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With all the ingredients of an enduring fairy tale, Azizi and the Little Blue Bird is a charming and beautiful tale of freedom over oppression and hope over fear, with the intriguing twist that it is actually based on real-life events from just a few years ago.
Written by Laïla Koubaa, illustrated by Mattias De Leeuw and translated by David Colmer, this allegory is set in an imaginary Middle Eastern land where despotic rulers, Tih and Reni, cream the land for its riches whilst locking up those they don’t like. Thus it comes to pass that all the country’s blue birds are trapped in one huge cage inside the rulers’ palace.
Whilst Tih and Reni feast on opulent riches, a single bird manages to escape and to find the hero of our story, a young boy. Azizi climbs onto the blue bird’s back and soon they are flying over the whole country, with a garland of flowers trailing behind them, leaving a ribbon of scent as if to wake the senses of everyone they pass. Will it be enough to overthrow the tyrants and free the birds?
Wonderfully rich imagery in word and illustration triggers memories of colourful bazaars piled high with riches. De Leeuw makes liberal use of smudges; creating softer, more energetic illustrations where you can feel the hand of the illustrator very close by. His use of perspective accentuates the sense of oppression: The rulers get bigger and bigger whilst their subjects become smaller and smaller.
Koubaa’s timeless tale, translated with clarity and beauty by David Colmer, actually refers to a period in 2010/2011 when, during the Arab Spring. the the internet was censored and/or shut down during the uprisings, in an attempt to prevent protests from spreading over the region. The little blue birds – have you already guessed it? – refer to Twitter.
For me it is really interesting to see a children’s picture book explore the positive side of social media, albeit metaphorically. When I recently looked into portrayals of social media in books for the very young, I found that the message was overwhelmingly a negative one. This book, however, would be an interesting one to include in a more nuanced discussion about the pros and cons of life online as explored through picture books.
Azizi and the Little Blue Bird is a wonderfully hopeful and evocative fairy story is about good triumphing over bad and little people being brave and clever. I hope it reaches the wide audience it deserves.
Enchanted by the vision of a sweet smelling garland of flowers spreading and hope, the girls and I raided our allotment for flowers we could thread.
Using tapestry needles (nice and big for little hands), and strong thread the girls set to threading their garland.
It was a lovely sensory experience and soon we had a good long stretch of colour and good cheer.
We added a few blue birds and our garland was complete!
Bergamot, zinnias and cornflowers (the flowers we used) all dry quite well so I’m hoping that the garland will have quite a long life.
Whilst making our flower garland we listened to:
I’ll Fly Away performed by Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss
Other activities which might work well alongside reading this book include:
Cooking couscous. The rulers in this book eat lots of couscous, and couscous is very kid-friendly food when it comes to preparation. This BBC recipe gives you some ideas for preparing a meal together.
this little beauty goes by the name, Camillia and is the the final drawing in my series of 3 flower/summer girls.
with today being september 1st already (and i'm perfectly ok with that-c'mon football and PEYTON and fall, of course) well, i'm kinda late with this little lady but it's been a busy august and she's been done for quite a while actually....just forgot to post her. so....
better late than never! :)
Camillia (along with her lovely little companions, Flora and Blossom) is/are FOR SALE as the ORIGINAL DRAWING(S) in my etsy shop. i also have a trio of winter girls listed for sale here...of course being the snow bunny i am, these three are my personal favorites. either way, hop on over to my shop and have a look. if you'd like to purchase the trio of either the summer/winter girls, please send me a convo through etsy and we can work out a happy price for all three beauties.
{did i mention i'm super stoked for FALL, FOOTBALL and PEYTON?! :)}
0 Comments on a little late with this one.... as of 1/1/1900
We’re ready to announce this week’s topic, but first please enjoy the wonderful illustration above by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, our Pick of the Week for last week’s topic of GROW. Thanks to everyone who participated with drawings, paintings, sculptures, and more. We love seeing it all!
the ORIGINAL DRAWING is FOR SALE here. also, sweet little Flora can be found in shop as well...and then for the winter lover like myself, well there are three pristine ice princesses in my shop FOR SALE also.
with Blossom and Flora complete, there is only lovely Camillia left in the series...COMING SOON! :)
0 Comments on meet blossom.... as of 7/22/2015 10:02:00 PM
this little sweetie goes by the name Sunshine (well, she is bright, cheery and yellow like the sun....) and is one in a small series of cute little birds.
ORIGINAL PAINTING FOR SALE HERE and PRINTS and other goodies FOR SALE HERE!
the first in a series of three summer/flower girls i will be releasing FOR SALE this summer.
*NOTE~this is an ORIGINAL DRAWING not a print. i will not be selling prints until the original drawing is sold. you can find here FOR SALE here.
also, in my etsy shop, i have three winter girls (ORIGINAL DRAWINGS) available. try not to be biased but they are my favorite. well of course they are, they represent WINTER...one of my obsessions (because God knows i have a few of those...;) )
ok, back to business.....i have also added share buttons to the images here in my blog. i have been trying to add pinterest buttons to the gallery images on my site but due to the format (carousel) i have the images displayed in, well that's the only format in which the pinterest buttons do not want to play nice. kind of stuck on the carousel format so i apologize for the lack of ease in sharing any images you may love on my site onto your pinterest pages. please feel free to share from my blog here though...if the mood strikes you. always remember, ALL of my images belong solely to ME. NONE of them are to be reproduced by anyone but myself. i see lots of artists have their hard work taken by others unknowingly and popping up all over the internet without consent/permission. so wrong but don't get me started....
so now that Flora has made her little debut this first full week of summer (thank you God for the gift of air conditioning....) her lovely little friends, Camillia and Blossom will be following...soon! :)
0 Comments on meet Flora.... as of 6/26/2015 12:04:00 PM
the spotlight shines upon you!" {to quote my beloved chris martin from coldplay}
and here she is, little miss "green eyes" (aka, lily)..named for the coldplay song (of course) as well as my love of white flowers and lilies. oh, and my love of red heads and gingers too. ;)
PRINTS AND OTHER GOODIES FEATURING HER CAN BE FOUND THROUGH THE SHOP LINKS HERE!
“In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson), but he could have said the same for insects too. Male insects will be following the scent of females, looking for a partner, but not every female is what she seems to be. It might look like the orchid is getting some unwanted attention in the video below, but it’s actually the bee that’s the victim. The orchid has released complex scents to fool the bee into thinking it’s meeting a female.
and, i've been under the weather (hence my lack of blogging). with that being said, let's play catch up, shall we? ;)
ok...first things first. with some commissions going on, there is still beautiful little lily who i have been working on for what seems like forever (no complaints though because i have fallen in love with her) and i am happy to say...she is just about DONE! another day or two and she'll be ready to be scanned and ready to SELL! :) here'a peek at the lovely flowers that gave her her name....
next up, we have some thumbnails of a couple of commissions i am currently in the process of taking on. one being a very personal and sweet portrait of an adopted mom and her daughter (and ex student of mine, actually) and her birth mother. looking forward to this one as it is chinese and we all know how much i LOVE asian art...from kokeshis to the anime influence. love it all.
commission number 2? baby jungle animals. right. up. my. alley. cute? baby? animals? yeah, i got this ...especially when it involves and ELEPHANT...my other favorite thing! :)
so, now that we are all caught up, i'm going back to my easel with the help of some kleenex and the cough drops i have been sucking on like candy all week. :(
0 Comments on crazy week. multiple projects.... as of 1/1/1900
{it's been a crazy couple of weeks....new drawings, commissions and my lovely little lily (see pic below) all trying to get done at the same time. busy, busy, busy....and loving every single second.}
After turning in artwork for If You Love Honey, Nature's Connections I got a look at Patty Arnold's design and layout for the book. I'm posting a few spreads here to give you a sneak peek. This is my second book illustrated by Martha Sullivan and third book for Dawn Publishing. It comes out this fall. After doing a lot of research for the illustrations I'm now a true honey bee fanatic, not to mention a Martha Sullivan fan!
And I wanted to say "Thanks!" to William Porter at the Denver Post for including me in his Mother's Day article. It's always great to give a shout out to our moms, especially our moms who spent a lot of time reading to us.
0 Comments on If You Love Honey, Nature's Connections as of 1/1/1900
Coming May 26th, from Running Press Kids: Butterfly Park
by Award-Winning Author/Illustrator Elly MacKay
Running Press Kids is teaming up with select blogs to promote a very special picture book artist, Elly MacKay. Elly MacKay creates paper worlds inside a miniature lightbox theater, and turns those worlds into picture books. The images in her upcoming picture book, BUTTERFLY PARK, are nothing short of breathtaking. Let others know about Elly MacKay and her tour @Twitter: #ButterflyTrail
“Once there was a girl who loved butterflies. And when she moved to a new town, she felt lucky to find a place nearby called Butterfly Park! But when she opened the gate, there were no butterflies to be found.
“The girl tried to catch some butterflies and asked neighborhood children to help bring them to Butterfly Park. But to their disappointment, the butterflies didn’t stay. As the entire town got involved, they finally realized what they needed to do. Together, the girl and her community planted flowers in Butterfly Park, and in time, the butterflies came.” [publisher]
Running Press Kids has put together a special illustration tour, each Tuesday, leading up to the late May release date of Butterfly Park. Why an illustration tour, and not a “normal” book tour? MacKay used her acclaimed paper-cut artwork, giving each spread a 3-dimensional look. While knocking on neighbors’ doors, looking for help, the kids look like they could dance right off the page. Paper-cut art must be a tedious labor of love. The result is a magnificent picture book, with a final 4-page spread worthy of framing. The book jacket is also a poster of flowers that entice butterflies. To WIN YOUR OWN COPY of Butterfly Park, all it takes is a comment. Winner announced on Monday, May 11th.
Well, this is an image reveal, so here it is, the left half of spread number ten:
It took them up and down through the town. Curiosity grew. Windows and doors began to open.
“Centered on the park’s elaborate art nouveau gateway, MacKay’s lyrical paper collage and diorama constructs feature layered details and out-of-focus backgrounds for a sense of depth. Brightly patterned butterflies, delicate flowers, and human figures pose like gracefully off-balance dancers…. Worthy of theme and equally pleasing to the eye and the spirit.” ~~Kirkus Reviews
“MacKay’s artwork recreates the feel and pleasure of Edwardian-era illustration, and lovers of picture book fantasy will embrace it.” ~~Publishers Weekly
Butterfly Park Written and Illustrated by Elly MacKay Published by Running Press Kids 978-0-7624-5339-9 May 26, 2015 38 pages Age 3 +
2014 Blue Spruce™ Award Nominee – Ontario Library Association 2013 Best Bets Top 10 Picture Books – Ontario Library Association 2013 Best Books List (preschool—early elementary) – Atlanta Parent Magazine
2014 Best Books of the Year (children—teens) – Amazon Canada
About Elly MacKay Elly MacKay is the author and illustrator of If You Hold a Seed and Shadow Chasers. She attends Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and now her artwork is sold around the world, including her Etsy.com shop, Theater Clouds.
relocating to their new home on the west coast! baby boy Turner, here come your new crib buddies! :)
these three paintings, 8x10, 9x12, 8x10, were a commission from a sweet grandma wanting some initial panels to hang above her grandson's crib. below are a few pics of the nursery...and my spin on creating something special for baby, Turner.
please email me at enchanted [email protected] if you'd like something special created for your little one.
0 Comments on these three amigos... as of 1/1/1900
{these three custom paintings are on the easel this week....and, just about DONE! if you would like something special created for your little one, please contact me through my website and i will surely accommodate you. i "heart" custom work.}
0 Comments on owl, birds, tree, flowers.... as of 1/1/1900
A page in my sketchbook I'm proud of. There are many times I wished all the pages in my sketchbook were this full. I'm praying this is the light of something new. :)
0 Comments on Spring Headdresses as of 3/24/2015 12:33:00 AM
As I came to the end of the Sweet Easter collection yesterday, doubt started to overwhelm me. It had already begun creeping into the space of my heart, but yesterday I was submerged and left bobbing for some kind of clarity. Did I do ok? Was this strong enough?? Is it what my agent wanted??? Will it sell????
The art licensing realm is quite different than what I'm accustomed to. I had a system to my art, always got great feedback, and I thought I knew what I was meant to do! I thought "I'm going to paint fantasy, and that's that. That's me! It's what I do!". I am learning, quickly, that nothing, NOTHING, is "That's that.". EVERYTHING is changing, all....the.....time.
That includes my art. What I'm accustomed to is, as my friend put it best, being comfortable. Art for licensing is stretching me so thin that I'm being redefined, challenged, pulled out of my box. I am usually the one teaching my students to get outside of their comfort zone, and to get outside of the "box" we choose to place ourselves in. Time to take a big bite out of my own teaching! I'm comfortable with my subject matter, my compositions, and techniques. I'm not playing anymore. This has led to doubt. I feel helpless, lost, without faith, no trust, and begin to think I just don't have what it takes. But doubt is a LIE. It's the biggest lie out there that you'll ever find. It just takes a grain of doubt to bring your entire soul down. At least...that's usually how it rolls with me. That doubt must, I repeat, must be replaced by JOY.
Tonight, after teaching another watercolor class about getting out of your comfort zone, I decided to continue searching for words of wisdom, insight into the world of creating art for licensing, and found this amazing interview by J'Net Smith with Joan Marie.
This! This is just what I needed to hear! If you have any doubt, this simple yet compelling interview resounds all the advice and wisdom I have found thus far, on creating art for licensing. I thrive on constructive feedback, and have found very little in the licensing community so far. But there are TONS of information and interviews. These are the keys to gaining feedback. Read. Read. Read. It's just different then what I'm accustomed too. That's okay!
And...
TRUST
LOVE
Find your JOY. Your VOICE. Your SPIRIT.
Then share it to the world.
This is the key I must continue to remind myself. To remind others as I teach. To remind yourself.
0 Comments on When In Doubt, Search Out Joy as of 3/12/2015 1:50:00 AM
As we head into winter I thought it would be good to have a reminder of sunny days and summery good times to keep us warm when the cold finally hits. As I write this the weather is extraordinarily mild (for the UK!), the sun is shining away brightly, I'm not as yet huddled in front of the fire, and am enjoying every moment of light and clarity ... while it lasts. Here's a little print I've made to lift the spirits during the greyer months ahead, or just to provide an extra glow if you're lucky enough to live where it's warm all year long.
I re-coloured my Painted Flowers pattern for this, and cleaned it up further. Seemed perfect for this month, wouldn't you agree?
As always, it's available as a free printable (along with the past 10 monthly designs for 2014) for all subscribers of the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter. If you'd like to sign up, just click here.
Wishing you good humour for the week ahead. Cheers.
Dia de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) is a holiday celebration which is held from October 31 to November 2, not only observed throughout Mexico but also in other cultures around the world, including most Latin American countries. This popular tradition is all about the boundaries between life and death, and how people honour and celebrate their deceased loved ones as a way to reconnect with them.
Thinking recently about books and stories which have been shared across at least three generations of our family, I was reminded of the Flower Fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker.
It was a little like suddenly seeing the trees for the wood, as Flower Fairies have long been a favourite with my girls; they love dressing up as Flower Fairies, they’ve recently “wallpapered” their bedroom walls with Flower Fairy postcards, and with autumn now approaching, they’ve been using the dried seed heads in our garden as Flower Fairy wands; as you wave them about ‘fairy dust’ (seeds) fly out casting magic which will grow next year.
These seed heads come from poppies, love-in-the-mist, bluebells, Granny’s bonnets (also known as Columbine), teasels and cow parsley. Playing with these natural objects is such a delight – not only are they free, they are exquisite. (Poppies, love-in-the-mist and Granny’s Bonnets have the added advantage of being the easiest flowers to grow: Just throw the seeds onto soil and forget, and they’ll reward you returning year after year!)
Apart from the original collections of Flower Fairy poems and illustrations, my girls favourite book is How To Find Flower Fairies. With truly magical paper engineering, replete with hidden treasures, and lavish illustrations this is a book they treasure.
In searching for new Flower Fairy related books I came across some incredible illustrations that actually pre-date Barker’s Flower Fairies:
Whilst they’re not designated as fairies, you can see why I made the connection with Barker’s illustrations. I particularly love that there are so many men in Crane’s illustrations.
This post brought back childhood memories. Although I can remember The Flower Fairies merchandise from when I was younger I don’t really remember the books!
charlotte said, on 9/25/2014 2:32:00 AM
I was very happy my name began with C so that I could be “pretty, dancing Columbine” in the Flower Fairy Alphabet. Although with Z you got a nice one too!
Thanks for sharing those lovely illustrations.
Zoe said, on 9/25/2014 5:39:00 AM
Hi Catherine – no, I think the books are funny ones in a way for the poems are quite tricky when you’re young, and yet the illustrations can be so beguiling.
Ah yes, Charlotte, the Columbine – doubly lucky you, as columbine seed heads make super seed scattering fairy wands when dried!
Maureen E said, on 9/25/2014 5:48:00 AM
Those Walter Crane illustrations are lovely! And I’ve long wished for someone to do some more diverse illustrations in the style of Cecily Mary Barker, although I’m sure they wouldn’t be quite the same.
The Sun newspaper has teamed up with some of the most popular children’s authors and entertainers to introduce a new weekly feature encouraging parents to read with their children.
Specially written ten-minute stories from authors including David Walliams (Mr. Stink), former children's laureate Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and Derek Landy (Skulduggery Pleasant) will be published in Saturday editions of The Sun.
The Get Kids Reading campaign is part of a wider Read On, Get On campaign with Save the Children that calls on the government, local organisations and parents to tackle illiteracy and get children reading.
David Walliams
David Dinsmore, Editor of The Sun, said: Illiteracy in Britain should be something our schoolchildren know only from the pages of their history books. Getting kids to read about things they're interested in is half the battle. With exclusive stories by top children¹s authors and free e-book offers, we will be helping parents find ways to make reading an easy everyday part of life.
Justin Forsyth from Save The Children said: We want every child to be given a fair and equal chance to learn to read well. We applaud The Sun for getting behind this campaign, and look forward to working with its readers to restore literacy to its rightful levels in the UK.
Other contributors who have supplied ten-minute reads are Susanna Reid, Rizzle Kicks and David Baddiel. The newspaper is also running a national competition to find the next budding children’s author with the winning story published as the final instalment of the series.
The Sun bus is visiting schools giving away books throughout October and free children’s e-books will be available to download for Sun members.
Disclaimer; I received no financial compensation for writing this post and have no material connection to the brands or products mentioned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn has definitely arrived in Somerset. The dahlias are at their best, and the apple trees are laden with fruit. Yesterday, we received a visit from a hummingbird hawk moth and could hardly believe our eyes! What on earth is it, we asked? A baby hummingbird? A bug? Terry rushed for his camera, and I rushed for the Internet! The moth was too quick for the camera, but the Internet revealed all.
According to the BBC Nature Website Hummingbird hawk-moths are found in Britain all summer long, especially in Southern parts and in Ireland (odd that this is the first one we’ve seen?) They beat their wings at such speed they emit an audible hum. Their name is further derived from their similar feeding patterns to hummingbirds. Hummingbird hawk-moths are strongly attracted to flowers with a plentiful supply of nectar such as honeysuckle and buddleia. The one we saw was flitting between our honeysuckle and a neighbour's buddleia…
The photographs that follow were all taken in our garden…
In the Other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes, The gray smoke towers.
Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall!
Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson (from A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1885)
Thanks for your visit...
0 Comments on The Sun and stars Align to Improve Child Literacy & A Visit from a Hummingbird hawk-moth as of 9/12/2014 7:22:00 AM
I was just thinking that it’s not the perfect flower I look for in my photography, it’s the perfect feeling, same with my friends, they all have little flaws just like me but when I close my eyes and think of them I only know the sweet essence of their perfection and see how wonderful life is to let me see them … Love you all !
0 Comments on “Rose colored glasses” as of 9/7/2014 7:12:00 PM
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With all the ingredients of an enduring fairy tale, Azizi and the Little Blue Bird is a charming and beautiful tale of freedom over oppression and hope over fear, with the intriguing twist that it is actually based on real-life events from just a few years ago.
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Apart from the original collections of Flower Fairy poems and illustrations, my girls favourite book is 
The flower garlands are beautiful. I’d love to see a picture of them when they’ve dried out
Thanks Catherine – yes, I’ll share a pic when they are dry. We’re already hoping to turn them into pot pourri for a xmas present….
I love your ideas and interpretation of the book. Thank you for sharing.
Julie