Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Last week, I decided at the last minute to post some holiday illustrations and managed to get a few up. I have two more to throw into the mix, one for today and one for tomorrow. Short and sweet. Not the trilogy that yesterday’s 7-Imp recap post is.

This one actually comes by way of an agent, the agent of Ohio author/illustrator Adam Watkins. This image comes from a work-in-progress title of his, his next project and first children’s book, Christmas Ninja Attack! Head on over to Adam’s site for more information and more art.

If you were to ask me how heartily I laughed when I first saw this, the answer would be very. Enjoy. And here’s hoping you still have some snow—but no shuriken-wielding, snowman-defeating mercenaries of feudal Japan—in your backyard.

Image copyright © 2010 by Adam Watkins. Reproduced by permission of Joanna Volpe, Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.

Alfred and I are here to look back on What Happened at 7-Imp in 2010. I’ve done this for the past two years every December, and—as I explained last year—I question my own sanity when I pull together posts like this, since it’s not a trivial thing to do and takes quite a bit of time I could use, say, sleeping instead. Well, this is way more fun than napping, I say, not to mention that, for some inexplicable reason, I find strangely beguiling at the end of every year those retrospective round-ups and best-of lists of all sorts that one sees everywhere—both online and in print—about entertainment and literature and politics and on and on. Ill say it again: Creating one of my own, looking back at who visited the 7-Imp salon in 2010, is my warped idea of fun, tidy fun. And these recaps are crazy long, yes. But they’re for browsing. Good-times browsing.

I know Alfred looks slightly sinister and surly, but he really enjoys these, too. He just takes it very seriously.

So, what was new to 7-Imp in 2010? This is how I see it: Read the rest of this entry �

Today’s illustration comes from illustrator Lauren Castillo. You can see this spread and more of Lauren’s beautiful work in the October 2010 Simon & Schuster release, Christmas Is Here (adapted from the King James Bible). I haven’t seen this book yet, but Adrienne likes it, and I always listen to her.

Thanks to Lauren for sharing her artwork, and merry Christmas to all . . .

Image copyright © 2010 by Lauren Castillo. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

This October, Random House re-released the 1987 picture book adaptation of e.e. cummings’s poem, “little tree,” illustrated by author and artist Deborah Kogan Ray. (It was also released as a paperback edition in 1994.) Here’s the low-down.

This re-printing makes me happy, as it’s always been one of my favorite holiday picture books. Today, Deborah is sharing two images from it, and I thank her.

Merry Christmas Eve from 7-Imp . . .

LITTLE TREE. Text copyright © 1923 by e.e. cummings. Illustrations copyright © 1987 by Deborah Kogan Ray. Published by Random House, New York. Images reproduced with permission of the illustrator.

Here’s today’s holiday image. (See below for yesterday’s from illustrator Shadra Strickland.) This comes from illustrator Kelly Light, who single-handedly created the blog Ripple this year to raise money for the oil-drenched Gulf.

Enjoy, and happy holidays from 7-Imp…

Image copyright © 2010 by Kelly Light. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

I’ve decided to—last-minute, which seems to be normal for me—post some new holiday images from some very talented illustrators this week. I’ve got a few I’ve collected anyway. Here’s an image from Shadra Strickland. Don’t you love its joy?

Happy holidays from 7-Imp, which means…uh, happy holidays from Jules! (I really should stop referring to myself as a blog, huh?)

See you tomorrow with another festive illustration. Until then . . .

Image copyright © 2010 by Shadra Strickland. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

Just another reminder for any Tennesseans who happen to read the blog that we middle-Tennessee folks have kicked off the monthly Nashville Kidlit Drink Night, which will be the first Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6:30. Tomorrow evening, we meet again at Boscos (in Hillsboro Village).

For the last couple of meetings, we’ve had a good turn-out, and we hope to see even more kidlit folks each month — whether you’re a blogger, teacher, librarian, author, illustrator, anyone who works in publishing in any way, person who works in no way with children’s lit but is a fan, and whomever else I might be forgetting. And please spread the word. I have started a Google group so that we can share children’s-lit-related announcements, as well as remind each other about our monthly gatherings, so if anyone wants on that list, please contact me.

Perhaps we can indulge this month in some rum-laden eggnog. Or maybe even—in tribute to my second favorite holiday picture book ever—I can convince the person next to me to join me in some cognac, as Raymond Briggs’s surly Father Christmas, pictured above, prefers. I bet he’s got either that or “a good drop of ale” in that thermos of his on that book cover.

See you there, I hope:

My unofficial consultant on Good Causes Backed by Wonderful Artwork, illustrator (and designer and fine artist and teacher) Bill Carman—featured here at 7-Imp in 2009—tells me about a great list of artists for a great cause, Art Blocks for Ghana, a charity art auction, sponsored by the Picture Book Project Foundation and The Hopkins Foundation. These original works are created by established artists in the fields of illustration and animation, trying to raise funds to help build a children’s home in Ghana in March 2011.

Here’s the site for more information.

(P.S. Where has the Picture Book Project Foundation been all my life, and do you think they’ll hire me? I’d sweep their cyber-floors. I would. Their mission is to “bring continued resources and support to orphaned and underserved children around the world through art.” YES. That is precisely perfect.)

And pictured here is Bill’s offering toward the project:

Rain is copyright © 2010 Bill Carman. Used with his permission. All rights reserved and all that good stuff.

Here’s Alfred again to help me with a few announcements. If you’re thinking, hubba what? or who shot who in the what now? or what in the what the? or Alfred hubba who? or who said what in the hey now?, that means you don’t tend to make it to the bottom of my 7-Imp interviews. (And this would be okay. I mean it when I tell people, which I do a lot, that it’s almost a science to keep up with children’s-lit blogs these days. It’s hard, isn’t it?) Anyway, Alfred—who came from the pen of author/illustrator Matt Phelan (whom I forever associate not only with good books for children, but also lots and lots of ukuleles) and whom Matt told over a year ago to pack his bags and live here at 7-Imp—is always here to introduce the Pivot Questionnaire. I have finally added Alfred to the “about” page of the blog. See here. I figured that 7-Imp has a new mascot (see here and scroll down for the news), thanks to illustrator Scott Magoon, whom I placed on the “about” page. (The mascot, not Scott himself.) And then I realized poor Alfred has really been a mascot of sorts ALL ALONG. Or at least my good buddy. He and I meet for toast and coffee every morning and discuss what to post. Yes, he looks rather sinister and moderately surly, but he’s really sort of a softie, too.

Also, someone suggested that 7-Imp have its own theme song. Paula of Pink Me even wrote some zippy-quick impromptu lyrics…

SEVEN THINGS! What kind of things they could be any things mostly book things but sometimes they’re other things SEVEN THINGS!!

I made that font big, as I imagine the lyrics being sort of yelled spastically and crowd-goers moshing and such, as if they don’t have one single care in the world. Paula has suggested They Might Be Giants record it (I’ll also agree to The Black Keys, even if they don’t yell), possibly with horns in the arrangement. Maybe a ska treatment, Paula says. Read the rest of this entry �

Just another reminder for any Tennesseans who happen to read the blog that we middle-Tennessee folks have kicked off the monthly Nashville Kidlit Drink Night, which will be the first Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6:30. Tomorrow evening, we meet at a new location, Boscos (in Hillsboro Village).

Last month, at our inaugural meeting, we had a good turn-out (and mostly talked books, OF COURSE), and we hope to see even more kidlit folks each month — whether you’re a blogger, teacher, librarian, author, illustrator, anyone who works in publishing in any way, person who works in no way with children’s lit but is a fan, and whomever else I might be forgetting. And please spread the word. I even started a Google group for those who attended the first night so that we can share children’s-lit-related announcements, as well as remind each other about our monthly gatherings, so if anyone wants on that list, please contact me.

So, see you there, I hope: