Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Julie Paschkis: “This picture of the two kids was the first painting that I did for the book, even before drawing the dummy. I often start a book with one finished piece
of art that sets the tone for all of the subsequent art.”
— Julie Paschkis’ opening illustration from George Shannon’s
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar?

 

What a week. (Caveat: That is not a hyperlink to launch and bring into your life if you are offended by rampant cursing.)

Here is part of what Camille Guthrie wrote at the Poetry Foundation’s web site about this unforgettable week we’ve had here in the U.S.:

“This week I want to believe Elaine Scarry, who argues that Beauty is a compact, or contract, between the beautiful being and its perceiver: ‘As the beautiful being confers on the perceiver the gift of life, so the perceiver confers on the beautiful being the gift of life.’ This week in which a marathon was bombed, senators refused to pass a commonsensical gun law, a plant exploded on a small town, a week in which beauty feels irrelevant and the gift of life feels utterly vulnerable.”

And in this poem, Wislawa Szymborska captures what went through my mind when I saw the bombing footage on television.

Now, more than ever, do we need to gather and list some kicks and look for some beauty, for crying out loud. To be clear, it’s always good to find the slivers of sunlight, even in happier times, and let us also not forget those people overseas who experience on a daily basis the violence Boston experienced this week. (See here.)

But, well. Yes. This week. Wow.

And I feel like George Shannon’s Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? (Henry Holt, March 2013), illustrated by Julie Paschkis (who is visiting this morning), is just the fitting, life-affirming picture book to feature today. As Julie has already written about it—here, which I highly recommend reading—“I was drawn to the underlying meaning of the book: that every person’s contributions matter. As George put it, the book is an ode to the widest sense of community. … George’s text shows the joy that comes through doing work and being part of something bigger than yourself.” Read the rest of this entry �

“Instantly, the sun vanished and the sky turned black.
Rain began to pour like a great waterfall from the sky.”
— From Gita Wolf’s The Enduring Ark, illustrated by Joydeb Chitrakar

“Flags wave, banners fly, crowds cheer at the village square. But this time Gandhi marches by. He finally stops, at the far edge of town, where the Untouchables live. Outcasts of the Hindu faith, dirty, ragged, poor, pushed away by all — but Gandhi.”
— From Alice B. McGinty’s Gandhi: A March to the Sea,
illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
(Click to enlarge spread)

“‘I would not invite my son’s friends into my home without giving them a proper meal, especially on a holiday like Diwali. When a guest walks into your house, God comes with him and there must be food waiting.’ Anika said, ‘The family is high-caste Brahmin and very wealthy. Maybe they do things differently.’ ‘No,’ Kumar told his older sister, ‘in school Andal is not stuck-up. He is a friend with everybody in our fourth class.'”
— From Gloria Whelan’s In Andal’s House,
illustrated by Amanda Hall

 
Anyone else seen Mark Pett’s The Boy and the Airplane (Simon & Schuster, April 2013)? That’s what I wrote about over at Kirkus today, and the link is here. I hope that Mark can visit 7-Imp next week for a short chat, and I’ll also have some art from the book then.

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Last week, I wrote about three new picture book offerings that are about India in one way or another: Gita Wolf’s The Enduring Ark, illustrated by Joydeb Chitrakar and to be released in May by Tara Books; Alice B. McGinty’s Gandhi: A March to the Sea, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez and released by Amazon Children’s Publishing this month; and a new title in Sleeping Bear Press’ Tales of the World series, Gloria Whelan’s In Andal’s House, illustrated by Amanda Hall and released in March.

That link is here, if you missed it last week, and there’s a bit more art below from each book.

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �

Today over at Kirkus, I chat with London-based illustrator Paul Thurlby about why he’s having a good year, as well as about mid-century design and illustration.

That link is here.

Until tomorrow …

Sometimes here at 7-Imp I write about books well before their release date. In early January of this year, I chatted briefly at Kirkus (where this post’s title comes from) with author/illustrator Bob Staake about several things, including his new picture book, Bluebird, released just last week. After I chatted with him, he stopped by here to share a few sketches.

I don’t tend to post reminders that a book has come out, but I am today. Because Bluebird will go down, if all is right in the world, as one of this year’s best picture books. Below is the trailer. Here’s some great process info at his website.

As evidenced by today’s post, I’m still in the celebrate-Spring mode. (For those of you Imp readers who still have snow, I share this in an attempt to warm you.) And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by featuring author/illustrator Elisa Kleven’s newest picture book, Glasswings: A Butterfly’s Story (to be released by Dial this week), which Kirkus calls a “joyously optimistic book.” And Elisa’s visiting today to say a bit about it and share lots of art, as well as a few early sketches.

Read the rest of this entry �

Today, over at Kirkus, I weigh in on three new picture book offerings that are about or from India, including this beauty:

Here’s the link. Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll have some art from each book.

Until Sunday …

I admit: Sometimes I wish I were the type of blogger who just posted art from books and then stepped away. Didn’t say a word. I always like to let the art speak for itself anyway.

But I figure that would make me a Lazy Pants; I at least gotta say something about the books I’m featuring. I owe people at least a word or two and my thoughts on the books.

Today, though … well, I’m featuring some illustrations from two books I wrote about at Kirkus last week. So, my thoughts about the books—Chris Raschka’s Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle (Schwartz & Wade, April 2013) and Kashmira Sheth’s Tiger In My Soup (Peachtree, April 2013), illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler—are already there (here for Raschka’s book and here for Tiger in My Soup). Today, I really am letting the art speak for itself.

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �

Here’s something I’ve failed to say but have intended to say for nine days now: It’s National Poetry Month.

Know one way you can celebrate? You can grab a copy of J. Patrick Lewis’ World Rat Day (Candlewick, March 2013) and read it to your favorite child. Sub-titled Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of, it’s an entertaining collection of weird holidays you won’t exactly see on your favorite kitty cat or Dilbert calendar.

The book was illustrated by Anna Raff, children’s book and editorial illustrator who was once, as you’ll read below, a children’s book designer. Anna’s joining me for breakfast today, giving me and my Imp readers a look at lots of her art, rats and beyond. And what a treat it is. At turns playful, mischievous, and sweet (but never cloyingly), her dry-humored art entertains. (Case-in-point, for one: The Wild Turkey you’ll see below.) Read the rest of this entry �

“In Canada, the wood frog bursts out with a song in a mossy bog. BRACKBRACK! The female attaches a mass of eggs to underwater plants. Many eggs and tadpoles will be eaten by fish and birds, but some will become frogs that can freeze in winter and thaw in spring.”
(Click to enlarge and see spread in its entirety)

I’m cheating today.

Normally, on the first Sunday of each month, I feature a student illustrator or someone debuting a picture book. Today’s illustrations are from the acclaimed illustrator Gennady Spirin, who is hardly new to children’s lit. In fact, he’s received five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators; he has been awarded First Prize for Illustration at the Barcelona International Children’s Book Fair, as well as the Premio Grafico at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair; he received the Golden Apple of the Bratislava International Biennale of children’s book illustration; and on four different occasions his work has been placed on the New York Times Best Illustrated Books list.

But last Sunday, I featured a debut artist, the talented Eliza Wheeler. And today I can’t help but show Spirin’s illustrations from Brenda Z. Guiberson’s Frog Song (Henry Holt, February 2013). Know why? The book is, as Pamela Paul wrote at the New York Times, “nothing less than a springtime reverie.” And I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but Spring has finally sprung here—warm temps and all—and I feel like celebrating today. Read the rest of this entry �

It’s alphabet soup like you’ve never quite seen it over at my Kirkus column this morning, where I write about Kashmira Sheth’s Tiger in My Soup (Peachtree, April 2013), illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. That link is here today.

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See the illustration above from Lemony Snicket’s The Dark, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Little, Brown, April 2013)? It’s, hands down, my favorite picture book illustration from 2013 thus far.

As a follow-up to the Kirkus Q&A (here) I conducted last week with the book’s editor, Susan Rich, I have more art from the book below.

Enjoy. (Oh, and don’t miss this recent Kirkus Q&A by Jenny Brown with Snicket and Klassen.) Read the rest of this entry �