Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“Once upon a time, there was a BIG BUNNY.”
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Last week at Kirkus, I wrote a bit about Rowboat Watkins’ newest picture book, Big Bunny (Chronicle Books, April 2018). That is at the end of this column, if you want to read more about the book.

Today, I’m following up with some art from the book, and Rowboat has also sent some preliminary sketches (for which I thank him). I mean it when I say that it didn’t occur to me till after I decided to post this today that I’m posting bunny images on Easter day. Well, now. Didn’t even plan it, but it worked out well. If any bunnies are gonna appear here today, I’m glad it’s Big Bunny.

Let’s get to it. …

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— From Jaime Hernandez’s The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America

 

“On a cold, frosty night, a fox sets out, his paws crunching in the snow,
his ears alert to the slightest sound of movement.”
— From Helen Ahpornsiri’s Drawn from Nature
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Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got picture books with big subjects on the mind.

That is here.

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Last week over at Kirkus (here), I wrote about four new Spring picture books. Today at 7-Imp, I have art from two of them — Helen Ahpornsiri’s Drawn from Nature (Candlewick, March 2018) and Jaime Hernandez’s The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America (TOON Books & Graphics, April 2018).

I wish I had some spreads to show you from Guridi’s Once Upon a Time (Tate Publishing, March 2018), but I wasn’t able to secure any.

And this Sunday here at 7-Imp, I’ll share images and sketches and such from Rowboat Watkins’s Big Bunny (Chronicle, April 2018).

Enjoy!

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“I enjoyed drawing from a very early age, and even before I enrolled in Film Animation, I always loved to draw children. Their energy, spontaneity, the purity and honesty of their emotions—all of that makes them the best subjects to portray. They have such an incredible range of expressions and emotions. When I decided to break into the field of illustration, I didn’t even need to think where I wanted to try out my luck first. Children’s book publishing was the only place I wanted to start.”

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Over at Kirkus today, I talk with illustrator Qin Leng, pictured here, who was born in Shanghai, grew up in France, and now lives and works in Toronto. Her newest picture book is Jessica Scott Kerrin’s The Better Tree Fort (Groundwood, March 2018).

The Q&A is here. Next week, I’ll follow up here at 7-Imp with a bit more art from the book.

Until tomorrow …

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Photo of Qin Leng taken by Lian Leng.

Illustrator Mike Curato visits 7-Imp again today to talk about how he created the illustrations for Samantha Berger’s What If… (coming to shelves in early April from Little, Brown). As you’ll read below, his process was a bit of a wild ride (involving no less than marshmallow fluff mortar and “a clown car of never-ending leaves”), fitting for a book about the power of imagination and the drive to create, no matter what stands in one’s way. In the book, written in a buoyant rhyme, we meet a girl who tells readers about her commitment to creativity, no matter the obstacles facing her.

Let’s get right to it. I thank Mike and Samantha for sharing, particularly Mike for a peek into his process. …

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“I also thought, he had the most beautiful horse of anyone, anywhere.”
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Dear 7-Imp readers, I try not to do that thing where I write about a book you can’t yet retrieve from a library or bookstore shelf, but I have an opportunity to talk to debut author Marcy Campbell and illustrator Corinna Luyken about Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse (Dial), which will be on shelves in August. And I have an opportunity to show you some of the art from it. And I didn’t want to pass up those opportunities, because I’ve seen an early copy of this book and think it’s worth sharing.

This is a story about compassion, class (in more ways than one), perspective, truth, and the stories we tell ourselves. Chloe does not believe her classmate Adrian Simcox when he tells everyone he has a horse. She knows that someone who gets free lunches at school can’t afford to board and take care of a horse. How could he pay for it? Where would he even keep a horse? Chloe gets increasingly angry as Adrian continues to talk about his horse. She wants him to tell the truth and even calls him out on the playground. Read the rest of this entry �

“‘And wonderful!’ added their mother.
She wrapped Joey in a hug.”

 
Over at BookPage, I’ve got a review of Candace Fleming’s The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell (Schwartz & Wade, February 2018), illustrated by Gérard DuBois. That is here, if you’re so inclined to read about it, and here at 7-Imp today, I’ve got some spreads from the book.

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Today over at Kirkus, I’ve got four new picture books I think you just may very well enjoy.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Ulf Stark’s My Little Small (Enchanted Lion, March 2018), illustrated by Linda Bondestam. I’m following up with some spreads from the book today.

Enjoy!

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“‘You must be the one to fight the giant,’ Raven told her.”
— From Miranda Rose Kaagwéil Worl’s How Devil’s Club Came to Be,
illustrated by Michaela Goade
(Click to enlarge image and read text in its entirety)

 
Last week over at Kirkus, I talked here with Dr. Rosita Worl, President of Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, about Baby Raven Reads, the Institute’s groundbreaking, culturally-based program promoting early literacy and school readiness for Alaska Native children.

Today, I’m following up that Q&A with a bit of art from some of their 2017 titles. (Below is the cover for the illustration pictured above.)

Enjoy!

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Early sketch and final art
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Do you all remember, back in 2013, when Phoebe Wahl visited 7-Imp as an an “up-and-coming illustrator”? I’m happy to be writing here today about her second picture book, Backyard Fairies (Knopf, March 2018). I love to see her artwork, and this book is a delight.

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“But when I hold the water in my hands, it’s as clear as glass.
I toss it up in the air to make diamonds.”
— From Jillian Tamaki’s They Say Blue
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— From Geraldo Valério’s Blue Rider
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Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got a Swedish picture book import.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Jillian Tamaki’s They Say Blue (Abrams, March 2018), as well as Geraldo Valério’s Blue Rider (Groundwood, March 2018). I’m following up today with art from each book.

Enjoy!

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