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What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week, Featuring
Brandon Dorman, Gus Gordon, and Agnese Baruzzi

h1 December 27th, 2013 by jules

Yesterday at Kirkus, I chatted with author April Pulley Sayre about her newest picture book, Eat Like a Bear (Henry Holt, October 2013), illustrated by Steve Jenkins. It’s so good, this book. April talks about the writing of it (“Language to me is visceral,” she says), as well as what it was like to see Steve’s artwork for the book.

That Q&A is here, and next week I’ll have some follow-up images from Steve.

Today, since I knew Kirkus deadlines wouldn’t stop for the holidays, I thought about what would be a good book to feature during the week of Christmas. And Katherine Paterson’s Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving (Chronicle Books, October 2013) came to mind immediately. My thoughts on that book are here this morning.

* * *

Last week, I wrote here about some 2013 titles that got away from me, and today I follow up with some art from each book.

Enjoy.

 

From Gus Gordon’s Herman and Rosie
(Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, October 2013):


 


“It was such a beautiful day outside that Herman soon forgot his yoghurt and
Rosie forgot her toffee. Instead, they walked … and walked … and walked …”
(Click to enlarge)


(Click to enlarge)


(Click to enlarge cover)


 

From Betsy Bird’s Giant Dance Party,
illustrated by Brandon Dorman
(Greenwillow, April 2013):


 


“Lexy loved dancing at home, you see. She loved dancing with her friends.”


“What she did not love was dancing in a show. When the curtains opened, Lexy would step onto the stage, desperately wanting to dance. But all those eyes in the audience would look right at her, and she would forget to breathe. Then she’d freeze like
an ice pop and never dance a step. Not one. Not ever.”


“Now, let’s be clear about one thing. Giants? Yeah, they don’t dance. They stumble and they stomp and they stretch and scratch, but that’s not exactly dancing. That’s why it was so weird when five of them showed up at Lexy’s house on Saturday morning
and bellowed, ‘DANCE LESSONS, PLEASE!'”
(Click to enlarge spread; Note: The book’s final art and text are
slightly different than they appear here)



 

From Agnese Baruzzi’s Opposites and Pinocchio
(both are published by Tango Books,
October 2013):


 





 

* * *


 




* * * * * * *

HERMAN AND ROSIE. Copyright © 2012 by Gus Gordon. American edition © 2013 and published by Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, New York. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher.

GIANT DANCE PARTY. Copyright © 2013 by Betsy Bird. Illustrations © 2013 by Brandon Dorman. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Greenwillow Books, New York.

OPPOSITES. Copyright © 2013 by Agnese Baruzzi. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Tango Books, London.

PINOCCHIO. Copyright © 2013 by Agnese Baruzzi. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Tango Books, London.





One comment to “What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week, Featuring
Brandon Dorman, Gus Gordon, and Agnese Baruzzi”

  1. […] Gus Gordon (who visited 7-Imp way back in 2010 and whose art from 2013’s Herman and Rosie is here). Gus sent some spreads (sans text) from the book. I love this book, which has a lot to say about […]

         by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #522: FeaturingJason Carter Eaton, Mark Fearing, and Gus Gordon February 19th, 2017 at 10:01 am

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