Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“The more I learned about how the machines worked, the more interesting they became to me—in the same way that a puzzle can become more interesting as you begin to solve it. And the more I thought about and read about and then saw the landscape through which the transcontinental line traveled, the more amazed I became. Some of that landscape is beautiful and frightening in its openness, emptiness, grandeur. I remember cruising along state Route 233 in Nevada, absolutely alone, and imagining what it would have been like to be out there, building that line in 1869.”

That’s Brian Floca, pictured here, on his beautiful new picture book, Locomotive (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, September 2013). Today over at Kirkus, we talk about his research. That link is here.

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Photo of Brian Floca used with permission of the publisher.

“I walked over and under and around
to where Mom and Dad waited. ‘What now?'”
(Click to enlarge spread)

Morning, everyone. Author/illustrator Adam Rex is visiting today to tell us a bit about his newest picture book, Moonday, released by Disney-Hyperion earlier this month. Moonday tells the goosebump-inducing story of the moon lowering itself into a young girl’s backyard, putting all the town under its sleepy spell. Was it real or a dream? That’s for readers to decide.

I really like Adam’s paintings for this story. No need to describe them; you can see them on display here. And the writing? The writing is superb. This one makes an outstanding read-aloud, best for (but not excluded to) a cozy one-on-one read with your favorite child. It possesses a rhythm and cadence to savor. Kirkus gave this one a starred review. I just read the entire review, and they put it this way: “Gentle rhymes, recurring consonance and almost subliminal rhythms make murky, dreamy paintings vivid and the surreal story sleepily spectacular.”

Yep. What they said.

Here’s Adam. I thank him for visiting … Read the rest of this entry �

“Grampa stepped onto the platform. He waved and waved. His cap was green.”
(Click to enlarge spread slightly)

“Charley barked at the train for a while, and when it was gone, he held his head tall, which is code for Follw me, gentlemen! I know the way home!”
(Click to enlarge spread slightly)

I was feeling too restless this week and didn’t want to write about just one picture book over at Kirkus, so this morning I write about a series of Fall 2013 Picture Book Surprises. That link is here.

(Next week, I’ll have art here at 7-Imp from each and every book mentioned in that column. Calling all illustration-lovers: It’ll be art-tastic, you guys.)

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Last week, I chatted here with author Amy Hest, whose most recent release is When Charley Met Grampa (Candlewick, September 2013), illustrated by the great Helen Oxenbury. Above are some spreads from this one, and below is the cover. (This book is a follow-up to last year’s Charley’s First Night, featured here at 7-Imp, if you want to see more art from Oxenbury.)

 
Until Sunday …

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WHEN CHARLEY MET GRAMPA. Copyright © 2013 by Amy Hest. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Helen Oxenbury. Spreads reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

(Click to enlarge)

Last week at Kirkus, I wrote here about Mordicai Gerstein’s newest picture book, The First Drawing, a book that is magical in more ways than one.

Mordicai is visiting this morning to chat a bit about this book, as well as share some early sketches—I really love the sketch above, opening this post—and to provide a brief peek at the picture book he released earlier this year (April), How to Bicycle to the Moon to Plant Sunflowers.

I thank him for stopping by. Let’s get to it.

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Jules: I wrote in my column that I think this is such a wonderful topic for a picture book. Can you talk about how this premise came to you, the genesis of this particular story?

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Author/illustrator Kristi Valiant is visiting this morning to elaborate on the point she makes in the above sketch. I love that. Who ever said making a picture book was quick or easy?

Valiant’s newest picture book, which she both wrote and illustrated, is called Penguin Cha-Cha (Random House, August 2013). The Kirkus review calls it a “humorous romp,” while School Library Journal describes it as a “sweet zoo fantasy” and a great one-on-one read, this lively story of a group of dancing penguins at the zoo and one very determined girl, who has caught them in the act.

Let’s get right to Kristi and the art and sketches she’s shared today. I thank her for visiting.

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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 �

Happy Sunday to all. Illustrator Jamie Hogan is visiting today to talk about her latest illustrated book, written by April Pulley Sayre and released back at the beginning of this year. It’s called Here Come the Humpbacks! (Charlesbridge, February 2013), and it tells the story of a humpback whale calf and its mother, as well as the dangers they face during migration.

The image above is from one of Jamie’s sketchbooks. It has nothing to do with April’s book (way more on that below); I just like it.

Let’s get to it, since Jamie talks a bit about creating the illustrations for this book and what’s next for her. (I wish we were chatting in person on the beautiful island where she lives in Maine.)

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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.)

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The first cover concept for Linda Sue Park’s Xander’s Panda Party

Author/illustrator Matt Phelan has already visited 7-Imp this year. He shared some early art from Bluffton back in July.

But he’s back again. And that’s because I reviewed Linda Sue Park’s new picture book, Xander’s Panda Party (Clarion, September 2013), which Matt illustrated, for BookPage this month, and I asked Matt if he could once again share some early sketches and such. This is a great picture book, which has already been given multiple starred reviews.

My review of the book is here over at BookPage, and I thank Matt for sharing the images today.

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In The Flowers
Watercolor, colored pencil, and collage, 2013

 
Happy long weekend, everyone. It’s the first Sunday of the month, so I have a newly-graduated illustration student visiting 7-Imp today. Her name is Phoebe Wahl, and I’m so pleased she’s here this morning, sharing her artwork, because I really like it. Since it’s a long weekend, I might just hear the sound of cyber-crickets here today at 7-Imp, but I hope some of you are around. Phoebe’s artwork is a treat.

As you’ll read below, Phoebe likes to work primarily with watercolor and collage, making (for a reason I love, which she explains below) very textured works you want to reach out and touch. Her stylized, richly patterned illustrations make me feel … I dunno. The word cozy comes to mind. Phoebe’s here to tell us a bit more about herself and then showcase some art, and I thank her again for visiting. Read the rest of this entry �