been untranslatable (though great inroads have been made thanks to some recent Spanish editions) and those that remain in the original English have done very poorly in the United Kingdom. Americans by and large tend to be baffled by this. We look at the British lists of Best Picture Books and the like and find them Seuss-free zones. Abandon Seuss, all ye who enter here. I once asked an overseas friend if she’d ever heard of The Lorax. What she’d heard of was the abominable Danny DeVito movie. It doesn’t bear thinking about. Here in the States we rely heavily on Seuss because he was such a genius when it came to writing rhyming verse for the very youngest of readers. Now I hold in my hands a big, beautiful, thick collection of poetry for the very smallest of fry and I have to face an uncomfortable notion. If indeed the English are capable of producing books this good for kids this young, perhaps they don’t need any Seuss. With Rosen and Riddell pairing in this way, they seem perfectly capable of making remarkable, rhythmic, ridiculously catchy titles of their very own.

Thirty-five poems greet you. Thirty-five varying in complexity and content. Just to set the tone, the first rhyme is “Tippy-Tappy” and it contains such a catchy rhythm and happy beat that kids will be bouncing in tandem by the time it is done. Next is “The Button Bop”, limited in word count, high on bops. Accompanied by the vibrant watercolors of artist Chris Riddell, each poem aims to set itself apart from the pack. Some are short, and some slightly longer. Some are anxious or scared while others beat their chests and roar their loudest. It feels like there’s something for everyone in this collection, but the takeaway is how well it holds together. A treasure in a treasury.

Michael Rosen isn’t a household name in United States, but I’d say at least one of his books is. Anyone who has ever sought out or read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury has read his words. We’re just nuts about that book, and we have him to thank for it. Despite that, he’s not an author to relegate himself to just one kind of story. Indeed, I haven’t seen him produce much of anything quite as young as “Bear Hunt” in years (or, at the very least, I haven’t seen works of his brought to U.S. shores this “young” in content). That’s why this book is such a surprise and a delight.

If you have a small child, you grow accustomed to the classic nursery rhymes. They have, after all, withstood the test of time. Still, roundabout the one hundred and fortieth time you’ve read “Bye, Baby Bunting” you long for something a little different. Imagine then the palpable sense of relief such a parent might feel when reading jaunty little poems like “What a Fandango!” starring (what else?) a mango. The thing about Rosen is that so many of his poems feel as if they’ve been in the canon of nursery rhymery for centuries. “Oh Dear” is very much in the same vein as “Hush, Little Baby” all thanks to its regular rhythm and repetition. “Party Time” counts down and brings to mind “This Old Man” in reverse. And should you be under the misbegotten understanding that writing poems of this sort is easy, go on. Write one yourself. Now fill a book with them. I’ll just wait right here and finish my sandwich.

It is also worth noting that without including any verbal instructions, even the dullest of parental readers will catch on pretty early that many of these poems are interactive. Consider “Finger Story” where your fingers are instructed to do everything from “wake up” and “stretch” to “climb” and “slide”. And just in case they’re still not getting it, Chris Riddell’s art is on hand, showing a pudgy youngster and an orangutan of uncommon sweetness walking their fingers together on the ground.

What is interesting to me here is that in terms of age of the reader, Rosen isn’t limiting himself solely to toddlers. There are a couple poems in here that preschoolers would probably appreciate more than their drooling, babbling brethren. “I Am Hungry”, for example, stars a hungry bear listing everything he could eat at this moment (both the usual fare and unusual selections like “A funny joke” or “The sound of yes”) ending with “Then I’ll eat me” which is just the right level of ridiculousness to amuse the canny four-year-old. And “Don’t Squash” is going to ramp up the silly levels pretty effectively when a splatter happy elephant is instructed not to squash her toes, nose, a bun, the sun, cars, stars, a fly, or the very sky.

Now just the slightest glance of a gander at the back bookflap of this book and you’ll get an eyeful of the sheer talent Rosen has been paired with over the years. His words have been brought to life by folks no less eminent than Helen Oxenbury, Quentin Blake, Bob Graham, and more. Truth be told, I don’t really know if this is his first book with Chris Riddell or not. I will say, though, that when I saw that Riddell was the artist on this title I was surprised. When last seen in the States, Riddell had illustrated that nobly intentioned but ultimately awful Russell Brand Pied Piper of Hamlin. Nothing against Riddell, of course, he did what he could with the material (Clockwork Orange Piper and all). So usually when I see his work I associate it with children’s books a bit more on the hardcore side of the equation. Neil Gaiman and Paul Stewart and the like. Could he do adorable? Could he dial back the disgusting? Yes, yes, and (for good measure) yes again. He has that thing we like to call in the business “talent”. Seems to suit him, it does.

Riddell also seems capable of occasionally re-interpreting Rosen’s rhymes with a particularly child-centric view. The poem “Are You Listening?” felt wildly familiar to me, for example. On the left-hand page sits a guilty dinosaur, slurping a piece of spaghetti, looking mildly nervous. On the right-hand page a toddler is berating a small dinosaur stuffed animal, and it will be very easy indeed for kids looking at the picture to extrapolate the relationship between the realistic dino on the left-hand page, and the one on the right. Sometimes I even got the impression that he was softening the content a tad. The poem “Winter” is one of splinters and blisters, but thanks to the gentle hand of Riddell it turns into a snuggly bear hug with mom. All this and he makes the book multicultural as well. Manifique.

Is it very British? With an author from London and an artist from Brighton it runs the risk of indulging in a bit of English chicanery. There wasn’t much that struck me as containing a particular sense of humor, though, with the possible exception of the poem “Once”. A thoroughly silly but darker little work, it will probably remind Yankee readers more of Shel Silverstein than the aforementioned Seuss. There is also “Lost”, the story of a small mouse all alone, without any particular happy resolution in sight. Had such a poem appeared in a collection for small children originally in the States, I don’t think it’s ridiculous to think that an American editor would have gently nudged the author away from ending the poem with the somewhat dire, “I don’t know, I don’t know, anything at all. / I’m going to sit still now and just look at the wall.”

The least respected form of children’s literature in existence is poetry. It hasn’t any American Library Association awards it can win. It typically is remembered by teachers in April and then never thought of again. But nursery rhymes fare a bit better. Not every parent remembers to read them to their children, but a fair number try. Getting those same parents to read original works of poetry to their little kids can be trickier, so it helps if you package your book as a big, beautiful, lush and gorgeous gift book. Delightful to read aloud again and again (a good thing since I’m afraid you will have to, if only to please your rabid pint-sized audience) and lovely to the eye, Rosen and Riddell aim for the earliest of ages and end up creating a contemporary classic in the process. It may not be Seuss but you won’t miss him while you read it. A necessary purchase for any new parent. A required selection for libraries and bookstores everywhere. Or, as the book puts it, “Tippy-tappy / Tippy-tappy / Tap, tap, tap.”

On shelves now.

Source: Final copy sent from publisher for review.

Like This? Then Try:

• Over the Hills and Far Away, edited by Elizabeth Hammill
• Wee Rhymes: Baby’s First Poetry Book by Jane Yolen, ill. Jane Dyer
• Welcome, Baby! Baby Rhymes for Baby Times by Stephanie Calmenson, ill. Melissa Sweet

Interviews: Chris and Michael speak on the radio about the book.  Many fine sketches are to be seen as well.

Videos:

The man himself.  Repeatedly.

Artist Chris Riddell has taken it upon himself to create illustrations for a Neil Gaiman poem called “Locks.” Follow this link to see a digital album with all 11 of Riddell’s artistic pieces.

According to Gaiman’s Facebook post, he wrote this poem for his daughter Maddy back when she was a toddler. It was later featured in his short fiction collection, Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders.

Click here to listen to Gaiman perform a reading of this poem. In the past, the two have collaborated on several of the United Kingdom editions of Gaiman’s children’s books. Earlier this year, Riddell illustrated an “artist’s creed” that Gaiman wrote in honor of the terrorist attacks at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Jackie Morris lives in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with children, dogs and cats. Her latest book is the retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans.

This month, the best selling young adult titles include books by super-talents Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell, Rainbow Rowell and Sarah Dessen.

Dreams of Freedom: In Words and Pictures
edited by Janetta Otter-Barry, designed by Judith Escreet, with a Foreword by Michael Morpurgo
(Amnesty International/Frances Lincoln, 2015)

All royalties donated to Amnesty … Continue reading ... →

Artist Chris Riddell has been named the ninth Waterstones Children’s Laureate. This appointment comes with a solid silver medal and a £15,000 bursary check.

Riddell (pictured, via) will serve in this role until 2017. Throughout his tenure, Riddell plans to launch and maintain an online visual diary called the “Laureate’s Log.”

Riddell had this statement in the press release: “I am humbled to take on this role after the giants that have come before me. I want to put the joy of creativity, of drawing every day, of having a go and being surprised at what one can achieve with just a pencil and an idea at the heart of my term as Laureate. I want to make sure people have fun whilst addressing fundamental issues I care about passionately.”

2014 marked a distinct increase in attention spent on children’s books with diverse characters. However, this is not to say that all books with diverse characters got the same amount of attention.  Take, for example, Saving Baby Doe by Danette Vigilante.  It was one of the only middle grade books in 2014 to sport a Latino boy protagonist (go on . . . name me two others in 2014).  It had great writing as well, so why has almost no one talked about it?  NYPL put it on their 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list and recently our local station NY1 interviewed Staten Island resident Ms. Vigilante about the book in our Stapleton branch.  Watch carefully and you may see me in my cameo role as “New York Public Library” itself.

You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I’m telling you why. 90-SECOND NEWBERY FILM FESTIVAL IS COMING TO TOWN!!!  You can see the full listing of where the festival is headed here.  In the meantime, here’s one of the new videos.  Is it bad that it actually scared me?  It’s a bunch of kids doing The Graveyard Book (The Dance Macabray as kickline = inspired) but I had the same reaction to it that I had to Shaun of the Dead.  I honestly found parts of it (the sleer) scary.  I is wimp!!

Maybe I’ve been reading The Lorax to my kiddo too much but you know what this is, don’t you?

It’s a Thneed! Thanks to Aunt Judy for the video.

Have you seen the latest trailer for a new version of The Little Prince?  For the first 30 seconds or so of this you’re going to be confused, possibly angry.  Stick with it.  Please.

Beats Bob Fosse as The Snake, anyway.  Then again, points docked for not having any Gene Wilder. (Fun Fact: Most movies are docked points for this very reason)

No no no no no. Not allowed.  I call foul.  Illustrators have enough talent as it is.  They are NOT allowed to also be excellent authors and even if they happen to be precisely that they are NOT allowed to have pitch perfect voices that can read selections from their books with all the vocal skills of the highest paid celebrity.  Back you go, Chris Riddell.  Ply your magic dulcet tones elsewhere.

A Reading with Chris Riddell: The Wyrmeweald Trilogy – Returner’s Wealth from Beth Sabey on Vimeo.

At this point there are too many fantastic 2015 picture books out there to tell you about.  Thank goodness some of them make book trailers, then.  For example, have you heard about Kathi Appelt’s fabulous When Otis Courted Mama, illustrated by Jill McElmurry?  If not then remedy is at hand:

Now another trailer.  As blurbs go, “This book smells great” may be my pick of the week.

And for the off-topic video of the day, it’s a Swing vs. Hip Hop dance off from Montreal.  As my friend Marci put it, “the first swing round is sort of meh but it gets better.”

Thanks to Marci for the link.

Bloomsbury UK will publish Neil Gaiman’s short story, The Sleeper and the Spindle, as a book.

Gaiman drew inspiration for this piece from the “Sleeping Beauty” fairy tale. It was originally published in a 2013 anthology entitled Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales.

Artist Chris Riddell created illustrations for this project. The publication date has been scheduled for October 23, 2014. Earlier this year, HarperCollins released its own version of The Sleeper and the Spindle in the U.S.A. to celebrate California Bookstore Day. What do you think?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

I know some schools are already back hard at work, but we’ve got another couple of weeks before term starts for us, so here’s one more round up of activity sheets available for free from children’s authors and illustrators.

Click on the relevant image or coloured link to be taken to activity sheets you can download.

I absolutely love Louise Yates’ books and I know my kids will enjoy the range of activity sheets she has available on her website.

Mo Willems has a new colouring page up every month, plus several online activities to keep Pigeon, Pig and Elephant fans happy.

At Chris Riddell’s site, carefully hidden away under “Hairstyles of American Civil War Generals” (sic!) there are activities for fans of Ottoline and The Emperor of Absurdia.

Almost exactly a year ago I fell in love with Steve Cole. I’m still in love with him, and I know M will be delighted to discover there are plenty of activities of Steve’s website, covering all his different books. I’m particularly looking forward to making the Astrosaurs puppets with M.

US born but Scotland-based author/illustrator Teresa Flavin has some lovely bookplates and fun mazes to share with us.

That’s the last lot of free activity sheets I’ll be linking to this summer. The full collection can be found here. I hope you’ve found them fun and useful, I know I have – I’m most g

Authors Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell discuss their series, The Edge Chronicles, and how they work together to write about Twig’s adventures. This production is part of Random House Childrens Books: Classroom Cast.

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By: Zoe, on 10/17/2010
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Mending/recycling, Cleaning, Inventions, Chris Riddell, Tidying, Robots, Add a tag

Photo: laffy4k

Autumn has arrived with a vengeance in our part of the world. Jumping in puddles is fun, but we’ve had a few days where venturing outside has been the last thing we wanted to do.

Still, when you’re stuck indoors it can be extra cozy and extra inviting for an additional story or two on the sofa. And so it was we picked up Wendel’s Workshop by Chris Riddell from our most recent library pile.

Wendel is an inventor. He’s creative and cute but he doesn’t cut it when it comes to tidying up, so he hits on the solution of creating a robot to keep his workshop in order. The prototype, Clunk, doesn’t work very well; clothes get folded into knots and teacups are cleared up into the sock drawer. Before long, this first robot is consigned to the scrap heap.

Photo: smpl.co.uk

Wendelbot is the inventor’s second attempt at a machine to help him keep the workshop clean. Unfortunately the Wendelbot seems to suffer from some cross wiring and his idea of tidying up is yet more destructive. Even Wendel himself is seen as something which needs tidying up and after being captured by his creation, Wendel is thrown out as rubbish.

Clunk and Wendel hear the continued sounds of destruction in the workshop. They join forces and use what is around them – piles of previously discarded junk – to create a new army of robots with which to face the Wendelbot. When the two sides eventually meet there are scenes of chaos as the Wendelbot persists in tidying whilst Wendel, Clunk and their entourage attempt to un-tidy at the same rate. This frenzied activity causes the Wendelbot to overheat and explode, creating the biggest mess yet.

Faced with a huge amount of tidying up Wendel realises that things don’t need to be tidied to perfection – things can be “good enough”.

Not everything worked perfectly… but Wendel didn’t mind. He just smiled, patch this, mended that and made adjustments here and there.

But there was one thing he didn’t do…

Wendel NEVER threw anything on the scrapheap again.

A modern take on “make do and mend”, Riddell tells a story that we all need to hear and heed. The message could be preachy, but instead is full of humour and good will. The illustrations are deliciously detailed, down to the last screw.

As someone who herself practises the “good enough” method when it comes to tidying up (with a husband who’d prefer something a little more… shall we say rigorous in its approach) this book had huge appeal to me. M and J loved the idea of inventing and thought the robots were great fun. We’ve giggled a-plenty on the sofa with this book in our

5 Comments on Robots in the rain, last added: 10/18/2010

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sandhya said, on 10/17/2010 8:14:00 PM

We loved the Ottoline Series by Chris Riddell- Ottoline and the yellow cat, Ottoline at school and Ottoline at sea. Wonderful.
We have a festival of lights which comes in late Oct-early Nov called Diwali. The dates shilft as our festivals follow the lunar calendar. At this time, we light lamps all over the house, on the terrace, porch, etc., as well as hang a paper lantern outside the door. As children, we would make a bamboo frame for it, and stick coloured paper on it, decorating it with silver /golden paper. This excercise required a collossal amount of glue, and we would make this at home. We mixed wheat flour with water till it had a runny consistency, and whe goo was cooked till it thickened a bit, and was sticky. This could be used even when cool, though we had to keepit covered lest it dried up on the top. Non-toxic, edible glue, used by kids of all ages without fear of what would happen if they injested it!

Bernadette said, on 10/17/2010 10:21:00 PM

Would you believe that Chris Riddell has actually visited a school in Cairo that I worked for?! His brother (a teacher) is a dear, dear friend of mine and the walls of his house are covered with Chris’ illustrations. Now I’m going to have to check my friend’s shelf for this one!!

Zoe said, on 10/17/2010 10:58:00 PM

Hi Sandhya,
Yes, I think might try Ottoline soon – am I right in thinking they’re aimed at slightly older kids?
The glue sounds great – would you (your mum) cook it on the hob in a pan to thicken it up?
Diwali is widely celebrated here too – in fact I just saw a poster yesterday for a city council sponsored event at the end of the month and I thought M might enjoy going to it, especially after the success of our “trip” to India.

Zoe said, on 10/17/2010 11:00:00 PM

Wow Bernadette, that is very cool! Yes, do see if you can track down a copy to borrow – it’s a great book.

sandhya said, on 10/17/2010 11:20:00 PM

You’re right about Ottoline. I think it’s for 8+. A enjoyed the books.
Yes, the glue would be cooked on a hob in a pan. In fact if it thickens too much, just add water- and keep stirring so that it doesn’t burn, and to prevent lumps.
Pardon the many typos in my previous comment!

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By: Cassia Thomas, on 5/18/2010
Blog: Cassia Thomas - Illustrator (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Chris Riddell, elizabeth gilbert, emily gravett, axel sheffler, Allice for Ipad, Add a tag

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By: Jenny Miller, on 3/4/2010
Blog: Where The Best Books Are! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  PICTURE BOOK, CHRIS RIDDELL, 2010, WENDEL'S WORKSHOP, Add a tag

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By: Mark G. Mitchell, on 5/12/2009
Blog: How To Be A Children's Book Illustrator (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Terry Pratchett, Marvel, folk tale, South Africa, Chris Riddell, feature interview, Paul Stewart, "Lord of the Rings", "Make YourSplashes; MakeYour Marks!", "The Hobbit", Afrikaans, Johannesburg, Karien Naude, Zulu, Add a tag

Karien Naude taught herself to draw, paint and airbrush.

Her native language is the Afrikaans of the Dutch Protestants who settled in southwestern South Africa in the 17^th century.

“The wildlife and nature are breathtaking and I love to go camping and take all this splendor in,” she wrote me in an e-mail back in September.

“It’s good for the soul!  There are so many different cultures and the people are fantastic.  The only thing is we are behind in everything.  South Africa is still viewing art as a hobby. But it is changing. There are a lot of different animation programs now available. I’m part of a South African comics group Comicworx Studios, where we try to get the country involved with  comics. It’ s very hard work, but every year we can see some progress.

“We have become friends with a few Marvel (Comics) artists and that has given us a huge boost.  But my passion is still illustration.”

Fantasy artist Karen Naude of Johannesburg

She has far too many interests to mention in this small space.  But I will  say  they include the fairies,  trolls and wizards of the novels of Terry Pratchett and J.R.R. Tolkien (who also was born in South Africa, but moved to England when he was three.)

She also reads Anne Rice and Stephen King, Dean Koontz and J.K.Rowling.

She likes  horror movies, Tim Burton movies  and Harry Potter movies.
She’s crazy about music.  Her tastes range from Counting Crows to Jimi Hendrix to the operas of Richard Wagner.

To the Screeching Weasels.

She answered an online survey question back in the fall and landed in this online course on how to illustrate a children’s book. Originally spurred by a publisher’s contest, she’s been crafting a picture book based on a Zulu folk tale about a supernatural creature, the  Tokoloshe.

She’s completed the manuscript and has revised her thumbnail storyboard.  She’s now at the stage of transferring drawings to her watercolor paper. Dismayed by the retail prices of lightboxes in the art supply stores,  she built her own.

I’ll stop here, because Karien does a great job of speaking for herself — in her second language, English.

Karien, what sort of art study have you done?

I’m a self-taught artist with God given talents, and proud of it.  Ever since I can remember I have been drawing. Since kindergarten I’ve made the cutest drawings in my school books and always gotten a golden star from the teachers and I think that was when I realized I wanted to become an artist.   When I got older I started studying every book I could find about Renaissance artists and bought every art book that showed techniques on how to draw and paint.  I started out with pencil drawings and got pretty good in it, later I started experimenting with pastels and paints. I sold a few drawings and got praised by an Art Gallery in Melville but decided that it’s not for me and that I would rather do fantasy drawings and illustration work.  I have had no formal training or studies.

Can you describe a little about your life in South Africa? Have you ever lived anywhere else?  What is school and work like there?

I have been living in South Africa all my life and have not lived anywhere else.  I am planning to visit a friend, hopefully this year, in England, but I will always return to my roots.  South Africa is a beautiful country, the land and people.  I am currently living in a middle class suburban area and the schools in my area are very respectable and up to standard.  I am currently working in the central of Johannesburg town.  I work for a big law firm and we mainly work with properties.  South Africa has 11 official languages and the most difficult system when selling and buying houses. It is stressful and hard work, and because it’s hard to speak all of the languages, we use English to communicate. So Afrikaans people talk, read and use English, although we are very proud of our language. Afrikaans music is big here and even English people listen to it.

Are there any art museums around?

Yes there are two art museums that I know of in Pretoria and Cape Town but sadly non in Johannesburg where I live.  There are however thousand of art galleries that you can visit.  The well known Goodman Gallery is also in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and sometimes a real treat to visit as they have a variety of art exhibitions.

What other  artistic and/or literary interests do you have? (I know you really keep up with all kinds of music!)

I’m very passionate about air brushing and some have even told me I am very good.  I love reading (thanks to my mom) and got my own little library of books that I’ve bought over the years, mostly fiction.

Yes,  music plays a big role in my life.  I play the piano and I’m always listening to all kind of music on my MP3. You will always find me with my earphones on, on my way to work, and I can never draw or paint without music.  It inspires me and I get most of my ideas while listening to it.

What has brought you to the world of children’s stories and books?

When I go out I love to stop at the nearest book shops and flipping through children books or any book about illustrations.  A few years back I started reading Terry Pratchet’s books about Discworld and always admired the art work on the book covers.  Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell books and illustration work always brings a giggle to me.  One day on my way to work I started thinking of how much I enjoyed the books and illustration work and that I can do it as well.  I started doing research on Children’s books which brought me to your course, Make Your Splashes; Make your Marks!

Your interest in fairies, trolls and elves — how far back in your life does that go? What do you think pulls you to them?

It started with The Hobbit when I was in school and later the Lord of the Rings because the elves where mystical, the hobbits lovable and wizard’s warriors.  I also love Terry Pratchett’s books where you read about trolls, witches, wizards and all kinds of fantasy beings (with a twist).  I will always have a soft spot for them.

What are you working on now in your illustration?

I’ve just finished my Green fairy but I want to do a humorous illustration about my children (dogs) and what they do at home when I’m at work.

How is it going, developing the Tokoloshe story? You’ve been developing your thumbnail storyboard. Have you run into any roadblocks?

The Tokoloshe is my first story that I’ve written and I guess that’s my first roadblock! But every step I take and roadblock I get I learn a lot.  The thumbnail storyboard helps a lot and after my first one (which I wasn’t happy with) I noticed that I was repeating scenes and so I’ve changed it.

I started a second storyboard but a bit bigger and it works like a dream. I can see how my book’s layout would be and if I repeat scenes or if a scene doesn’t fit.  I won’t work without it.

Are you starting to develop any of the full drawings? What difficulties are you finding in this process of working a thumbnail “scribble sketch” up to a complete detailed drawing?

I must say its hard work and long hours. Without the thumbnail and little scribble sketches it would’ve taken me a lifetime to complete but working with the thumbnail it’s much easier and faster.  I’ve noticed that my scribble sketches are really working for me and it’s basically just putting it over and improving the sketch into a detailed drawing.   But it can also bee frustrating to do the detailed drawing as they sometimes takes to long.

Can you describe how you work? What is your creative process like?

First I must put my earphones on for some music. hehe.  I first start with the layout of the drawing in H2 pencil and it involves lot of cappuccino and erasing.  When I’m done I always ask my sister to have a look at my drawing and comment on it (she is like my personal editor) and then I start going over it with Faber Castell Ecco Pigment marker and erasing the pencil.  I will then start painting and when Im done and happy with it I will go over some lines again with the Faber Castell Ecco Pigment marker for more effect.

How did you pull off that cool cover for The Tokoloshe?

When I was writing the story I wanted to look at a picture of the tokoloshe so that it would not slip from my mind and I created the picture. After doing it I decided to make it into a cover just for the fun of it.  I was experimenting with paints and colors and I was happy at the time.  Now I see mistakes that I didn’t notice before and the Tokoloshe looks very stiff so I’m planning on giving him a make-over.

What challenges do you find  yourself repeatedly facing in your paintings or renderings?

Sometimes my pencil drawings are really good but after starting painting them they don’t turn out as what I was hoping for and they don’t look good to me.  When I render a piece I sometime mess it up and after spending so much time on the painting I spoiled everything and I have to through it away and start again which is upsetting.

What questions do you have about the  whole endeavor of  children’s book illustration?

When my story and illustrations are done how will I know what publisher to choose and how do I submit it?  How will I know if my work is even good enough?  If my work is submitted what is the time frame?  If it is accepted, what must I look out for in the contract (pitfalls)?

What children’s book publishing opportunities have you uncovered in South  Africa or the Afrikaans language?

I’ve read a lot of Afrikaans and English books and I’ve jotted down a few South African publishing companies.  There are some famous ones like Random House and Penguin Books, which have branches in South Africa which I’m looking at as well.

Who are your artist muses? Any favorite children’s authors?

People who inspire me are John Howe, Alan Lee, Paul Kidby, Josh Kirby, Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell, Terry Pratchet, J.K .Rowling, Tolkien and Don Seegmiller.

Karien’s art blog, which is on our blogroll , is: http://kariennaude.blogspot.com

We’ll  check in with her from time to time to see how she’s progressing on her dummy for “The Tokoloshe.”

Mark Mitchell, who interviewed Karien, hosts the “How Be a Children’s Book Illustrator” blog.

Karien likes to listens to music while she draws.

3 Comments on Karien Draws Dragons In Tolkien’s Original Land, last added: 5/13/2009

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Marsha Riti said, on 5/12/2009 8:55:00 PM

Great article! Would love to hear more about Karien’s Tokoloshe story.

Mark Mitchell said, on 5/12/2009 11:22:00 PM

Thank you, Marsha! Yes, I think her Tokoloshe story is going to make a good picture book. Karien wrote a really nice text! We’ll keep you posted
as she develops the art for her dummy and gets it ready to show and send around.

Karien Naudé said, on 5/13/2009 2:28:00 AM

Thanks Marsha and Mark! Ill keep you posted

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By: Neil Gaiman, on 9/24/2008
Blog: Neil Gaiman (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  interviews, national book festival, chris Riddell, clapping hands in the sky, how to find Dave mckean, the unbearable whiteness of beeing, Add a tag

posted by Neil

I did the Washington Post Book World online chat this morning -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/09/09/DI2008090902030.html and then did more telephone interviews (while also signing the sheets for the Subterranean Press edition of The Graveyard Book) after which Euan Kerr from National Public Radio in Minneapolis arrived.

I've known Euan for over a decade, but in the past I've always gone to the studios of KNOW in St Paul while he interviewed me. This time (because time is ticking before the start of the tour, and there isn't any to spare on things like driving out to the Twin Cities) he came out to my house. On arrival he donned a bee suit, and headed out with the bee team (me, Stitelers, Lorraine, Cat Mihos who is in town visiting Lorraine and who, fresh from Duran Duran and the Jonas Brothers, will be tour-managing some of the upcoming tour) to harvest honey. Euan sort-of-interviewed me while we did bee stuff, occasionally sticking his microphone down among the bees to capture authentic beeish noises, then afterwards we went together to the gazebo and did a proper interview, with actual questions and answers and things, and not just barked cries of "Can somebody please hold this?" and "Ow, I just got stung through my sock."

The first interviews when a book comes out are the fun ones, because you're finding out what you think: all the questions are new to you, and you're having to figure out what the answers are, and you aren't yet repeating yourself. The hard ones will be in a month, where I'll find myself thinking Did I ever really live in a very tall house? And did my infant son really ride a tricycle around the churchyard across the lane? Are these real things, or just things I've repeated so many times they've evaporated, so now all I remember is the memory of me saying them...?

Hello! I received the e-mail about your appearance at the National Book Fest, which I'm very excited about. In this e-mail, it said that you'd be doing signings, and that I should buy a copy of the Graveyard Book for you to sign. Buuuut, if it won't be available for me to purchase until September 30th, how can I have it for you to sign on the 27th? I'm confused, which I'll admit isn't an uncommon state for me. Will there be copies available in the Book Sales tent? Don't get me wrong, I'd be immensely happy for you to sign something else that I already own, but I'd love to know how this whole Graveyard thing can work, unless you have some sort of nifty time travel device that you've been working on in your spare time.

We have a special dispensation from Harper Collins to sell copies of The Graveyard Book at the National Book Festival (because it's, well, the National Book festival). The only downside on that is I don't think that copies sold on the Saturday will count on any of the bestseller lists, which start ticking on Tuesday night. But it would be silly to be there without books, and it's only three days, and I'm glad that Harpers thought it was a good idea.


I love some of your Books including Coraline...I can't wait to see the movie. I want to ask if its not much of a trouble is How can I contact Dave McKean? I also love his Artworks and I have to say your stories and His artwork are a very good combination. I have a lot questions I would like to ask Him as well. Thank you for your time to check this out...I hope that you continue your great works and am waiting for the Graveyard Book to come out ^_^

http://www.davemckean.com/ is now almost there. It has a front page up anyway. I'm sure that as soon as it goes live it will also have contact information. So that will be how people will contact Dave in the future. (And he's signing in Paris on the 4th of October).
...

When Kitty arrived she was wearing a new tee shirt which made me smile, as on it was a drawing which I'd done earlier this year when asked by Bloomsbury for a sketch of the kind of thing I was thinking of for a Graveyard Book cover, something they could show to Chris Riddell*, which I then sent Kitty when she asked about making a Graveyard Book tee shirt for Neverwear.net, to show her the kind of thing that was in my head when I was writing it, and the kind of direction that might be nice to go.


I didn't expect it to be a t-shirt, and I didn't expect to like the t-shirt that it became, but it's lovely.

...

I was checking something out today, and ran across what I think may be my favourite paragraph in ages. It's from a Chinese website about a county filled with conjurors and acrobats, and I shall reformat it as a poem, because I can:

People in Wuqiao County
are so knee on acrobatics
that they perform strings of somersault,
stack themselves up with amazing agility,
fight with fists or juggle magic
no matter in the streets or in the wheat fields,
even at the table or on the kang (bed).

Even some children hold the bottle
fully filled with oil or vinegar
when going to the store or grain supply center
buying oil or vinegar,
without one drop spilt. On rainy days,

groups of pupils walk in the rain with umbrellas
held on the nose. What’s more amazing,
on the wedding night,
eating cakes or drinking wine is effortless,
and the bride casts the candies
flying out with an empty hand
while the bridegroom send cigarettes
by clapping hands in the sky.


.....................................................................................................................................

*And because Chris Riddell can draw beautifully, and compose pictures just as well, he took my scratchy doodle idea and turned it into this:

Labels:  INTERVIEWS, CLAPPING HANDS IN THE SKY, CHRIS RIDDELL, HOW TO FIND DAVE MCKEAN, NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL, THE UNBEARABLE WHITENESS OF BEEING

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By: Neil Gaiman, on 3/28/2008
Blog: Neil Gaiman (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  The Graveyard Book, chris Riddell, I'm happy to hear that yes people do indeed read these labels, Add a tag