7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #462: Featuring Anna Wright
December 20th, 2015 by jules
The year is nearly over, and I want to be sure to highlight a beautiful nonfiction picture book from UK illustrator Anna Wright, called A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups (Charlesbridge, September 2015). This book, as the sub-title tells you, explores the collective nouns for groups of animals — towers of giraffes, flamboyances of flamingos, parcels of penguins, parliaments of owls. Wright’s writing is accessible and spirited, but it’s the art that really stands out.
Wright—who studied at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland and who has a particular fondness (per her author bio) for fabrics and wallpaper—uses feathers and fabrics to bring her ink and watercolor animal drawings to life. Each spread includes a small handful of each animal, some looking right at the reader. The fabrics are all textured and appealing — you want to reach out and touch these spreads. The Kirkus review calls the art “spectacular.”
The book doesn’t close with a list of Wright’s resources, but it still serves as a very basic introduction to the topic of family systems and social tendencies of the animal kingdom — and can certainly prompt further reading. The exquisite illustrations charm. They’ll draw you in and keep you there.
Here are some more spreads.
A TOWER OF GIRAFFES. Copyright © 2015 by Anna Wright. Spreads used by permission of the publisher, Charlesbridge, Watertown, MA.
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) Star Wars was SO GOOD!
2) That, as my daughters watched the movie with me, I knew they were seeing complex, strong female characters in the story. Thank you, J. J. Abrams.
3) This image. Please click on that and take it in. So much brilliance there.
4) Not long until the ALA Youth Media Awards are announced.
5) I got to talk to a friend going through an illness and hard time. So good to hear her voice. I hope to see her in person soon. This should really be kick #1.
6) It’s Christmas break for my daughters, which means more time to read together.
7) To bring things full-circle here, it was really great to watch Star Wars with a theater full of nerdy (I say that lovingly), devoted, reverent fans.
What are YOUR kicks this week? Also, happy holidays to all!
I love the detail in this art work. Well done.
Jules, enjoying the break reading. Which books?
My kicks:
1. Receiving a poem from a poetry swap.
2. Presents mailed.
3. Recovering from neck surgery.
4. Sending a poem for the poetry swap.
5. Visit from a friend.
6. Birds at the feeder.
7. Crochet.
Have a great week. Enjoy.
Happy Sunday, Imps and animals!
Jules: Sending good thoughts to your friend. Enjoy your break time with your daughters.
Jone: Sending you healing thoughts.
My kicks from the past week:
1. What it’s worth
2. What if
3. What is
4. Meeting
5. Mix
6. Make
7. Know
Happy holidays!
Hello everyone – oh this book is so beautiful, I love the combination of pen and ink and watercolor with real elements – so delicate and evocative!
To Jone and Jules’s friend – I wish full recovery for both of you! I like “make” on Little Willow’s list – always a good thing to me.
My kicks are many:
1. A sad kick if there is such a thing – losing a dear friend – and trying to remember to live each day with grace and gratitude in her memory, because she did.
2. Reading several times “Marguerite’s Christmas,” a wonderful book, thank you Jules – so thoughtful and beautiful. I am a sucker for snow on picture book pages – houses from outside. this book might seem, but it’s so unexpected and rewarding in the end.
3. Days spent with four-next-week granddaughter – enjoying all the magic of the season through her eyes – ” I think Santa is really a mouse so he can fit into all the chimneys.”
4. Snow and candles, trees and Christmas cookies – music – all the details that make this season bright in spite of dark days
5.Watching our little black and white cat find every possible heat source – from the chest of any prone person to the top of a heat vent.
6. Our Christmas tree, any Christmas tree.
7. The very existence of a new Star Wars and thinking about the excitement of so many people – I remember what we call “the light saber Christmas” when on Christmas eve older neighbor children brought light sabers (never before seen except in the movie released earlier that year) to our front door for four and nine-year old. Magic!
Enjoy this whole week everyone – thank you always Jules for providing this chance to think about how lucky we are.
Love this artwork and concept. I am so tickled to learn that a hedgehog gathering is a prickle.
Jules – so glad you and the girls loved Star Wars, and that Rey is a badass female character. Enjoy the reading time, let me when y’all have finished The Wolf Wilder. Healing thoughts for your friend.
Jone – sending speedy recovery wishes your way. Yay for getting the presents mailed.
LW – I love love love kicks 1-3! All the possibilities….
My kicks this week:
1) Finished reading The Last Town On Earth by Thomas Mullen. It was good, & I did not realize until done that he loosely based it on the flu epidemic of 1918.
2) Cookie baking & catch-up with a friend before she headed cross country (home) for the holidays.
3) Christmas cookie exchange yesterday – I only knew the host, so it was fun to meet a bunch of new people while getting & giving lots of goodies.
4) Muppets Christmas album is playing a lot in my house.
5) Most of my presents have been mailed off.
6) Unexpected work victory both Thursday & Friday.
7) Tina & Amy. & Kate MacKinnon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvSiH1eAF3s
Happy holidays all!
Katy – missed you in cyberspace – love your kick #4!! Hooray for snow and candles and Christmas cookies and all the holiday trimmings!
The day got away from me. I’ll be back in the morning, all!
Sorry for my absence yesterday, everyone! I got to visit the friend in kick #5 — in person!
Jone, to answer your question, we’re reading Katherine Rundell’s books, because she’s incredible and now a new favorite author. And we’re reading a new fantasy novel. … NECK SURGERY. Much rest and quick healing to you.
Little Willow, there’s a kind of brilliance to “what if” and “what is” being next to each other.
Katy, your kicks! Whoa. First of all, I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m glad Desjardins’ book brought such joy. So glad you got to spend time with your granddaughter. Your kicks are so precise and evocative. A joy just to read them.
Rachel: WE FINISHED IT! The ending was more abrupt than I expected, but I’m keeping this one for the bookshelves. And we’ve now started Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms. …. Tina, Amy, Kate. Kicks, indeed. Congrats on your work victory. We’re making our Christmas cookies today!
Happy holidays to all!
I forgot to say Happy Ding Dong! We are almost there!
YES! Merry Ding Dong Time! (For anyone who is lost, read here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/venturing-out-christmas/.)
Merry Ding Dong time….love. Thanks for all the well wishes.