7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #201: Featuring David Wiesner
January 9th, 2011 by jules
In honor of tomorrow morning’s big award announcements from the American Library Association—I am inordinately excited to hear who the Caldecott winner and Honor winners will be—I am featuring the illustrator who is very familiar with the Caldecott, to put it mildly, and who, some argue, has a chance at winning it yet again this year, author/illustrator David Wiesner. (David has been awarded three Caldecott Medals and two Caldecott Honors.)
David had planned last year to come over to 7-Imp for an interview—and might still make it for a visit when his schedule slows down—but I decided to go ahead today and show some art from this 2010 title anyway, though I had been holding out for that Wiesner-visit. I had my best coffee mugs out, y’all. But, really, he’s welcome any time, so let us carry on…
The title I’m speaking of is … well, see here to the left? That’s Max, holding the very line an illustrator uses to tell us a story. Art & Max, released by Clarion in October, is a marvel. One of my favorite bloggers, Travis Jonker at 100 Scope Notes, described it as “one of the more uniquely beautiful books of the year” and a “wonderful pick for introducing artistic media, styles, technique, and freedom in a classroom setting.” (Or, in the words of The Horn Book, it’s a “visual meditation on the effects of illustrative style.”) This is true on all accounts, particularly the latter, as what Wiesner does in this title is … well, again, as Travis put it, he deconstructs the the idea of illustration itself.
Picture a desert. Some lizards. The rookie, Max, is eager to learn how to paint and approaches the expert, Art, only managing to frustrate him, since Max’s definitions of art don’t quite meet the expectations of his more rigid-minded, more accomplished elder. (“{Y}ou could paint me,” Art tells Max, so Max proceeds to slather him with paint.) Eventually, things take a turn for the surreal and bizarro, as Art’s very physical presence becomes altered by the medium with which Max is experimenting. Needless to say, this is a book from which artists will particularly get a thrill, since—as Booklist pointed out—Wiesner is mucking around with “art’s fundamentals: line, color, shape, and imaginative freedom.”
Since it’s a difficult book to describe, this is where 7-Imp comes in with some art to show you. This is right after the moment when Max has brought Art a glass of water, yet all the colors drained from him after drinking it, leaving him as a mere line drawing. When Art tries to run away, the lines that constitute him fall away all together (seeing as how the spastic, nervous Max has grabbed hold of him), leaving Art as a tangled mass of line on the ground. Max decides to try to reconstruct Art. (Click each spread to enlarge and see in more detail. Really, you must.)
There’s way more trippy art-goodness than that in the book, too. It’s a must-see.
Wiesner’s picture books are sophisticated, smart, and funny. This is no exception. Will it bring him a Caldecott tomorrow? Who knows. Is it lacking in the kid-appeal category? Will only art-nerd (and I say that oh-so lovingly) students really “get” the details? I know my own children enjoy it, but I haven’t tested it on a group of school children. I do know that what I love about Wiesner is his utter inability to talk down to children. He gives them whole heapin’ tons of credit, and this book is no different. He just doesn’t mess around when he makes books for children, now does he? He goes straight to Expecting the Best From Child Readers. (This getting-right-to-it is reflected quite literally in the exciting opening of Art & Max. No time to waste, as Max comes enthusiastically barreling into the spread from the left on the very title page, almost knocking over Art, ready to make some—and learn about—art himself.) As for the Caldecott, it is, as Betsy Bird has noted, very much a wild card year anyway. (Did I mention how excited I am to hear the winners announced tomorrow?)
ART & MAX. Copyright © 2010 David Wiesner. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, New York.
As a reminder, 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you.
1). I’ve already said this an annoying number of times, but these are my kicks, right? I’m very excited to hear the award announcements tomorrow, but particularly the Caldecott. (Do you think the winner will be one of these books? Of course, the Steads are too modest to include their own wonderful book. Anyway. I love that post of theirs.)
2). I discovered this week a new (to me) band from Seattle, whose CD I immediately bought and proceeded to wear out. The Head and the Heart they’re called. It’s like The Avett Brothers meet The Beatles meet The Bee Gees. Sorta. Whatever. It’s great! Here’s a sample. It’s zippy-quick and short:
And because I love it when they harmonize:
And I know I mentioned Laura Marling last week, but man…is that CD excellent. I’m still playing it all. the. time. And this is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time. The typo in the video’s title hurts my brain. It’s actually “Goodbye England (Covered In Snow).”
3). I started reading an actual novel. For grown-ups. My reading habits have been seriously altered since I got a book deal and have to write at night (when kids are sleeping). But my unofficial resolution in the new year was to finish a good, grown-up novel. And not be so hard on it, which I have been lately. To stick with it. To forgive it if doesn’t WOW me. To finish it.
4). I finally saw The King’s Speech. It is just as good as some of you kickers have previously said. My father has stuttered pretty badly all his life, so the film was moving in many ways.
5). Even if you love and defend the weird social experiment that is Facebook (yes, I use it, too), you gotta love the very thoughtful musings on both its shortcomings and benefits that Jama posted this week.
6). The return of the art class my girls take—after, that is, a temporary winter hiatus—is kicky, indeed. I think paying for them to muck around with art two Saturdays a month is the best thing added to the budget in a long while.
7). The Guardian’s music blog weighed in recently on why Gerry Rafferty was really quite punk after all. I was raised on a fairly steady diet of Rafferty’s music. May he rest in peace.
Also, speaking of resting in peace, goodbye to author Dick King-Smith. (Hardly a kick, but I pay my respects here nonetheless.)
That’s about it this week. But here a few announcements I promised to share with my readers:
- I’m slow to this, as I think he started this last summer, but children’s book author George Shannon has a blog specifically about picture-book writing. I have yet to explore, but it looks like good stuff — free tips from someone whose has had picture books as his professional focus for forty years. It’s here.
- Author Tanita S. Davis is doing a book give-away for homeschooling families. The book will be the paperback version of Mare’s War. Evidently, Tanita created a homeschool teaching unit for the book. The give-away will be 1-11-11, “just so the numerology peeps don’t have ALL the fun that day,” she tells me. Click here for more information.
- A new site has been launched that may be of interest to some of you. It’s called Children’s Hub and is a membership-based, “virtual salon,” providing “information, resources, and support for aspiring and established children’s book authors, as well as lively, ongoing discussions of the latest trends in the children’s book industry.” It was founded by Emma Walton Hamilton, who is a faculty member at Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Writing and Literature Program, Director of their annual Southampton Children’s Literature Conference, Executive Director of YAWP (the Young American Writers Project), and the Editorial Director of The Julie Andrews Collection. For more information and cost of the “salon,” visit the site here.
- Author Bridget Heos is running a year-long promotion, called Save Everything! (and the Picture Book). The goal, she says, is to introduce people to several new picture books and to show them the wide ranges of titles available. Each month, she plans to feature ten new picture books: Children can choose one to read and then write a review or a teacher can read one aloud and have the whole class write a review. For more information on this and to see the books listed each month, visit the site here.
- Here’s a tip, especially for schools or libraries with very limited budgets: If you’re a fan of author/illustrator Jan Brett and work in a school or library, you can “like” Jan Brett on Facebook and win a free visit. The school or library that has the most parents, teachers, librarians, friends, or supporters over at Facebook will win a free school or library visit from Jan in the 2011/ 2012 school year. Here’s more info.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
David Wiesner: Congratulations! As someone who sees shapes and patterns in, well, everything, I’ll have to follow the string and look up Art & Max to boot!
Jules: May the novel be a good one. The King’s Speech is on my to-read list. I’m listening to Dogs & Cats right now. Thanks for the link. I’m not sold on the vocals, but I know I’ll be recommending it to friends who like this sort of sound!
My kicks for the past week:
1) Doing my research
2) Preparing
3) Hope (always)
4) 5) 6) Auditions (one on Saturday, two on Sunday – as I type this, obvious, the Sunday auditions haven’t happened yet, so wish me luck!)
7) Smiling
[…] Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #201: Featuring David … blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2060 – view page – cached In honor of tomorrow morning’s big award announcements from the American Library Association—I am inordinately excited to hear who the Caldecott winner and Honor winners will be—I am featuring the illustrator who is very familiar with the Caldecott, to put it mildly, and who, some argue, has a chance at winning it yet again this year, author/illustrator David Wiesner. […]
oh no oh no oh no. I feel a finger slipping on amazon… I’ve been putting off getting art and max (just because I could end up buying EVERYTHING by Wiesner) but now…. It doesn’t help you like Laura Marling so much! Do you know Mumford and Sons? Or Vampire Weekend – just before Christmas Marling opened for them in a beautiful venue in London and I SO much wanted to go to that gig. As it is my biggest kick this weekend is discovering The Decemberists – and there’s a kidlit link – wife of lead man is an illustrator – of the Mysterious Benedict Society amongst others.
Wait. A novel?! All along I thought you were referring to your co-writing gig with Betsy and Peter when you talked about the ups and downs of “your writing.” That’s fabulous and wonderful and amazing in view of everything else you already have on your plate. Go, Jules!
You’re my hero :).
Thanks for the Facebook link — a more frustrating love/hate relationship I can’t imagine. Saw a program last week citing how FB is now part of the world’s infrastructure — economic, political, social, etc. Seems unstoppable.
Haven’t seen Art and Max, so really appreciate the spreads. The concept is genius. But then, that’s David Wiesner. I do smell Caldecott. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed “The King’s Speech.” I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. And thanks for all the new music. You’d make a terrific DJ. 🙂
LW, break a leg on your auditions. You are the very essence of “hope.” I admire all you do.
Zoe, I’m smiling at your finger slipping on Amazon, a phenomenon I know all too well.
A few kicks:
1. After clearing up Christmas clutter, I found this library book with no due date, and was fairly certain it was probably MONTHS overdue. Certain that my fine would exceed the cost of the book (not to mention my embarrassment upon returning it), I was all dread dread dread. BUT, as luck would have it, the library had made a mistake, hadn’t logged it into their system, so I didn’t owe anything after all. Phew!
2. Sir Paul at the Kennedy Center Honors.
3. Placed a hasty bid on Ebay and the seller allowed me to retract my bid. Another phew.
4. Finished The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (review coming). Add it to your must-read list of humorous multicultural MG novels. So good.
5. Candice Ransom wrote a delicious guest post about her mama’s Southern pies (coming soon on my blog). When I grow up, I want to write like her :).
6. The Waltons.
7. The Youth Media Awards tomorrow!
Happy Week, everyone!
Art and Max is beautiful of course. I’m hoping to log in to the live announcements tomorrow to find out if he wins again! 🙂 e
David Wiesner: genius. And you’re very cool, too, Jules, with all your music and book and picture enthusiasm. Little Willow, yay for eternal hope and more auditions. Jama, you deserve always much pie and Sir Paul. I agree great post about Facebook.
1. I had a kicky week seeing Borrowed Names on some end of year lists, including Booklist Editor’s Choice and BCCB Blue Ribbon books.
2. Then managed to wrestle down the plot fairy on my current project. I think.
3. I began writing some Top of the List reviews for the Eric Carle Museum Shop blog. Which means I get to read more picture books!
4. Snow is a perfect four inches, covering the brownness, but not daunting on the driveway.
5. So cross country skiing with husband and dog soon.
6. Then seeing Voyage of the Dawn Treader with a college freshman on break who I’ve loved since she was a baby.
7. I’m also immersed in a book for grownups (I’m thinking Jama inferred writing a novel, which I inferred as reading? Either way, you’re our hero) Anyway, I’m reading: A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art, and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and Martin Johnson Heade. It’s history as I like it best, full of gossip and poignant small moments.
Back in a second, you all, but I should clarify. Oops. I meant that I am READING a grown-up novel. I am most certainly not writing one! I’ll go up there and edit that. Sorry! That’s what happens when you compose your posts so late at night.
Dave Wiesener is always amazing. A third grader told me she got all his books for Christmas. What a great present.
Jules, I am putting another book in the mail this week for you hen you finish what you’re currently reading.
LW, I wish you well at your auditions this week. Zoe, I reaaly like Mumsford and Sons, fun stuff.
Jama, I loved your post about FB, so much truth. And I have been less fortunate with library fines (small amount thankfully).
Jeanine, snow and the book you are reading sounds fabulous.
My kicks:
The new year.
The 365 Project.org; you post a photo everyday.
Getting back to school.
Reading Penny Dreadful,
Reading Angle of Repose
Featuring William Stafford poems for Poetry Friday this month, his birth month.
The possibility of snow this week.
Have a great week.
Little Willow, when I share music whose vocals wow you, I feel validated. It’s kinda a goal of mine. I once played some Nicole Atkins for you, and you liked her. Score! …Break a leg at auditions! Keep us informed.
Zoe, yes, I like Mumford & Sons. I recently heard them cover Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” live, and it was wonderful. I like Vampire Weekend but have no music of theirs. I’m familiar with them. I cannot. get. over. how good this Laura Marling CD is. Glad you’re a fan, too. My five-year-old was walking around singing her songs yesterday. …That’s neat about the Decemberists’ lead singer’s wife. I also haven’t heard much of their stuff, but they come recommended by friends.
Jama, you had some close shaves, but congrats on the “whew”s. Also: The Waltons! Yay! The actor who played the father was on the HBO show Carnivale, which I watched last year.
Elizabeth, yes, it’s beautiful. I’d be surprised if it won for different reasons, but what do I really know? Truly.
Jeannine, congrats on the book being on so many happy, good-books lists. Well-deserved. I also like the notion of wrestling a plot fairy. LOVE KICK NUMBER THREE. Sounds like a very fun project. The book you’re reading sounds great.
Jone, that’s a wonderful gift for a third-grader. Thanks in advance for the book! And I’m still reading Penny Dreadful with my girls. Love William Stafford.
Hee! Well, of course you’re *stilll* my hero, Jules, but now that I think about it, you *should* write a novel 🙂 — or maybe a biography of Sam Phillips.
Jeannine, the Summer of Hummingbirds book sounds amazing! And congrats again on all the Borrowed Names accolades. As far as I’m concerned, there could never be too many. 🙂
Squee on your month of William Stafford, Jone! LOVE him.
Back in my days as an elementary school librarian, I read David Wiesner’s books to all of my classes, regardless of age. Between the exquisite art and his natural feel for telling an involving story, it was hard to go wrong with any of them.
He even wrote back to me when I sent him a fan letter years later!
Max and Art was the one picture book I included in my own Best of list for 2010. (http://bit.ly/fLB04z) It’s a perfect example of how a well-done story can be presented through exquisite illustrations and with minimal words.
— Tom
I LOVE Laura Marling. Ahh, so good.
Dear Jules,
Thanks so much for the shout-out for the new Children’s Book Hub author’s salon. I’m a long-time fan of “7 Impossible Things…” and always recommend it in my resources lists, etc.
All good wishes!
Emma Walton Hamilton
Wiesner has long been a fave of my boys and I. There was a period when we read “Tuesday” on every Tuesday night for… nearly a year.
Nice to see his art (and max) this morning on 7-Imp. Thanks.
Jules, hadn’t heard Dick King-Smith had died. He is/was an inspiration for anyone starting a writing career a little later in life. The Sheep-Pig and its movie Babe are dear to my heart. “That’ll do pig.” (sigh)
So many good kicks and news this week: “Goodbye England – covered in snow”, kidlit blogs, giveaways and salons, hopeful auditions, slipping into amazon temptation, jama’s smart and troubling ‘facebad’ post, anticipating the YMAs tomorrow, the book rec from Jeannine and jone’s 365 project (so, more of her lovely photos.)
I’ve had one of those “digging-out of the heap of vacation backlog” weeks. Not so fun. But there were a few kicky moments:
1. My son’s chemistry teacher showed this clever flash animation to his students: http://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html
(fans of Gilbert & Sullivan, Tom Lehrer or the periodic table will like.)
2. Killer scene in “Black Swan” when Nina (Natalie Portman) calls her mother from bathroom stall to announce she’s the new Swan Queen.
3. Just finished “Mockingbird”; wow, that was a 1st-person voice challenge — crafted with finesse and heart. I GET IT now.
4. A writer friend just left for her MFA winter-intensive at Hamline.
5. Someone gave me a box of Bailey’s truffles for Christmas. Whoa. Decadence on top of decadence. (They are all gone now.) : – )
7. An “aha” writing moment.
Have a great week everyone. Good luck with those resolutions!
6. I skipped 6. (It’s a secret — or a typo. I’m not telling.) Ha-ha!
I must get my hands on that book — it looks fantastic!
Top kicks for this week —
1) Being a part of Emma Walton Hamilton’s Children’s Book Hub. Emma, you rock! (Thanks for the shout-out for the Hub.)
2. Reading The King’s Speech. Excellent book. Now I must get to the movie.
3. Making visible progress on my current writing project.
Tom, thanks for the link!
Erin, she’s amazing, huh?
Emma, my pleasure. Thanks for the blog support, too.
Denise, LOVE your son’s project. And I’ll be over soon for some Bailey’s truffles. I will be guessing at your secret #6. I know! You know the Caldecott and Newbery winners, and you’re just holding out on us.
Elizabeth Anne, thanks for visiting. You’ll have to tell us what the Hub is like. Must find a copy of The King’s Speech.
Art & Max is absolutely amazing, thank you for your thoughts and notes about it here. I completely agree with your assessment that Wiesner is actually unable to talk down to kids. It’s fascinating because most of the children I come in contact with love his books, and many of my (undergrad) children’s lit students think he is “too complicated” for kids or they “won’t get him.” The reality is often that they have forgotten how to read and enjoy picture books themselves and after a little practice, they suddenly remember.
Kristin, yes! We must always check in with the actual children!
Wow! The artwork in Art and Max is simply breathtaking! That first illustration of Max is simply perfect and simply sings to me since I have spent my weekend untangling and putting something back together – love it!
Just got home from work, so this will be quick.
Jules, love the Laura Marling, and will check the other links later this week.
Kicks:
1. Just heard this song on my drive home and am now in love with it: Conjure One – Center Of The Sun (2003) – MusicPlayOn.com
http://en.musicplayon.com/play?v=431321
I had never heard of Conjure One before, but will now look for more of their music.
2. Indoor soccer at 11 pm on a Friday night, and beer afterwards at dive bars.
3. Being given the opportunity to witness human resilience after extraordinarily horrible experiences. My job humbles me.
4. Laughter.
5. Memories. Good, sweet, funny ones.
6. Reading “A Small Furry Prayer” by Steven Kotler about the animmla rescue he runs with his wife in New Mexico. Its reminding me of Cheyenne, and causing lots of tears, but its great. One of the dogs they rescued was a schnauzer named Vinnie, sweet and old and prone to shivers. One night weeks after Vinnie died his wife found him standing near the grave with a blanket and a shovel. “You know he’s dead, right?” his wife asked. “Uh-huh. I was worried he was cold.” Oh, I know and can relate to how deeply they burrow into our souls.
7. Hope.
Have a great week everyone!
1. A snow day in Kansas City.
2. Picture books about snowy days.
3. The first half of the Chiefs game…and getting to watch it with a living room full of cheering kids.
4. Seeing Heidi re-illustrated through the Tomie De Paola awards.
5. Having Save Everything! (and the Picture Book) featured here on 7 Imp. Thank you for the mention, Jules!
Jules,
Happy New Year! I was away last weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire ringing in the New Year with some old and dear friends. We had no Internet access in our timeshare–and at times no cell phone service.
I had a wonderful time cooking and eating and spending time with our friends–a couple my husband and I have known for more than fifty years! Our friend S. has been battling stomach cancer for more than four years. Both S. and his wife C. have exhibited a tremendous amount of strength through their difficult times. I have great admiration for both of them. It was a true kick for me to be able to spend several days with these people–and a kick for my husband and me to be able to cook and bake some of our culinary specialties for them. The best kick of all is that S. is still with us.
Rachel, thanks for the music link. Listening now…Kick #2 sounds particularly fun. Kick #6 just broke my soul in half for a moment. Wow. Here’s to good memories of Cheyenne, too.
Bridget, my pleasure to post about it. We’ve got snow here today, too. Lots.
Elaine, I remember you talking about this friend. So good to hear he’s still fighting — and that you rang in the new year so well.
Oh Jules, I agree about Kick #6, that kind of love and devotion, on both sides, it’s just awe inspring and lovely and heartbreaking all at once to me.
Speaking of awe-inspiring and lovely and heartbreaking – I came back and watched/listened to the Laura Marling again, this time with the lyrics in front of me – oh my but that breaks my heart too. Just wow.
Isn’t she great? I highly, highly recommend the entire CD, I Speak Because I Can.
p.s. The live version of “Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)” is great here, but the CD cut is even lovelier.
Ahh, tons ‘o kicks…soothing thankfulness for the January blahs.
1) Listen to This…this wonderful book has been feeding my brain for weeks. A tour-de-force exploration of the landscape of music.
2) Skating in the backyard. Preferably with kids gliding amok and hot chocolate afterward — we’re skating nearly every day.
3) Pub buddies. What a gift to get regular calls at 9pm to hit the local watering hole.
4) Ice. Last week we went to a lake that had frozen over with no snow, so it was like glass reflecting surrounding mountains, but you could see fish swimming below as you skated for miles. I took pictures.
5) Making new music. This week I’ve been polishing another short piece for string quartet that I may add to The Summerland Suite, my summer music project.
6) Leftover lasagna.
7) Fantastic Mr.Fox (movie), finally seen this week at our house. Fantastic!
Okay, Jeremy, I’m instantly sold on Listen to This.
More ice pics!
Love Fantastic Mr. Fox, and my girls want to watch it over and over. I want my own trademark gesture, too.
Congrats on the Suite! I can’t wait to listen to the music links there. (Tomorrow. When I’m more awake.)
Also: Will you all adopt me?
p.s. Jeremy, does it HURT to walk around with that much talent inside you? DANG.
Thanks Jules — you’re always so supportive. And no, I cannot adopt you…it would be unfair to your kids to deprive them of a wonderful mother.
re: talent
We use the T-word to talk about everyone else’s creativity, but as you probably know from your own creative endeavors, it doesn’t tend to resonate intrinsically for ourselves — I think it’s because doing creative work is hard, and when it’s us plugging away at that difficult stuff, our so-called talent doesn’t seem to be helping us very much. That’s how it feels, anyway.
I’ve basically stopped believing in talent, at least for normal people (true prodigies do seem to exist), partly because the concept hasn’t served me very well in life. I also think of this in terms of the messages we send our kids about talent and effort. Like Dweck’s research on praise — if kids often hear “you’re so smart”, they start avoiding any situation where they might not be viewed as smart. “Gifted” (there’s another troublesome word) kids often reject difficult and rewarding areas of study or interest when they don’t immediately thrive, robbing themselves of the opportunity to do great things in those areas.
Sorry, I know you were just teasing…this is obviously something I’ve been stewing on lately.
🙂
Jeremy, yes! I know what you mean, and yes, I was teasing you. (And goodness knows I know how hard you work.) I try to be very careful with that you’re-so-smart stuff with my kids. I don’t want them to ever feel entitled, I guess is the word, or stop trying. I totally get stewing on this, as you called it. I think any thoughtful parent does. It’s challenging for parents, I think.
So good to see you here, and thanks again for sharing photos. I can’t wait to hear the music. Still haven’t, but I shall.
Thanks for the shout-out Jules! Art & Max continued to grow on me well after I read it – a great book
Thank you for putting up that sequence of pages up; I thought it was absolutely amazing too! Crazy creative and just mind blowing in execution. Too bad it didn’t win. It was my pick! Still, he’s a winner at my house. My six year old son and I read that book a LOT! And we gift it!