{"id":2175,"date":"2011-07-21T00:01:24","date_gmt":"2011-07-21T06:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2175"},"modified":"2011-07-22T08:19:53","modified_gmt":"2011-07-22T14:19:53","slug":"what-i%e2%80%99m-doing-at-kirkus-this-weekplus-what-i-did-last-weekfeaturing-sophie-blackall-and-lauren-castillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2175","title":{"rendered":"What I\u2019m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week,
Featuring Sophie Blackall and Lauren Castillo"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n

“Back home I try to play with Melvin, but he is hiding.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

I’m heading out of town today to do this<\/a><\/strong> tomorrow in gorgeous East Tennessee. I get to talk about my favorite picture books of 2011 at an event sponsored by The Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature at The University of Tennessee and Knox County Public Library, so color me happy. (But also busy. Super. Do I owe you an email? I’ll get to it soon, I swear.) Anyhow, before I leave, here’s some art for you. <\/p>\n

At last week’s Kirkus<\/em> column<\/a><\/strong>, I took a look at the author\/illustrator debuts from Sophie Blackall<\/a><\/strong> and Lauren Castillo<\/a><\/strong>. Both women have illustrated many titles previously, but they’ve recently released picture books they penned themselves. John Manders<\/a><\/strong> also weighed in over at that column on what’s it like write your own tales: His author\/illustrator debut will be this Fall with The Really Awful Musicians<\/em> (Clarion). <\/p>\n

So, to read more about the books and what I like about them, you can hit last week’s column. But today I share some spreads from Sophie’s and Lauren’s books. First up is art from Lauren’s Melvin and the Boy<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, released by Henry Holt in July, also mentioned here<\/a><\/strong> in the New York Times<\/em> in early July. (The illustration opening this post comes from Melvin and the Boy<\/em>.) After that is Sophie Blackall’s Are You Awake?<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, released by Henry Holt\/Christy Ottaviano Books in May. <\/p>\n

Enjoy. <\/p>\n

(Incidentally, at tomorrow’s column, I discuss an early chapter book series from Candlewick that I find truly winning in many ways. That column will be here<\/a><\/strong> tomorrow morning.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“I really want a pet, but I always hear ‘No.’
I ask Mom for a dog like that, but she says, ‘Too big.'”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“Everyone else has a pet.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“When I take Melvin outside to meet my friends, he is shy.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n

“At the park, when I set Melvin free, he goes right into the pond where two other turtles are sunbathing. They look just like Melvin. ‘We should let him stay here,’ I say.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

BONUS: I noticed one day that if you lift up the jacket on this book, there is a lovely illustration on the cloth cover. (Don’t you love<\/em> it when that actually happens in this day and age?) It also made Lauren happy. “I talked the editor and designer into printing a line drawing on a book cloth underneath the dust jacket,” she told me. “It’s my very favorite part of the book.” Indeed. It’s lovely. See?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n

Early cover sketches<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Lauren: “This was the drawing I made in my sketchbook way back in 2007 that sparked the story of <\/em>Melvin and the Boy.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

* * *<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n

“Can I have breakfast now?<\/strong> NO. Why can’t I?<\/strong> BECAUSE WE’VE RUN OUT OF MILK. Can we get some more?<\/strong> NO. Why can’t we?<\/strong> BECAUSE THE CORNER STORE ISN’T OPEN YET. Why isn’t it open yet?<\/strong> BECAUSE IT’S STILL NIGHTTIME.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


\n

“Mom?<\/strong> MMM? Is Daddy awake?<\/strong> I HOPE SO. Why do you hope so?<\/strong>
BECAUSE HE’S FLYING A PLANE.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


\n

“Why is he flying a plane?<\/strong> TO TAKE THE PEOPLE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. But why do they want to go at night?<\/strong> SO THEY CAN BE THERE IN THE MORNING.
Is it morning yet?<\/strong> NO. Why isn’t it?<\/strong> BECAUSE IT’S STILL NIGHTTIME.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


\n

“Why is it still nighttime?<\/strong> BECAUSE THE SUN HASN’T COME UP YET. Why hasn’t the sun come up yet?<\/strong> BECAUSE THE MOON IS STILL OUT.
Why is the moon still out?<\/strong> BECAUSE IT’S NIGHTTIME. Oh.<\/strong>“<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


\n

An early sketch from the book<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

MELVIN AND THE BOY. Copyright \u00a9 2011 by Lauren Castillo. Published by Henry Holt and Company, New York. Images reproduced by permission of Lauren Castillo.<\/em><\/p>\n

ARE YOU AWAKE? Copyright \u00a9 2011 by Sophie Blackall. Published by Christy Ottaviano Books\/Henry Holt and Company, New York. Images reproduced by permission of Sophie Blackall.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Back home I try to play with Melvin, but he is hiding.” I’m heading out of town today to do this tomorrow in gorgeous East Tennessee. I get to talk about my favorite picture books of 2011 at an event sponsored by The Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature at The University of Tennessee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2175\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}