Sunday, August 6th, 2006
Jimmy Liao’s new 80-page picture book, the magical and evocative The Sound of Colors (2006), is sub-titled “A Journey of the Imagination.” The book’s back-cover blurb and every ad and review you see for it will likely tell you it “celebrates the power of imagination.” This is true, but this sublime book is so much more.
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
The blooming popularity of picture book biographies – simply-worded, richly-illustrated biographies for children – has been one of the coolest things to happen to children’s lit in recent years. It’s a format that’s especially well-suited to biographies of artists; the use of illustrations to depict an artist’s life can lead to a deeper understanding of his or her works. I imagine that for an illustrator, creating a picture book biography presents a unique challenge: using his or her own style and talents to portray the world that inspired and shaped another artist. The results can be breathtaking works of art in their own right. Here’s a few of my recent favorites:
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
Yes, it’s the unbearably steamy dog days of summer, so here’s a short, random picture book shout-out to cool-‘n-savvy Nina Crews for her One Hot Summer Day (1995). Sit down with your favorite toddler and soak this one in before it gets cool again in appreciation of Ms. Crews and her boundless talents.
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
A momma friend asked recently, ‘Is anyone else tired of Goodnight Moon? What else is there?’ Goodnight Moon is certainly a perfect little poem of goodnight farewells, but there is life beyond Margaret Wise Brown, the empress of books for toddlers. Here are some wonderful alternatives to the classic Goodnight Moon, a handful of bedtime beauties. (And, by all means, folks, pretty please send comments and tell us what your bed-time favorites are).
