{"id":2349,"date":"2012-05-09T08:28:47","date_gmt":"2012-05-09T14:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2349"},"modified":"2013-12-09T13:30:03","modified_gmt":"2013-12-09T19:30:03","slug":"stories-breathing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2349","title":{"rendered":"Stories Breathing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

I was hoping to wake up this morning and find that yesterday’s news about Sendak’s passing was only a dream. <\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, some wonderful tributes have been written. Before I get to the beautiful and intriguing image above, I’ll note that below (at the bottom of this post) I share a few worthwhile tributes and links related to Sendak’s death — other than the three I mentioned yesterday morning<\/a><\/strong> at the New York Times<\/em>, the Rosenbach Museum & Library, and Roger Sutton’s blog. (Roger’s post has been updated<\/a><\/strong> with a beautiful photo.) <\/p>\n

Back to the image above (pictured right is a detail of it) … One of my favorite things about blogging about picture books—if not my very<\/em> favorite—is having the opportunity to chat with picture book creators. Sure, dialogue happens here at 7-Imp, but off-blog it happens, too — often before books get released. Today’s featured illustrator, Aaron Becker<\/a><\/strong>, is a case-in-point. And I happen to know Aaron was very inspired by Sendak, so as we mourn the loss of the master, we also look ahead to those whose work has been shaped by the breath of Sendak’s creative vision and his honesty. <\/p>\n

Aaron will visit 7-Imp later. His debut picture book won’t be released till next year (Candlewick), but he and I have chatted a bit, and once I saw his site at storybreathing.com<\/a><\/strong>, I fell for his artwork. Don’t you agree, dear readers? I think he is one to keep an eye on. The image above is a sneak-peek at that upcoming picture book, which will be wordless, called Journey<\/em>. It was rendered in ink, watercolor, and gouache. <\/p>\n

Aaron is also a film designer<\/a><\/strong> and, he tells me, is slowly making the transition to doing children’s books full-time. I very much look forward to discovering the story swirling around that magical image. Is it Fall 2013 yet? I am eager to see this book. <\/p>\n

At this link<\/a><\/strong>, you can see even more of Aaron’s artwork. Enjoy. <\/p>\n

As promised, some Sendak tributes\/links, in no particular order (and hardly comprehensive): <\/p>\n