7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #708: Featuring Ben Hatke
September 13th, 2020 by jules
Julia’s back!
Remember Ben Hatke’s introduction to Julia in 2014’s Julia’s House for Lost Creatures? (I wrote about it here, and Ben shared some art and preliminary artwork here.) She will return later this month in Julia’s House Moves On (First Second), and her fans will be delighted.
If you are familiar with Julia’s house, you know it is lodged on the back of a giant turtle, and you know that it’s filled with misfit fantasy creatures of all sorts, including a patchwork cat. After all, “Julia’s House was for lost creatures of every kind.” But as you can see below, the house (and its occupants) are getting restless. Julia has a plan (a “nice spot picked out in the mountains”), but the turtle doesn’t care about that plan. And (as you can also see below in those two dramatic spreads) the turtle simply picks himself up and moves along. This leaves everyone stuck at sea, but don’t worry. Even when Julia runs out of the plans, her friends devise one. Everyone also gets an assist from the Queen of the Sea in, arguably, the book’s most gorgeous spread.
As always, Hatke’s fluid line work and warm watercolors are beguiling. And in this new story, we get to meet a ghillie. (I’ll leave that for you to discover.) The book has a never-too-heavy-handed point to make about how beauty sometimes comes from chaos and the unexpected (thoughtful friends are also handy), despite the best possible kinds of plans. Also, if you have a second to read this Goodreads review, I recommend it. I don’t know that person, but I stumbled upon that — and I love what she writes.
Here are some spreads so that the art can do the talking ….
(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)
(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)
JULIA’S HOUSE MOVES ON. Copyright © 2020 by Ben Hatke. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, First Second, New York.
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) Kicking off Calling Caldecott this week over at the Horn Book and the supportive comments people have left.
2) The support of a study buddy.
3) This poem. (I noticed on social media this week that a friend had shared it.)
4) This interview of that same friend!
5) Catching up with friends, even if I’d rather see them in person.
6) I approve of this collaboration.
7) Laura Marling’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall this past week (BBC Proms 2020) and the way they did “For You”:
My thoughts are with everyone on the West Coast, dealing with fires and smoke. Stay safe, everyone.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
I love Hatke’s illustrative style. It’s a great mix of whimsy and adventure!
Marling’s voice is so wonderfully pure. Thanks for sharing the Proms video. It made my morning!
“The books packed, the boxes stacked…” LOVE. It really resonates as I am still unpacking book. And those illustrations.
Jules, that poem! Am going to share. What are you studying?
My kicks…it’s been a very difficult week with the smoke and the fires. 1-7 has to be that community has checked in via phone, txt, social media. That we are safe inside our home, and that there is the promise of rain soon. I feel for those who have lost family, pets, and their homes.
Tom, glad you enjoyed the video. She has said that song was a demo, not intended for the album. But then people told her they loved it, so it made the cut.
Jone, big hugs to you. I’m glad you’re safe. I hope you get that rain. We have all rain all day today here in middle Tennessee, and I just wish I could wave my hand and send it your way.
To answer your question, I’m taking classes (online, of course) in a program at NYU, called Copyediting, Proofreading, and Fact-Checking. I’ve always been interested in learning copyediting.
Stay safe, and good luck with all those book boxes!
Welcome back, Ben and Julia and Julia’s patchwork cat! Hi Imps!
Jules: Good luck with your studies! GO TANITA!
Jone: Sending good thoughts to you and your entire community.
That goes for any of our Imps, any place in the world – sending all of you good thoughts, hope you are safe!
My kicks from the past week:
1) Safety
2) Schedules
3) Planning
4) Performing
5) Connecting
6) Sharing
7) Check-ins
Jules, i LOVE LOVE LOVE that you always introduce me not only to new books but to music i don’t already know — many thanks for all of it.
wishes to everyone for health, rain, clearer skies, kindness….
Little Willow: I am glad to see you here. I’m glad you are safe.
Mary: Thanks! Have a good week.
Hey there Imps! I love this story, Julia’s house and these illustrations, especially the little details you find the longer you look at them.
Jules – hooray for study buddies, catching up with friends, and cheering on friends’ successes! Love the music this week.
Jone – glad you and yours are safe. Share your hope for the rain on the way (and that it gets here sooner than predicted.)
Little Willow – glad you are safe as well. Cheers to connecting, performing, safety, and checking in.
Mary – thanks for the wishes for rain!
My kicks this week:
1) Rain on the way soon. Hoping it rains on the west coast for an entire week and puts out all the fires.
2) All the firefighters working so hard in Oregon, California and Washington right now.
3) Seeing how quickly aid and fundraisers and community collection sites have come together in the community.
4) This piece on solastalgia by Julia Wick: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-13/solastalgia-climate-change-induced-despair
5) Buying a ticket for The Princess Bride Reunion table read that benefited Wisconsin Dems. It was great fun and an easy way to feel somewhat helpful by doing one of the few things I can right now – donating to a worthy cause.
6) A letter from a pen pal arriving in the mail – a true bright spot.
7) Daisy.
7.5) 51 days. Hope.
Sending everyone wishes for a good week!
Rachel, I hope you get that rain. Fingers crossed for you. So glad you’re safe too, but I know it’s hard to see. … I was wishing last night that I’d remembered about that Princess Bride reunion. Hugs to Daisy, as always.
I can’t get to that article because of a paywall, but I’ll try to find it elsewhere.
nycc bllogthnku for sharing