7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #731: Featuring Katie Yamasaki
February 21st, 2021 by jules
I’m gonna take us back to 2020 for a moment and show you some spreads from a book released back in September. My review of Everything Naomi Loved (Norton Young Readers), written by Katie Yamasaki and Ian Lendler and illustrated by Katie Yamasaki, is over here at the Horn Book.
And here today at 7-Imp are some spreads from this tender story.
Enjoy!
(Click spread to enlarge)
Coming Soon! Luxury Living! And one day Mister Ray hung up a sign of his own.
Closed for Good ‘Things change,’ he said. ‘Help me say goodbye.'”
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all the way to 111th Street. It wasn’t pretty. But Naomi knew, things change.
It’s not easy. But when we find places to call home and people to love …”
(Click spread to enlarge)
EVERYTHING NAOMI LOVED. Text copyright © 2020 by Katie Yamasaki and Ian Lendler. Illustrations © 2020 by Katie Yamasaki. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company, 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) I approve wholeheartedly of this opinion piece from Pamela Paul at the New York Times.
2) This tribute to Congressman John Lewis.
3) This animation by Charlotte Ager and Katy Wang of Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things,” read by Wendell Berry. (You can read more about it here.)
4) Playing in the snow. (Sort of. I don’t last long, but I do like to look at it.)
5) Alan Tudyk’s facial expressions in Resident Alien. (As Glen Weldon has written, “Alan Tudyk is, officially, Good In Everything™.”)
6) Stumbling upon the music of Lydia Luce.
7) Getting out to volunteer.
To help people impacted by the weather this past week, if you can, here are some suggestions.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
These illustrations are so bright and warm and happy – so nice to see in the midst of cold, grey February. Really love the girls on their scooters with the lions, and the overhead view of them taming the wild animals walking by.
Jules – That living tribute to John Lewis is beautiful and perfect. Yay for playing in the snow and watching Alan Tudyk in anything. Going to read the linked article and listen to the music link.
My kicks this week:
1) Starting this morning off with coffee in bed and Daisy snuggles. (And Daisy snores, she’s a big fan of sleeping in.)
2) The neighborhood feral cats survived the all the cold and snow. One of my neighbors told me a few of them stayed in his garage.
3) The connectedness of the world even though we’re all mainly stuck at home right now. I sent an Instagram image that reminded me of The Wolf Wilder and Will in Cartwheeling Through Thunderstorms to Katherine Rundell, and she loved it.
4) Catching up on penpalooza correspondence while listening to fun music.
5) Lucking in to seeing 4 humpback whales swimming close to shore on the livestream from the Maui Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary. It always feels like magic to me.
6) Passed the Montana Bear Identification test! So if I ever get to Montana, I can fairly confidently say I can tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly.
7) This artist on IG is donating 100% of all sales the next 2 weeks to Austin Mutual Aid: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZflZ3lbAD/
7.5) Gratitude. The world is still a great big mess, and yet, there is so much to be thankful for. Right now I am grateful for all the people stepping up to help Texas, a warm sleeping dog at my side, good coffee, and the glimmer of spring in the extra minutes of daylight each day.
Have a great week Imps!
Hello Imps! Hello Katie, and Ian, and Naomi! I hope you are all safe and sound.
Jules: Thank you for sharing that resource.
Rachel: Congrats! Hello to the bears and the whales. Hi Daisy!
My kicks:
1) Hassle-free returns
2) Food
3) Water
4) Blankets
5) Things working
6) Things working out
7) Okay
– and hello to Rachel’s feline neighbors! Yay, cats!
Rachel, love that last kick. And the third one (Rundell!). Good luck to those stray kitties. Glad they are managing to stay warm.
Little Willow, I second all of those kicks (though I had no hassle-free returns this week).
My new kick, as of now, is that it was warmer today and felt vaguely spring-like.
I hope you both have a good week!
Hello Jules, Rachel and Little Willow:
I know I am responding very late in the day, but I miss being here each week and commenting.
The artwork in Everything Naomi Loved is vivid and charming. I love the page with Mister Ray. Jules, I thought the Pamela Paul piece was outstanding. She spoke words which I feel distinctly. And Mulan and I love to play in the snow. Winter is one of my favorite seasons. Rachel, I am so glad you have snuggle time with Daisy. When Mulan and I end our day together in bed, it is my best time of the day as she curls against my body. Little Willow, your kicks are always profound and rich with meaning. Food, water, and blankets are essential.
My kicks:
1. More days with sunshine
2. UPS, FedEx and postal deliveries
3. Snowshoeing
4. Mulan racing in my snowshoe paths
5. Picture books
6. Zoom chats with friends
7. All things Mulan
Certainly hope you all have a wonderful week.
Margie, when does it start to warm up where you are in Michigan? I figure you still have a lot of snow ahead of you. All of our snow is gone today.
Happy picture book-reading! Hugs to Mulan.
Jules: We still do have a lot of snow. We are under a winter weather advisory for 3 to 5 more inches of snow tonight and tomorrow morning. It was unnaturally warm today—42. We have had snow in May. No one puts out annuals until the first of June. Just gave Mulan her hug from you. ♥
Stay warm!