Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got a chat with author-illustrator Cece Bell about her new Chick and Brain beginning reader series. The first book, on shelves next week, is called Smell My Foot!, which is a very funny book. Expect howls of laughter from the beginning readers you know.

If you want to read our chat, you can head here.

Below, I have some early sketches from Cece, as well as some final art (and other fun stuff). I thank her for sharing!

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Over at BookPage, I’ve a review of Jessie Sima’s Spencer’s New Pet (Simon & Schuster, August 2019). It takes a surprising turn, this one. The review is here.

Here today at 7-Imp, I’ve got some spreads from the book.

Enjoy!

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This past week, Tennessee’s Chapter 16 posted a Q&A I did with author Derrick Barnes, who will be at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books this October. He talks to me about his newest picture book — The King of Kindergarten (Nancy Paulsen Books, July 2019), illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton — as well as the success of last year’s award-winning Crown. You can click on the image above to head to our chat.

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Title page art
(Click to enlarge)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I have a tribute to those kicking off the school year in classrooms and libraries with lots and lots of books.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Matt Myers’s Hum and Swish (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, June 2019). I’m following up today with some of Matt’s preliminary artwork for the book, as well as some final art. I thank him for sharing.

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I’ve been remarkably erratic lately about featuring the work of student or newly-graduated illustrators, which I try to do the first Sunday of each month. Today — in an earnest attempt to make up for my inconsistency — I’m featuring an illustrator whose work I really like. It’s not a Sunday, I know. It’s a wild-card, mid-week kind of up-and-coming illustrator feature. Livin’ on the edge, right?

Her name is Ellen Dubreuil (don’t forget to visit her website, linked there, to see more of her art), and she recently graduated from the School of Visual Arts. She shares more about herself below and also shares lots of artwork, for which I thank her. Let’s get right to it and hand 7-Imp over to her. …

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“Dring-dring, dring-dring! They hop aboard a boat and …”

 
Here’s a quick post to share some art from the fourth book in the Chirri & Chirra series from Japanese author-illustrator Kaya Doi. Chirri & Chirra Underground (Enchanted Lion, July 2019), translated from the Japanese by David Boyd, features the same inquisitive twins of the first three books, but in this new addition to the series they journey under the earth.

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Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got Matt Myers’s newest picture book.

That is here.

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Last week at Kirkus, I wrote here about Lorie Ann Grover’s I Love All of Me (Cartwheel/Scholastic, September 2019), illustrated by Carolina Búzio. I’m following up here today with some art from the book. Enjoy!

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I’ve got a review over at BookPage of Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s newest picture book, Why? (Neal Porter / Holiday House, August 2019). That is here.

Below, Laura shares some early sketches, as well as some final art, from the book.

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I’m doing something a little bit different today and sharing this pin that author-illustrator Carson Ellis created. For obvious reasons. I know that merely sharing a post like this does little for my part (compared to a force like the NRA), so I’ll say this: If you’re angry and sad and fed up, as so many of us are, I recommend you contact your elected officials to tell them how you feel.

Carson shared this at Instagram and told me it was fine with her if I posted it here today. If I understand it correctly, she is not producing and selling these pins. In fact, she’d probably encourage you to make your own! DO IT UP.

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“And worrying.”
— From Traci Sorell’s At the Mountain’s Base, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
(Click to enlarge spread)

 

“‘Our hearts should be filled with satisfaction,’ he said, ‘because Mexican Americans risked their own lives to fulfill their duty.’ Debemos sentir orgullo.”
— From Duncan Tonatiuh’s Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War
(Click to enlarge spread and read text in its entirety)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got the first in a new board book series all about building confidence in young children.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Traci Sorell’s At the Mountain’s Base (Kokila, September 2019), illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, and Duncan Tonatiuh’s Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War (Abrams, September 2019).

I’m following up today with art from each book. And bonus! Weshoyot also visits to answer some questions about illustrating At the Mountain’s Base, share some process images, and talk about some other current projects. I thank her for sharing. Let’s get to it. …

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