Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I’m so pleased to be having some cyber-coffee this morning with author and blogger Andrea Beaty, who is being hypnotized here by murderous galaxy-hopping bunnies, as depicted by illustrator Dan Santat. I’m a super-big fan of Andrea’s picture books, in particular, many of which I’ve covered here previously at 7-Imp, including 2006’s When Giants Come to Play, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes; 2007’s Iggy Peck: Architect, illustrated by David Roberts; 2008’s Doctor Ted, followed by last year’s Firefighter Ted, both illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre; and last year’s Hush, Baby Ghostling, also illustrated by Lemaitre.

But Andrea’s written above and beyond picture books, too. She’s written for middle-grade readers as well. Here’s my 2008 review of Andrea’s Cicada Summer, a beautiful, poignant read. And she’s back this year with a rollickin’ good read for late-elementary/middle-grade readers, released by Amulet Books last month. It’s called Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, and it’s illustrated by the one and only aforementioned Dan Santat (who might show up again here later this week, so things will be comin’ up very Santat here at 7-Imp, which is an altogether good thing). I love this book, which Booklist aptly describes as a “lighthearted, clever send-up of zany horror conventions” and Publishers Weekly as a “screwy, nonsensical thriller,” as well as a “wholly fun read.”

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Yes, I’m cheating this morning. Usually, on the first Sunday of each month, I feature the work of a student illustrator or an illustrator otherwise new to the field. Well, I am doing that today, featuring the debut illustrated title from Erin E. Stead, A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Roaring Brook, May 2010), written by her husband Philip C. Stead. But I’m totally cheating, because I featured Erin—in a post in which she talked about creating the artwork for this title—back in July of 2009. But, hey! It’s my blog, and I can do what I want, right? I flippin’ adore this book, so I invited Erin and Philip over again (Philip also visited 7-Imp in ’09) to talk a bit more about the book and show some more artwork, etc.

This is one of my very favorite picture books from 2010, as in: Move over, Jeff Newman. You have a bit of competition. (I love love love The Boys, Jeff’s 2010 title.) Read the rest of this entry »

Author/illustrator Julian Hector’s visiting 7-Imp again to share some art work and sketches from his newest title, The Gentleman Bug, which Publishers Weekly has praised for its “quiet humor” and School Library Journal calls an “odd love tale.” It tells the story of the scholarly, bookworm Gentleman Bug, a schoolteacher living in the very Edwardian Garden, whose life scoots along just fine, thanks very much, till Lady Bug arrives in town and he falls head over heels in love. He tries a bit too hard to impress her, in what the publisher (Simon & Schuster) amusingly enough refers to as a failed Victorian makeover. It all works out in the end, but I won’t tell you how, in case you want to read this charmer for yourself (though, caveat: Hector’s words below do include some spoilers). Kirkus writes that Hector “artfully uses subdued colors, elegant lines and generous quantities of space to lend low-key grace to each scene.”

Julian’s here to tell us a bit about the creation of the tale, what’s next for him, and a bit more. And he shares lots of art and sketches. I thank him for stopping by…

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I guess it’s been a while since I’ve done one of my illustrator breakfast interviews, but here I am, welcoming illustrator A. G. Ford to the breakfast table this morning. It wasn’t that long ago that I featured some art from his most recent illustrated title, Goal! (Candlewick, April 2010), written by Mina Javaherbin. At that time, I invited A. G. to stop by for an interview, and here it is today. I have to say that it was a pleasure to format this interview and get to know a bit better all the styles in which A. G. has worked.

And this might be a 7-Imp first: He goes so far as to share his favorite breakfast recipe with us: “Because I work out often in the mornings,” he told me, “my breakfast…usually consists of a protein shake and a bagel with cream cheese. My shake is actually quite tasty. Here is the recipe, if you would like to try:

1 cup milk
Half of a banana
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (or Nestle chocolate-flavored powder)
2/3 cup of ice cubes

Blend and drink! It’s faaaaaannnntastic!”

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This morning, I’m highlighting a nonfiction title from author/illustrator Don Brown, who visited 7-Imp in ’09. This, his latest title, tells the boyhood story of Thomas Edison, “{c}lever Tom, energetic Tom, brave Tom, hard-working Tom, curious Tom…” A Wizard from the Start: The Incredible Boyhood & Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison, released by Houghton Mifflin early this month, captures the curious, energetic spirit of the young Edison and ultimately takes us to the grown man, who is to have said, even though he brought the world a total of 1,093 patents, “I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.” Always engaging, the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes about Edison’s life, and Brown’s watercolors, loose lines, and subtle palette (this one is particularly—and beautifully—light-infused) manage to express so much with such simplicity.

Pictured below are the cover, a couple more spreads, and some early sketches and the book’s thumbnail sketches from Don. I thank Don for sharing his art work this morning. Enjoy.

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You can file this post away in the Blogging-About-Books-Sight-Unseen category, which I’ve done before here at 7-Imp. I don’t often do this, but sometimes one of my favorite illustrators will come along with a new book from which he or she wants to share some art. And, though I haven’t held the book in my hands yet and cannot personally vouch for it, I’m still willing to get up here at the ‘ol 7-Imp soapbox and yawp about it. Designer and illustrator Carin Berger (who visited 7-Imp in February of ’09) is one of those illustrators for me. Pictured above is a spread from her newest title, and below is the cover:

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I’m a LeUyen Pham fan. Say that three times fast. This is her title page spread from Douglas Wood’s Aunt Mary’s Rose, released by Candlewick in March.

Aunt Mary’s Rose tells the tale of one family through the generations, the author’s family, in fact: A young Douglas is staring at the rosebush in his aunt’s backyard, wondering what his Aunt Mary meant when she instructed him to take care of it, that “one day there will be a little bit of you inside of it. And a little bit of the rose inside of you.” Aunt Mary eventually explains how she once took care of the rosebush as a child after her daddy instructed her to; how she raised her nephews (including Douglas’s father), who in turn took care of the rosebush after their Grandpa died; and on and on. Through the Depression, war, and great loss, the rosebush thrives, the family always nurturing it, their family legacy living through it. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I welcome a Canadian illustrator’s work to the blog. It’s been a while since I’ve featured these types of illustrations: For Kitten’s Spring (Kids Can Press, February 2010), Eugenie Fernandes created the world of the curious cat of the title using clay, acrylic, and mixed-media collage. I’ve had these illustrations for a while, too, and it’s high time I featured them — before Spring sneaks away and Summer arrives in all her unrelenting glory.

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I’m heading to Knoxville to celebrate children’s lit this weekend. Here, for your reading pleasure while I’m gone, is the schedule for the final day of the 2010 Summer Blog Blast Tour:

• Julia Hoban at Chasing Ray
• Stacy Kramer at A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy
• Nancy Bo Flood at Finding Wonderland
• Paolo Bacigalupi at Shaken & Stirred
• Sarah Kuhn at Bildungsroman
• Jenni and Matt Holm at HipWriterMama

My Inner Nerd is expending a great deal of effort this morning to avoid welcoming renowned illustrator and paper engineer Matthew Reinhart to
7-Imp with a bunch of really cheesy puns on the word “pop,” such as “I’m eye-poppingly happy Matthew has stopped by for a visit.” Oops. I said that outloud, didn’t I?

But I am eye-poppingly happy, as I have very much enjoyed Matthew’s books over the years. Matthew started out studying industrial design/toy design, and now—whether he’s working alone or in tandem with fellow paper engineer extraordinaire Robert Sabuda—he’s always working a kind of magic in his pop-up picture books, releasing a holy-wow-how-does-he-do-that kind of spell over readers. Taking us into a new dimension with his breathtaking pop-ups, he brings us stories—ones we thought we knew—in unforgettable ways.

This page of Matthew’s site lists the titles he’s created over the years, as well as the ones with which he’s collaborated with Sabuda (and others). If you haven’t experienced them, you’re in for a treat. If you haven’t seen the royal palace of Alfheim leap from the page (in 2008’s Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies and Magical Creatures, created with Sabuda) or Frankenstein unfold from the center of a spread (in 2007’s Mommy?, created with Maurice Sendak and Arthur Yorinks) or seen Cinderella’s royal carriage leap up as you turn the page (in 2005’s Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale) or had the ever-livin’ bejeesus scared out of you when Darth Vader springs forth (in 2007’s Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy)…well, I could go on and on. If you haven’t experienced Matthew’s work, many delights await you.

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