Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

This morning over at Kirkus, I write about Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s Naamah and the Ark at Night, with illustrations from Holly Meade. The link is here.

In last week’s column, I wrote about Eric Carle’s newest picture book, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, released by Philomel this month. (Pictured above is one of the book’s best moments.) But since I start to get twitchy if I don’t show you some art from the picture books about which I write, this morning I share some spreads below. Enjoy.

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This is the spellbinding opening of Chapter 4 in author/illustrator Rosalyn Schanzer’s Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, published by National Geographic Children’s Books in September of this year. Two terrified men think they see a beast fly up into the air and turn into the spirits of three witches, while the three accused “witches” are in jail at the time.

The Society of Illustrator’s 2011 Original Art Opening Reception and Awards Presentation will be next Thursday, October 27th, in New York City, and you can bet Rosalyn will be there, as she was awarded the Gold Medal for the aforementioned nonfiction title. Though I was a jury member this year, I can’t make it to the reception, but the least I can do is feature Rosalyn here at 7-Imp right before her big night. (To be fair, I should point out that the two Silver Medal winners, Kadir Nelson and Lane Smith, have previously visited 7-Imp — here and here, respectively.)

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I can say with confidence that this is the first time here at 7-Imp that I’ve featured illustrations rendered on blue jeans.

Yes, for Tony Johnston’s Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 2011), illustrator Stacy Innerst painted with acrylics on old blue jeans, and it totally works.

This book, a barrel of fun (that’s a really bad pun that will make you cringe, once you go find yourself a copy), is—in the words of Johnston—“mostly legend with threads of truth, which my version stretches to near popping.” To be clear, there’s a closing author’s note that lays out the facts about Levi Strauss, but the narrative takes us on a tall-tale adventure, making this, incidentally, a great read-aloud to older elementary students.

And Johnston gets right to the exciting action on page one:

“GOLD!” somebody yelled. Next thing anybody knew, the whole world rushed to California and started digging up the place. The trouble was, they rushed so fast, they lost their pants.

Now, I ask you: What elementary kid isn’t gonna love that opening? Read the rest of this entry »

You know, I’m all the time here at 7-Imp having pretend breakfasts with authors and illustrators, when they’re really just cyber (the breakfasts, that is, not the people), but this morning I will have actual breakfast with the two author/illustrators featured here today. Or at least coffee. And I’m excited to meet them.

Here in Nashville this weekend, we are celebrating the Southern Festival of Books, and I will be hosting the session this afternoon for author/illustrators Matt Phelan and Bob Shea (and, as mentioned, get to meet up with them before-hand for a cup ‘o’ joe). Opening this post is an image from one of Bob Shea’s newest picture books, Dinosaur vs. the Library (Hyperion, September 2011); the cover and more images are below, as well as images from another of his new titles, which I haven’t seen yet but hope to today, called I’m a Shark (Balzer + Bray, May 2011). And below Bob’s dinosaur up there is an image from the Nellie-Bly portion of Matt Phelan’s newest graphic novel, called Around the World, published by Candlewick this month. I’ve got more art below from that as well.

If you’re not familiar with Bob’s books, you should run to the nearest library or bookstore and fix that. He’s illustrated many picture books others have written, and he’s both written and illustrated a handful of them himself. If you’re not familiar with his “Dinosaur vs. …” books, then I recommend you see his rendition of Dinosaur vs. the Potty here at the Texas Book Festival in 2010, I think it was, and also his mock Dinosaur vs. Writing Kids’ Books had me SNORT-LAUGHING (and has me all the more eager to hear him speak today):

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This morning over at Kirkus, I take a look at the new picture book from master author/illustrator Eric Carle. The link is here.

For last week’s column, I discussed the brand-new Nursery Rhyme Comics from First Second Books, a collection of 50 rhymes as re-imagined by cartoonists. Below, I’ve got some of the cartoons from that to share. Included right is a cutting from graphic novelist Craig Thompson’s very entertaining re-imagining of Edward Lear’s “The Owl & the Pussycat.”

Yet while we’re on the subject of nursery rhymes and songs for young children, I’m also sharing some spreads from Caldecott medalist Jerry Pinkney’s Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, released this month from Little, Brown, which features one chipmunk’s night-time adventure. I’m also including spreads from Jackie Morris’s The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books in late September. Both books are beautiful. (Here is Kirkus’s starred review of Pinkney’s title, which they call “sumptuous.”)

Enjoy the art.

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“Curiously good books from around the world,” I should state right off the bat, is the slogan of sorts from Gecko Press, a New Zealand-based publisher of English versions of award-winning international children’s books. (Their books are distributed here by Lerner Publishing.) I freely lifted their words, because precisely what I’m doing here at 7-Imp today is taking a look at some curiously good books from around the globe—from various publishers, Gecko Press and beyond—that have been imported here. The image opening this post is from French illustrator and artist Laëtitia Devernay’s The Conductor, but more on that below.

One of the reasons I love to keep my eye on what picture book creators on the other side of the world are doing is because it’s often wildly different from the picture books we see here in the States. Many of the books you’ll see below, for one, tackle some pretty heavy subject matter (death, conformity, oppression), and while we have picture books like that here in the U.S., let’s face it: We don’t see them often. At least we don’t see it done in the same way as some of these international artists and illustrators, though I suppose it could be argued that at least one of the titles below isn’t necessarily a book for children. (If anyone wants to discuss that, I’m game!)

Let’s get right to it. There are quite a few titles to highlight below and lots of art to show. Enjoy.

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Would you like to hear one very possible story of smart and ballsy self-promotion before breakfast (though I’m hardly the first children’s-lit blogger to post about it)? Once upon a time, there was a talented author who believed in his manuscript, and he decided to take advantage of his robust online presence to drum up some interest in it.

Marc Tyler Nobleman is the author of more than seventy books for children—in fact, those 7-Imp readers with superb memories may recall that he chatted with me in 2008 about his picture book biography, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman—and he’s super psyched about the subject of his latest manuscript, which has yet to be picked up by a publisher. This nonfiction book he’s written, Thirty Minutes Over Oregon, tells the story of Nobuo Fujita, who … well, let me just share here the flap copy Marc created for the book:

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I admit, given today’s post, that I’m feeling rather sentimental and nostalgic, if one can be nostalgic after blogging for just a little over five short years.

You see, when 7-Imp was first born and back when I was blogging with my best bud forever, Eisha Prather, our interview with author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka (back when our images were disturbingly and fearfully small) was really one of our first interviews. Eisha and I were—and still are—fans of Jarrett’s books (especially Punk Farm — I’m sorry, but does it get any cooler than that book?). And, ever since then, he’s been a friend to 7-Imp and has visited on many occasions, which always makes all the little imps here at 7-Imp happy. (Okay, it’s just me, but I can pretend there are little imps at blaine.org that drive the action, can’t I?) I’m happy to say he’s visiting again today.

And Jarrett’s got a brand-new book out—Ollie the Purple Elephant, to be released tomorrow by Knopf—and I immediately fell for the friendly purple protagonist, as well as the serious Scooby-Doo vibe the plot is sportin’. Ollie, a lone purple elephant, finds himself living with the loving McLaughlin family. But when Ginger, the family cat, conspires with the downstairs neighbor, Mr. Puddlebottom—Ollie puts a crimp in their style for different reasons—he finds himself travelling with the circus and wondering if he’ll ever see his beloved new family again. Throw in some crime-fighting, and you’ve got one boisterous tale. “With bright, friendly acrylic art that recalls Krosoczka’s earlier work,” writes Publishers Weeky, “…the author offers a fast-paced and surreal tale with twists aplenty.”

Jarrett’s here to talk about Ollie and how, truly, it is a special book for him in more ways than one, but first, I must note that he has a few other reasons to be extra-jubilant these days: Read the rest of this entry »

I’m happy to be highlighting a wonderful poetry collection today, a picture book called A Little Bitty Man and Other Poems for the Very Young, published by Candlewick in August. This is poetry from Danish poet Halfdan Rasmussen, who was known during his career for his playful children’s verses, as well as his poetry for adults, often about social issues and human rights issues. Before his death in 2002, he granted Marilyn Nelson—poet, children’s book author, translator, and National Book Award finalist—permission to produce English versions of his works. Pamela Espeland joined Marilyn in translating this collection of verses for children, and illustrator Kevin Hawkes provides the altogether joyous and inviting pastel illustrations, rendered in acrylic and charcoal pencil.

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This morning over at Kirkus, I’m shining a spotlight on Nursery Rhyme Comics from First Second Books. The link is here.

Last week’s column was an abbreviated Q & A with author Catherynne M. Valente, the author of this year’s much talked-about children’s novel, first published online, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, released by Feiwel and Friends in May. Here today at 7-Imp I bring you the interview in its entirety, peppered with lots of beguiling illustrations from the book, created by the one and only Ana Juan. Two friends and fellow children’s-list aficionados joined me on this interview: Kate Pritchard, Associate Editor at BookPage, and Shannon Stanton, a Librarian/Media Specialist here in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. I thank them very much for joining forces with me and for the good questions they contributed.

And I thank Cat for visiting. {NOTE: This interview is spoiler-tastic. Just sayin’ as a warning—for those who haven’t read the novel yet—that there are plot spoilers below.} Read the rest of this entry »