October 13th, 2017 by jules
Today over at Kirkus, I’ve got some picture books that are from all over the map. One is pictured above.
That is here.
Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll follow up with some art from each book.
October 12th, 2017 by jules
Love the Lumberjanes as much as I do? Then you may be interested in my Q&A over at Kirkus today with Mariko Tamaki, pictured above, who has adapted the award-winning comic books series to a novel for middle-grade readers, complete with spot illustrations by Brooke Allen. Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! is on shelves now from Amulet Books.
That Q&A is here.
Enjoy!
October 10th, 2017 by jules
Here at 7-Imp, Dan shares some preliminary, behind-the-scenes images (when the book, as you can see, was in third-person). After that are a few more final spreads from the book.
Enjoy!
October 8th, 2017 by jules
You can read about it here at their site, and today at 7-Imp I’ve got a bit of art from the book.
October 6th, 2017 by jules
That is here.
Last week, I wrote here about the return this Fall of some beloved picture book characters. I’m following up today with some art from those books, which include Kazue Takahashi’s Kuma-Kuma Chan’s Travels (Museyon, October 2017); Laurel Snyder’s Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Chronicle, October 2017), illustrated by Emily Hughes; Bethan Woollvin’s Rapunzel (Peachtree, October 2017); Julie Falatko’s Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever (Probably) (Viking, October 2017), illustrated by Tim Miller; and Kaya Doi’s Chirri & Chirra: The Snowy Day (Enchanted Lion, October 2017).
October 5th, 2017 by jules
Over at the Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott today, I write about Jerry Pinkney’s The Three Billy Goats Gruff. And I declare my love for that creepy troll.
That is here.
Until tomorrow …
October 4th, 2017 by jules
Today, I’m following up with some spreads from the book.
Enjoy!
October 1st, 2017 by jules
The first Sunday of every month (Happy October!) at 7-Imp is for student or debut illustrators, and I’ve got the latter today. Days with Dad, written and illustrated by Nari Hong, will be on shelves in mid-October (Enchanted Lion Books), and this is Hong’s first picture book. It is also, as noted in Hong’s bio on the book’s jacket flap, an autobiographical book.
The book relates some of Hong’s own childhood experiences with her father. Told from her point of view, the book opens with an introduction to her father. “Dad can’t walk,” she tells us. “He hasn’t been able to since he was a baby.” Here, we see a well-dressed man (I love how the endpapers consist of the lapels on the jacket her father wears) in a wheelchair.
The little girl explains how her father often apologizes for his inability to walk. He’s sorry he can’t ride bikes with her — or skate, swim, play soccer, etc. But for each apology he makes, she takes the opportunity to point out what she loves about being with him. They can’t ride bikes, but she loves to look at flowers in the park with him. They can’t ice-skate, but “ice-fishing together is much more fun!” she says. “So what?” is essentially her half-glass-full response to her father. It’s not even as if she has to work at seeing the rosier side of things. It’s as if his inability to walk or run does not at all factor into her enjoyment with him. Who needs puddle-splashing on a cool, rainy day? If your father can stay inside with you and have “rainy day cocoa,” well … that’s even better. Read the rest of this entry »
September 29th, 2017 by jules
That is here.
If you like Michael Mahin’s Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters (Atheneum, September 2017), illustrated by Evan Turk, as much as I do (I wrote about it here last week), you may enjoy today’s post. Evan shares some of his process paintings, and your eyes will be happy. There are even more images in this post at Evan’s site, where he also talks about the reasons behind the newspaper collages in the book’s illustrations. Oh, and Evan mentioned this book in my 2016 interview with him and shared some images there as well.
September 28th, 2017 by jules
“Art affords me the freedom to express what I love, and what I love is black people and the various aspects of black culture. Much of our youth are drastically underexposed to their history, and that saddens me. Continuing to take on black children’s book projects allows me to bring to life the stories of our people.”
Over at Kirkus today, I talk to illustrator, fine artist, and graphic designer Charly Palmer, pictured here, about his picture book debut, Kathryn Erskine’s Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 2017). This book tells the story of Grammy Award-winning South African singer Miriam Makeba.
That Q&A is here.
Next week here at 7-Imp, I’ll follow up with some artwork from the book.
Until tomorrow …
