By: Nick Claes,
on 12/2/2011
5 Stars “If your child or grandchild has ever wondered when Santa fits in the traditional Christmas story, now you can read them Santa’s Birthday Gift.Finally, a book that ties two holiday traditions into one inspirational tale of wonder—as Santa brings gifts to baby Jesus.” Santa’s Birthday Gift is a wonderfully crafted story that explains [...]
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 30, 2011
“Gramps Bricker” is a story telling grandparent who has seen his children, grandchildren, and now his great grandchildren voice their doubts upon seeing so many Santas everywhere without a beard. He created a story, The Christmas Santa Had No Beard, with the purpose of restoring the magical legend of Santa Claus within every child’s imagination.
TCBR: Can you share a little on your background and how you became a children’s book writer?
Howard M. “Gramps” Bricker: Having seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren led me to create stories that would captivate their attention… Whenever a story captured their imagination, I began writing it down to remember the tale for another time.
Is The Christmas Santa Had No Beard (available in English and Spanish) your first published piece of work?
Yes, I wrote this story down years ago. In 2009 my son read The Christmas Santa Claus Had No Beard to a 3rd grade class in Ohio. Upon seeing her students’ enthusiasm, the teacher lectured my son and told him to have this story published. My son then lectured me. Thus a teacher’s lecture was the impetus for The Christmas Santa Had No Beard becoming a reality.
I read that the inspiration for this story came from an experience you had with your grandson. Will you share this experience with TCBR’s readers?
I took my grandson to a shopping center to see Santa Claus. What I didn’t realize was that he saw a man dressed up like Santa Claus putting on a fake beard in a separate room. The only comment Sean could make was, “Gramps, look this Santa Claus is a fake. That is not even a real beard!!” At four years of age, this child became a cynic about the Santa Claus legend. Thus the story of The Christmas Santa Had No Beard emerged.
What age group did you write the book for?
Between 5-10 years of age
Your hope is that The Christmas Santa Had No Beard will spark children’s imaginations. What would you say is the most important lesson that readers will take away from reading your book?
This is a special holiday season when parents and children should spend time reading Christmas stories together to reaffirm that magical moment when Santa Claus visits their homes.
The illustrator, John Dall, is a Chicago based Native American artist. How did you select Mr. Dall to be the creator of the artwork?
After writing my story, I was searching for an illustrator. I came upon an article in a newspaper article describing John Dall’s drawings. There was a statement by John Dall that caught my attention, “If I feel it, I can create it.” I sent John Dall the text and was overjoyed when he said,” I can feel it!” John Dall’s artistry not only enhances, but makes this story come alive.
By: Maryann Yin,
on 11/14/2011
Children’s book author and illustrator Jon Agee has landed a three picture book deal at Penguin Group (USA)’s Dial Books for Young Readers. Agee (pictured) wrote The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau and many other books for kids.
The first title is Little Santa, a fictional biography starring young Santa Claus. It will be released in fall 2013. Publisher Laura Hornik negotiated the deal with Pippin Properties founder Holly M. McGhee. Hornik secured world rights and will edit.
Hornik had this statement in the release: ”Jon Agee is one of my very favorite picture book creators, and I’m rather giddy about the chance to work with him. I’ve long admired his unique and sly sense of humor, and his spare but exhilaratingly expressive illustrations. I’m full of wonder at his ability to bring brand-new glee to a story as age-old as Santa’s.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By: Maryann Yin,
on 11/9/2011
Artist Melissa DeJesus and writer Ed Power hope to raise $9,500 on Kickstarter to finish a graphic novel that pits Santa against Dracula (video introduction embedded above).
The funds would give DeJesus enough time to pencil, ink, letter and color their 175-page comics project. They would also print and ship “a self published, unique, one time, special printing.”
Here’s more about the project: “Santa vs Dracula is full color graphic novel about Count Dracula invading Santa Claus‘s workshop with an army of monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Mr. Hyde, Invisible Man, the Wicked Witch of the West, etc.) in order to gain Santa’s ability to enter people’s homes at will. Of course, Santa has his own allies and they aren’t about to give the big-guy up without a fight!”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By Tiffany A. Higgins, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 11, 2011
We’ve Seen Santa ~ It’s every child’s dream to catch Santa leaving presents under the tree. Falling asleep on Christmas Eve is a struggle! You hear a sound. What was it? Could it be Santa? We’ve Seen Santa is the story of a brother and sister who sneak out of bed and go downstairs to take a peek. Will Santa be eating the cookies they left out for him? Will he be the jolly man they imagine? Will he be happy to see them? An unforgettable Christmas is in store for the siblings!
About the author: Tiffany A. Higgins is the author of We’ve Seen Santa. She was born in St. Charles, Illinois, grew up in Plano, Texas, and currently resides near Richmond, Michigan. She credits her family, and especially her children, for inspiring her to write. “As I read my stories to my family, I watch their faces. Even my ‘too good for parents’ teen-aged son will sit and listen. He smiles and seems to really enjoy himself.” We’ve Seen Santa is a bedtime story that was created for Higgins’ daughter when she was two. Her husband, Clark L. Higgins, illustrated the story for her. “This book project,” Higgins says, “has brought us all closer.” Higgins’ next book tells the story of the seasons. Its working title is When Seasons Change. She has always loved writing. She has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has dabbled in poetry, short stories, children’s stories and hopes to one day write a novel. She is excited to be being published for the first time in her life. This book deal is fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers.
Visit: http://www.weveseensanta.com
The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This article was provided by the author. Learn more …
©2011 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.
. Add a Comment
By Wendy McKernan, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 1, 2011
With Christmas just around the corner, Little Dragon Publishing is pleased to announce the release of its first book, The Thing I Say I Saw Last Night: A Christmas Story written by Wendy McKernan and illustrated by Izabela Bzymek.
The Thing I Say I Saw Last Night is a humorous picture book with engaging rhyming text and vivid yet whimsical full color illustrations.
The story begins with a boy waking up his younger sister to tell her about an incredible event that took place the night before. When he tells her he heard a strange noise, she imagines the worst – a purple, hairy, scary-looking monster. However, as the story progresses, more details emerge and the character she envisions goes through a series of changes until the final surprise ending.
This original Christmas story is for children aged 3 to 8 and will appeal to both boys and girls, and to adults who remember the magic of Christmas.
After obtaining a Bachelor in Elementary Education from the University of Victoria, Wendy taught and traveled in Asia and Europe for five years before moving to Vancouver, BC to embark on a career in the film and television industry. She now has numerous producer credits for both documentary and scripted television, and is currently producing movies for the small screen. The Thing I Say I Saw Last Night: A Christmas story is her debut book. For more information, please visit www.littledragonpublishing.com
The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This article was provided by the author. Learn more …
©2011 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.
. Add a Comment
Reference, thumbnail sketch, tight sketch, final painting. From The Year Without a Santa Claus—
I didn’t take these photos; they’re from auction sites I found on the web.
If you live anywhere near Clarion, PA and you’re not busy Saturday, December 11th, come on out to The Bathtub, The Kitchen Sink & Petey Dink’s (this is all one place with a long name). I’ll be signing copies of The Year Without a Santa Claus from 2:00 to 4:00.
And, it’s open Studio Saturday at the Transit Building in Oil City, noon to 5:00. My studio will be open most of that time—my lovely wife Lisa will be minding the shop. If you need an autographed book please stop by; all the books are signed. If you’d like one inscribed, leave me a note in the book and you can pick it up next week.
My friend Jerry Russell (whose fantastic work you can see here) observed that in The Year Without a Santa Claus I “made Santa’s eyebrows black, instead. For more expressive impact, I’m guessing.”
It’s true that the darker eyebrows make Santa’s face livelier. I’ve always loved the interpretation of Santa in old Coca-Cola ads by Haddon Sundblom. Click on his name to read about his work. His Santa has those dark eyebrows, in pleasant contrast with the white beard. Sundblom turned out paintings of Santa from the 30s through the 60s—so I got to see his new work when I was a kid. You don’t hear his name much, but Sundblom’s work represents the best of the golden age of illustration.
By: Tonto Fielding,
on 12/6/2010
Here is my champion, Archimedes, in training. Are you looking Santa Claus? This is the stud that’s going to kick your best reindeer’s butt. Yes, Tonto challenges any of your crew to a race. Winner takes all—that means toy factory, elves, Mrs. Claus, you name it. So, what do you say?
Here’s a shot of Santa getting out of bed from The Year Without a Santa Claus.—the thumbnail sketch and the tight sketch. Luckily I came to my senses and realized that Santa wouldn’t sleep in a four-poster—but a sleigh bed!
The Year Without a Santa Claus opens with a long shot of Santa Claus’ house—the establishing shot, as they say in the movie biz. It’s early morning, dark, with light coming from one bedroom window—the only warm spot in the picture.
For Santa’s house I looked to the architecture of northern Europe and Russia, cultures close to the North Pole. I didn’t want to do a candy-cane swirly sugar plum North Pole—I wanted create a believable place where Santa lives and works. Here are some examples of buildings in Norway and Russia. There seems to be plenty of lumber there, and the builders made the most of it. (I scanned these photos from library books but neglected to copy down the sources.)
No thumbnail sketch for this image. Anahid (the AD) asked me to create an establishing shot instead of beginning the story in Santa’s bedroom. I went straight to tight sketch, as you see here. Once approved, I painted the final. I used color to help tell the story—the images start with cold grays and blues, then warm up as the story progresses.
By: Frances Tyrrell,
on 12/3/2010
Many thanks to Claire for saving my files and restoring my computer after a virus got into the system. Going through my rescued files I am happily finding everything still there, including all the images. I love hand lettering and inventing fonts whenever the opportunity arises, and have this week compiled the resulting alphabet of interchangeable letters. My website is being added to and will include these in a page of lettering samples.
I've had a spate of inconveniences and multiple dentist appointments, the latter the inevitable result of radiation treatment back in January. Not to grumble (or perhaps to grumble just a little), it can all be fixed. And on the bright side, my kind computer friend has loaned me a Wacom computer tablet to play with, my first efforts in direct drawing are below. The stylus responds almost but not quite like a pencil or brush, and after the initial loop-and-scrolls scribbling (reminiscent of playing with my first rapidograph pen) I began to get the feel of it.
Acquiring any new skill takes a while. The tremendous crop from my pear tree led me into some serious jam-making. The first batch didn't set but the next did and was delicious as well. It can can become addictive once you taste successful jam in the making and view with satisfaction the row of full and warmly gleaming jars. There was more than enough to give away, which naturally led to the fun of designing and hand-painting the labels. I cut out rondels of textured watercolour paper, set atop circles of fabric cut from a favorite faded denim.
I was invited to a local Brownie troup recently to introduce them to watercolour painting. This was a highly enjoyable evening - I have only been to Scout meets over the last decade! Our subject matter was fairies, of course. I took along some of my samples and demonstrated my method for painting simple figures. After some initial experimentation the results were charming, a host of Christmas card fairies.
With Advent beginning this weekend the outdoor Christmas decorations went up and I brought my big Santa's List painting out of its storage place.
3 Comments on A Miscellany, last added: 12/5/2010
A bunch of sketches for The Year Without A Santa Claus jacket art. In the first few I was trying to summarize the story: Santa is too tired and cranky to deliver presents this year. They don’t work well because they don’t look fun. Jim McMullan, the Broadway poster illustrator told me a story about his early career: after submitting depressing poster ideas that summarized the plot of a depressing play, the stage director told him “Just get the audience into the theater. We’ll give them the bad news once they’re inside.” Good advice when drawing cover ideas, too.
The coat rack and Santa on a La-Z-Boy idea became spot illustrations inside the book.
The final idea with a happy Santa surrounded by presents was the winner. Art director Anahid Hamparian put it all together with type that recalls the 1950′s, when the story was written. I wasn’t consciously inspired by the famous shot from North By Northwest, but after I finished drawing I realized I had mimicked it.
1 Comments on Cover ideas for Santa, last added: 12/3/2010
By: Maryann Yin,
on 12/2/2010
Would your child like a little personal time with St. Nicholas? During a special “Santa Summit,” the people behind the Story Before Bed reading app are giving away personalized recordings of Santa Claus reading the holiday story, For Christmas Day.
The story is free, but the limited supply will be shared on a first come, first serve basis. Parents should sign-up here to participate in the holiday event.
Last summer, the organization hosted a giveaway for parents in the military, helping overseas troops read free stories to their children. In the video embedded above, a young toddler reads The Three Little Pigs aloud using A Story Before Bed‘s regular services.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By: ARIS,
on 11/15/2010
By: genevieve,
on 10/20/2010
By: Sevensheaven.nl,
on 12/22/2009
Alternative X-Mas card featuring an imaginary movie production.
More at Sevensheaven.nl
Posted on 12/21/2009
Michael Sedano
By: scriberess,
on 12/19/2009
By: Sevensheaven.nl,
on 11/26/2008
A globally warm X-Mas and New Year greeting from Sevensheaven.nl and Artylicious.com. A bit on the early side, I know. :)
By: Sevensheaven.nl,
on 11/26/2008
A globally warm X-Mas and New Year greeting from Sevensheaven.nl and Artylicious.com. A bit on the early side, I know. :)
Interesting that you made Santa’s eyebrows black, instead. For more expressive impact, I’m guessing.
Well, John. If I didn’t live 5 1/2 hours away, I’d stop by! Have fun at the signing! Looks like a great book. an I order s a signed copy through your website/blog?
Sure, why not? Order a copy and have it sent to me. Tell me your address and how you want it inscribed (send me an e-mail) and I’ll send it to you.