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Birches
(Click to enlarge)
I’ve featured a lot of student or brand-new illustrators lately and have yet another today. It’s the first Sunday of February, and the first Sundays of each month are devoted to the new folks, so I keep my promise today.
And I’m happy to welcome Colin Sutherland, whom I’d be pleased to tell you all about, but I’m going to hand 7-Imp over to him so that he can tell you about himself. He’s also sharing some art, of course, and my personal favorite is pictured above.
[Note: Colin and I would both like to point out that Bear Hunt, pictured below in this post, is—in Colin’s words—”a little graphic and upsetting.” Consider yourselves notified, dear Imps.] (more…)
“There was an Old Man with a beard, / Who said, “It is just as I feared! /
Two Owls and a Hen, / Four Larks and a Wren, /
Have all built their nests in my beard!” — (Edward Lear)
(Click to enlarge)
Lately I’ve been featuring quite a few student illustrators or illustrators new to the field, haven’t I? I guess it’s because, as
I noted the other day, it’s still January, and I still have a lot of new F&Gs and picture books to go through, and until then, I’ll shine the spotlight on the young ‘uns. Plus, I really enjoy seeing their work.
Today, I welcome Israeli artist and illustrator Gabriella Barouch, who works digitally. I emailed her, after seeing the artwork she shares here today, to clarify: “You mean that you start out with pencil on paper, right? And then you muck around with the art, using your computer?” Nope, she said. It’s all digital. Even her sketches. (more…)
It’s kicks #313 on the 13th in 2013.
Surely that means something?
Ah well. I am declaring it means only good things.
Today at 7-Imp I welcome a debut author/illustrator, named Angela Dominguez (pictured left with Hugo), who is originally from Mexico City but now lives in San Francisco, where she also teaches at the Academy of Art University. Angela’s debut picture book will be released this March from Dial Books. Let’s Go, Hugo! tells the story of a bird who prefers walking to flying. He’s not trying to be different for the sake of it; he’s actually afraid of flying. Not that Dominguez opens the book this way. “Hugo was content to live on the ground,” she writes, but we readers ease into the notion that he’s really beset by fears.
Things change when Hugo meets Lulu, the same day he’s building a model (on the ground, of course) of the Eiffel Tower. When Lulu tells him they can fly to the Eiffel Tower and see the real deal, Hugo’s got all kinds of excuses as to why he won’t go. Just when things start to feel really hopeless for Hugo (since Lulu does what she can, but nearly gives up on him) … well, I can’t give the entire story away, but if you’re interested in reading it, it’ll be on bookstore and library shelves, come Spring.
The illustration note on the copyright page indicates that Dominguez uses “Canson paper, ink, [and] tissue paper … on illustration board.” Angela’s here today to tell us a bit more about this and her work, so let’s get right to it. I thank her for visiting. (more…)
2013.jpg)
(Click to enlarge)
Instead of featuring a brand-new picture book today or an up-and-coming illustrator, I’ve got artwork from one of my favorite picture book artists, Elisa Kleven.
The new year is upon us, and when I thought about sharing artwork as we edge up on 2013, some art that would buoy our spirits, I immediately thought of her.
Elisa sent me a handful of illustrations, and it was hard to choose which to share (for many reasons, I’m going to keep this post relatively short and sweet this week), but I chose the one above, and these two: (more…)
“Mountains of gifts are placed under the tree for eight nights of Hanukkah,
plus Christmas Day. How lucky am I?”
(Click to enlarge spread)
This morning, I welcome author and illustrator Selina Alko to tell us all a bit about her latest picture book, Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama, a story about a family who merges two holiday traditions. Sadie, the young girl narrating the story, has a father who has always celebrated Christmas, a mother who has always celebrated Hanukkah, and they annually combine the traditions of each holiday event in order to teach their daughter about both. Selina—using gouache, collage, and colored pencil, which result in such appealing textures here—lays it all out on the pages of this book with vibrant colors and great joy. She’s here today to share some artwork from the book (sans text), as well as early dummy images, and to tell us the story behind the book.
Toward the end of this post, I’ve also got some holiday illustrations from several illustrators, just ’cause I’m an illustration junkie and couldn’t help it. Let’s get right to it all … (more…)
Mrs. Santa
This morning, I welcome new-to-the-field illustrator Melissa Guion. She’s here to share some of her bright, gentle watercolors and talk about her debut title, Baby Penguins Everywhere!, a picture book as much for the parents and teachers of this world as it is for children (as Melissa herself notes below). It tells the story of a lonely penguin, suddenly visited by a gaggle of baby penguins. (Can penguins exist in gaggles? I’m going to pretend they can, even though I think gaggles involve geese.) Finding herself a bit frazzled by all the wee penguins in her care, she comes to understand that she needs a moment’s peace. (Ah, isn’t that the truth if ever the truth was spoken?) She needs, as Publishers Weekly put it in their review, time to recharge, though she comes to appreciate the company of the young penguins, even when it’s chaotic.
I’ll let Melissa tell you more about it — and her work. I certainly look forward to what she brings readers next. Also, please note that Melissa’s online portfolio is here, if you’d like to see more art. (more…)
The first Sunday of the month is upon us once again (the last 2012 one, at that — GASP), which means I normally feature the work of a student or debut illustrator. I had the latter lined up for today, but it didn’t quite work out in time. This author/illustrator will, most likely, visit next week instead, which is all good and a-okay and all that. I’m easy like Sunday morning (as I told her — and you’re welcome for that Commodores song now on your brain radio).
Know what I have for you today? I’ll be ever-so brief: (more…)
Here’s an illustration from artist Edward Hemingway’s forthcoming illustrated title, Tiny Pie, written by Mark Bailey and Michael Oatman and coming in May from Running Press Kids.
Edward, who paints with oils on canvas and wood, also saw the release this year of Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, August 2012), all about an apple and a worm who become good friends — and weather hard times, given the funny looks and mean comments they get for being friends in the first place. (Let us not forget the enduring wisdom of the popular mid-’90s bumper sticker.)
Edward is here today to talk a bit about his books, his paintings, and I also couldn’t resist briefly asking him about his heritage. Yes, he’s Ernest’s grandson.
Let’s get right to it, since Edward shares so many images today. And for that I thank him.
P.S. If you read below, you’ll see that this is a very special day for Edward … (more…)
Anyone else seen Jeanette Winter’s newest picture book? My, it’s lovely.
Kali’s Song, released by Schwartz & Wade Books just last week (and already met with starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly), is rendered in acrylics and pen and ink, using handmade paper. As always, I’ve got more art from it to share with you below, since the art says it all.
I don’t want to give too much away about this minimalist story, but I’ll summarize by saying that it’s about a boy, who lived “thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago,” who grows up to be a shaman. His mother is an artist, painting on the cave walls. But, seeing as how our characters here are cave people, she’s also a hunter, along with his father.
After being told to go practice shooting arrows, Kali heads out to do so, but at night, when resting, he plucks the strings on his bows to create music. “That night, the sounds from Kali’s bow filled his dreams with peace.”
And, again, I don’t want to give it all away, but what I’ve summarized so far captures the book’s major themes — peace and the power of art to bring it about. (more…)
“High in the branches of a massive chestnut tree, Henry found the grim Griffin. He held out his sword and cried: ‘AHA, STRANGE BIRD! I AM COME! AND AT LAST I HAVE FOUND A WORTHY OPPONENT! NOW UNSHEATHE YOUR CLAWS AND LET US HAVE ADO!’ And to Henry’s delight, the formidable beast agreed . . .”
Okay, I’m gonna be straight-up honest with you right off the bat this morning: No stealthy April Fool’s joke is hiding ’round the corner here at 7-Imp today. I know of other bloggers with sneaky, winky plans, but … well, since blogging comes after things like my children and work, I’m lucky to produce normal, non-jokey posts on a fairly consistent basis. My co-author, Peter D. Sieruta, even had a great idea for me. But, while I consider myself a mildly to moderately clever human (who really appreciated his funny suggestion), I have a terrible poker face, y’all, and I always ruin the punch line anyway.
Glad we got that out of the way.
So, no kidding, my post today is one of those where I feature a student or debut illustrator, since it’s the first Sunday of the month. (March, WHERE’D YOU GO anyway? That March. So zippy-quick and tricky.) Today it’s the latter, a self-taught debut author/illustrator, who lives in Michigan. His name is Kenneth Kraegel, and he’s visiting today to say a bit about his first book. Now, this picture book, King Arthur’s Very Great Grandson, comes out in July of this year (Candlewick), so I apologize for showing you art from a book you can’t quite yet purchase or find on library shelves, but July will be here before you know it. Moving on then … (more…)
“Just remember: Dragons hate spicy salsa.
Before you host your taco party with dragons, get rid of all the spicy salsa.
In fact, bury the spicy salsa in the backyard so the dragons can’t find it.”
(Click to enlarge spread)
Do you know those really funny picture books that don’t get in the way of their own humor, that perhaps don’t even get how very funny they are, much like that wicked funny friend you have, who cracks you up yet doesn’t realize how wicked sharp her own wit is? Or perhaps doesn’t even know the power of her own goofy and how extremely entertaining it is to everyone around her?
Or, better yet, here are the words of the late, great James Marshall on the matter:
“[H]umor, which I do—comedy—is very tricky. You can’t show how hard you work. You can’t call attention to yourself. You can’t show the wheels turning. It’s got to be like a balloon that floats up into the air. You don’t make the reader, the viewer aware of anything but the story.”
(more…)
I always look forward to new picture books from Polly Dunbar (who visited 7-Imp back in ‘08).
Kirkus calls her newest, Arthur’s Dream Boat, released by Candlewick in February, a “real attention-getter.” In this book, Dunbar asks child readers to consider what is real and what is but a dream.
Arthur awakes one morning to recall an amazing dream. He’s got a sailboat on the mind — in more ways than one. He’s dreamt of one, not to mention there is a tiny sailboat perched on his head. (”A few years ago,” Dunbar notes in the book’s back-flap bio, “I was sitting on Brighton beach, looking out to sea. There was a small boy in the water and a boat far away on the horizon. For one magic moment, the boat looked as though it was perched on the boy’s head. I remember thinking, I’m the only one who can see that boat on his head; it must be a dream boat. And I drew a quick sketch.”)
He sets out to tell family members about his “amazing” dream, but no one is quite listening. Observant readers will notice that the boat is increasingly embellished with features he sees on or near his own family members—the rainbow-colored fish food his mother is tossing into the aquarium becomes the “polka-dotted sails,” and the baby food his sister is flinging around the kitchen becomes the “golden flag”—as well as other nautical clues, including a message in a bottle on the family’s kitchen table. (more…)
(Click to enlarge)
In the Summer of 2011, I wrote at Kirkus about TOON Books. Today’s post is about a new TOON title, R. Kikuo Johnson’s The Shark King, so if you’re thinking, TOON hubba WHAT? and what is Jules going on about NOW?, then you can head on over to that Kirkus column to get the low-down on this imprint.
And I like this new title. I do. You won’t see anything else like it this year. (more…)
Work-in-progress illustration from Gianna Marino’s Meet Me at the Moon
(Click to enlarge)
It’s Mother’s Day, the day we celebrate all the mamas and mama-like people in our lives.
I thought the best way I could celebrate today here at 7-Imp would be to highlight the latest picture book from Gianna Marino, Meet Me at the Moon, released by Viking in late March. And Gianna is visiting today to share a collection of early dummies, early sketches, work-in-progress images, and final spreads from the book.
She also has the loveliest true tale about her own mother and the creation of this book.
The book, which Booklist describes as “[h]eartfelt and sincere, yet never cloying,” tells the story of a young elephant and his mother. Little One is worried, because his mother must leave to “climb the highest mountain to ask the skies for rain.” Telling Little One to listen for her song on the wind, know that the warmth of the sun means she loves him, and find the brightest star to see her, she leaves. “When the night sky is bright, Little One,” she adds, “meet me at the moon, where the sky touches the earth.”
In their starred review, Kirkus writes: “The textured mixed-media art paired with the flowing text elevates this title above most missing-mama fare. The full-bleed double-page spreads evoke the vastness of the plains and the night sky, while the finely detailed striping of the zebras and the intricate branches of the trees produce a striking contrast with the huge circles of the sun or moon that dominate most scenes. Radiating warmth and comfort, this distinguished title strikes home.”
This one also made it in the New York Times just the other day.
Here’s Gianna, and I thank her for visiting and sharing. (more…)
(Click to enlarge and see entire spread from which this comes)
I may have said only about 7,000 times in 2011 that one of my favorite picture books of that year was Eileen and Marc Rosenthal’s I Must Have Bobo! (I featured it here at 7-Imp in January with illustrations from the book, and Marc also visited the blog here in October.) The book, as I wrote last January, was a straight up showdown between one young boy, Willy, and the family cat, Earl, the dilemma being that the object of their affection is one beloved sock monkey, named Bobo. Bobo, however, can only be with one creature at a time. I also wrote back then that, if I could play for you all the main theme song from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly when discussing the book, I would.
It’s a very funny book.
Well… Willy, Bobo, and Earl are back in 2012. Can someone give me a “WOO!”? Rather, they returned in early April in I’ll Save You Bobo! (brought to us once again by Atheneum Books), and I’m finally getting around to giving the three of them the 7-Imp spotlight. Marc sent some illustrations from the book, as well as some early sketches.
As Publishers Weekly wrote about this one, the “war rages on!” Indeed. Willy is trying to read all about giant dinosaurs, but Earl hasn’t given up on his quest for Bobo and keeps interrupting. When Earl decides to write his own book, a scary adventure in which he’ll save Bobo, his imagination goes into overdrive as he incorporates a jungle, fierce wild animals, tigers, a scary snake tree, and even more. As he’s writing and illustrating this tale in the fort he’s made for himself and Bobo, Earl wreaks his own havoc upon the tale in more ways than one. But, ah, the power of creativity (and catharsis and channeling your rage into your works of art): The snake in Willy’s own story could always eat Earl alive … (more…)
“When we finished our lowrider, I was so proud of my mama.
People thought she couldn’t do it, but we sure proved ‘em wrong!
And I was proud of myself for helping her choose some pretty colors for the painting.”
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means it’s time here at 7-Imp to shine the spotlight on a student or new-to-the-field illustrator.
Today I’ve got illustrator, artist, and mural-maker Robert Trujillo, who is from Oakland, California. Robert has yet to be published as an illustrator but is, as he told me, trying to learn more about the field and meet like minds “in real time or through the Web.”
Speaking of the Web, Robert’s site is the cool side of satin, especially if you dig art and jazz (and/or funk and/or soul). Case-in-point is here.
Okay, digression over.
The illustration above, rendered in watercolor and ink, is one of two illustrations Robert created from a short story he’s written about a mother and daughter who build their own lowrider. The second illustration, as well as more artwork from Robert, is below.
And here are more words from Robert, who is pictured above at a recent visit to an elementary school in Sacramento. (More on that visit and more pictures are here at Robert’s site.) (more…)
Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers and father-type people out there. I don’t have Father’s Day-esque art today, but author/illustrator Jeff Mack is visiting and sharing illustrations, and I’m happy he’s stopped by.
So, here’s the thing … About a couple of months ago, I guess it was, I read Jeff’s Frog and Fly: Six Slurpy Stories (Philomel Books, March 2012) and enjoyed it. (Some spreads and the book’s cover are featured below.) These are funny stories, rendered in big cartoon art, for so-called emerging readers, involving a slightly macabre, straight-talk-about-the-food-chain kind of humor. (The frog manages to catch and consume a fly in each story, since that’s how the good ‘ol-fashioned food web tends to work, though in the end, he just might get his comeuppance.)
“Newly fledged readers should be amused by the early-Muppet–style humor,” wrote the Kirkus review. “The comic-book pacing keeps each separate ‘chapter’ fresh and funny, and the sunny palette keeps the tone light, even as the fly gets snaggled, over and over.”
And I had decided back then, when first reading the book, to see if Jeff wanted to visit the blog and share images.
And then, as often happens, I got busy and never asked him directly.
But then, just last week, I read his other new title, pictured here, and my eight-year-old and I laughed our fool heads off. It’s called Good News, Bad News (Chronicle Books), and I think it’s scheduled for an early July release. With just five words (”good news” and “bad news” on each spread — and a “very” thrown in for good measure at the end), Jeff tells the mighty funny and briskly-paced story of two friends, one half-glass-full and one glass-mostly-empty. Rabbit’s cheery nature and spontaneous naïveté, paired with Mouse’s sour disposition, make for some hearty laughs. There’s some slapstick humor to boot, and this one also serves as a great title for emerging readers. (They will read these five words with great confidence, as Jeff relays the dramatic action via the energetic artwork.)
Right after I read this one, I contacted Jeff immediately. Finally. So, he’s here today to share some images from those books, as well as a couple of others that I haven’t seen yet that are forthcoming titles. (more…)
This is the first time Tad Hills’ Rocket, pictured above, has visited 7-Imp, and it’s long overdue.
So, when I write weekly columns for Kirkus, I always follow up one week later here at 7-Imp with art from the book. (To not post as much art as I’m allowed makes me twitch a little.) In early May, I did a short Q & A over at Kirkus with author/illustrator Tad Hills. He has created many picture books over the years that my children and I have enjoyed, including the Duck & Goose books, one of which I covered here at 7-Imp in 2007 (back when, shudder, I only included book covers).
(more…)
“She left the house, sad and disappointed,
to go on a quest in order to find her brothers.”
(Click to enlarge)
It’s gonna get dark and heavy and raw around here this morning, y’all.
However, if you look at 7-Imp’s home page right now, you’ll see some cute, fluffy dogs; some endearing cats; a screamingly adorable baby bear; a dancing egg; and even more happy happy joy joy (the wonderfully creepy bats from The Brothers Hilts being the one exception). So, I say it’s high time we got ominous and grim (and Grimm) around here, don’t you think? Hey, it’s only fair, and it’s my turn, says The Sinister, given last week was a heartwarming story about books.
That’s to say: If you’re still sipping your coffee and aren’t in the mood to read about bones and blood and angry ravens tearing at someone and straight-up murder as only fairy tales (or, in this case, fairy tale adaptations) can tell ‘em, consider yourself warned now.
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means we get to look at the work of a student or brand-new illustrator, and today I’ve got a German student of illustration, named Jördis Brier, who was actually once a student of American illustrator Shadra Strickland. One of Jördis’s classroom projects (not yet published) is the subject of today’s post, and I’m going to let her tell you more about it. (more…)
“Bear helped Mouse find seeds on the forest floor.”
Yesterday at Kirkus, I rambled incessantly about Fall 2012 picture books for which I’ve already fallen and fallen hard. Since I like to follow Kirkus columns one week later with 7-Imp posts that feature art art and lots of art—if I don’t post lots of art, I start to get twitchy—I started gathering at least one spread from each book to feature here at 7-Imp later this week.
But then when I ended up with more than one spread from the new book Bear Has a Story to Tell (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook), written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead, I couldn’t resist the urge to go ahead and post about it today. It will be released relatively soon anyway (early September).
If I gave away the entire story here, I’d not be able to sleep at night for having ruined the reading experience for you. So, I’m going to do something rare and unusual for long-winded me: I’m going to just list a small handful of things about it that I like. I’ll list seven of them (at the risk of looking formulaic here), given the blog’s title. (Why not?) Then, I’ll just let the beautiful art speak for itself. (more…)
“…My troll fiancée explodes in frustration. MOTL / and I take the treasure and get out of there. / I’m a king now with three kids and a spaniel. I rule / in the daytime,
but at night I’m just a dad who puts / the kids to bed. …”
– From “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”
(Click to enlarge)
Remember how we got a bit dark and grim/Grimm a couple weeks ago? I’m gonna do that again today, because I just can’t pass up the opportunity to post some of the illustrations of Andrea Dezsö.
And, to be clear right off the bat, this is an illustrated book, but it’s not a picture book for young children. This is very much a YA/adult title.
Many of you may have already seen this collection of free verse poems, Ron Koertge’s Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses, released in July by Candlewick. U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis has said it’s “the best antidote I know to the sanctimonious sanitizing of fairy tales.” (Once I read that, I knew I had to read this book myself.)
Here, Koertge isn’t afraid to get gruesome, subversive, and downright nightmarish in his re-telling of 23 classic fairy tales. The blood-red endpapers give you a taste of this, followed by an invitation right off the bat from our author: “Do you want to sleep? Find another storyteller. Do you want to think about the world in a new way? Come closer. Closer, please. I want to whisper in your ear.”
This is the world of Ever After, and this ain’t no Disney.
(more…)
“One day, while we were near the slide, Maya came over to us. She held open her hand to show us the shiny jacks and tiny red ball she’d gotten for her birthday.
It’s a high bouncer, she said. But none of us wanted to play.
So Maya played a game against herself.”
(Click to enlarge and see spread in its entirety)
Just about everywhere you look these days, you see one campaign or another against bullying. Surely, many of these efforts do some good, though what bothers me is the occasional organization with inherently exclusive inclinations (you can belong to this group, as long as you’re not ____ or _____) mounting such campaigns. Personally, I think it all starts and ends with parents teaching their children that we should all treat each other the way we ourselves want to be treated, and that’s about all there is to it. At the same time, I know these things can be complicated.
Nevertheless, what I always want to say in response to the fight-against-bully campaigns is that there are some great picture books in the world that tell straight-up good stories about kindness and empathy. And storytelling is the way we should go about this, yes? No child wants to be lectured, and who doesn’t want to hear an engaging story? Right? Right!
Cue Jacqueline Woodson’s latest picture book, illustrated by E. B. Lewis. It’s called Each Kindness and will be released in October by Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin. Booklist’s starred review has already described this as a “quiet, intense” book, and they aren’t kidding about the “intense” part. I may or may not have sought the nearest tissue to wipe my goofy ‘ol wet face after having first read it to my own children. (more…)
Journey; watercolor, pen & ink.
“She traveled with only a bird for company.”
It’s a pleasure to be featuring illustrator
Susan Sorrell Hill this morning on the first Sunday of September. FIRST SUNDAY OF SEPTEMBER? Yes, I’m doing a double-take. Are you? How did this shifty month sneak up on us so quickly? I blame the ringleader on the right. (More on him below.)
Well, it’s not that September is inherently shifty. It’s that it’s gotten here so quickly, it seems. It’s even almost officially Fall, y’all. (Here I am saying that which is kinda silly and pointless. Those “where does the time go?” mutterings we all do at one point or another are rather inevitable and unanswerable, but 2012’s really flown by. Don’t you think?)
Where was I? On the first Sunday of each month, as many of my imp readers know, I like to feature the work of student illustrators, debut illustrators, or those otherwise seeking out that elusive thing called publication.
Having studied both textile design and children’s book illustration, Susan—who lives in northern California with her husband, sculptor Ernest Caballero—has for many years now worked in both illustration and the fine arts. She has worked in printmaking, pen and ink, oil painting, silversmithing, ceramics, silk painting, and more. However, watercolor and pencils on fine papers are still her favorites, as she notes at her Etsy site. She has also started writing and creating picture book manuscripts.
As she notes at her site, she can be found most days painting — or thinking about painting. “Lizards, deer, blue jays, jack rabbits and very tall trees (plus the occasional mountain lion, bear or skunk) are my neighbors,” she writes at Etsy. These creatures, she further writes, remind her of the inscrutable mysteries of life.
And one can see in her artwork that she’s trying to capture those mysteries, those fleeting graces.
As you’ll see below, Susan’s work has an imaginative, ethereal quality to it. Her fairy-tale pieces, in particular, are lovingly, elegantly visualized. I thank her for visiting today, and I’ll let her tell us more about herself and her work. (more…)
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Above: Artwork from Mary Uhles
One of Susan Eaddy’s portfolio pieces, Bad Bunny
(Click to enlarge)
Do you know something I enjoy doing yet haven’t done as often as I’d like here at
7-Imp?
Pass out snacks? Why, yes. If I could pass out actual snacks, I would. But another thing is to feature local talent. Local, as in local to me, of course. Meaning, middle Tennessee. The Nashville area.
mulmadd.jpg)
And I’m here to do that today.
Yup, it’s 7-Imp Local Talent Sunday. (more…)
(Click to enlarge and see entire spread from which this illustration comes)
Today, I shine the spotlight on a nonfiction picture book, called Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team (Clarion Books), written by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Steven Salerno. It’ll be released in early April.
Baseball is not a sport that I play (though I enjoy it), and it’s not a sport that I watch either. (We’ve been over how you don’t want me in a room when I’m rooting for a team, right?) But I love this book, because it’s really not only about baseball. It’s about brotherhood (literally and figuratively, I might add).
I love the opening:
When winter’s chill melts into spring, back doors swing open and slap shut as kids just home from school run outside—mitts, bats, and balls in hand.
In one New Jersey town near the ocean, back in the 1920s and ’30s, you could hear the same door slam over and over. Three brothers raced out. Out went three more. And more … And still more.
Yup, the Acerra family had “twelve baseball-playing brothers,” as well as four sisters. (In the spread where Vernick notes that “most people thought sports were just for boys” back then, Salerno depicts the sisters playing determinedly at their own game of ball with a broom and ball of yarn. I like that.) (more…)
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Can’t Hardly Wait is a film:.jpg)
It’s February already? Wha-? Why?
Jules, thank you so much for your help while I was following the ALAYMA on Monday!
Kicks:
1. My kind kind kind graduate thesis adviser.
2. My online friendsssssss.
3. Attending the launch of a picture book created by university students. University students talking about their favorite picture books for the winnnnnnn!
4. People telling me that I look like I’m a celebrity. Hahaha!
5. Being a guest speaker for a children’s literature class.
6. Meeting kidlit writers.
7. Planning a children’s festival OMG I AM SO EXCITED.
Enjoying Colin Sutherland’s artwork on this third day in February (What happened to January? I’m still writing 2012 in my checkbook.) I especially like that downview of the three foxes on the game trail and the intriguing broken fence below the farmhouse.
Jules – thanks for sharing Jon K’s interview and Mini Grey’s new website (I have a crush on her Traction Man) and, of course, all the fine music. Enjoy your editorial meeting; bundle up for Boston.
I’ve been AWOL the last couple weeks because I’ve been traveling on Sundays. Two weeks ago, I gave a rhyming picture book workshop at the SCBWI Conference in Florida. Last weekend, I was at my Mom’s house updating her software and playing computer tech (which my sons find laughable—since they are usually my techs.) But hey, I did a pretty good job.
My kicks:
1. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and I am not a big football fan, but I do enjoy a humorous or touching commercial. For those, like me, who will be skipping the game but are curious about the ads, they’re all here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferrooney/2013/02/01/watch-all-the-2013-super-bowl-commercials-and-vote-for-your-fave (I like the Clydesdale “Brotherhood” and Hyundai “Team” ads.)
2. My son is 4 for 4 now on college acceptances. Odds are there are still a rejection or two coming his way… but it’s so nice (and a relief!) that he got good news first, from colleges he’s truly interested in. He checks our mailbox every day (it’s nerve-wracking.)
3. Got some positive feedback on my workshop. Always good to hear. Enjoyed the trip and the Miami bookstore Books & Books.
4. This artist photographer’s “cloud portraits”: http://www.booooooom.com/2012/06/09/artist-berndnaut-smilde-makes-real-clouds-appear-inside-gallery/
5. Finished “Code Name: Verity” and really enjoyed it. So unique in the way the story unfolds. Reminded me a little of “The Book Thief”.
6. The ALA announcements; and the resulting new stack of books I look forward to reading.
7. The remote-control software I put on my Mom’s computer allows me to help her read/send e-mail, visit her family/friends on facebook and look up answers to things she’s interested in without her having to master new feats on her computer. So when I’m not there, I can still be of real assistance to her. Help her stay social. It is just the best thing since sliced bread!
Have a great week kickers and lurkers and Jules. :- )
Just popping in for a pre-breakfast “Hello”.
I’m writing this from my brother’s couch in NYC. I’m off to the last day of the SCBWI Conf.
Wish you all (y’all) were here.
Thank you for sharing Collin’s work. I like his perspective.
Jules, the news about Sendak was interesting as we’re the ALA awards.
Tarie, good luck w/ the children’s festival.
Denise, have missed you. It appears we were in Florida the same time. Love that your son has many college choices.
Moira, hi there.
My kicks:
1. Being accepted into a poetry novel workshop at the Highlights Foundation.
2. Having Helen Frost one of the instructors at said workshop.
3. Being back at school.
4. Friends over to celebrate my birthday last night.
5. Time with friends.
6. A collaborative effort with illustration a d haiku will be featured at the Asian Celebration in Eigene.
7.saw a friend off to China this morning.
Have a great week.
Great post Jules! Looking forward to seeing more of Colin’s work.
Love the Jon Klassen interview. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the SI Original Art Show in NYC last October. He’s a thoughtful and talented guy.
Since I live in the Bay Area, I guess I have to say Go 49′ers!,
but I’d much rather do the Time Warp again….
Hello, Kickers!
I was determined to come by 7-Imp this morning, having missed (except belatedly, read-only) the last couple Sundays’ glories here. (Especially happy to have read a couple weeks ago of emmaco’s upcoming family news. We look forward to experiencing second-hand the likely impenetrabilities of Australian baby talk: the mind reels.)
It may go without saying that I love Colin Sutherland’s work. My own favorite may be Canopy’s trees, filled with the ghosts of birds, but The Hat made me laugh. As for the bear-hunt image: yes, disturbing. But it’s also a complete story, compressed into a single frame, and very nicely done. He seems to be approaching the career, the business, and the art of picture-book making very thoughtfully. It doesn’t hurt that (per his Web site) he likes “comics about the apocalypse, children’s books, and gourmet corndogs.”
Jules, I really like Jon Klassen’s thing (whatever it is) about animals their hats, especially missing hats. And boy, great musical selections today. I’ve said it before but in your (haha) spare time you really need to write more about music. (For you to declare a given CD as the best of a given year sure makes ME sit up and take notice.)
Denise! Good to see you! Thanks for the link to the Super Bowl commercial playlist. Now I shall be able to appear cool and knowing tomorrow at the coffee machine at work. And that’s such great news about your young man!
*waving* Hi, Moira!
Happy (belated?) birthday, Jone!
Kicks here, umm…
1. A cloud of bloggish-rethinking ideas.
2. Cool, sunny days.
3. Blowing softly on ash-covered embers to watch them glow. (You may read that metaphorically if you wish.)
4. The quora.com Q-and-A site, which blows my mind every week with new information and/or the generosity of those who offer it. Example: computational neuroscientist (!) Paul King’s answer to the question, “Why do we sleep?”
5. The romantic-comedy science-fictionish movie TiMER charmed me much more than I’d thought it might. The central premise (Wikipedia: “a device that counts down to the moment you meet your soul mate”) is a bit of a stretch; it’s never really explained-explained. But if you just accept that it works in the movie’s world, and force yourself to stop asking questions about it, the film does a very nice (and sometimes even laugh-out-loud) job of poking around the social complexities such a thing might bring about.
6. Making computers do exactly what you want them to do (and their not breaking down on the way there).
7. A couple of years ago I made my first Kickstarter donation, for a new game. They just released part 1 of 5 and (for me) it’s very, very satisfyingly complete and… enigmatic.
Have a great week, all!
Good morning, Imps! Welcome to February.
Nice to meet you, Colin. Hello to your pup as well. That picture of the dog in the studio is adorable.
Jules: Have a safe and fun trip to and from Boston! Glad that you finally get to meet your editor in person.
Tarie: You are a celebrity in your own right.
Have fun speaking, sharing, and planning!
Denise: Continued congratulations to your son, and to you on your accomplishments and endeavors.
Jone: Happy birthday!
Congrats on the acceptance.
Hi Susan!
Welcome back, JES! I have yet to see TiMER, though I’ve been intrigued by the premise since its release. Go Emma.
My kicks from the past week:
1) Musical reading
2) Filming! I spent all day on set yesterday. So grateful.
3) Reading new plays
4) Knowledge
5) Research
6) What that is
7) What it could be
This week is tech week for another musical, this one based on a classic children’s novel. You all would dig it.
Hi,
My first time saying anything on 7-Imp. I was blown away by the awards this week!
My kicks are:
1. Taking a Caldecott class from KT Horning - get caught up on all the ‘old’ winners & honors.
2. Thanks for the Darrell Scott intro - he’s awesome, we need some of his CDs
3. Been thinking about writing and illustrating my own book, so thanks for the interview with Jon Klassen, I needed the ‘keep it simple’ advice.
4. Reading “Drummer Hoff” by Barbara Emberley, illustrated by Ed Emberley, for the first time! LOVED it!
5. “Shadow” by Marcia Brown - I love collage, and I’d never seen or read this title before either.
6. During my library’s Mock Caldecott, I found this tltle: “Out on the Prairie” by Donna M. Bateman, illustrated by Susan Swan, and I keep reading, looking at the gorgeous collages and loving it. It’s a piggyback to “over in the meadow” song, but great informational text for young readers. It has notes in the back with more info.
7. Started using a HappyLight, to help with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Have a terrific first week in Feb. 2012
Dianna Burt
Checking back in.
Tarie – I’m sure your children’s festival will be wonderful. Congrats on your students’ launch.
Moira – Hello wave to you, NYC and the conference.
Jone – Yea for your workshop acceptance. Enjoy it and good luck with your poety novel.
Susan – Hi.
JES – Seems we’ve played hooky at the same time; good to see you too. #3 is intriguing. And I totally get the Kickstarter rush of a worthy bet playing out.
LW – Will have to find out more about your upcoming musical… sounds right up my alley.
Welcome, Dianna!
Thanks, Denise. Email reply coming soon.
Tarie, I like all your kicks, but I especially want to attend your festival. And I agree with what Little Willow said about your celebrity status.
Denise, congrats on your bang-up computer tech job. I am really amazed by this notion of remote-control software. What the what? Really? That’s new to me, but sounds intriguing. Does it allow for privacy, or is that wonky? Is that a dumb question? And, oh wow, congrats to your son! Wait, that warrants another exclamation mark: ! … Not at all surprised that you got good feedback on your workshop. And thanks for the links, which I’ll explore in a moment here.
Moira, have (more) fun at SCBWI! Thanks for thinking of us to pop in and say hi.
Jone, happy birthday again, and congrats on the workshop!
Hi, Susan! And I’ll do the Time Warp with you.
John, you’re making me giggle with the Australian baby talk bit. I CANNOT WAIT to hear about this baby! … You’re right about the story swirling around Bear Hunt. Intriguing, indeed. … HOW MUCH DO I LOVE KICK #3? And thanks for the movie rec. (I’m intrigued and mystified by kick #1, but I wont’ pry!)
LW: I love “what that is” as a kick. And filming all day! As always, I live vicariously through you.
Welcome, Dianna. And with regard to kick #3: Go for it go for it go for it. … I’ll have to look for the Bateman book. Don’t think I’ve seen it. … And now I’m as intrigued by a Happy Light as I am by remote-control software. I learn so much from you impish kickers.
Jules — the remote-control set-ups are completely private (between you and the remote computer you set the software up on. Password/software protected.) You can access your own computer from afar… actually SEE the desk top screen. Move about and grab any files or docs you need. Very cool. It’s the same software/technology that the Support Techs use when you call hp or apple or whomever. I’m using “GoToMy PC” which costs $9 a month. But there are several good providers out there. As for helping an elderly relative who is computer illiterate–it’s simply INVALUABLE! And using it now, I can see it would be great for personal use when I’m on the road; great to have complete home-computer access. Like I said: best thing since sliced bread. ha-ha!
Hi Jules and All!
very interesting illustrations. Thanks for sharing them - some are quite lovely, others a bit scary.
My sound is not working on the computer I’m sitting at, so I can’t enjoy a single one of these links until later. I’m adding listening to my kick list.
Mostly this week our news is mixed this week. Our darling foster daughter of 8 weeks was reunited very suddenly with her biological father and grandmother. We are sad to not have her with us, but her family worked very hard to get her back and they love her so much and wanted her even more. While we miss her sweetness, we are hoping they will care for her with the love and gentleness she deserves.
Kicks:
1. can’t wait to listen to all these links from Jules
2. going to watch the Superbowl at my parents’ place. They now are a 3 minute walk through the green.
3. 70 degrees and warm, soft blue sky today in Los Angeles
4. So glad the Caldecott wait is over. Now to study the books again and more carefully.
5. recovering from bronchitis and a sinus infection
6. starting to plan with my dear friends and collegues our next artist nurturing conference next summer in Maine. Some great ideas are rolling around!
Trust you are all well and happy and in art!
I’ve been remiss in my 7Imp visits, and am glad to read everyone’s good news and cheer! As some of you know, I have been an “accidental homeschooler” for two months. My husband and I are planning on our daughter attending a public school in September, but in the meantime, we’re the teachers. With that in mind:
1. Homeschooling has kicked off a new interest in American history for me. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area meant that I was surrounded by historical artifacts and records, but I wanted to study the Greeks and the Brits instead! I’m grateful now for all of the field-trips and family trips to historical places (the House of the Seven Gables was a favorite). So much of the time, I just remember feeling hot, sticky, and resentful that I wasn’t in Greece or England. Ha.
2. We went to a bakery and I got a peanut butter nanaimo bar. I didn’t share. Bonus!
3. There is a person in my running training group who is willing to do extra miles with me.
4. Adrienne’s FB posting of the unicorns in Canada (and subsequent comments) have me snickering even now.
5. Speaking of unicorns, the Cakespy cookbook is filled with them, as well as trompe l’oeil food concoctions. The family has an idea for a bakery called Trompe L’Oeil, in which we serve soups, bagels, salads, and other items all made out of sugar.
6. I had a lovely visit with my uncle this past week.
7. Someday, I will be done with homeschooling.
Such fun to read so many fun kicks! Yeah for kickers
1. Trip to the city yesterday to see Annie with our girls. Pure joy.
2. Reading Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Amazing read.
3. Skiing today at our small local mountain. Fresh snow and warm weather…
4. The girls performance in their school’s lip sync on Friday night.
5. That we are getting closer and closer to spring.
6. That at least I can look forward to seeing Beyonce tonight (not a big Super Bowl fan!)
7. Winter light through bare winter branches.
Thanks, Denise. Intriguing.
Allison, glad you’re feeling better. I’m so sorry you lost the foster child, but she was lucky to have you all while she did. I also hope she gets good care in the hands of her biological family.
Farida, glad your visit with your uncle was good. I wish you luck with the homeschooling and with the public school. … How many miles are you and your running buddy running? Also, I would not share a peanut butter bar either.
Stacey: My youngest would love to see Annie. I should look for it to come to Nashville. … I like winter light, too, but I think I’m ready for spring.
Wow. Colin Sutherland’s work is gorgeous!