7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #432: Featuring Elly MacKay
May 17th, 2015 by jules
I love to see the paper-cut artwork of author-illustrator Elly MacKay, and I reviewed her newest book from Running Press, Butterfly Park, here at BookPage. It will be on shelves in June.
Today, I follow up the review with some art from the book and a few other images Elly sent along. I thank her for sharing.
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BUTTERFLY PARK. Copyright © 2015 by Elly MacKay. Published by Running Press Kids, Philadelphia. All images here reproduced by permission of Elly MacKay.
Note for any new readers: 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. New kickers are always welcome.
1) The Danielsons are heading to Knoxville this weekend (though I’ll be back before Sunday) for their wonderful Children’s Festival of Reading. (I wrote about it here.) I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting others in person for the first time.
2) I’ll be moderating the picture book panel discussion, too, which I always enjoy doing.
3) I read Station Eleven while I traveled last weekend. (If you’ve read it, then you know how WEIRD it was for me to be reading it mostly in airports.) It’s good stuff.
4) And I got a new novel, since I realized that I miss reading grown-up books more often.
5) Nashville Kidlit Drink Night.
6) I had so much fun in Wyoming last weekend. I hope to write about that event soon. I got to meet lots of great folks, including Jerry Pinkney:
7) The story my 9-year-old is writing.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
Hey there. Fly by from Portland, ME. We’re going to the Comics and Arts Festival today (MeCAF).
These images look great. I need to check them out on a bigger screen than my phone when I get home.
Jules, hope Knoxville was fun. I bet it was.
Oh my, what an il luminous book. I love the artwork. Can’t imagine the hours it to create. Thank you, Elly Makay.
Jules, how cool to meet Jerry Pinkney. Love, love, love his artwork. Am going to look for Station Eleven.
1. Appreciating the life of our almost 19 YO, Sophie. I am not sure she’ll be with us much longer.
2. Our house is on the market. It was busy.yesterday.
3. The weather is so spring, changeable.
4. Blooming roses.
5. Time with friends.
6. Book club.
7.joining with other teachers to protest the legislature contempt of court to fully fund education in Washinton.( I live in Oregon, work in Washington.)
Ooh, Moira. That sounds fun. Have a blast! Yes, Knoxville was great, as always.
Jone, sorry to hear about Sophie. And best of luck with the house AND your last kick.
Good morning, Imps! Happy Sunday!
Elly McKay: I like your name a whole bunch. Thanks for sharing your craft with us.
Jules: Have a fun trip and a fun time! Best of luck to your young writer. Check out What’s Your Story?: A Young Person’s Guide to Writing Fiction by Marion Dane Bauer.
Moira: Enjoy the festival!
Jone: Give Sophie a hug from me.
My kicks for the past week:
1) Rehearsal
2) Confirmation
3) Confidence
4) Books
5) Sounds
6) So
7) Walks
What amazing art today, so lovely and delicate, and the layers are magical.
Jules – glad you had fun in Wyoming. I read your new novel you are reading, will be interested to hear what you think of it.
Moira – have fun at the festival!
Jone – Good luck with the house, and go you for kick 7!
My kicks this week:
1) A friend’s birthday party at a bar – eclectic guests and spirited conversation – including relationships, religion, & politics – and everyone played nice. Great party.
2) Saw the movie This Is Where I Leave You and really enjoyed it. Tina Fey and Jason Bateman were great together as siblings.
3) Spin class this week. Feels so great when class is over.
4) Watched the first episode of House of Cards. So good, so dark.
5) Started reading “I’ll Have What She’s Having My Adventures In Celebrity Dieting” and it is very funny. The first chapter is all about her trying different Gwyneth Paltrow diets.
6) Fire in the fireplace last night.
7) Sweet Daisy.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
LW – just missed you in cyber space! Love kicks 3,4 and 7 this week!
Jone – sorry to hear about Sophie.
Hola, Kickers —
I love all the imagination and work that must go into a book like this one of Elly MacKay’s! Especially the sheer *dynamism* of it. So many times, paper cutouts look like static figures (maybe real kids, posing as models for the silhouettes on restroom doors). But these, wow — the kids are kicking up their heels, leaning from windows, going momentarily knock-kneed in surprise…!
(I was momentarily disoriented by the kids-with-nets image (third one down). As I scrolled through the page the first time, I thought I’d just seen one of those kitschy bending-over-person-from-behind lawn ornaments, this one apparently featuring a pole dancer. I was very happy to be wrong about that. Damn the subconscious anyway!)
Jules, so happy you had a great Wyoming trip. And I like your kick #3 so much that I’m leading my own kicks-list with it:
1. Jules liked Station Eleven — yay!
2. Speaking of reading, I bailed out of a very well-written but very dark, weird, claustrophobic SF novel this week, only about a third of the way through it. Felt guilty and cowardly about that for a moment, right up until starting one of Jasper Fforde’s ‘Chronicles of Kazam’ books. Instant redemption!
3. Day job: employer finally (maybe) taking seriously the reality of my scheduled retirement in 3 years. Cautiously optimistic, here: I’ve been very stressed out about it.
4. A little while ago, TMC aired a (1970s?) Katherine Hepburn interview by Dick Cavett. It was exhilarating.
5. And speaking of TV, The Missus and I are finding Garry Trudeau’s Alpha House (Amazon Instant Video) very, very rewarding — hilarious on multiple levels.
6. Since we couldn’t host our annual Derby Day bash this year — Missus out of town for business — we had a much smaller “Preakness Day” thing yesterday. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have minded if I’d never in my life sampled, let alone actually drunk, a Black-eyed Susan cocktail. But the crab cakes were SUPERB. (And we really liked the race itself. Crazy weather!)
7. Difficult but necessary reconsideration.
Have a great week, everyone!
Oh Elly Mackay I want to shrink myself down and walk through your illustrations. Their exquisite detail gives one a sense of peace. Thank you for sharing these with us.
Jules: I am so happy you got to meet Jerry Pinkney. I hope to do so some day. If I could I would have beamed myself to the children’s literature panel you moderated. What a wonderful group!
Moira: Have fun at the festival.
Jone: I am so happy your house was busy yesterday. I wish you a quick sale and finding another one you love even more.
Little Willow: Of course I love your books kick.
Rachel: The spin class sounds like a great workout if you’re glad when it’s over. ☺
JES: I am hoping your day job stresser gets resolved to your liking soon.
My kicks:
1. Lilac blossoms are as big as my thumb now. I can’t wait to smell them.
2. The deer didn’t eat all my tulips. Some are actually blooming this year.
3. Rain
4. Warmth
5. Wonderful new books
6 and 7 Walking with Xena
Have a fantastic week you all.
Hi All!
Not a lot of time to visit this week but just read all your kicks- thanks for sharing! And the art work here is just incredible.
Jules- can’t wait to hear all about Wyoming and Knoxville. What an amazing few weeks you have had!
Little Willow: “So.” I’ll be thinking about that all week.
Rachel, I’ll definitely let you know when I’m done with the book. Let me know what you think of House of Cards when you’re done. Love your first kick.
John: Now I’m dying to know what that sci fi novel was. Maybe you blogged about it. I’ll check. … Kick #3 is good news, but I’m sorry it’s been so stressful thus far.
Margie: I love to see deer. What’s your favorite book lately? The girls and I stared Jonathan Auxier’s first book, and we LOVE IT. DANG DANG DANG he is such a talented writer.
Stacey, yes, I realized I went from the Tetons to the Appalachians in the span of one week!
Have a great week, all!
Good Monday morning Jules!
My favorite YA lately is The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. MG books this year are wonderful. I read Masterminds and Woof most recently. They are both good in their own way. I have a list of must read other MG from this year. I am thinking I should start a Pinterest board of those too. I am posting about Good Morning To ME! by Lita Judge today. Hilarious! Toys Meet Snow is gorgeous. It’s a book lover’s paradise. ♥
Oh, thanks for coming back to answer, Margie! You know I love talkin’ books. I wish we could do so in person. Over coffee (or tea).
Yes to Toys Meet Snow and Lita’s new book! I’m so excited about summer (this is the last week of school), because it means even more time with my girls to read middle-grade novels (and picture books, of course). We are also reading Liz Garton Scanlon’s new one and really enjoying it. AND we stared Little Women; I have never read it and am pretty sure that means my library degree should be revoked.
Happy reading! p.s. I’d totally look at your Pinterest board!
Jules: RE: So: May it mean whatever you need it to mean. Also, I had to listen to My Very Best by Elbow while I typed this…
Margie: I am reading that right now! Go Martha! Also, I envision hugging deer, if I were there. 🙂 I realize that might not be possible or advisable, but let me pretend.
Hi Stacey!
Hi Rachel!
JES: Stress is evil. Just say no to stress. In all seriousness, I hope they DO take you seriously, and that everything works in your favor, happily, content. Katharine was a GEM for oh so many reasons. I believe I’ve seen that interview. Candid and true.
I wish we could talk books in person too! Anytime would be fine with me drinking whatever we like.
I completely understand how exciting summer must be for sharing all the wonder of books with your girls.
I can’t wait to read Liz Garton Scanlon’s new title.
It’s been so long since I’ve read Little Women I should probably do a reread. I’m glad you are reading it for the first time together.
Happy reading to you too! The only Pinterest boards I have right now are for picture books and miscellaneous stuff but I think a MG one is coming soon. ☺