Sunday, June 6th, 2021
Well, we’ve not yet officially met the first day of summer here in the U.S., but with my own daughers out of school, it sure feels like it. What better book to celebrate with than Gideon Sterer’s It Began with Lemonade (Dial, May 2021), illustrated by Lian Cho. (Remember Gideon Sterer from this glorious book, published earlier this year?)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2021
If you’re a regular reader of 7-Imp, you know that author-illustrator Elisha Cooper is fond of creating a compelling case for his books.
I reviewed Elisha’s newest book, Yes & No (Roaring Brook, April 2021), for the Horn Book. That (starred!) review is here, if you’re so inclined to read more about this wonderful book, illustrated (as I note in my review) in the same style as the Caldecott Honor-winning Big Cat, Little Cat.
Today here at 7-Imp, Elisha shares an essay — instead of waxing on about his own book (though, fortunately, he does briefly mention the beautiful case for Yes & No) — about the case covers of some of his favorite picture books. As the picture-book fan I am, I love this post and his eye for color, design, and what generally makes a good case. I’m about to teach this summer my picture book grad course, and you can bet that when I talk to my students about design, I’ll send them to this post. I thank Elisha for sharing.
Let’s get to it. Read the rest of this entry �
Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
In Julie Flett’s dedication to her father in her newest picture book, We All Play / Kimêtawânaw (Greystone, May 2021), she writes: “Growing up with you taught me about our connections to the land that inspired so much of the work that I do.” Indeed, this new book features that very thing — animals at play in the natural world (swimming, running, sniffing, yipping on the land) and the human children that play in much the same ways. It’s a book with spare, plainspoken language, perfect for the very young children at whom it’s aimed, and bold, uncluttered images to draw their eye. It’s spectacular in its seeming simplicity.
