What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week, Featuring Calef Brown
June 17th, 2011 by jules
This morning at Kirkus, I discuss two favorite summer picture book titles, Nina Crews’ The Neighborhood Sing-Along (Greenwillow, May 2011) and Meg Medina’s debut picture book title, Tía Isa Wants a Car (Candlewick, June 2011), illustrated by Claudio Muñoz. Nina Crews will be visiting 7-Imp next week for a breakfast interview, but first I take a look at her latest title (though her Jack and the Beanstalk comes out next month, and I’m looking forward to seeing that, too). The link is here this morning.
Last week, I weighed in on Chronicle Books’ new picture book collection of Edward Lear’s nonsense poetry, as “masterminded” by Daniel Pinkwater (who visited 7-Imp here in 2009) and illustrated by Calef Brown (who visited with his elephant that same year).
That Kirkus link is here, if you missed it last week, and below are some spreads and early sketches from Calef. I thank him for sharing.
(Opening this post and pictured right are Brown’s renditions of Lear’s Owl and Pussycat. You may click on the illustration at the top of the post to see the entire spread from which each image comes, along with Lear’s poem, “The Owl and the Pussycat,” in its entirety.)
Enjoy.
In his hat a Railway Ticket; (But his shoes were far too tight.)”
— From “Some Incidents in the Life of my Uncle Arly”
(Click to enlarge image)
In spite of all their friends could say, / On a winter’s morn, on a stormy day, /
In a Sieve they went to sea!”
— From “The Jumblies”
(Click to enlarge and see spread in its entirety, including poem)
And they bought an Owl, and a useful Cart, / And a pound of Rice, /
and a Cranberry Tart, / And a hive of silvery Bees…”
— From “The Jumblies”
(Click to enlarge and see spread in its entirety, including poem)
she carried a parasol and wore a bonnet of green silk…”
— From “Mrs. Blue Dickey Bird”
With the Quangle Wangle Quee.”
— From “The Quangle Wangle’s Hat”
(Click to enlarge spread)
(Click to enlarge)
HIS SHOES WERE FAR TOO TIGHT. Introduction © 2011 by Daniel Pinkwater. Illustrations © by 2011 by Calef Brown. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco. All images reproduced with permission of the illustrator.
I remember the Quangle Wangle from from when I was little, and these illustrations are perfect. I love the colors and patterns, and all the quirky characters. Thanks so much for featuring – must get!
Wow! I love seeing the sketches come to life. Thanks for posting the process.
Just as I would have imagined them…if I could draw. Fantastic!