Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
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I’ve a review over at BookPage of Elly MacKay’s Red Sky at Night (Tundra, May 2018). That is here.

Today at 7-Imp, I’ve got some of MacKay’s paper dioramas from the book.

Enjoy!

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“Every evening, sitting in his armchair, Fox likes to leaf through old botany books,
looking for the next new plant to add to his collection.”

 
I wrote a review for BookPage of a picture book originally published in French last year — Benjamin Flouw’s The Golden Glow (Tundra, May 2018). That review is here.

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

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“‘Sun,’ said Big Momma, ‘you take care of this day business for me.'”
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I’m featuring one spread today from an older picture book, one of my very favorites of all-time — Phyllis Root’s Big Momma Makes the World, published in 2002 and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. This is in honor of Mother’s Day.

If you’ve never read the book, be sure to click on the image above to see the goodness inside — and be sure to find a copy and experience it. It is spectacular in many directions.

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It’s the first Sunday of the month, dear Imps, which means we look at the art of a student or debut illustrator. Today it’s the latter. Shanda McCloskey’s debut picture book, Doll-E 1.0 (Little, Brown, May 2018), is on shelves now. It’s the story of tech-savvy Charlotte, whose parents (worried she may be “too techy”) give her a doll for her birthday. (“I was thinking you could play house or doctor with it,” her mother tells her.) “How do you use it? Are there instructions?” Charlotte asks. She’s dismayed that the doll just sits there. Charlotte is itchin’ to build something new. Needless to say, Charlotte is pumped when she discovers that the doll (who says “Ma-ma” repeatedly) has a set of two batteries — a power supply!

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From “The House of Stairs”: “Ms. Danko loves to climb.
She’s built herself a house of stairs that looks just like her in every way.”
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Today, I’ve a book written and illustrated by artist Koki Oguma (and translated by Gita Wolf), a set of genuinely quirky stories in which the author-illustrator wanders around his Tokyo neighborhood and tells readers tales about the residents. The Barber’s Dilemma: And Other Stories from Manmaru Street (Tara Books, May 2018) all kicks off with “The Artist and his Cat,” where Koki introduces himself:

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Illustrations from title page spread
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I’m doing that thing again (forgive me) where I’m writing about a book several months before it arrives on bookshelves, but I’ve had this art for a while and decided to go ahead and share it today. (See how I waited at least a little bit?) Karen Hesse’s Night Job (Candlewick), illustrated by G. Brian Karas, will be on shelves in September — and it is a book to look forward to.

This is the story of a boy and his father, who leave their apartment complex and take a motorcycle on a Friday night to the school that the father cleans for a living. “He opens the door, and the building sighs,” Hesse writes. “Come, it whispers to us.” While sometimes the boy plays (shooting hoops while his father cleans the gym or reading aloud to him while he cleans the library), he also gives him a hand, “sweeping the school from stem to stern.” Hesse captures one night of the father’s custodial work; afterwards, they head home and, just as the sun is rising, drift away together in a recliner. Read the rest of this entry �

“Hello Color / Hello Bright.”
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I’ve got a review over at BookPage of Brendan Wenzel’s Hello Hello (Chronicle, March 2018). That is here.

Here today at 7-Imp, I’m featuring some spreads from the book. …

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Morning Ride
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It’s not the first Sunday of the month, which is when I tend to feature student or newly-graduated illustrators, but sometimes I just like to break the rules.

Today, I’ve got the work of a newly-graduated illustrator to showcase, and I’m happy she’s visiting. Genevieve Irwin lives and works in New York and did her senior thesis with none other than Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca. She tells us below a bit about her work and, lucky for me and my blog readers, shares some art. I thank her for sharing. Let’s get right to it. …

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“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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“‘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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