Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“The seeds she has planted, the roots that grew shoots into the open air of possibility, have become a lush landscape into which she steps, as though she has never left.”
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In honor of tomorrow morning’s ALA Youth Media Awards, during which the winners of the Pura Belpré Award will be announced, I’m sharing some spreads today from Anika Aldamuy Denise’s Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré (HarperCollins, January 2019), illustrated by Paola Escobar.

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I’ve got a French picture book import for you today, dear Imps. This story, written by Alexandre Lacroix and illustrated by Ronan Badel, was originally published in 2014 and was translated by Vanessa Miéville. Dragons in Love (words & pictures/Quarto, January 2019) is all about the thrill (and maybe heartache) of first love.

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— Illustration above is from Mouse House, originally released in the UK in 2017
I was sorry to hear this week about the death of British illustrator John Burningham, whose picture books have brought me so much joy over the years. He was an immensely talented artist and my very favorite. I’ve read many tributes to him this week — my favorite has been illustrator Polly Dunbar, saying in this piece that his paintings are ones that “make me want to run barefoot, outside, after dark” — and feel at a loss for words to describe what it was about his artwork that I found so dynamic.

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It’s the first Sunday of the month, dear Imps, which means a student or debut illustrator visits. Today, I have the latter: Annelouise Mahoney’s debut picture book will be released next year, and she’s here today to tell us more about herself and her artwork — and to tell us a bit about that book, too.

I thank her for sharing. Let’s get right to it!

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I’m here to wish you all a happy 2019 with a piece of art (scanned from my own collection) from author-illustrator Ashley Wolff. These colors and textures make me happy, and when I see this, I like to imagine I can hear an owl hooting. Given that I live in Deepest Suburbia, I’m not normally privy to the beautiful call of an owl. But I can go there in my mind when I see this.

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I love this piece of art from Laura Nyman Montenegro. She shared it on Instagram, and I secured her permission to share it here. Below is what she wrote about it:

Right now, at the darkest time of the year, is the most crazy mashup of tradition and transition and I love that the beautiful little deer plays such a big part in it. Why not sensitive and delicate, moving slowly through the trees? Why not that be where we are going?

Yes yes yessity yes. And how I do love deer.

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I’ve had a very busy week and have an even busier one ahead, so I’m not exactly going to wax rhapsodic and in depth today here at 7-Imp on any one brand-new picture book, as I am wont to do on Sundays. I thought I’d post a holiday image, and I have a winter-esque one instead. This is from illustrator Julie Morstad — an image from Sara O’Leary’s When I Was Small, published back in 2012. How I love that book and this image. Julie is one of my favorite illustrators, and if you want to linger at her site (highly recommended), it is here.

May this post find you all as warm — and snug — as the girl pictured here.

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“Every hour he makes his rounds, alone.”
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I have a review over at BookPage of one of my very favorite picture books this year, one that is especially perfect for preschool-aged readers. It’s John Sullivan’s Kitten and the Night Watchman (Paula Wiseman Books / Simon & Schuster, September 2018), illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.

The review is here, if you’d like to read more about it. Today here at 7Imp, I have some art from the book, and Taeeun also shares some early studies, thumbnails, etc. (Pictured above is an early character study, as well as a final spread from the book.) I thank her for sharing.

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Up for some tiny baby horses and/or very big dogs today? I’ve a review over at BookPage of Elliott Kalan’s Horse Meets Dog (Balzer + Bray, October 2018), illustrated by Tim Miller. That review is here, and here today at 7-Imp is some art from the book.

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Because it is beautiful and because I thought we could all use a shot of hope and love this week, I’ve some spreads here today from Chris Raschka’s newest picture book, Paul Writes (a Letter), published by Eerdmans in September.

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