Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I sure do love this illustration up above.

It’s the first Sunday of the month when I like to invite a student or brand-new illustrator over for morning coffee, and today 7-Imp welcomes debut author/illustrator Abby Hanlon. Abby is, as she tells you below, a former first-grade teacher.

Abby’s first picture book, Ralph Tells a Story, was released in August and chronicles the struggles of a young boy, who must write a story yet has no ideas. In his classroom, his teacher declares joyously that “stories are everywhere!” but it’s a no-go for him. With the prompting and enthusiasm of a friend (when Ralph declares that nothing happens to him, his classmate Daisy—in my favorite part—says, “Are you kidding? I’ve written a ton of stories about you!”) and after much angst, he finally comes to his own story idea. Kirkus called this one a promising debut and an “engaging mix of gentle behavior modeling and inventive story ideas that may well provide just the push needed to get some budding young writers off and running.”

I’d tell you more about Abby’s artistic style, but you can see plenty of it here today, including some illustrations from the book. I thank her for visiting. Be sure to check out the book’s endpapers below (my second favorite part of the book), which are the end results of Ralph’s inspiration. Read the rest of this entry �

Today at the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I chat with author/illustrator Matthew Cordell about his brand-new picture book, hello! hello! That link is here, and if you like this book as much as I do, come back next week for even more from Matt, including art, early studies, and jacket sketches.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll have a column about Mary Logue’s Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. That link will be here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Cece Bell’s new chapter book, Rabbit and Robot. Today, I’ve got a bit more art, and she’s visiting to share things like pages from discarded chapters and other early drawings — or what she calls the “Top Secret Super-duper Rabbit & Robot Never-Before-Seen Conglomerate of Glory! That is to say, Rejected Stuff.” I thank Cece for stopping by.

Cece: I am a lot more like Rabbit than I am like Robot. … “Wound tight,” is how my mother would describe me. But guess who I got that from? Thanks, MOM.

This book was my attempt to be a smidgen like Arnold Lobel, who is arguably still the greatest chapter book writer and illustrator of all time. He brought some really interesting psychological things into his work that really make you want to linger over his books longer. Even the illustrations, though a combination of hand-drawn stuff and computer stuff, were sort of created with Lobel in mind. There’s one author/illustrator that I really, really wish I could have met.

[Here are my] early drawings of Rabbit and Robot when I was trying to figure them out: Read the rest of this entry �

 
It’s almost Halloween, y’all. What are you going as?

I’ve got some Halloween-esque illustrations today. I’m opening with a piece of art that arrived in my mailbox this week from Ashley Wolff. Remember this beautiful 2012 picture book of hers? Well, here’s Baby Bear again, this time exploring orange, I suppose, with his pumpkin. I love it, and I thank Ashley for this and for letting me share it here today.

But I’ve also got some illustrations from Patrick McDonnell’s The Monsters’ Monster (have you SEEN this great book yet?) …

“. . . thankful to be ALIVE!“

 
… as well as Susan Hood’s Just Say BOO!, illustrated by Jed Henry:

“If the ghosts in the trees wibble-wobble your knees, what do you say?”
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This morning at the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I take a look at author/illustrator Cece Bell’s newest creation, a chapter book called Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. That link is here.

Last week at Kirkus, I wrote about Henry Cole’s newest picture book, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, to be released by Scholastic in November. That link is here, and above are some illustrations from the book. Cole’s pencil drawings are beautiful.

I also chatted with artist Hope Larson about her graphic novel adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, released by Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux this month. That link is here.

This morning I’ve got some artwork from the book. Here below is but one set of panels, and lots more are after the read-more link.

Enjoy.

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“… One of John’s favorite musicians was Lester Young, who played tenor saxophone with the Count. Lester’s sound was bouncy but deep, laughter sprinkled with tears.”
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Today’s post celebrates two new picture books about one of my favorite things: Music. Good, sweet music. I’ve got Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey, released by Clarion this month and written by the talented Gary Golio (who penned this other good picture book biography, as well as When Bob Met Woody, remember?). It’s illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (second spread above). And I’ve got Wynton Marsalis’s Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!, released by Candlewick in October and illustrated by Paul Rogers (the spread opening this post).

Let’s start with Golio’s book, an unusual picture book biography for older readers. I describe it this way, because—as the sub-title tells you—this is, in many ways, a spiritual biography, the story of a man who set out to speak to the souls of his fans — and ultimately succeeded in doing so. And it’s fascinating. Read the rest of this entry �

A work-in-progress relief print
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Final spread
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Last month, Schwartz & Wade Books released Candace Fleming’s Oh, No!, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Eric Rohmann. Last year—hey, I see it was on my birthday, which means I had a good 2011 birthday, no doubt—Eric shared a sneak-peek at this book, and even back then, I knew we were in for a treat.

Today, Eric’s visiting 7-Imp (I’ve got my coffee ready) to show us some “in-process shots as the crashing elephant image is being cut and printed, as well as some final shots as they appear in the book.” He also shares some work-in-progress images of Tiger stalking Frog (the book’s frontmatter, as you’ll read below) and “two studio shots, which try really hard to: a). make my space look spacious, b). make it look like I’m working hard, and c). make the space seem less like a basement than it really is.”

And I’ve got a few more final spreads from the book, too. Read the rest of this entry �

“There are stories that are funny, like the one where we dress up,
playing at being someone else, someone we’d like to be.”
–From Roberto Aliaga’s A Night Time Story

“I look at the sky, I close my eyes, and my imagination begins to soar…
I fly between the clouds of the country I love: Afghanistan.”
–From Ana A. de Eulate’s The Sky of Afghanistan

This morning, I’ve got the illustrations of Sonja Wimmer, and these illustrations come from two different picture book releases. Now, I’m sorry to say that I’m having trouble determining where Sonja is from exactly, but I think perhaps the answer to that is Germany. Just don’t quote me on that.

I missed this earlier 2012 picture book title from Sonja, which I should really remedy right away at my nearest bookstore or library. (Doesn’t it sound great?) But today I’ve got artwork from Roberto Aliaga’s A Night Time Story, released in September from Cuento de Luz, originally released in Spain as Cuento de Noche, and translated into English by Jon Brokenbrow. I’ve also got some illustrations from Ana A. de Eulate’s The Sky of Afghanistan, also released in September by Cuento de Luz, originally released in Spain as El cielo de Afganistán, and also translated by Brokenbrow. All artwork is all Sonja. Read the rest of this entry �

This morning at over the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I’ve got a Q & A with illustrator and graphic novelist Hope Larson about her graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux this month. That link is here.

Tomorrow I will take a look at Henry Cole’s newest picture book, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, to be released by Scholastic in early November. That link will be here on Friday morning.

Last week, in case you missed it, I wrote about Michael Ian Black’s I’m Bored (Simon & Schuster, September 2012), illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Here’s that link, and below are more illustrations from the book. (Did you all see author/illustrator David Small’s thoughts on I’m Bored over at the New York Times in September? That is here.)

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �

“Look at this man. He climbs imaginary stairs. He bows to an invisible person.
He tames a lion no one can see. He plays a violin that isn’t there. He does not speak.
His name is Marcel Marceau, and he is a mime.”
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Have you all seen the beautiful new picture book biography from Leda Schubert, Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words? Oh my. Illustrated by Gérard DuBois, it was released by Neal Porter/Roaring Brook in September.

Schubert tells with reverence and heart the story of the famous mime. “He is the superstar of silence, the maestro of mime … His body talks for him,” she opens. She then asks: “Who was this man who performed on stages all over the world, without speaking?”

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It’s not the first Sunday of this month, when I tend to shine the spotlight on student or brand-spankin’-new illustrators, but last Sunday was usurped by butterbeer, remember? So, the up-and-coming illustrator feature got bumped up a bit.

Today, we get a visit from Zack Rock, who describes himself as an illustrator and jackalope fancier. He lives in Seattle and is going to tell us a bit more now about his training and plans. Let’s get right to it… Read the rest of this entry �