Carolyn Conahan is the author and illustrator of several picture books, including The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oregon (Sterling), and The Big Wish (Chronicle), which was awarded the 2011 Oregon Spirit Book Award for Picture Books by the Oregon Council of Teachers of English.
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Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Music, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Illustrator Interviews, Taro Gomi, featured, Kim Norman, John Burningham, Carson Ellis, Barry Moser, Carolyn Conahan, Lisbeth Zwerger, Illustration Inspiration, Song Books, Books About Vehicles, Maggie Rudy, Add a tag
Blog: Liz's Book Snuggery (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 3-5, 5-8, Granpa, John Burningham, Father's Day, Add a tag
Granpa
By John Burningham
As Father’s Day approaches, there will be a ton of emphasis on fathers. But what about your father’s father? The one called grandpa or another affectionate term, is probably what he might be called, such as Gramps, Pop, Poppy, Pop Pop or any number of other endearments.
John Burningham, in a series of softly sketches moments of give and take dialogue between a young girl and her “Granpa”, will endear this duo in your heart for some time to come.
Their stream of consciousness back and forth is human, honest and humorous, all at once.
It’s the sharing and acceptance of who they both are on a very real level that gets to you. And I think it will resonate with the adult reader, maybe sometimes at odd moments, even more than the one they are reading to. And that’s great, too!
Here’s a sample of the gentle and, at times, unfiltered give and take between the generations. Not so nice is first.
Disembodied voice heardsaying:
“That was not a nice thing to say to Granpa.”
Picture: Both the older and younger generations in a back to each other stance.
Young girl: “When we get to the beach can we stay there for ever?”
Granpa: “Yes, but we must go back for our tea at four o’clock.”
Granpa: “When I was a boy we used to roll wooden hoops down the street.”
Young girl: “Were you once a baby as well, Grandpa?”
Granpa: “If I catch a fish we can cook it for supper.”
Young girl: “What if you catch whale, Granpa?”
Granpa: Harry, Florence and I used to come down that hill like little arrows. I remember one Christmas…
Young girl: “You nearly slipped then, Grandpa.”
And the cycle of life comes to each as the give and take fades and Grandpa is confined to his chair.
“Granpa can’t come out to play today.”
And the final page is simple, sad, yet oddly undramatic nor morose in the least, as the young girl sits in her chair, thinking about Granpa’s empty one.
It is a real and true moment. For sharing life….and death is what the generations are bound to do with, and for, one another.
But it is everything that comes in-between those two events that John Burningham’s generations live to the full. And this simple, profound picture book reminds readers, in its way, to try and do the same.
For that is what truly matters; the moments in life shared with the ones you love; the young and the not so young.
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Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 'Seasons' by John Burningham, John Burningham, Add a tag
Blog: Jen Robinson (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Reviews, picture book, adventure, imagination, Picture Books, animals, zoo, Newsletter, john burningham, child empowerment, Add a tag
Book: The Way to the Zoo
Author: John Burningham
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8
The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham is a picture book about a little girl named Sylvie who discovers a secret doorway in her bedroom that leads to a zoo. The animals are friendly, and sometimes Sylvie brings some of them back into her house. The small bear is cozy to sleep with, but the penguins make a splashy mess in the bathroom. And when Sylvie forgets to close the door to the zoo one day, chaos ensues.
The Way to the Zoo reminded me a bit of Barbara Lehman's Rainstorm, and a bit of Philip and Erin Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGee. All three books feature implausible events related in a completely matter-of-fact manner. My four year old daughter thought that The Way to the Zoo was hilarious, and asked immediately that I read it again.
Burningham takes his time with the story. Instead of jumping in to where the girl finds and opens the door, she first glimpses the door from her bed, decides to wait to check it out in the morning, and then forgets, and doesn't look inside until after school the next day. He uses a relatively basic vocabulary, and explains what's happening in detail. I think that The Way to the Zoo could function as an early reader for some kids. Here's an example (all on one page spread):
"It was getting late. Sylvie had to get back
to her room and go to sleep because she
had school again in the morning.
Sylvie asked a little bear to come back
with her. He did and slept in her bed
She made sure the bear was back in the
zoo and the door in the wall was closed
before she left for school."
This passage is, of course, also good for teaching young readers about foreshadowing.
Burningham's illustrations are in pen, pencil pastel, and watercolor. The are minimalist, with only the faintest suggestion of backgrounds, lots of white space, and the details left to the reader's imagination. This isn't my personal favorite style of illustration - I couldn't always tell what kind of animal was being represented, for instance. But the pictures made my daughter laugh, particularly one involving birds in the living room, and another in which a rhino lies on the floor covered up in towels for the night.
The Way to the Zoo has a timeless feel, support in particular by the apparent freedom that Sylvie has from parental oversight. It would make a nice school or library read-aloud for K-2nd graders. Recommended for home or library use!
Publisher: Candlewick (@Candlewick)
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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© 2014 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: John Burningham, Add a tag
Blog: The Art of Children's Picture Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: John Burningham, Mr. Gumpy's Outing, Add a tag
Today's vintage children's book is a nice bit of work by John Burningham. In
Mr. Gumpy's Outing, Burningham alternates his illustrations between pen and ink, colored pen and ink and painting. I like his looser style of drawing and interesting layered backgrounds.
Blog: It's A Whimsical Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Wedding, edinburgh, New book, John Burningham, Stromness, Why oh Why does Baby cry?, Dornoch, Add a tag
Hellooo!
We had a lovely break from routine, did some travelling and are now back in Montreal. Here are a few pictures of our travels:
We never get tired of this view:
Edinburgh castle
The old swimming baths that I used to go to has been turned into a wonderful tapestry studio called Dovecot Studios. While we were there, we were lucky enough to catch the John Burningham exhibition that was on:
Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh
We took a very wet but lovely trip to the botanics:
Wildflowers, Edinburgh Botanics
On our way to see some friends in Orkney, we stopped off at Dornoch:
Dornoch beach
Stromness is so pretty:
Stromness, Orkney
Skimming stones in Stromness
Ewan's Rock balancing, Stromness
View on our cliff walk
Old man of Hoy
But he main reason for our trip was because my sister was getting married:
The happy couple
My beautiful sister and my lovely nieces
It was an absolutely wonderful day and we were so glad that we got to share it with them. We did lots of fun family stuff together and also had plenty of time to sit around and relax.
Consequently, I haven't touched any art materials in weeks, which was needed I think. But now, I am itching to get started again but also a little nervous to begin. I am experiencing a little bit of illustration stage fright if there is such a condition :) I thought I might start with buying a new sketchbook, try a bit of doodling and see where it takes me....
Almost forgot to mention that some copies of the latest book that I illustrated recently arrived:Why oh Why does Baby cry? Published by Random House.
It has tabs to pull and flaps to open:
Flap closed
Flap open
See you soon folks!
Blog: Not Just for Kids (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: review, picture books, cats, John Burningham, Add a tag
English author John Burningham returns to whimsical form with this picture book which answers the question, "Where do cats go at night?" Burningham's previous offering, Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World (2007) was rather message-heavy. But It's a Secret! is a straight forward fantasy (if that's not an oxymoran) in the same vein as Come Away From the Water Shirley (1977) and The
Blog: Not Just for Kids (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: lost treasures--found, John Burningham, Add a tag
Hurrah! My prayers have been answered! A Random House Summer Catalog was in my inbox this morning, and on page two was the announcement and brand new ISBN number for a reissued edition of John Burningham's outstanding John Patrick Norman McHennessy--the boy who was always late. This has been on my "Lost Treasures" list since the early days of this blog. I take no credit for it's reissue, only immense pleasure that someone in a position to bring it back did so.
I hope it has been left as originally published and not revised to meet modern day sensibilities. I'm thinking of the bit where the disbelieving teacher threatens to thrash JPNM for telling lies. Children today need not fear corporal punishment, and I suspect that when the book was originally written in 1987 there really wasn't much danger of it then either. But you never know how far the bubble-wrapping of children will go. The revising of books is an ongoing controversy in Children's Literature, from Tintin in the Congo to whether or not editions of Good Night Moon should feature a picture of illustrator Clement Hurd holding a cigarette.
Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing resources, MFA Programs, low residency, Low Residency MFA Programs, Add a tag
Can you hold down a dayjob while earning your MFA in creative writing or journalism?
Over at the MFA Blog, readers are debating that tough, tough question. Myself, I paid the rent with a crappy bookstore dayjob while studying for my MA in journalism. It was stressful, but I did it, because I wanted to stay in New York City.
Writer and foodie C(h)ristine actually survived the working and MFA lifestyle, and had this to say: "I worked parttime throughout my MFA. I was able to swing it, though I know I cheated myself out of the whole experience (which to me is the dream of a huge block of time devoted to writing), but at the same time, I got a chance to stay financially solvent and keep my career on track (after all, we all return to the working world after the MFA)."
I think aspiring writers should shoot for the moon when they apply--try to get a scholarship or teaching work--and have this huge chunk of time where you can live as a writer. It doesn't last long.
If you can't get the scholarships, don't rule out the MFA. Even while working a dayjob and studying, you can still become a stronger, more professional writer. If that doesn't work, creative writing guru, Erika Dreifus, wrote a Poets & Writers article about Low Residency MFA programs--university writing programs for working adults.
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Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: low residency, Low Residency MFA Programs, writing resources, MFA Programs, Add a tag
Most aspiring writers reading this site don't have any time to go back to school. Unless you have a trust fund, you can't start your career over as a graduate writing student.
Until I met author and creative writing guru, Erika Dreifus, I thought adult writers were out of luck. Last year Dreifus wrote a Poets & Writers article about Low Residency MFA programs--university writing programs for working adults. These workshops may be the best hope for jump-starting your writing career.
Check it out: "The popularity of these programs, which allow writers to earn a degree without having to spend much time living on a particular campus, was easy to understand. Writers like me who had, in many cases, slipped out of our early twenties and had established personal and professional commitments, could continue our education without disrupting (too much) the patterns of our lives."
Today Dreifus updated her extensive Low-Residency MFA and MA programs list, so why not think about it? If you live in New York and are looking for an even more focused experience, the folks at the Sackett Street Writers Workshop have built a bustling writing community/writing school out of their apartment.
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I love this book, and all his work really.
Phillip
Just found your blog. Lovely! Wondered if you had collected the locations where one could view originals of worthy children's book art i.e museums, and current exhibits.
Hi Jeanette, thanks for your comments.
No, I don't know of a place off hand, but that's a good question. I'll try to do a little research on that. I did notice however that there is a book about these posters called 75 years of Children's Book Week posters: celebrating great illustrators of American children's books by Leonard S. Marcus, Children's Book Council, that you might be interested in. I would think that would have a wealth of information about these posters. It's from 1994, so you might even find it at your library.
Jeanette - sorry, I got your comment mixed up with another one next to it about the children's book week posters. One place that I have a link to on the front of my blog under resources is the Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay. The CLRC at the University of Minnesota is another place. Brian Wildsmith has a museum devoted to his art near Tokyo. But this is a good question. Making a note to myself to look for more places...
Phillip - thanks for your comment. John Burningham has a great style.
Did you know that he is married to Helen Oxenbury, another famous
children's book illustrator?