7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #26: Featuring Jonathan Bean
September 2nd, 2007 by Eisha and Jules
Jules: Many thanks this week to Jonathan Bean for contributing an illustration from the seven-kinds-of-wonderful The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson (Simon & Schuster; July 2007) for our kicks list today. Here we see the young girl in the book just waking and spotting her farmer father trotting off to that apple tree to start plucking apples in order to bake his daughter that scrumptuous apple pie, “warm and sweet,” which she and her papa eventually share with the farm animals who live there with them and who have their eyes set squarely on that delicious concoction throughout most of the book. If you haven’t seen this picture book yet, you’re in for a treat (excuse the bad pun). The illustrations are most beautiful. In an illustrator’s note in the book, Jonathan explains that each illustration is composed of three separate drawings, done on separate sheets of vellum paper, with only the colors red, yellow, and black, having scanned the colors into his computer. You really just have to see this lovely creation.
Jonathan also illustrated the perfect-perfect-simply-perfect At Night, reviewed here by Yours Truly (can you tell that I liked it?), published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in July. And, finally, he also did the illustrations for the middle-grade novel Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell (Henry Holt; August ’07), which Eisha and I co-reviewed here (Jonathan included an acrobatic rat in flip-book format in this novel; it’s great fun!), as well as the illustrations for the chapter book Mokie & Bik (also Henry Holt, published this June), which Eisha and I plan to co-review soon.
Whew. I think that’s all he’s done this year, but we might have actually missed something. He’s immensely talented and quite prolific, yes? Thanks again to Jonathan for letting us feature one of his illustrations today.
For my kicks this week, I’m doing something slightly different. We’re going to feature picture books all week this week here at 7-Imp, so I composed a post that includes seven of my current picture book kicks (leading off with The Apple Pie That Papa Baked as numero uno). But I put them into a separate post for those of you who perhaps don’t get into picture books (shocking!) and wouldn’t want to read my ramblings about them. Plus, it would have made this kicks list so unbearably long. Plus, if you’re rolling your eyes at me for being an insufferable Picture Book Nerd, I wouldn’t blame you. I promise I’ll get back to real-life kicks next week.
In fact, yesterday I had a Big Kick. My daughters and their grandmother and my husband and I got to visit the three bears’ cottage (though, disturbingly, they were out in the woods letting their burgers, and not their porridge, cool. Hubba wha? Wubba huh?); my daughters even left some notes for Baby Bear. And we saw Jack’s cottage with the beanstalk reaching into the sky — and the giant’s castle way, way above, atop the beanstalk. (I don’t think my three-year-old’s eyes have ever been so big!). And we saw the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. And we walked into the Secret Garden. And we saw Mr. McGregor’s garden — from Peter Rabbit’s point-of-view, no less. And we saw the witch’s candy cottage, but Hansel and Gretel had already hightailed it outta there.
And I mean we saw-them saw them! Not in a book or on any kind of screen or even on a stage. We actually walked into them and explored them. I’ll have to explain next week! But, again, this week I just wanted to do something different and to kick off our upcoming Picture Book Week here at 7-Imp. So, if you’re interested, here’s my separate 7-Kicks picture book post!
I think Eisha’s having more Internet woes again, but she hopes to chime in soon with her kicks. Happy holiday weekend to all. Hope folks are around to list their kicks . . .
Picture books are a great kick! 🙂
There was a place not so far from here when I was a kid that had all these fairy tale things set up — three bears’ cottage, Cinderella’s coach, the witch’s gingerbread cottage from Hansel and Gretel. We went there perhaps two or three times when I was a preschooler, but it’s one of the few things I have solid memories of from that time in my life. I just thought it was so amazingly cool.
My kicks:
1. Going to see the treehouse guy’s yard (http://www.mystrees.com/) was so much fun. If I had ANY building skills, I would start building treehouses in my yard immediately. My fear of power tools will surely get in the way, though, along with the extremely large number of projects I need to finish IN my house. But, still, I can dream.
2. I’ve been working with the proofreader on proofreading my book. It’s an interesting and positive process (although I am getting kind of sick of rereading and rereading this book I wrote, esp. now that I’m not allowed to make big changes).
3. Peaches are in season.
4. The new-ish Jane Eyre miniseries (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780362/) is awesome.
5. I know I’m a year behind this, but I’ve been watching Heroes on DVD this week. I am so hooked.
6. I got to spent a lot of quality time with people I love over the last week, some who I haven’t gotten a lot of time with lately. That’s always happy and centering.
7. What isn’t to love about this time of year? The days are still warm and sunny, the selection of produce in WNY is freaking awesome, and there are cool pens and notebooks on sale pretty much everywhere you go. Rock on, September!
Hey, the internet gods have accepted my offerings and restored service – for now, anyway. Here’s my kicks:
1. I totally forgot to mention it last week, but Katie Alender sent me an awesome pair of handmade quilted coasters (http://katiesews.blogspot.com/2007/07/sharing-ones-feelings-through-fabric.html), with bitchin’ skull&crossbones bandanna print on one side, and funky pink & green paisley on the other. I love them. Thanks, Katie!
2. My mom’s arm hardware came off, and she’s doing great.
3. Discovered a Mexican restaurant in town that gives you a lo-o-ot of sangria for not much money.
4. My husband started officially teaching last week, and I think he’s really getting into it.
5. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.
6. Read Haven Kimmel’s new novel, The Used World, and immediately turned right to the front and started it over again.
7. Discovered The Daily Puppy (www.dailypuppy.com) which has become my internet version of crack.
Happy Sunday, everyone! Jules, love your seven picture book kicks — especially The Apple Pie that Papa Baked, G. Brian Karas and the pumpkins, and Emily Jenkins (in a class all by herself)! Can hardly wait to hear about that special place where you saw all the book characters in their settings. Sounds like my dream come true! But where is Eisha? Bad bad internet! WE WANT EISHA! (chanting) WE WANT EISHA!
BTW, if Adrienne is referring to the PBS Jane Eyre series featuring Toby Stephens, I’m swooning just thinking about it. Best version of JE ever! Had to buy the DVD set!
My kicks for this week:
1. New Hampshire! Went up there to attend my sister-in-law’s surprise 60th birthday party. At first we thought the surprise was all spoiled, because a friend who was invited to the party died a few days prior, and the funeral was held the morning of the party. But, as it turned out, my sister-in-law was surprised after all because she didn’t expect us to be there (I rarely travel). She was overwhelmed. No one has ever been that happy to see me before! I was her birthday kick!
2. Today is our 29th wedding anniversary! We got married in London, England, so my family had to fly over from Hawaii, and Len’s parents from NH. For our wedding reception, we had an Elizabethan banquet. (I blogged today about our meeting.)
3. Colin Firth in “Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason.” I’ve seen him in other movies, but in this one, his facial expressions are knee-weakening, melt-away material. Now I know why Lisa Yee crushes on him all the time.
4. Watching a raccoon steal our “pet” fox’s dinner. We usually put out leftovers for Fuzzy the fox, but last night Rocky Raccoon beat him to the punch and stole Fuzzy’s smoked turkey. It’s always interesting to see which animal will be dominant in the natural world.
5. Dining at our favorite Italian restaurant last night to celebrate our anniversary.
6. Discovering a new teddy bear ABC porcelain breakfast set in the Tiffany’s catalog. (China is my weakness; nurseryware moreso.) Something to put on my Christmas wish list!
7. Polka dots on everything.
Hi Everybody! Hope you all had great kicks this week. I am listening to the Stray Cats. That’s a kick.
One of the teachers at the high school my daughter attends stopped me this week to tell me how much she admires Grace, my daughter. She said, “She’s beautiful inside and out.” It’s good to know that Grace’s emotional torture is apparently limited to her dad and me. 🙂
My college sophomore son, Will, is happy where he is.
Yes, like NBC, I have a Will and Grace, but I had them first.
I am finally making peace with my job – not a career, just a job, and that’s o.k. by me.
We all survived my husband’s annual birthday snit. This year’s snit came post-birthday, which confused me for a couple of days, but then I caught on. I believe the worst is over.
I thought about you all and the list this week, and wondered what fun things might be on tap for each of you. Hope you are all well and kickin’.
Gloria (WG)
Hi y’all!
Here are my seven kicks:
1) I’m going to post my introductory interview series called “Spinning Wheel” this Tuesday, and the interview will be with Eric Herman. Come see when it’s up!
2) I just received my business license (this means I have to pay taxes 4 times a year– except that I don’t make enough to submit taxes)
3) I might have a Halloween gig.
4) My garden did not die while I was away (thanks, Phil!)
5) My daughter starts school next week and I CANNOT WAIT.
6) Thanks to HipWriterMama, I’m going to learn a new song or story each day for the next month.
7) I’ve lost weight.
Party on!
Jama, Yes, it is the PBS version, and I also swoon every time I think of it. It is almost as good as the BBC Pride and Prejudice, but not quite. Nothing will replace The P&P in my heart.
Hello, all. Eisha, good that you have internet again. Your coasters would be fun in the library. We have a hidden treasure/pirate theme this year. Jules, I love the picture books.
My 7 kicks:
1. Am into Vegetable, Meat, Miracle by Kingsolver.
2. Survived the first week of school, no kids, all meetings.
3. Went clothes shopping for school.
4. HP 5 in audio is completed. On to # 6!!
5. Walked several nights this week with husband and dogs.
6. Beading Binge.
7. Spent time outdoors. Summer lingering is ending. Must spend time outdoors.
Have a great week.
jules, I pinky swear that I’ll take a break from MG and YA novels this week, and enjoy a picture book. Eisha, keep feeding those Internet gods…I know you’ve read Gaiman’s American Gods, and I’m scared for you.
I’m keeping it short this week: Family, food, movies, books, and a very nice phone call. I’m content!
My first non-official kick is that there are not a lot of comments here today. What that means for me (and it’s all about me) is that it’s not that people were abandoning my blog today. It’s that no one is online anywhere. What a relief.
Seriously, I had a great vacation week, full of kicks.
1. Standing right next to the American Falls in absolute awe.
2. Seeing the same reaction from my daughters.
3. Going to Marineland and seeing dolphin, orca, and seal shows (oh my!).
4. Getting so close to the Beluga Whales in the outside pool and then having the baby whale swim right up to us in the tank – and getting the picture for once.
5. Going up the walkways of the Bridal Veil Falls and having the water pound down on our backs. Amazing.
6. Relaxing for a few hours on a beach on Lake Erie before our final drive home.
7. Having the kind of family that could spend so much time looking at the Falls, walking along the Falls, going to museums and movies about the Falls without anyone saying “I’m bored. Can’t we watch TV now?”
Actually, coming home has been nice too. A couple more pool days, a visit with family friends, a neighborhood yard sale, and good teacher assignments. I’m not ready for summer to end, but I’m sure squeezing as much as I can out of it before it does end. Oh, and I’m looking forward to picture book week. Bring it on.
Hi, everyone. Yes, MotherReader, it’s slow here today, but that just means people are out having fun or spending time with their families on this holiday weekend. It’s all good.
Adrienne, good luck with the proofreading. I’m looking forward to reading your book and telling my local liberrians about it!
Jama, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Wem Glo, I hear ya on the job-not-a-career thing. I used to live to work, but now I work to live.
Alkelda, congrats on the weight loss, since I know you were really wanting that. You’ve worked hard for it. And I’m looking forward to your “Spinning Wheel” series. Hope your vacation was good.
Jone, I want to get that Kingsolver book for my husband for his b’day this week.
Sara, I think you have a picture book in you. One day I’m gonna read one, written by you. I just know it.
MotherReader, glad your vacation rocked.
Jama, I missed Eisha’s kicks, too. Wasn’t the same without hers, but at least she got to add them in the comments.
Hey again. The internet gods are fickle, but I am ever hopeful.
Adrienne, surely there’s someone you could hire to help you build a treehouse? I mean, if you have the space and the trees, I think everyone should have one.
Jama, Happy Anniversary!!!
Hey, Grace. Glad you’re getting into the kicky spirit. One of my college advisors, when talking to me about future career paths, said that I shouldn’t try to find a job that made me happy, but rather find a job that was compatible with my happiness. It was the best advice I think I’ve ever heard.
Akelda, that’s cool about your first interview! We’ll be checking in for sure.
Jone, my last library did a treasure/pirate theme for summer reading a couple of years ago, and the kids LOVED IT. Frankly, so did we. It’s so fun to decorate for, and there are so many great pirate-themed books too.
Sara, good call on the American Gods thing. I should be more careful how I toss phrases like “internet gods” around.
MotherReader, geez, you have had the best-sounding summer to me. Every week you’re all “went to the beach, went to the water park, went to the falls…” Would you adopt me?
Jules, we’re gonna have words with the landlord this week about this paltry so-called “high-speed internet included” deal. Hopefully I won’t have to keep bailing on you.