Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

 
On social media this week, I saw the comic posted here today and secured permission from the creators to also share it here at 7-Imp. It was created by Gerry Chow, who wrote it; Raina Telgemeier, who drew it; Thi Bui, who lettered and colored it; and Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus, who provided editorial guidance. (You can also see this comic at Thi’s, Raina’s, and Gerry’s Instagram feeds.)

More information can be found here and at the hashtag #RepealtheBan.

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“And Crab bakes cakes.”(Click to enlarge spread)

 
Over here at BookPage, I have a review of Andrea Tsurumi’s Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, February 2019). And here today at 7-Imp, Andrea shares a peek into the making of this book — some early doodles, thumbnails, an unused dummy spread (“I lost track of how many drafts this book went though,” Andrea says), the various research and texture layers she made for the art, some final art, and more. She also shares a comic all about why she made the book (which I find quite comforting and want to immediately share with all children I know).

I thank her for sharing. It’s a pleasure to have her visit today. Let’s get right to it!

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“One morning, there was a big commotion on the boat. Gittel scrambled up on deck
to see what all the excitement was about. ‘Look, look.’ Everyone pointed
in the same direction as a great cheer arose. ‘There she is.'”
(Click image to see spread in its entirety and to read the full text)

 
Let’s take a look today at Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story (Abrams, February 2019), written by the prolific author Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Amy June Bates. It’s the story of a young Jewish girl who plans to emigrate to America with her mother, yet has to take the trip across the ocean alone. It’s based on two true stories from the author’s own family — a story from her grandmother’s childhood, in which she (her Grandma Ruthie) emigrated in 1900 from what she called the “Old Country” to America, as well as a story from a childhood friend of the author’s mother.

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“I will teach the sea’s rhythm to my cubs and whisper to them in the dark.
Polar bears are patient beasts, as patient as glaciers.”
— From Lindsay Moore’s Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival
(Click to enlarge spread)

 

“Squirrel gathers acorn seeds, sturdy little oak nut seeds.
Anticipating future needs, she gathers acorn seeds.”
— From Beth Ferry’s Squirrel’s Family Tree, illustrated by A. N. Kang
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got two new picture books about women breaking the rules.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Lindsay Moore’s Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival (Greenwillow, January 2019), as well as Beth Ferry’s Squirrel’s Family Tree (Orchard/Scholastic, January 2019), illustrated by A. N. Kang. I’m following up today with art from each book.

Enjoy!

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“Ready for takeoff, hands up!”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
“Hands up” is a phrase familiar to anyone paying attention to racial discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement here in the U.S. In her debut picture book, Breanna J. McDaniel takes that phrase and turns it on its head. Hands Up! (Dial Books for Young Readers) — illustrated by Shane W. Evans and on shelves now — is about one young brown-skinned girl moving through her day and the many times she raises her hands for reasons of joy and family and community.

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“The seeds she has planted, the roots that grew shoots into the open air of possibility, have become a lush landscape into which she steps, as though she has never left.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
In honor of tomorrow morning’s ALA Youth Media Awards, during which the winners of the Pura Belpré Award will be announced, I’m sharing some spreads today from Anika Aldamuy Denise’s Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré (HarperCollins, January 2019), illustrated by Paola Escobar.

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” … and sits so close to you, you can hardly breathe.”
— From Eva Eland’s When Sadness is at Your Door
(Click to enlarge spread)

 

“Boj is listening. There’s something in the living room. It’s Daddy.
Is Daddy quiet? Is Daddy happy? Is Daddy calm? …”
— From Gro Dahle’s Angryman, illustrated by Svein Nyhus
(Click to enlarge spread)

 

Today over at Kirkus, I write about two new superb nonfiction books about animals in nature.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here at Kirkus about two new books that tackle heavy issues, including a Norwegian import about domestic violence — Eva Eland’s When Sadness is at Your Door (Random House, January 2019) and Gro Dahle’s Angryman (NorthSouth), illustrated by Svein Nyhus and coming to U.S. shelves in March.

I’m following up today with some art from each book.

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“That night, I hear a scratching sound behind the wallpaper. It sounds like something alive — like an animal. Guess my name, a voice purrs through the wall. And then I’ll come to you. ‘What name?’ I ask. My secret name. I think for a few seconds, then whisper ‘Silvring.’ It’s the type of name you have to whisper.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
The author bio for this Swedish import, originally published in 2017 as En hemlig katt, notes that Katarina Strömgård’s favorite books “often inhabit the space between reality and fantasy,” which is an apt description for this picture book beauty. The Secret Cat (Eerdmans) will be on shelves here in the U.S. in early February.

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I’ve got a French picture book import for you today, dear Imps. This story, written by Alexandre Lacroix and illustrated by Ronan Badel, was originally published in 2014 and was translated by Vanessa Miéville. Dragons in Love (words & pictures/Quarto, January 2019) is all about the thrill (and maybe heartache) of first love.

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Early sketch
(Click to enlarge)

 

Final spread: “… He’s so nervous he can’t stop shaking, even when he’s onstage, even when he starts to sing. But that shaking, that shaking starts an AVALANCHE of screaming — in a good way! And so it begins: Brand-New Elvis now knows what to do onstage — and he will never forget. It is a thing to behold.”
(Click to enlarge spread; head here to read more
about how Chris created “a shaky Elvis”)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve got thoughts on bibliotherapy, the debut picture book from a Dutch author-illustrator named Eva Eland, and a Norwegian import (coming in March) called Angryman. The latter is about domestic violence and is unlike any picture book I’ve seen before.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Jonah Winter’s Elvis Is King! (Schwartz & Wade, January 2019), illustrated by Chris Sickels, aka Red Nose Studio.

Today, I’ve got a bit of art from the book, as well as some early sketches and such from Chris. Chris gave me permission to lift these images from his blog, where he’s written a handful of posts about this book. I link to the corresponding blog post under each image below. Here’s the link to his blog, if you want to read even more about his other projects. A visit to Chris’s site is always rewarding.

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