Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 
Today at the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I offer up two holiday gift ideas for Children’s Literature Lovers and the Children to Whom They Read. Or two Neat Gift Ideas for People You Actually Like.

To be even more specific, these are gift ideas for the fairy tale lovers in your life.

I write about Philip Pullman’s Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, released by Viking in November.

I also take a quick look at a new version of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, illustrated by Fulvio Testa, one of Italy’s most renowned artists and illustrators, with an introduction by Italian novelist, philosopher, and essayist Umberto Eco (released by the New York Review Children’s Collection in October).

The link is here.

Today at the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I chat with author/illustrator Matthew Cordell about his brand-new picture book, hello! hello! That link is here, and if you like this book as much as I do, come back next week for even more from Matt, including art, early studies, and jacket sketches.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll have a column about Mary Logue’s Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. That link will be here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Cece Bell’s new chapter book, Rabbit and Robot. Today, I’ve got a bit more art, and she’s visiting to share things like pages from discarded chapters and other early drawings — or what she calls the “Top Secret Super-duper Rabbit & Robot Never-Before-Seen Conglomerate of Glory! That is to say, Rejected Stuff.” I thank Cece for stopping by.

Cece: I am a lot more like Rabbit than I am like Robot. … “Wound tight,” is how my mother would describe me. But guess who I got that from? Thanks, MOM.

This book was my attempt to be a smidgen like Arnold Lobel, who is arguably still the greatest chapter book writer and illustrator of all time. He brought some really interesting psychological things into his work that really make you want to linger over his books longer. Even the illustrations, though a combination of hand-drawn stuff and computer stuff, were sort of created with Lobel in mind. There’s one author/illustrator that I really, really wish I could have met.

[Here are my] early drawings of Rabbit and Robot when I was trying to figure them out: Read the rest of this entry �

(Click to enlarge spread)

(Click either image to see spread in its entirety)

 

This morning at the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I take a look at author/illustrator Cece Bell’s newest creation, a chapter book called Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. That link is here.

Last week at Kirkus, I wrote about Henry Cole’s newest picture book, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, to be released by Scholastic in November. That link is here, and above are some illustrations from the book. Cole’s pencil drawings are beautiful.

I also chatted with artist Hope Larson about her graphic novel adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, released by Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux this month. That link is here.

This morning I’ve got some artwork from the book. Here below is but one set of panels, and lots more are after the read-more link.

Enjoy.

Read the rest of this entry �

This morning at over the Kirkus Book Blog Network, I’ve got a Q & A with illustrator and graphic novelist Hope Larson about her graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux this month. That link is here.

Tomorrow I will take a look at Henry Cole’s newest picture book, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, to be released by Scholastic in early November. That link will be here on Friday morning.

Last week, in case you missed it, I wrote about Michael Ian Black’s I’m Bored (Simon & Schuster, September 2012), illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Here’s that link, and below are more illustrations from the book. (Did you all see author/illustrator David Small’s thoughts on I’m Bored over at the New York Times in September? That is here.)

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �

Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy
(Illustrator/author photo for Wildwood; Photo credit: Autumn de Wilde)

Hello, dear Imps. A quick calendar note:

If you live in or near Nashville, author and musician Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis will be speaking this evening at the Nashville Children’s Theatre, and I’ll be introducing them.

They’ll be discussing last year’s Wildwood, as well as the sequel, Under Wildwood, released this month (and both released by Balzer & Bray).

My favorite thing about this event is that it’s happening with the support in one way or another of Humanities Tennessee, Parnassus Books, the Nashville Public Library, and the children’s theatre — four of the best things about Nashville.

Here’s the info. Will I see you there?

[Note: The above photo was taken from my 2011 interview with Carson.]

 
Zita’s back!

If you missed this 2011 7-Imp post, let me quickly summarize for you: Zita’s first set of adventures—Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl, released by First Second Books last year—is the story of a girl who lives on Earth but is transported to another planet when her friend is kidnapped by what can only be described as an alien doomsday cult. In the new world, she meets warrior robots; giant mice; mechanized, spider-like predators, out to get her; a mysterious man, also from Earth, named Piper; a large, lumpy, friendly creature named Strong-Strong; and the Scriptorians, the planet’s first inhabitants, who intend to use Zita’s friend Joseph as a ritual sacrifice to prevent the destruction of their planet. Whew. When it’s all said and done, Zita must make a huge sacrifice in order to help her friend.

In the new adventure—Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, which was released earlier this month and which Kirkus calls “a charmingly dashing interplanetary adventure” and “utterly bewitching”—Zita discovers that she’s now renowned as an intergalactic hero — but also that fame is not all it’s cracked up to be. Complicating matters is the junkyard robot Imprint-o-Tron who impersonates Zita after spotting a Zita poster. And I can’t give the entire story away, should you want to read this yourself, but I will say that Zita goes from hero to fugitive, and she must also learn how to work with the Zita-doppelganger to help save a planet. This tale also involves the mysterious and beautiful Madrigal, not to mention the evil Star Hearts, “interstellar scavengers capable of unassisted spaceflights” and the “scourge of many a planetary system.”

And, boy howdy, does the whole thing end with a big, juicy, delicious cliffhanger, too.

Zita, installment number two, doesn’t disappoint is what it boils down to. Our beloved protagonist is fearless and her adventures are thrilling. Or, in the words of Madrigal, Zita shines in a crisis and inspires loyalty. Yes. That, too.

I thought I’d interrupt all of creator Ben Hatke’s drawing to ask him how easy (or not) it was to write and draw the sequel; how many Zitas we can expect; and lots of other stuff, including ways in which I can bribe him and his family into stuffing me into their suitcase for their next trip to Italy, which may involve cookies. I also include a few questions from my own Zita-crazed daughters. (This is not something I regularly do, lest it become very kids-say-the-darndest-things here at 7-Imp, but I’ll do it just this once.)

On that note and with regard to this wonderful comic at Ben’s site, I have to say that Zita’s adventures went a long way in teaching my six-year-old how to read, given her immense devotion to the books. Now, my first child came out of my womb with a book in hand and nearly went from not-reading to reading fluently, but the six-year-old is learning to read as most children do, and I mean to tell you that she rips through these—way more than most books—because of her giant crush on Zita. To be clear, both girls are bananas over these books, but it’s remarkable how far the two books went in engaging the child still working her way around words in books.

Ben shares lots of art and early sketches from the new book today. I thank him for taking the time to visit 7-Imp again (especially for taking the reins on this interview, which he really did, given my busier-than-normal work schedule right now). Read the rest of this entry �

 

This morning over at Kirkus, I chat with author Judith Viorst about her very funny new chapter book for children, Lulu Walks the Dogs, the follow-up to Lulu and the Brontosaurus; the enduring popularity of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; and her upcoming visit to Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books in October. When asked about her plan for the Festival, she said:

I’ll be reading from my second Lulu book, Lulu Walks the Dogs, and talking a bit about my vast admiration for writers like Sendak and Silverstein, who appreciate and give voice to children’s non-sweetie-pie selves — to their wicked thoughts, wild dreams, and untamed feelings. I, too, like to write about fresh, fierce kids, who maybe, probably, bear some resemblance to my own three sons and seven grandchildren—and to the little girl I once was.

I really like that.

The rest of the Q&A is here — and it includes (a tiny version of) Lane Smith’s wonderful illustration of Fleischman from the new Lulu book. Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll have even more art and some sketches from Lane.

Have you read both Lulu books? So funny, these chapter books.

Enjoy.

“Baby Bear sees red.”
(Click to enlarge)

I have already posted this year (back in March) about Ashley Wolff’s beautiful Baby Bear Sees Blue, pictured above, which was released in February by Beach Lane Books and is a book you’ll see on several folks’ Caldecott prediction lists already.

Ashley, pictured left, is visiting today for what was supposed to be a breakfast interview, but I’ve changed it to afternoon tea, given that I’m posting later in the day. Her breakfast-of-choice had been tea with milk. (Then, after a daily dog walk on the hill, she has coffee around 10:00 a.m., some plain yogurt, almonds, and Kashi Go Lean, all mashed up together.) But I still say this can be our afternoon snack. All of it. Mmm. I’ll just sip some coffee, while she has her tea.

Ashley, as you can see below, has illustrated or both written and illustrated many titles in her career—she’s best-known for her illustrations for Joseph Slate’s Miss Bindergarten titles—and she’s worked in a variety of media. Publishers Weekly once described her illustrations as “sturdy” and “genially observed.” No matter what medium she’s using, her colorful spreads provide many details for little eyes; much like Baby Bear’s world in her latest title, there is much to explore and see in her artwork.

And, speaking of artwork, since she shares quite a bit of it below, let’s get right to it. I thank her for visiting today. Read the rest of this entry �

At Kirkus this morning, I chat with the very busy and very talented Dan Santat, staring valiantly to my left here.

That Q & A is here, if you’re so inclined to read it.

Dan has several illustrated titles either just out or about to come out, and he takes the time from his busy schedule to tell me about them — as well as to discuss highbrow humor for children, Hitchcock films, working in black and white, and more.

Tomorrow over there, I’ll be featuring the latest picture book from Hyewon Yum, which is called, Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! That link will be here in the morning.

S. D. Nelson’s Fire Chant II. Acrylic on Masonite:
“Come, coyote brothers. Together we will sing up the stars.
Yes, we will sing up the moon.”

 
This morning over at Kirkus, I’ve got a Q & A with author Mac Barnett, whose early Spring picture book, Extra Yarn (Balzer + Bray), illustrated by Jon Klassen, was just awarded the 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in the Picture Book category. That link is here.

Mac says something over there about picture books, about “shaggy stories,” that I like so much that I might just hug his neck if I ever meet him.

And tomorrow, I’ll have a chat with illustrator Yuyi Morales. Amy Novesky’s Georgia in Hawaii (Harcourt), which Yuyi illustrated, was also named a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book just a few weeks ago. That Q & A will be here Friday morning.

As always, next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll follow up with art art and more art.

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Last week I wrote about Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School (Abrams, April 2012), edited by Timothy P. McLaughlin. That link is here, if you want to learn more about the book, and today I’ve got some of S. D. Nelson’s beautiful artwork, as well as some poetry and prose from the book.

Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry �