Morning folks. I’ll start today with a video that contains some classy tunes. It’s my recent interview with Eric Rohmann about his new book GIANT SQUID. Delicious delicious giant squids. Sorry. This interview occurred on a day when I was half hoping the staff recording the interview would have a big steaming plate of calamari waiting for me. Twas not to be.
Britain’s doing that thing again. That thing where they throw a bunch of celebrities into a video for charity. I could recognize about 5.5 of them. You may have better luck in the end. How did Brittany get in there, by the way?
Hmmm. Boyz II Men plus The Snowy Day? Sure! What the heck. I’ll bite. This is for the new Amazon Prime Video holiday special. Oddly, it was the only clip from the special I was able to find online.
Oops! Did I not post KidLit TV’s live presentation of School Library Journal’s Best of 2016 list! Where are my manners?
And finally for the off-topic videos, Matt (the resident husband) had two more new one about the process of writing. First up, finding that odd moment of humanity in your characters . . .
Second up, fun with exposition!
The problem with this Fusenews feature is that if I don’t do them regularly then the news out there builds up, builds up, builds up, until there’s so much of it out there that I’m almost embarrassed to do anything with it. Such is the case today! And, as per usual, I’ll say that I’m just going to type these pieces up very fast, when in truth it’s pretty much going to be the same kind of thing I always do. Truth! Let’s do it.
- I highly recommend that each and every last one of you guys move to Illinois. The people here are so freakishly nice it’s amazing! Case in point, SCBWI-IL and The Center of Teaching Through Children’s Books are pairing up to have me talk to a whole bunch o’ folks on the evening of October 7th. Isn’t that kind of them? If you live in the area, please come by. I like to blather and while doing it in my own head is fine, it’s much nicer when there’s a healthy number of other people out there to absorb the blow.
In case you missed it the National Book Awards Longlist for Young People’s Literature was released last week. A very YA-centric list indeed with only two clear cut books for kids. Yet look in other categories and you’ll find that children’s authors do not relegate themselves solely to the children’s category. For example, in the adult nonfiction section you’ll see that our beloved Sy Montgomery has been nominated for The Soul of an Octopus.
- New Blog Alert: Reading While White. You might argue that that is the unspoken title of most children’s literature blogs, but in this case they’re acknowledging the fact freely and commenting on what that means all the while. There are some fascinating pieces on there already, so if you’re anything like me you’re checking it daily. Ooo, I just love folks that aren’t afraid to touch on potentially controversial topics for the sake of making the conversation at large a richer experience.
- In a particularly unfunny move, The Roald Dahl Estate has closed down the beloved Roald Dahl Funny Prize that was the brainchild of Michael Rosen. Why? There are hems and haws to sort through here but I think the key lies in the part where they say that in conjunction with next year’s centenary celebration, “the estate would be focusing on a new children’s book prize to be launched in the US.” So clearly they didn’t want two Roald Dahl prizes out there. One wonders if this mysterious prize in the US will also be for humor. I suspect not, but I’d be awfully interested if any of you have further details on the mater.
- If you were once again faithfully checking your Iowa Review this season (ho ho) you might have seen three interesting things. #1 – It contains a “portfolio” all about children’s books this month. #2 – The cover is by Shaun Tan. #3 – Phil Nel’s piece A Manifesto of Children’s Literature; or Reading Harold as a Teenager is free for viewing online. I should note that the actual issue also has pieces by Jeanne Birdsall (yay!), Mr. Tan, and Kevin Brockmeier, so get thee to an academic library! Stat!
- I don’t do much in the way of Instagram myself, but even without knowing it I can acknowledge that this Buzzfeed piece on what would happen if Hogwarts characters had it was rather inspired. Thanks to Travis Jonker for the link.
You ever hear the one about the bookseller who would get artists to draw their best beloved picture book characters on her arms and then she’d tattoo them there? Yes? Well, I hadn’t heard about her for a couple of years so I decided to check in. And lo and behold, one of my new neighbors here in the Chicago area, Eric Rohmann, was the creator of her latest tat.
- If someone asked you to suggest a children’s book that they hadn’t read but should, what would you choose? It helps if the person asking is British and wasn’t practically required by law, like those of us here in the States, to read certain books in the U.S. kidlit cannon. My suggestion was actually Half Magic by Edward Eager. See some of the others here.
- Wowzer. Children’s authors have power. Don’t believe me? See what Marc Tyler Nobleman pulled off with DC Entertainment. Well done, sir!
- Speaking of superheroes, two years ago Ingrid Sundberg drew a whole host of children’s and YA authors as spandex-wearing, high-flying, incredibles. It’s still fun to look at today here.
- Me Stuff (Part Deux): It’s a little old but I was interviewed by Joanna Marple not too long ago. There’s some good stuff there, like shots of the dream office I aspire towards (hat tip to Junko Yokota, though).
- I feel a bit sad that I never read Lois Lowry’s Anastasia books when I was a kid. I think I would have related to them (or at least to her glasses which originally rivaled mine in terms of width and girth). How I missed these books I’ll never know. Now I’m reading all about the changes being made to the newly re-released series. Some make sense but others (changing Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst to Anastasia Off Her Rocker) don’t make a lick of sense. I get that “analyst” is not a common term these days. I care not. The term “off your rocker” is, after all, no less dated.
There are fans and then there are fans. And best beloved is the author or illustrator who meets a fan who knows, really knows, how to quilt. Ms. Sibby Elizabeth Falk showed this to Jane Yolen recently. It’s Owl Moon like you’ve never seen it before:
Don changes it up by reaching out to fellow illustrator and kid lit peeps on social media, asking them what questions they have for Eric, and Eric answers those!
It's a fun and informative read, getting to hear Eric's answers to questions from Harold Underdown, Larry Dane Brimmer and Nick Bruel, among others!
Eric will be on faculty at this upcoming weekend's conference in Los Angeles, co-facilitating the breakout session SEVEN
SIMPLE FIXES FOR THE PICTURE BOOK TEXT with his wife and Golden Kite Award-winner Candace Fleming.
More information about the conference here.
Illustrate and Write On!
Lee
I promised a little run down on my recent visit to Highlight's Foundation in Boyd's Mill, PA. It puts the TREAT in RETREAT. Here's one reason ...
and here's another ...
Just in case we were feeling faint they fed us 3-4 times a day. And in between we were welcome to raid the pantry ... yee gads! Thankfully, all the top-notch food is locally sourced, cooked with care and healthfully. Which is good, because you wouldn't want to miss
any of it! Especially 'Angel Poop' .. my fav dessert.
But there's more to Highlights than just good grub. If you've no idea what I'm talking about, here's a link to their
website. They run fabby writing and illustrating workshops for the kidlit world at a wonderful facility in Pennsylvania. Highlights is allied to Boyd's Mill Publishers in Honesdale and the first day includes a tour if you get there a little early. Which I did. A day early because of flights (which they don't charge you for). I was collected from Scranton airport by a very nice chap called Bob. All the staff are very welcoming and helpful. It's a bit like being at a private country club for children's writers and artists, but with no boring golf or rubbish conversation at the bar.)
at Boyd's Mill ... some place to have your office ...
The Barn, where all workshops and meals take place. It's a beautiful building and very welcoming, with informal rooms to lounge around in and a big space for work and eating. Some nights we ate on the patio.
Attendees get to stay in cute little private cabins ... but I got to stay in the farmhouse, which I loved!
The workshop I attended (Advanced Children's Illustrators) had a great faculty - Eric Rohmann - Ruth Sanderson - Kelly Murphy - Floyd Cooper ... plus guests including Neal Porter (Roaring Brook Press), David Wiesner, Donna-Jo Napoli. During the week, staff and editors from Boyd's Mill popped in and shared mealtimes with us, which was very nice and friendly.
Days start early with coffee at 7.30am, followed by breakfast (and 2nd breakfast if you want it!) then workshops at 9am until .... you want to stop in the evening. It was great to have several days to experiment, the wonderful atmosphere and secluded surroundings of the foundation make it a pleasure. After a day your fellow attendees feel like family. The everyday world is a memory.
I wanted for nothing while I was there. Wifi is available most everywhere (phone service is a little squiffy, but there are house phones you can use a calling card on, or get folks to call you back). If there is anything you need - then you just have to ask. Did I say I worshiped the kitchen staff ...?
There is nothing, however, to top sitting down with seasoned professionals and listen to their experiences, chat around the dinner table or next to the outdoor fireplace and hear about experiences on a personal level. With only 24 or so attendees it was great to really get to know each other in intimate surroundings.
If you are looking for a different experience from the usual hurly-burly of the conference circuit, I suggest you give Highlights a try. The cost of the workshops are truly reasonable given the level of attention and accommodation. They also offer scholarships to those who qualify.
I leave you with some photos as they speak more eloquently than I ...
David Wiesner
Neal Porter
Eric Rohmann
Eric was my mentor for the workshop! Lucky me!
Kelly Murphy
Faculty Panel
Portfolio Showcase
Toodles!
Hazel
Written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann
$16.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages
As a dog comes to the end of her life, she promises her boy she'll always watch over him, then stays true to her word, pattering down from the sky on Halloween to scare away graveyard goons.
In this uplifting, sweet picture book, Caldecott Medalist Rohmann shows a boy confronting the pain of losing a pet, but finding comfort in the thought of his dog's spirit following along above him.
Gus has loved Ella for as long as he can remember; he's loved riding on her back as she charged across the field with a pack of dog friends at her side. But now, Ella's coming to the end of her life and it's time for her to say goodbye.
As a harvest moon slides up over the hillside, Gus sits in the grass with his arm around Ella as she tells him she'll soon go away, but that she'll always look over him. "A promise made under a full moon cannot be broken," she says.
By the next spread, Ella has passed away and Gus is weighted with grief. Losing his dog has taken the fun out of everything, even dressing up and going out trick-or-treating. But it's Halloween and no one misses wandering door-to-door.
Dressed as a skeleton, Gus heads off alone into the night, his body slouched, reflecting how his heart feels. The dogs from the neighborhood tilt their heads in his direction, tuned into the loneliness he feels.
After Gus fills up his bag, he wanders back toward home and as he crosses the graveyard, he comes upon a fantastical sight all aglow in the full moon.
Skeletons are crawling out from behind tombstones and rattling about. They run to him because they think he's a skeleton too. But when the boy pulls off his mask to reveal he's really just a boy, the skeletons grow mischievous and try to chase him.
Suddenly up in the dark sky, a wagging bone dog comes running down to the boy; it's the spirit of his beloved Ella, watc
BONE DOG, by
Eric Rohmann (
Roaring Brook 2011)(ages 4+). Ella, a dog, makes a promise to Gus, a boy, to be with him always. So on Halloween, when Gus finds himself attacked by a bunch of skeletons, Ella, now a skeleton dog, appears and brings with her a pack of friends...
With whimsical illustrations and tall-tale vibe, BONE DOG provides a perfect and satisfying treat for Halloween.
One of the rules I live by is not to read anything in which a dog dies, and that includes picture books. I made an exception for
Bone Dog, by Caldecott medalist
Eric Rohmann. Ella, an old dog, tells Gus, the boy who loves her, that she won't be around much longer. "But no matter what happens, I'll always be with you," she promises. How Ella keeps her promise is the charm behind this picture book, perfect for Halloween, or any old day.
Although the book might be scary for some young readers (a skeleton crew ambushes Gus in a cemetery), on the whole humor dominates, as when the skeletons tell Gus, "You've got guts kid...but not for long." And the ending message, that a dog's loyalty knows no bounds, is ultimately reassuring. Rohmann's signature style of dark outlines underscores the dramatic cemetery setting and is guaranteed to send shivers up readers' spines. Don't wait for Halloween for this one, check it out now.
Bone Dog
by Eric Rohmann
Roaring Brook Press, 32 pages
Published: July, 2011
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 1/31/2011
Blog:
The Children's Book Review
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Chinese New Year,
Ying-Hwa Hu,
Cornelius Van Wright,
Grace Lin,
Eric Rohmann,
Amy Krouse Rosenthal,
Tom Lichtenheld,
Tao Nyeu,
Ages Four to Eight: Books for pre-school to second grade,
Book Lists: Specialty picks,
Cultural Wisdom: Books that teach,
Picture Book - Wordless,
Seasonal: Holiday Books,
Year of the Rabbit,
Clare Turlay Newberry,
Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith,
Hingman Chan,
Karen Chinn,
Lawrence Migdale,
Marcia K. Vaughan,
Add a tag
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 31, 2010
This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 3, 2011. It is the Year of the Rabbit—the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The rabbit represents hope, and it is widely shared that “People born under the sign of the rabbit are gentle, sensitive, modest, and merciful and have strong memory. They like to communicate with others in a humorous manner. They cannot bear dull life, so they are good at creating romantic or interesting spice…”
The picture books listed below, offer solid introductions into the Chinese New Year and are then followed by some good-old bunny tales to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.
Bringing in the New Year
by Grace Lin
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 34 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (January 8, 2008)
Publisher’s synopsis: This exuberant story follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade to help bring in the Lunar New Year. And the dragon parade in our book is extra long–on a surprise fold-out page at the end of the story. Grace Lin’s artwork is a bright and gloriously patterned celebration in itself! And her story is tailor-made for reading aloud.
Add this book to your collection: Bringing in the New Year
Celebrating Chinese New Year
by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith (Author), Lawrence Migdale (Photographer)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Holiday House (October 1999)
Source: Library
Publisher’s synopsis: A Chinese-American boy’s family observes a cherished tradition.
Add this book to your collection: Celebrating Chinese New Year
Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book
by Hingman Chan
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Asia for Ki
By:
Aline Pereira,
on 12/10/2010
Blog:
PaperTigers
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
International,
Eventful World,
I Am Jack,
Susanne Gervay,
Korea,
Eric Rohmann,
International Youth Library,
nami island,
KBBY,
nambook,
Sharon Rundle,
Meenakshi Bharat,
Pam Muñoz Ryan,
Guest Posts,
guest post,
Frane Lessac,
The Cave,
Super Jack,
Always Jack,
Fear Factor: Terror Incognito,
Global Voices,
Siobhán Parkinson,
Kiribati,
Nambook-010,
Nami Island Book Festival,
Peace Story,
Franz Hohler,
Fred Minn,
Gendrutis Morkunas,
Gustav Heinemann Peace Award,
Hello Dear Enemy,
Jae-Hong Kim,
Kang Woo-hyon,
Kim Jae-hong,
Kim Jin-kyung,
Reinhard Michl,
Valerie Coghlan,
Xan Lopez Dominguez,
Add a tag
Australian author Susanne Gervay (visit her website and blog) has had a very busy year this year and social justice has been high on her agenda. She is one of the contributors to Fear Factor: Terror Incognito, an anthology of short stories featuring ten Australian and ten Indian writers, edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle (Macmillan Australia/ Picador India, 2010). She has been writing about her travels to India and Kiribati, a “Pacific atoll nation drowning under climate change”. She has just launched Always Jack, the third book about Jack, following on from her wonderful I Am Jack and Super Jack. Most recently, Susanne was in South Korea for the Nambook-010 Fesival, the 5th Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival. She was there because she was taking part in Peace Story, a very special project. We are very grateful to Susanne for telling us all about it here. For those of us who couldn’t be there in person, Susanne’s description and photographs are definitely the next best thing!
In these troubled times with North Korea’s military attack on South Korea, the international publication of Peace Story is poignant and important. Twenty-two children’s authors and twenty-two illustrators from twenty-two countries engaged in an international cooperative to create a unique anthology, Peace Story, for young people. Respected academic author on Irish children’s literature Valerie Coghlan and Irish Laureate for children’s literature Siobhán Parkinson were the co-editors of Peace Story.
‘Peace Story’ was part of the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival, South Korea which was first held in 2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. It is a six-week bi-annual festival of children’s books, the environment and peace, featuring outstanding exhibitions of children’s books and illustrations from all over the world. Much loved Korean illustrator Kang Woo-hyon, President of the Nambook-010 International Committee headed the ‘Peace Story’ project with the support of the Nami Island Minn family who published and translated some of the stories, and hosted the authors and illustrators on Nami Island. It was supported by National YMCA Korea, UNICEF and UNESCO Korea, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and Nami Island the official sponsor of the IBBY Hans Christian Anderson Awards.
My Australian story ‘To East Timor with Love Australia’, illustrated by the award-winning Frané Lessac, opens the anthology Peace Story. Frané Lessac’s vibrant colours of bright pink bougainvillea and yel
Last Thursday, I took my sister and her son to the airport (hated to see them go, but I'll be visiting them in a month) and then headed to a Children's Literature Network event.
At the gorgeous home of writer Catherine Thimmesh, writers, illustrators, librarians, educators, and children's literature lovers gathered to chat with Eric Rohmann and Candy Fleming. They were both fun and funny, as they spoke about their different working styles (she's a burrower, he's a circler) and the challenges of two creative types living and working in the same house. They answered questions about research, their artistic processes, and how they met and ended up together (hey, they said they would answer anything, so people did ask!).
I especially loved hearing Candy talk so passionately about the challenges and joys of writing biographies (The Lincolns, The Great and Only Barnum, Our Eleanor, etc.). I have written a few biographies for educational publishers, and I don't really like it, and I walked away from Thursday night understanding why I'm so uncomfortable with it. I think a person deserves to have his or her story told by someone who's so intrigued and dedicated she's willing to spend an inordinate amount of time on it. And by someone who has the time and dedication to hunt down primary sources and form her own theory/opinion of the subject's life. With educational publishers, that's just not the timeline you have to work within. I don't think biographies are the thing for me, anyway, but it was a treat to hear someone else who does love them talk about them.
And Eric talked a bit about the in-between part. After the "how do you get your ideas" stage but before the "how do you put the pictures together" stage. About the trial and error, the experimentation, the multiple wrong (but not really wrong) attempts as he creates art and/or writes and discovers/develops the story. I'd love to hear more about that, actually. It's a part that often gets left out of presentations about how a particular work was created.
All in all, it was a great night with super speakers, fabulous food, and terrific conversation. You can see a few more photos here.
A Kitten Tale
By Eric Rohmann
Knopf, 2008
I had to wait FOREVER to get my paws on a copy of this book at my local library. Someone else snatched it up before I did. This book is perfect for preschoolers.
Four little kittens are talking about snow in the middle of the summer. Three of them are dreading and worrying about the coming snow. The fourth kitten can’t wait. Then the fall comes. They continue to talk about snow with trepidation. The fourth kitten is so excited about the possibility. Finally, the snow comes. The fourth kitten jumps right out into the snow and has a rollicking good time. Of course, the others follow out and enjoy themselves too. It is a simple story, told with fun language that reminds me of little kittens frolicking.
Here’s an excerpt of the short, frolicking dialogue that takes place between the kittens:
When autumn winds ruffled the trees, the first kitten said, “Soon the snow will
fall and fall. We’ll be cold and wet and snow will cover everything!”
“Piles and drifts!” said the second kitten.
“Heaped to our whiskers,” said the third kitten.
Still the fourth kitten said, “I can’t wait.”
This post is a day late. I was having difficulty with blogger last night. It wouldn't let me post at all. So today, you get the last two installments of Eric Rohmann.
My Friend Rabbit
Written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Roaring Brook Press, 2002
This book won the Caldecott Medal in 2003. I remember buying this book and thinking: WOW. The illustrations are so bold and so toddler-minded. The text is simple and has a wonderful cadence to it. Rabbit’s toy airplane is stuck in the tree. He tries to come up with an inventive way to get it out, so he gathers, pushes, and shoves his animal friends on top of one another until they form a tall tower. This of course comes crashing down!
I love his use of perspective in the illustrations. On one spread rabbit is in the far corner of the page pulling on an elephant’s tale. Everything looks so small and the spread is rather bare. Then the next page explodes with a giant elephant taking over the entire spread. When all of the animals are piled on top of one another, you must turn the book vertically to view it correctly. Then they all come crashing down and we see wild animal eyes of every sort as they looked surprised, shocked, and flabbergasted. Then we see those same animal eyes all glaring at rabbit. Every spread is full of surprises and delight. The illustrations are appealing to a very young audience. In fact, a non-reader could figure out what is going on in the story even without the text.
A romping fun read and so well-deserving of the Caldecott Award.
Time Flies
Illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Crown Publishers, 1994
This wordless picture book begins when a bird is inside of a museum where dinosaur skeleton exhibits are displayed. The bird flies around and suddenly the dinosaur is no longer just bones, but a full living creature. The setting changes to a land full of dinosaurs of all kinds. The bird flies around among the dinosaurs until he gets eaten by a dinosaur. Then the dinosaurs slowly began to change back to skeletons.
This book will delight little dinosaur lovers.
I am going to be featuring Eric Rohmann books for the next few days. I wasn't able to get ahold of all of his picture books, but I am doing reviews on the ones I could find. I was first introduced to Eric Rohmann through My Friend Rabbit, but I was thrilled to find other fabulous books by him that I wasn't aware of.
The Cinder-Eyed CatsWritten and illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Crown Publishers, 1997
I have read some amazing books lately where kids go to imaginary lands. This one is one of the books. It opens with a little boy climbing into a boat in the sky. He sails away in the sky to an island. On this island there are cinder-eyed cats. At night the creatures from the sea rendezvous with the cinder-eyed cats and the boy. The boy gets to watch as the creatures intermingle only until the sun comes up. The little boy sails back home in his flying boat.
The illustrations are large and make the animals appear large and the boy just a small observer in the great big world. I love the fish illustrations and there is even a fish sculpted into the sand. Rohmann illustrates another fish like this in his book
Clara and Asha (to be featured tomorrow).
By: Rebecca,
on 9/26/2007
Blog:
OUPblog
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
post,
A-Featured,
Lexicography,
Oxford Etymologist,
anatoly,
liberman,
word,
origins,
etymology,
skeat,
caddee,
one,
posh,
hunky dory,
Add a tag
By Anatoly Liberman
Responses to this blog come from our correspondents (in the form of questions and comments) and from other blogs. On the whole, my suggestions have been treated gently, and disagreements have been rare. Like most people, I prefer praise to censure. Etymology is an absorbing area of study, but it is no less interesting to learn something about the climate in which etymologists of the past worked. (more…)
Share This
.jpeg?picon=2287)
I am a long-time fan of Neil, I stood in line for hours to get him to sign Death and Sandman graphic novels for me back in the day! Because of him, I discovered Amanda when they worked together on Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Now I love them both..jpeg?picon=3103)
Glad to hear that the Anastasia books are being refreshed, but I agree that changing it to “off her rocker” is silly.
Thanks for the kind word, BB. It was, of course, a group effort. With Batman on your side, how can you lose?
I thought the exact same thing about changing “ask your analyst” to “off your rocker”! i bought new copies solely for the intro by the author to the first two in the series. They are HYSTERICAL. Also, I kind of like the new covers. It’s pretty clear to me that they are caricatures, not fetishizing anorexia or something.
“It helps if the person asking is British and wasn’t practically required by law, like those of us here in the States, to read certain books in the U.S. kidlit cannon.”
While admitting that commenting on spelling errors by a World Famous Librarian Person can lead to nothing but grief, I gotta say I love the image of a large cannon into which we can load kidlit books we’re not fond of and shooting them at our enemies.
He he! It always feels a bit like Christmas if I have a brush with Fuse News! Thanks
Though I wish I had that quilt….
HA! I love the image of a large physical cannon. I think the only grief to be suffered here is on my part. I will, however, take my editor to task (my editor being my mother who usually catches these errors at 5 a.m., thereby sparing my readers).
I’m super pleased that Anastasia is getting a reprint but I was surprised…did they make her blonde? And I confess, as much as I loved Anastasia, I ADORED Sam.
Whoops. — Mom
The Owl Moon quilt is amazing in person. I happened to be there at the picture book boot camp where Sibby presented it to Jane. It was such a touching moment.