Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Caldecott Honor-winning author/illustrator Peter Brown has a new picture book (Little, Brown, September 2013). It’s called Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and it’s one of my favorite picture books this year. If you want to know why, by chance, I wrote a review of the book here for BookPage.

Peter visits below to share some early images and to talk a bit about the book. I’ll close with some final spreads from the book.

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �

Philip C. Stead, pictured here in one very cozy-looking hat, is visiting 7-Imp this morning to talk about the creation of his newest picture book, Hello, My Name Is Ruby, a Neal Porter/Roaring Press Book, released just this week.

The first time I read this story was at the book-saturated ALA convention (back in June). I rather devoured it. I put it aside. That was that for the time being. I knew I’d revisit it, but it took me a while. Once I finally did pick it back up, I read. And re-read. And re-read again. Slowly this time. And each time I saw something new, and each time I appreciated it in a deeper way, because this is not a book to read fast. It’s a book that nearly beckons you to sit with it and linger, and to be sure, this is something I love about picture books — how they ask me to slow down.

Another experience I’ve had with this book, though I don’t tend to go on and on here at 7-Imp about my own children’s responses to books (humor me while I do now for a moment): My daughters happened to fall for this one. We’ve read it repeatedly, and the youngest is still, months later, talking about, wondering about, asking about the peacock in the story. This is a book about friendship and introverts and Being Brave and Asking to Be Friends Even When You Might Feel Scared, and Ruby, the small feathered protagonist, is shunned one day by a peacock. The peacock says, “No, thank you” when Ruby asks if they can be friends. “Was that necessarily rude?” wondered my seven-year-old aloud weeks after first reading it. I mean, the peacock turns Ruby down with polite words, she’s noted, and there could be any number of reasons the peacock didn’t want a friend that day. It’s engendered many a discussion around here about intentions and emotions and how one’s words and actions can make someone feel as down as Ruby does in the wonderful rain spread you’ll see below. (I’m eager to read this one to a group of children, the first chance I get.)

Read the rest of this entry �

Last week, I wrote here about Jim Tobin’s The Very Inappropriate Word (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt, August 2013), illustrated by Dave Coverly.

Both Dave and Jim are pictured here. (Jim’s the pointy one. Hoo boy, I wonder if Dave just uttered a very inappropriate word. In fact, I’m finding it hard RIGHT NOW to avoid cursing, ’cause I do love a good, creative swear.) Dave says this is the author photo they wanted to use that was nixed by the publisher.

Dave is sharing some art and early sketches from the book today. He works on 90lb Arches, using Rotring Rapidograph technical pens, and he then drops in watercolor. Ditto for the the hand-lettering on the cover, he says.

Let’s get to it. I thank Dave for sharing images today. Read the rest of this entry �

Well, there’s always art here at 7-Imp, but it’s I who am taking a break in my work today to post some art from David Díaz.

Last week over at Kirkus, I chatted (here) with Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, both pictured below in this post, about Yes! We Are Latinos (Charlesbridge, August 2013), illustrated by Díaz, a series of narrative poems about the various ways Latinos and Latinas in this country celebrate their heritage. So, today I’ve got some art from the book.

I also didn’t have room in last week’s column for one final question I had for Ms. Ada and Ms. Campoy, so that question is also included below.

Enjoy the art. Read the rest of this entry �

This morning at 7-Imp, I welcome illustrator Antoine Revoy. Antoine was born in France and grew up in Tokyo, Japan, as well as Mexico City, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain. He received a B.F.A. in Film/Animation/Video from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1999, and after that, moved to China, followed by some time in Dublin, Ireland (as well as Paris again), working as a visual and interaction designer. All the while, he worked as a freelance illustrator as well. He now works full-time as an illustrator, including editorial work.

And, as you can read below, he also now teaches art and illustration. (Fun fact: He is married to illustrator Kelly Murphy.)

As you’ll see below, Antoine has a very stripped-down style in his pen-and-ink drawings, often with a compelling use of line and occasional bursts of color. Surreal and mind-bending, his illustrations take us to new places.

Let’s get to it then so that we can see some art. As for breakfast, Antoine tells me, “I used to have a preference for the medically questionable combination of coffee and cigarettes (referred to by some as ‘French breakfast’). I no longer smoke nor drink coffee, and my current breakfast-of-choice would be bread and cheese (which sounds rather French as well).”

Oh, but you see, that’s very good with me. I think we’re set.

Read the rest of this entry �

Over at Kirkus today, I chat with Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy about Yes! We Are Latinos (Charlesbridge, August 2013), illustrated by David Diaz, a series of narrative poems about the various ways Latinos and Latinas in this country celebrate their heritage.

Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll have some illustrations from the book.

The Q&A is here.

Pictured above is an early image from Caldecott Honor medalist Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s Bully, released in July from Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. A little birdie (named Neal Porter, in fact) told me months ago that Laura created the illustrations for this book with a twig and hand-made paper. I knew I wanted to learn more about this, and I sent Laura a few questions a while back. I thank her for taking the time to share today. (We’ve each had a busy summer, but she’s finally had time to answer and I’ve finally got time to post.)

If you haven’t seen the book, the story of a bullied bully who becomes a bully himself, Laura tells us a lot about it below. So, let’s get right to it. Read the rest of this entry �

Hello again, 7-Imp readers! First, let me say a quick thanks for all the kind words of encouragement after my first post. You sure know how to make a gal feel welcome around here! This summer has been such a treat, and I will be sad to see it come to a close. But, worry not! You’re not rid of me yet. Jules has been helping me with two very exciting interviews over the past few weeks, and I’m excited to be sharing the first one with you today.

Leafing through the stacks of books at the Danielson house, it is hard not to become overwhelmingly entrenched in fandom-ly mystic wonder. As I poured over the blissfully endless words and pictures, this book immediately struck me. The art has a unique comic quality, the text is built to work for a wide range of readers, and I immediately connected to the story in its seemingly simple, incredibly humorous, and cleverly subtle messages about sibling relationships.

Young protagonist Thomas doesn’t think his little brother Nathaniel is all that interesting. In fact, all he really does is poop and scream. But, when the grown-ups in the house talk about “eating him up,” Thomas steps in to protect Nathaniel from ending up on the dinner table. I got in touch with author and illustrator Amy Young to chat about Don’t Eat the Baby! [Viking, May 2013] and how she got to where she is today. Read the rest of this entry �

After this post here at 7-Imp last year, I ended up getting a very early copy of Aaron Becker’s debut picture book, Journey. I loved it so much that one morning I, no kidding, called an emergency picture book coffee-shop meeting with two friends who love picture books as much as I do, ’cause I just had to show them this book. We sat over our cups of strong coffee and ooh’ed and aah’ed a lot.

The book’s finally out, and I chat with Aaron about it over at Kirkus this morning. That link is here.

Later (maybe next month), he’s going to come visit 7-Imp for a longer interview, filled with lots of art.

Until tomorrow …

That’s illustrator Leila Rudge. She’s eagerly awaiting the breakfast we’re going to have this morning. “As it’s a special occasion,” she said, “I’ll have fat, fluffy pancakes with crispy bacon and a fried banana. Pile ‘em up!” I’m in!

Droll. Charming. Understated. These are all adjectives that have been used to describe her illustrations. Rudge was born in England and currently makes her home in Australia, but some of her illustrated books, such as Meg McKinlay’s No Bears (Candlewick, 2012), have been published here in the States. Her newest book, Ted, which she both wrote and illustrated, is currently only available in Australia but will be out in the UK and U.S. early next year.

Leila shares lots of art today, including all kinds of peeks into her sketchbooks, which I very much enjoy, given that—as you’ll see below—she’s not committed to just one style of drawing, the one style we end up seeing in her published illustrations. As an art-lover, I find this fascinating to see.

I thank her for sharing, and let’s get right to it. Read the rest of this entry �