{"id":2282,"date":"2012-01-24T00:01:28","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T06:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2282"},"modified":"2012-01-24T00:01:42","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T06:01:42","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-matthew-cordell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2282","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Matthew Cordell"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Meet Davy’s Mom and Dad. Davy’s got these doting folks all to himself<\/em>, and life is good. That is, till his new, little brother arrives. And then the next one. And the next one. And the one after that. <\/p>\n

This is Another Brother<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (Feiwel & Friends), the new picture book from author\/illustrator Matthew Cordell<\/a><\/strong>, the second one he’s both written and illustrated (though he’s illustrated many others), to be released at the end of this month. And it’s funny. So very funny. <\/p>\n

You can see Davy below and how he feels about these encroaching siblings. Cordell had me at the headband. Clearly, Davy aspires to rock star status. And that’s just it: That’s the kind of detail Cordell will put into his illustrations that ring so true to childhood. You know that kid who was so earnest, tried so hard, successfully reached a certain level of cluelessness as to the fact that others disdained (and quite possibly snort-laughed at) his rock star yearnings? Didn’t care so much that he may have been construed as dorky by others? (Maybe that kid was you<\/em>. It certainly was me, though I wanted to be an anchorwoman, not a rock star. Er, no comment.) Yeah. That. Cordell nails it here. <\/p>\n

Another Brother<\/em> is being greeted here in the land of early 2012 with a host of starred reviews. “Cordell emphasizes the humor in the once only child\u2019s whiplash of conflicting emotions,” writes Pamela Paul here<\/a><\/strong> at the New York Times<\/em>. “Baby brothers may be a pain, but the havoc they create can be painfully funny.” In Kirkus’<\/em> starred review, they note that this “is not just another new-baby book.” Matt’s “humorous text and mischievously silly, expressive cartoon art,” the reviewer adds, “make this one stand out in the crowd.” (Or, as the Booklist<\/em> reviewer put it, Matthew “takes the old picture-book staple of an only child upset by the arrival of a new sibling and turns it up to 11.”) True, there are tons of very funny details, and Davy’s change of heart in the story—I don’t want to entirely ruin the read for you, but essentially his resentment over his brothers mimicking him suddenly turns into loneliness when they finally stop—is both funny and poignant. And, again, it’s real. It (and many of Matt’s illustrations) speaks so accurately to the awkward moments of childhood. (Let it be said that Cordell is not one to make it all look rosy and impossibly, overly cute.) <\/p>\n

“Think Richard Scarry\u2019s warmth and scale, with a minimalist approach to setting,” writes the School Library Journal<\/em> review about Matt’s approach to his illustrations in this book, which I think can be said for many of his previous ones. Or, as I’ve written here at 7-Imp before, think Steig. Matthew’s illustrations have a freewheeling spontaneity and loose lines that bring to mind William Steig<\/strong><\/a> for me (and, as you can see in this 2009 visit from him<\/a><\/strong>, Steig is one of his “pen\/ink heroes”). I’ve watched Matthew’s books and illustrated titles with interest over the years, and he gets better with each one. I’m so pleased he’s visiting today to share artwork from his career thus far and give me and 7-Imp readers a sneak-peek at what’s next. (He has seven books coming out in 2012 … Dare we say it? Seven impossible … Oh, you get the idea!)<\/p>\n

As for setting the table this morning, Matt (I think his friends call him “Matt,” so I’m going to get cozy and run with that here, given that I understand this phenomenon, what with the Julie\/Jules thing that goes on in my life) … Where was I? Oh, Matt tells me he’s a “firm believer of ‘Variety Is the Spice Of Life,’ so I don\u2019t settle too long on any one breakfast food. But the one I come back to most often is grits. Sometimes grits with cheese, sometimes grits with butter, sometimes grits with cream cheese, sometimes grits with cheese, butter, cream cheese, and jalapeno. Always with salt.”<\/em> <\/p>\n

Grits it is. And the salt is on the table. Naturally, I’ve got the strong coffee brewing while I set the table for our breakfast. <\/p>\n

I thank Matt for visiting. <\/p>\n

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Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Matt<\/font><\/strong>: I am an illustrator, who\u2019s occasionally blessed with a story idea that\u2019s fit to see print. <\/p>\n

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Pictured above: Spreads from Matthew’s <\/em>Another Brother<\/a><\/strong>
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Sketch for an alternate cover<\/em>
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Jacket<\/em>
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Case cover<\/em>
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Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

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Matt<\/font><\/strong>: <\/p>\n