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Lauren Castillo, a Caldecott Honor author and illustrator, kicks off this year's Author Spotlight Series with a piece about how important research is to her artistic process.

Lauren Castillo, a Caldecott Honor author and illustrator, kicks off this year's Author Spotlight Series with a piece about how important research is to her artistic process.

Which five words best describe Twenty Yawns? Jane Smiley: Cheerful, colorful, loving, amusing, relaxing.

I think it was through a mutual friend, Lauren Castillo, that I began following Lori and her work on social media. I have to say through our FB interactions, I feel like I already know here but that isn’t the … Continue reading →

Autumn is a beautiful time for reading. Award-winning Nana in the City, by Lauren Castillo, is this month's best selling picture book from our affiliate store—it's a delightful selection for fall.

Title: Yard Sale Written by: Eve Bunting Illustrated by: Lauren Castillo Published by: Candlewick Press, 2015 Themes/Topics: Downsizing, yard sales, change, moving Suitable for ages: 4-7 Opening: ALMOST EVERYTHING WE OWN is spread out in our front yard. It is all for sale. We are … Continue reading →

Don’t you just love the serendipitous discovery that one of your favorite picture books of the previous year that you already have scheduled for this Friday’s Perfect Picture Books just happens to have won a well deserved Caldecott Honor Award … Continue reading →

Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner The most distinguished American picture book for children, announced by the American Library Association.

As an author and zoologist, Jess Keating has tickled a shark, lost a staring contest against an octopus, and been a victim to the dreaded paper cut. She lives in Ontario, Canada, where she spends most of her time writing books for adventurous and funny kids.

This is a JUST RIGHT kind of book. Just the right size; just the right tone; just the right scope of experience/adventure for the audience.

How does Lauren Castillo accomplish this just-rightness in the art?

1) Through the use of color. In the beginning she communicates the noise and smells and sheer overwhelming-ness of the big city through dark colors: watercolor washes of browns and black charcoal-like shading. Bright yellow and greens communicate bustle and action. The lack of color (on the page where Nana and the boy first approach Nana’s apartment building) communicates sterility and the intimidating feeling of those tall looming buildings. And of course the use of red throughout the book is absolutely perfect. From the start, touches of red focus our attention: the numeral 1 on the subway; the policeman’s stop sign; the teapot and teacup. Nana knits the boy a red cape to make him brave, but observers will note that Nana is also outfitted in red, from her hatband to her handbag to her boots. There’s a natural and built-in connection forged between adult and child here. And there’s a point of discussion: is there an implication that Nana might need help being brave as well?

2) Through her ability to convey the sense of a large city in a book with quite a small trim size. (Which I love, by the way. The small size and square shape of the book communicates safety, harmony, manageability. The story would have been dwarfed in one of those oversize celebrate-the-city kind of picture books.) Castillo’s story is a small one, but it doesn’t happen in isolation. The presence of the city is always there in the background, in black-and-white sketched-in cityscapes (that look almost like coloring-books pages before they’re colored in) or less-detailed blocked-out buildings; she gives us the whole city without taking our focus off the characters and the main action. (She uses the same technique in other places in the book as well: note Nana sitting on her coach as she begins to knit the boy his red cape. The sofa is only sketched in, like the cityscapes, keeping our attention solely on Nana and her knitting.)

3) Through the tactile quality of the art. The combination of the watercolor and what looks to be some kind of charcoal rubbing (but might be something entirely different; I’m just guessing!) gives the art such texture and immediacy.

I have to admit I’m a leetle disappointed in the endpapers. I thought they might have changed from green (in the beginning) to red (at the end), just like Nana’s two knitting projects. But I am sure the illustrator and publisher gave much thought to it. So please help me with this (admittedly) tiny little quibble.

This book is not a shouter. It’s a small domestic story, with a quiet narrative arc, for very young children. Therefore, given the history of this award, it doesn’t scream Caldecott. What will be its chances on the table at the end of this month?

The post Nana in the City appeared first on The Horn Book.

One of the great thrills of living in New York City is that fairly frequently I get to meet in real life one of the many authors and illustrators with whom I am friends on Facebook and/or Twitter. It turns out … Continue reading →

Title: City Cat Story by Kate Banks Art by Lauren Castillo Published by Foster Books, Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2013 Ages: 5-8 Themes: cat, travel, European cities 40 pages Opening Lines:  Wake up, City Cat. It’s dawn.                     … Continue reading →

This weekend I hung out in Harrisburg with Jonathan Bean, Taeeun Yoo, and Lauren Castillo for 3rd in the Burg. The third Friday of every month, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, artists open their doors and invite the community into their studios to learn about their work and process.

Taeeun at the opening ceremony

During that time Jonathan Bean hosts an art show in “The Steps Shown”, his charming stairwell gallery. Jonathan shows sketches, dummies, and final work of children’s book illustrators, the work that is usually never seen by the general public.

choosing work for the gallery

On Saturday morning we walked a few steps down the street to listen to Taeeun read and sign her books at The Midtown Scholar’s Children’s Section. The fab four hasn’t been together all in one place in quite some time. It was a historic reunion for us all.

The Fab Four in full effect

To see a wonderful video of Taeeun reading from her latest book, YOU ARE A LION, head here.

Taeeun Yoo with fish and lions

Shadra said, on 8/20/2012 10:23:00 AM

This weekend I hung out in Harrisburg with Jonathan Bean, Taeeun Yoo, and Lauren Castillo for 3rd in the Burg. The third Friday of every month, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, artists open their doors and invite the community into their studios to learn about their work and process.

Taeeun at the opening ceremony

During that time Jonathan Bean hosts an art show in “The Steps Shown”, his charming stairwell gallery. Jonathan shows sketches, dummies, and final work of children’s book illustrators, the work that is usually never seen by the general public.

choosing work for the gallery

On Saturday morning we walked a few steps down the street to listen to Taeeun read and sign her books at The Midtown Scholar’s Children’s Section. The fab four hasn’t been together all in one place in quite some time. It was a historic reunion for us all.

The Fab Four in full effect

To see a wonderful video of Taeeun reading from her latest book, YOU ARE A LION, head here.

Taeeun Yoo with fish and lions

 

Maribeth Boelts will be the visiting author for the graduate course I’m teaching about children’s literature and the teaching of writing this summer.  I’m SO EXCITED to meet her in person since I’ve… Read More →

Maribeth Boelts will be the visiting author for the graduate course I’m teaching about children’s literature and the teaching of writing this summer.  I’m SO EXCITED to meet her in person since I’ve… Read More →

Last week was senior portfolio week at MICA. By a strange stroke of luck, four of my SVA homies all ended up at MICA to participate. Though all of us didn’t get to see each other at the same time, it was great getting hugs in and catching up with everyone in small groups. Taeeun, Lauren (MICA graduate), and Nora reviewed portfolios and “The Bean” spoke to my advanced book illustration class. Here are a few pics…

Lauren and Tae spelling "hi" for the camera

We girls had a great time catching up over desert at Cafe Hon. I will spare you the sordid details of our little slumber party. When picturebook artists get together, there’s no telling what will happen! I’m still scraping paint off my ceiling

Tae giving advice to Hannah (www.cargocollective.com/htrieb)

After saying farewell to Lauren I ushered Tae over to MICA for a day of portfolio reviews with our seniors. Tae is seen with Hannah Trieb here, you can see more of her work at www.cargocollective.com/htrieb. Hannah has also been my teaching assistant this semester for advanced book illustration. Here is one of her thesis pieces:

from "The Anti-Love Potion", written and illustrated by Hannah Trieb

After a day of portfolio reviews, we picked up Jonathan Bean. On Thursday, Jonathan spoke with my advanced book illustration class about his work as a college student, why he chose graduate school, his style evolution, and how he got published. It was so great to re-live those days at SVA and to see years of hard work pay off so greatly.

Jonathan guiding us down publication lane

we are all wowed

My lucky students had a chance to have their work seen and reviewed by Jonathan after his presentation. In the meantime, I had

Let’s raise our brushes and send a shout out to Lauren Castillo, yes, THE Lauren Castillo, illustrator of books like WHAT HAPPENS ON WEDNESDAYS, BUFFALO MUSIC, THAT’S PAPA’S WAY, BIG CAT PEPPER and THE PIG AND MS. PRUDENCE.  Stop on over at her blog and wish her a happy sweet sixteen!

This post is about introductions in more ways than one. First, let me introduce you to the author D. Michael Lindsay who will be blogging here quite a bit this fall. Lindsay is a member of the sociology faculty at Rice University and the author of Faith In The Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined The American Elite. Faith In The Halls of Power draws on interviews Lindsay conducted with an array of prominent Americans — including two former presidents, dozens of political and government leaders, more than 100 top business executives, plus Hollywood moguls, intellectuals, athletes and other powerful figures. His book shows who the real evangelical power brokers are, how they rose to prominence, and what they’re doing with their clout.

In the post below Lindsay recounts introducing himself Karen Hughes in a bookstore. Would you have had the “chutzpah” to walk up and introduce yourself?

Sitting down with some of the nation’s most powerful figures to talk about their faith has been an exhilarating part of my life for the last five years. More than once someone said to me, “I can’t believe I’m telling you this stuff.” (more…)

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