Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 

“While some of the cultural details are slightly different from mine, the story as a whole is very much still true to my experience. I think that’s because, at its heart, it’s a story based on the very real relationships with our grandparents. So there’s a personal emotional truth poured into each page that hopefully comes through for the reader.”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with author Minh Lê, quoted above and pictured left, and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, pictured right, about their new picture book, Drawn Together.

That is here.

Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with some art from the book, as well as some preliminary images.

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Photo of Minh Lê taken by Lauren Ackil.

“Honestly, I was resistant to doing a childhood memoir. I feel like there are a lot of them these days — and good ones. The world didn’t need one from me. My publisher asked me to at least think about it, and I did, crankily. Crank crank crank. But as soon as the camp angle occurred to me, all my crankiness went out the window. I knew I could make a funny book that would be a blast to draw and be different from what’s out there. I’m always telling people about the outhouse. The outhouse needed to be immortalized!”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with author-illustrator and graphic novelist Vera Brosgol, whose middle-grade graphic novel, Be Prepared, arrived on shelves in April.

The Q&A is here. Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with a bit more art from the book.

Until tomorrow . . .

 
Pictured above is a preliminary image from Julie Fogliano’s A House That Once Was (Roaring Brook, May 2018), illustrated by Lane Smith. This, Lane says, was his attempt to use “very absorbent newspaper, but the line here was a little too blobby and uncontrollable.”

Lane sent a few other roughs from the book, as well as some final art, which you can see below. Both Lane and Julie also share a bit below about the book’s creation.

I’ve reviewed the book here over at BookPage, if you’d like to read more about it.

Enjoy!

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“I love puzzles. Crafting these stories has been a challenging puzzle at times, but ultimately more enjoyable and satisfying.”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with Hilary Leung, who has just written and illustrated his first board books, two titles in a new series.

The Q&A is here. Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with a bit more art from each book.

Until tomorrow . . .

 
Over at Tennessee’s wonderful Chapter 16, I have a piece up about Thirteen, the 1975 picture book collaboration between Remy Charlip and Jerry Joyner, which the New York Review Children’s Collection has released this month in a new edition. Jerry currently lives here in middle Tennessee and has so for many decades now.

I’m sharing the wonderful photo above with Jerry’s permission. It’s an old photo of Jerry (far right) with Remy (third from the left) and their friends Jacques and Sylvia on a trip to Greece. The photo was taken by an unknown street photographer.

I’ve also got a few spreads from Thirteen below (if you want to take a peek at the art), as well as a current photo of Jerry.

The Chapter 16 piece is here. (You will read over there that Jerry will speak at Parnassus Books this week, so heads-up, if you happen to live in middle Tennessee.)

Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry �

(Click to enlarge)

 
I’ve got a review over at BookPage of Jessica Love’s Julián Is a Mermaid (Candlewick, April 2018), a book you’ll want to be sure to read this year. The review is here. Please, do go read all about this spectacular book.

And then come back, because I’m following up here at 7-Imp today with a chat with Jessica, as well as some art from the book (and some preliminary images). That is below.

Enjoy!

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“Having international children’s books by authors and illustrators from different cultures and countries helps boost the energy of young readers, since it’s exciting to get to learn amazing new stories from all over the world.”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh, whose newest picture book, Saffron Ice Cream, is one she also wrote, her first book in English as an author-illustrator. She also talks about illustrating a new board book about Ramadan, written by Hannah Eliot.

The Q&A is here. Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with a bit more art from each book.

Until tomorrow . . .

 
It’s the first Sunday of the month, dear Imps, which means we look at the art of a student or debut illustrator. Today it’s the latter. Shanda McCloskey’s debut picture book, Doll-E 1.0 (Little, Brown, May 2018), is on shelves now. It’s the story of tech-savvy Charlotte, whose parents (worried she may be “too techy”) give her a doll for her birthday. (“I was thinking you could play house or doctor with it,” her mother tells her.) “How do you use it? Are there instructions?” Charlotte asks. She’s dismayed that the doll just sits there. Charlotte is itchin’ to build something new. Needless to say, Charlotte is pumped when she discovers that the doll (who says “Ma-ma” repeatedly) has a set of two batteries — a power supply!

Read the rest of this entry �

 

Over at BookPage, Eric and Terry Fan, who co-illustrate as the Fan Brothers, talk about their new book, Ocean Meets Sky; the Sendak Fellowship; their Taiwanese grandfather and the tradition of oral storytelling; and more.

Click here (or on the image above) to head over there.

“Truth be told, I’ve always been a secret writer. That’s the thing about writing. You can write on for a long time and tuck it all away with only your significant other in the know, because there are bins upon bins of paper that travel with you on every major move, that sit in the dark basement, that don’t pay rent in storage.”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera, pictured here, whose newest picture book is one she also wrote, her first book as an author-illustrator. My Hair Is a Garden is on shelves now.

The Q&A is here. Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with a bit more art from the book.

Until tomorrow . . .