Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Today’s illustration comes from illustrator Lauren Castillo. You can see this spread and more of Lauren’s beautiful work in the October 2010 Simon & Schuster release, Christmas Is Here (adapted from the King James Bible). I haven’t seen this book yet, but Adrienne likes it, and I always listen to her.

Thanks to Lauren for sharing her artwork, and merry Christmas to all . . .

Image copyright © 2010 by Lauren Castillo. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

This October, Random House re-released the 1987 picture book adaptation of e.e. cummings’s poem, “little tree,” illustrated by author and artist Deborah Kogan Ray. (It was also released as a paperback edition in 1994.) Here’s the low-down.

This re-printing makes me happy, as it’s always been one of my favorite holiday picture books. Today, Deborah is sharing two images from it, and I thank her.

Merry Christmas Eve from 7-Imp . . .

LITTLE TREE. Text copyright © 1923 by e.e. cummings. Illustrations copyright © 1987 by Deborah Kogan Ray. Published by Random House, New York. Images reproduced with permission of the illustrator.

Here’s today’s holiday image. (See below for yesterday’s from illustrator Shadra Strickland.) This comes from illustrator Kelly Light, who single-handedly created the blog Ripple this year to raise money for the oil-drenched Gulf.

Enjoy, and happy holidays from 7-Imp…

Image copyright © 2010 by Kelly Light. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

I’ve decided to—last-minute, which seems to be normal for me—post some new holiday images from some very talented illustrators this week. I’ve got a few I’ve collected anyway. Here’s an image from Shadra Strickland. Don’t you love its joy?

Happy holidays from 7-Imp, which means…uh, happy holidays from Jules! (I really should stop referring to myself as a blog, huh?)

See you tomorrow with another festive illustration. Until then . . .

Image copyright © 2010 by Shadra Strickland. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.

2010 is grinding to a halt, but before it does, I wanted to invite over to the 7-Imp breakfast nook Barbara Bottner, the author of one of my favorite picture books from this year, Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t). Those of you who saw this post from May of this year know why I (and many others) cheer the book so enthusiastically. (And if you haven’t seen the book yet, by all means, go take a look at the post, though I am re-posting the spreads from it below in this interview.)

Barbara has had a long, rewarding career in children’s literature, writing more than thirty-six books, including picture books, beginning readers, middle grade novels, and YA novels. As discussed below, she’s also dabbled in other fields, including theatre and animation (Sesame Street, The Electric Company). In addition to her writing, she gets a great deal of joy from teaching. Barbara teaches both privately and at Parson’s School of Design in New York City, something she also touches upon in the chat below. “She leads a really tough but also a wise and supportive critique,” author Denise Doyen told me. “I’ve learned a lot from Barbara Bottner (and the seven other writers in her master class who regularly gather ’round her dining room table.) Mainly: to work from passion; to find one’s inner child and then write to, for and with that child in your head and heart; and not to stop at ‘a nice little story’ but to push onward until you find something fresh and uniquely yours.” Read the rest of this entry �

I can’t let the holiday season slide by without featuring some illustrations from at least one holiday title, and this year it’s Steve Light’s The Christmas Giant (Candlewick, September 2010), which endears itself to me more and more with each reading. And I suppose now is the time to feature this, if one celebrates Christmas. This is the last Sunday before Christmas, which gobsmacks me. Can gobsmack be a verb? I doubt it, but let’s just pretend it can be, okay?

This title is infused with a real joy and a sweet charm. It’s the story of a giant and an elf, two very good friends, who live in the North Pole. You may be scratching your head, but child readers will just run with this. A monstrously tall, bearded giant with hairy knuckles? A wee, hooded, funny-looking elf who fits into the giant’s palm? Best buds? Santa’s helpers? Sure thing. Onwards and upwards then… Makes all the sense in the world to children, don’t you know. Light knows this and simply forges ahead. Read the rest of this entry �

I ask you, O Best Beloved 7-Imp Readers: Are you following the Top 20 Children’s Books of 2010 this week over at 100 Scope Notes, brought to us by two intrepid school librarians (with most excellent taste, I might add, not to mention a keen eye for kickin’ children’s lit), Travis Jonker and John Schumacher? It begins here, and you may have just heard me cheering loudly over today’s post, numbers 5 to 1. I can enthusiastically get behind the picture book titles on that short list.

Today I offer up no Best-Of list of my own. I figure lots of really smart bloggers, such as Travis, are out there with many of those lists in this twilight of 2010, but I do want to highlight a picture book title released by Candlewick in November that makes the Illustration Junkie in me happy. (Yes, I’m consumed by this addiction, though I don’t do things like pore over illustrations in lieu of feeding my children. Most of the time they get fed, though—after a while without a well-executed picture book—I do get a bit twitchy.)

Anyone remember this post from July of this year? That was illustrator Kevin Waldron (originally from Ireland, studied illustration in London, now living in New York, and very much likes tea and cake, as stated at his site), his picture book debut in a title he also penned. Read the rest of this entry �

Pack your bags, bring some coffee, and join me on a quick peek at some picture book titles from around the world. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, so let’s get right to it.

We’ll get to the illustration opening this post in a second. First, let’s travel to Iran. In February of this year, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books released a collection of stories from Iran, titled Pea Boy. Read the rest of this entry �

Things are coming up Very Rock-And-Roll at 7-Imp this morning. I knew I wanted to feature some art from Gary Golio’s vibrant new picture book biography of the young Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow (Clarion Books, October 2010), illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. And then at the last moment, I remembered the late Melissa Duke Mooney’s The ABCs of Rock, published by Tricycle Press in October — and with illustrations from Print Mafia. Lucky for me, I was able to get spreads from each to share with readers this morning. So. Are you ready to rock?

Am I a colossal nerd for just typing “are you ready to rock?” Yes. I am.

How about: Are you ready to go to eleven, which is one louder? There we go. Spinal Tap references, speaking of hard-core rock-and-roll, make everything better.

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Well, okay. Goofy post title, I know, but I haven’t had coffee yet. Not to mention I just couldn’t make up my mind. Today’s featured poetry anthology includes haiku—not just traditional poetry—and I’m going to post before Poetry Friday begins, so there ya go. Hence, my funky post title is what I’m trying to say. Anyway. I never promised to be coherent. (Did I?)

I love it when it rains. Really. I’m one of those chuckleheads who grins to herself when the forecast calls for days and days of it.

In July of this year, Charlesbridge released a poetry anthology dedicated to such days, One Big Rain: Poems for Rainy Days, compiled by Rita Gray and illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke, a title “well suited to a drizzly afternoon,” as Publishers Weekly wrote.

Read the rest of this entry �