Archive for October, 2012

From the Desk of 7-Imp …

h1 Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #303: Featuring
Jed Henry, Patrick McDonnell, and Ashley Wolff

h1 Sunday, October 28th, 2012



 
It’s almost Halloween, y’all. What are you going as?

I’ve got some Halloween-esque illustrations today. I’m opening with a piece of art that arrived in my mailbox this week from Ashley Wolff. Remember this beautiful 2012 picture book of hers? Well, here’s Baby Bear again, this time exploring orange, I suppose, with his pumpkin. I love it, and I thank Ashley for this and for letting me share it here today.

But I’ve also got some illustrations from Patrick McDonnell’s The Monsters’ Monster (have you SEEN this great book yet?) …


“. . . thankful to be ALIVE!


 
… as well as Susan Hood’s Just Say BOO!, illustrated by Jed Henry:


“If the ghosts in the trees wibble-wobble your knees, what do you say?”
(Click to enlarge spread)


 
Read the rest of this entry �

What I’m Up to at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week,
Featuring Henry Cole and Hope Larson

h1 Friday, October 26th, 2012


(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 �

Some Sonic Adventures Before Breakfast

h1 Thursday, October 25th, 2012


(Click to enlarge spread)


“… One of John’s favorite musicians was Lester Young, who played tenor saxophone with the Count. Lester’s sound was bouncy but deep, laughter sprinkled with tears.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

Today’s post celebrates two new picture books about one of my favorite things: Music. Good, sweet music. I’ve got Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey, released by Clarion this month and written by the talented Gary Golio (who penned this other good picture book biography, as well as When Bob Met Woody, remember?). It’s illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (second spread above). And I’ve got Wynton Marsalis’s Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!, released by Candlewick in October and illustrated by Paul Rogers (the spread opening this post).

Let’s start with Golio’s book, an unusual picture book biography for older readers. I describe it this way, because—as the sub-title tells you—this is, in many ways, a spiritual biography, the story of a man who set out to speak to the souls of his fans — and ultimately succeeded in doing so. And it’s fascinating. Read the rest of this entry �

My Favorite Kind of Breakfast, During Which
Eric Rohmann Shows Me How He Makes His Art

h1 Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012


A work-in-progress relief print
(Click to enlarge)


Final spread
(Click to enlarge)


 
Last month, Schwartz & Wade Books released Candace Fleming’s Oh, No!, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Eric Rohmann. Last year—hey, I see it was on my birthday, which means I had a good 2011 birthday, no doubt—Eric shared a sneak-peek at this book, and even back then, I knew we were in for a treat.

Mmm. Coffee.Today, Eric’s visiting 7-Imp (I’ve got my coffee ready) to show us some “in-process shots as the crashing elephant image is being cut and printed, as well as some final shots as they appear in the book.” He also shares some work-in-progress images of Tiger stalking Frog (the book’s frontmatter, as you’ll read below) and “two studio shots, which try really hard to: a). make my space look spacious, b). make it look like I’m working hard, and c). make the space seem less like a basement than it really is.”

And I’ve got a few more final spreads from the book, too. Read the rest of this entry �

7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #302: Featuring Sonja Wimmer

h1 Sunday, October 21st, 2012


“There are stories that are funny, like the one where we dress up,
playing at being someone else, someone we’d like to be.”

–From Roberto Aliaga’s A Night Time Story


“I look at the sky, I close my eyes, and my imagination begins to soar…
I fly between the clouds of the country I love: Afghanistan.”

–From Ana A. de Eulate’s The Sky of Afghanistan

This morning, I’ve got the illustrations of Sonja Wimmer, and these illustrations come from two different picture book releases. Now, I’m sorry to say that I’m having trouble determining where Sonja is from exactly, but I think perhaps the answer to that is Germany. Just don’t quote me on that.

I missed this earlier 2012 picture book title from Sonja, which I should really remedy right away at my nearest bookstore or library. (Doesn’t it sound great?) But today I’ve got artwork from Roberto Aliaga’s A Night Time Story, released in September from Cuento de Luz, originally released in Spain as Cuento de Noche, and translated into English by Jon Brokenbrow. I’ve also got some illustrations from Ana A. de Eulate’s The Sky of Afghanistan, also released in September by Cuento de Luz, originally released in Spain as El cielo de Afganistán, and also translated by Brokenbrow. All artwork is all Sonja. Read the rest of this entry �

What I’m Up to at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week,
Featuring Debbie Ridpath Ohi

h1 Thursday, October 18th, 2012

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 �

“Never get a mime talking. He won’t stop.”

h1 Tuesday, October 16th, 2012


“Look at this man. He climbs imaginary stairs. He bows to an invisible person.
He tames a lion no one can see. He plays a violin that isn’t there. He does not speak.
His name is Marcel Marceau, and he is a mime.”

(Click to enlarge)

Have you all seen the beautiful new picture book biography from Leda Schubert, Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words? Oh my. Illustrated by Gérard DuBois, it was released by Neal Porter/Roaring Brook in September.

Schubert tells with reverence and heart the story of the famous mime. “He is the superstar of silence, the maestro of mime … His body talks for him,” she opens. She then asks: “Who was this man who performed on stages all over the world, without speaking?”

Read the rest of this entry �

7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #301: Featuring
Up-and-Coming Illustrator, Zack Rock

h1 Sunday, October 14th, 2012

It’s not the first Sunday of this month, when I tend to shine the spotlight on student or brand-spankin’-new illustrators, but last Sunday was usurped by butterbeer, remember? So, the up-and-coming illustrator feature got bumped up a bit.

Today, we get a visit from Zack Rock, who describes himself as an illustrator and jackalope fancier. He lives in Seattle and is going to tell us a bit more now about his training and plans. Let’s get right to it… Read the rest of this entry �

I Would Tell You What I’m Doing
at Kirkus This Morning, But It’s B O R I N G

h1 Friday, October 12th, 2012


“Because Amelia smiled, coming down the street…”
(Click to enlarge spread)


“When he got back to his rooftop and let his pigeons out, he wondered if maybe somehow, wherever Grandma was, she could see them.”
(Click to enlarge slightly)

First of all, see those two spreads up there? They come from the mind and paintbrush of the staggeringly talented David Ezra Stein. Last week at Kirkus, I wrote about his newest picture book, Because Amelia Smiled (Candlewick, September 2012). That column is here, if you missed it. What I wrote, partly, is that this book made me smile, it even made me get all misty-eyed from happiness, it darn well made me glad to be alive, and it made me want to stand on the corner and hand a copy to everyone I see. Now, would you want to miss a book like that?



 


 

What about this morning? Well, over at the the Book Blog Network today, I write about Michael Ian Black’s I’m Bored, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. So funny, this book about ennui (which is, of course, really about so much more). That column is here today.

* * * * * * *

BECAUSE AMELIA SMILED. Copyright © 2012 by David Ezra Stein. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

I’M BORED. Copyright © 2012 by Michael Ian Black. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Illustration here reproduced by permission of the publisher, Simon & Schuster, New York.