Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Hey, everybody. I’m joining the Calling Caldecott team over at the Horn Book. Here’s my post over there from last week where I wave hello to everyone from here in middle Tennessee.

Today is the day we’re kicking off the book-list discussion, asking for readers to suggest the picture books you’d like to see discussed this Fall and Winter. It won’t be just Martha, Lolly, and me over there for the next several months. We plan to invite guest bloggers to keep the conversations fresh and to ensure diverse voices.

So, if you love picture books, head on over there today—here’s the link—and weigh in, if you’re so inclined.

Until tomorrow …

Here’s a quick post to remind those of you in and near Tennessee that it’s almost time for Knoxville’s Children’s Festival of Reading, which is one of the country’s best book festivals. You can click here to read about the authors and illustrators visiting this year (I’ll moderate a picture book panel discussion), and you can click here to read even more details about the festival.

See you there!

 

There have been several heartfelt tributes to author Patricia McKissack written in the past week or so, since her death on April 7. Tennessee’s own Chapter 16 pays tribute to her work at their site today, as she was born and raised here in middle Tennessee (and, as you will read, Nashville Public Library has some special art from one of her stories on its walls).

That is here.

I’ve got something entirely different over at Kirkus today. Instead of talking to a picture book or middle-grade author or to an illustrator, I talk to a volunteer for a literacy program run by Ann Arbor’s Children’s Literacy Network. This non-profit organization’s program, called Staying in Closer Touch, unites incarcerated parents and their children through children’s books. I heard all about it on a recent visit to Ann Arbor and wanted to write about it, should other literacy non-profits want to learn more.

That Q&A with volunteer Bonnie Schramm is here. (Corduroy is mentioned in our chat. Hence, the image here.)

Until tomorrow …

 

The Children’s Literacy Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan, asked me to come speak this week about picture books, why I love them so, and why I write about them. This will be at Literati Bookstore there in Ann Arbor.

If you live in or near Ann Arbor, I would love to see you there on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Here is more information.

 

I’m still feeling festive and sharing some more holiday art with you all. This one is from Charles Santoso.

Until tomorrow …

 

I’m feeling festive and wanting to share holiday art with you all. This one is from Lauren Castillo. You can click on it to see a bigger version of it.

Until tomorrow …

 

It was fun to be a guest on a podcast whose episodes I never ever miss. That would be the Horn Book’s (relatively new) podcast.

Thanks to Roger and Siân for having me when I was in Boston last week. You can click on the image above to hear our chat, if you’re so inclined.

“Real cowboys are as many different colors as the earth.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
You won’t find me writing about magazines … well, ever. Until today. This morning over at Kirkus, I take a look at Illustoria, a promising new children’s magazine with a focus on children’s book authors and illustrators.

That link is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Kate Hoefler’s Real Cowboys (Houghton Mifflin, October 2016), illustrated by Jonathan Bean.

Today, Jonathan shares some process images and final art, as well as some thoughts on creating the illustrations for this book. I’m happy he’s sharing that today, so let’s get right to it.

Read the rest of this entry �

Back in April of this year, I received the James Marshall Fellowship from The University of Connecticut’s Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. I spent a week looking through the James Marshall Papers there. (It was wonderful, and I still miss the very smell of the boxes.)

Today, I have a blog post up at the University’s site, all about my research there. If you’re a fan of James Marshall’s work, you might like to see the rare images up at the post (three of approximately 800 photos I took!).

That blog post is here.

Until tomorrow …