I wanted to take the time to thank these kind bloggers for the nice things they have said about the book:
Thank you again. The amount of love Melvin has received is truly overwhelming.
Special thanks to the precious (4 yr old) Rachel Marshall for sharing her wonderful reading of Melvin and the Boy. You did an A+ job, Rachel! Keep up the great work :) xoxo
Parents! Teachers! Turtle lovers! There is now a fun and informative 11 x 17"
MELVIN poster available for
free on the Macmillan website. Just head right
HERE where you can click on the link to download and print a copy for your classroom or homework room.
Did you know that turtles were here on Earth
before dinosaurs?!
Last month I had the pleasure of donating a signed copy of my book
Melvin and the Boy as part of a raffle to help raise money for ISAR's (International Society for Animal Rights)
International Homeless Animals' Day.
Here's a bit about this annual event:
"In 1992, ISAR introduced International Homeless Animals’ Day as an innovative educational vehicle with a purpose of informing society of the global tragedy that overwhelms animal shelters each year – pet overpopulation. Since the conception of International Homeless Animals’ Day, ISAR has reserved the third Saturday of August, commemorating the Day annually, to promote new campaigns, programs, and ideas on the solution to the pet overpopulation epidemic: spay/neuter."
If you're interested in learning more about ISAR, or would like to help, please head over to
their website for more information.
Parents and teachers! Looking for some rainy [or not rainy] day activities for the kiddies? A fun
MELVIN AND THE BOY activity guide is now available to download off the Macmillan website. The guide includes a turtle word search, coloring page, connect the dots, and drawing sheet. Head over and
print out your copies today! (scroll down to the pdf labeled "Activity Guide" to download)
Also, COMING SOON! A "Turtle Facts" poster will be available to print for your classroom or home. . . will keep you informed!
Over the last couple months, MELVIN has collected some really nice reviews that I've neglected to share here. So, here they are, better late than never:
"Castillo, whose winning artwork has appeared in numerous picture books, including Emily Jenkins’ What Happens on Wednesdays (2007), makes her writing debut in this sensitive title. “I ask Mom for a dog like that, but she says, ‘Too big,’” says a young boy as he walks with his mother down a street in their city neighborhood. At the zoo, a monkey catches the boy’s eye, but Dad says, “Too much work.” Then, at the park, the boy spots a turtle, names him Melvin, and convinces his parents to bring him home only to realize, after Melvin mostly hides in his shell, that the turtle would be much happier back in the park. With pared-down, rhythmic words and mixed-media illustrations filled with spot-on body language and details from an urban child’s world, Castillo elevates the familiar theme of a child’s unrequited yearning for a pet, adding a welcome twist when the boy, not the parents, is the first to recognize that Melvin belongs in the wild. A spread of turtle facts closes this well-crafted, gentle offering, which should find wide appeal."
"Castillo’s illustrations, rendered in acetone transfer with watercolor and markers, have a soft visual texture, nicely aligning with the story’s quiet nature. Subtle humor punctuates the narrative as the boy diligently tries to play with his pet, whom he calls Melvin (“because Melvin is a good name for a turtle”). But the turtle “is hiding…[dis]likes pretzels…is shy…doesn’t even want to meet the other pets…[and] tries to sneak away.” Melvin finally emerges from his shell when the boy gives him a bath before bedtime, making him think that perhaps the turtle wants to return to the pond. The next day, the family returns Melvin to the pond, and the boy watches him swim toward two sunbathing turtles. Castillo deftly captures the child’s conflicted feelings with a tender expression of sorrow, his brow furrowed and his hand held to his mouth. The final image of three turtles together, facing a silhouetted, distant picture of the boy walking away with his parents, lends a comforting symmetry to the story as the boy says, “I can’t wait to visit him tomorrow!” Emotionally true and therefore highly satisfying." (Picture book. 3-6)
"Castillo’s expressive artwork gently sets the boy in the center of a friendly, bustling cityscape and deftly conveys his long
On Tuesday I traveled out to PS 292 in East New York to visit and share my new book
MELVIN AND THE BOY with the adorable kids at the
Gary Klinsky Children's Center. GKCC is an absolutely fantastic program, funded by Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) non-profit organization, that provides learning opportunities to children from low-income families who attend some of New York City's lowest performing schools (For more information, please check out
their website). The children are currently studying marine biology and ecology, so it was the perfect time to introduce them to Melvin and his friends~
We had a great time, and those little guys even made me a welcome banner with paper plate glitter turtles! Best greeting EVER!
Winning 6 yr old question/comment of the day:
"You live in Brooklyn too?? Ohh, I thought you lived in a museum."
MELVIN has officially published!!! He hit bookshelves while I was out of town in early July. I have been illustrating books for about 6 years now, but this is the first I have written. Way back in the summer of 2007 I drew this in my sketchbook, which immediately sparked the story of MELVIN AND THE BOY.
Now, a whole 4 years later, it's an actual printed book! It's a scary thing to be 100% responsible for the outcome of a book — illustrations AND text — but hearing and reading the kind reviews and responses to MELVIN has been wonderful encouragement to write more stories of my own.
Here are a few reviewers that have shed some light on little Melvin:
—
Shelf Awareness (click below image to enlarge/read)
—An
article in The New York Times, titled "
For Children Who Want Pets and Parents Who Don't"
—A
Kirkus Reviews article by Julie Danielson, titled "
Seven Impossible Things: Illustrators on Their Own"
—And, today Jules included Melvin on her
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog. If you'd like to see a handful of interiors from the book, head over there to take a look.
Thanks so much to these reviewers for their interest in MELVIN AND THE BOY! xoxo~Lauren
Melvin and The Boy will soon be appearing in bookstores!!! And a couple great bloggers have some exceptionally nice things to say about this turtle. Hooray! Many thanks to Travis Jonkers over at
100 Scope Notes for writing what is probably the most complimentary book review I have ever received. You can head over to
his blog to read the whole review if you'd like. Here's a clip that made me smile from ear to ear:
"The text is a strong point, as Castillo does wonders with an extremely small word count. Succinct, yet crystal clear, this is a book that will work with very young children.
The illustrations put Melvin and the Boy squarely into Caldecott territory. Castillo uses a unique acetone transfer with markers and watercolor, and the results are gorgeous. The composition of each illustration is masterful, and the spreads are especially memorable, bursting with subtle skill."
And thanks to another outstanding blogger, Tasha Saecker over at
Waking Brain Cells, for her oh-so-kind review of Melvin! Wander over to
her blog for the entire review. Here's a little snippet:
"This is the first book that Castillo has both written and illustrated. Her writing is pitch perfect here, offering just enough detail and with the right phrasing and tone. It really feels as if a child was speaking in first person without becoming distracting. "
Thank you both so much for recognizing little Melvin and the boy! xo~Lauren
Melvin and the Boy have finally arrived!!! My first book as author comes out in less than a month, and I'm pretty excited. Will share much more very soon!
(
It is available for pre-order here if you're interested)
I donated this study from MELVIN AND THE BOY to this year's ABA Silent Auction (benefiting the ABFFE Fund for Free Speech in Children's Books) which is part of Book Expo America.
There's going to be tons of great art to bid on at the event ~ hope to see you there next Wednesday evening, May 25th! You can browse through all the art right
HERE! And, details for the auction are
HERE.
Here's a bit of the cover progression for Melvin. Veronique Sweet over at Henry Holt did an excellent job designing the jacket...and there's even going to be a surprise case cover! I can't wait to receive my first printed copy. The book isn't out till July, but you can already pre-order here!
Yesterday I packaged up and delivered most of the art for my first written book, Melvin and the boy! Henry Holt will be publishing it in the very distant Spring 2011, and I am both excited and terrified! I think the excitement outweighs the terror though :)
MELVIN art progress is slow but steady. I look forward to when ALL the art will be hanging on this wall, because that will equal completion :)
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What a wonderful day!!! So happy that the tornado didn't put a damper on things. Congratulations!
Thanks, Selina! You guys should participate (again) next yr! Would be fun to hang out in NJ for the day :)