Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 

If you missed it earlier this week, over at the Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott, we take a look at some exceptional 2019 picture books.

That is here.

Happy reading!

— From John Hare’s Field Trip to the Moon

 

— From Tom Sullivan’s Out There

 
Want to head into inky-black outer space with me today? I have a BookPage feature about John Hare’s entertaining Field Trip to the Moon (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, May 2019) and Tom Sullivan’s trippy and thought-provoking Out There (Balzer + Bray, May 2019).

That’s here, if you’d like to head to BookPage and read about both books. Today here at 7-Imp are some illustrations from each book.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �

— Title page spread from Fiona Woodcock’s Hello
(Click to see spread, sans text, in its entirety)

 

— From Stephen Savage’s Sign Off
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
Over at Kirkus today, it’s Picture Book Happy Hour.

That is here.

* * *

Last week, I wrote here about Fiona Woodcock’s Hello (Greenwillow, May 2019) and Stephen Savage’s Sign Off (Beach Lane, May 2019).

I’m following up today with some art from each book.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �

“The righteous marching ones / who sang we shall not be moved /
because black lives matter.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
It’s likely you’ve already heard this year about Kwame Alexander’s The Undefeated (April 2019), illustrated by Kadir Nelson. For one, it received NPR coverage: You can listen here to an interview with Kadir.

Read the rest of this entry �

“polka dot polka dot / you are not at all what i thought …”
(Click to enlarge spread and read poem in its entirety)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I write about new picture books from Stephen Savage and Fiona Woodcock.

That is here.

* * *

Last week, I wrote here about Shannon Bramer’s Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children (Groundwood, March 2019), illustrated by Cindy Derby. I’m following up here today with a few spreads.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �

“They go to school most mornings …”
(Click to enlarge)

 
I love any post with the phrase “shooting stars and gumdrop Martians.”

I’ve a review over at BookPage of Rowboat Watkins’ Most Marshmallows (Chronicle, April 2019). That is here at their site, and here at 7-Imp today, Rowboat talks about the book and making the art. I thank him for sharing.

Read the rest of this entry �

“Where do we get our ideas? We get them from the spaces we choose for our compositions, from our chosen materials, and from the world around us.”
(Click to enlarge illustration)

 
Today over at Kirkus, I’ve got a poetry anthology from Shannon Bramer.

That is here.

* * *

Last week, I wrote here about Susan L. Roth’s Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, May 2019). I’m following up today with some art from the book.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �

“Maya placed a new can of fish in her pocket and set out to find Cat’s home.
Cat followed politely behind.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
There are a lot — truly, a LOT — of picture books in the world about lost animals finding a new home, often with the protagonist of the story, ready and waiting for a new furry friend. That’s what we have (sort of) in Caroline Magerl’s newest picture book, Maya and the Lost Cat (Candlewick) — originally published in Australia in 2018 and on shelves here in the U.S. in early May. This one stands out for the strong writing and Magerl’s distinctive watercolor illustrations.

Read the rest of this entry �

— From Kyle Lukoff’s When Aidan Became a Brother,
illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

 

— From Isabel Quintero’s My Papi Has a Motorcycle,
illustrated by Zeke Peña

 

— From Hyeon-Ju Lee’s
The Happiest Tree: A Story of Growing Up

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got the newest picture book from author-illustrator Susan L. Roth.

That is here.

* * *

Last week, I wrote here about Hyeon-Ju Lee’s The Happiest Tree: A Story of Growing Up (Feiwel and Friends, April 2019); Isabel Quintero’s My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Kokila, May 2019), illustrated by Zeke Peña; and Kyle Lukoff’s When Aidan Became a Brother (Lee & Low, May 2019), illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. I’m following up with art from each book today.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �

“‘Climb on,’ said the lion in a deep, gentle voice. …”

 
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned this BookPage feature about, in part, David Zeltser’s The Night Library (Random House, April 2019), illustrated by Raúl Colón.

Here today is a bit of art from the book.

Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry �