{"id":5102,"date":"2020-05-10T00:01:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T06:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5102"},"modified":"2020-05-10T12:17:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T18:17:43","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-690-featuring-zhu-cheng-liang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5102","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #690: Featuring Zhu Cheng-Liang"},"content":{"rendered":"

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“… you are what I like the very, very most in the world.”<\/em>
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\nToday, I’ve some illustrations from Mary Murphy’s<\/a><\/strong> new picture book, What I Like Most<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Candlewick, April 2020), illustrated by Zhu Cheng-Liang<\/a><\/strong>. This terrifically child-friendly story is told from the point of view of a young girl, who tells readers about her world and what she values in it. <\/p>\n

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“What I like most in the world is my window,” the book opens. The girl explains why, telling us what she sees in the moment. The child even possesess a sort of self-awareness and wisdom beyond her years, adding: “My window won’t change, but the things outside will. … The trees will grow, and so will the children, including me.” <\/p>\n

But wait. There’s also apricot jam. That<\/em> is what she likes most in the world. <\/p>\n

But wait. There are her shoes that have lights that flash. And there’s also the river. Fries. Her book that “has a story about someone quite like me.” (In this spread, Cheng-Liang paints the girl holding a copy of A New Year’s Reunion<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, the 2011 book by Yu Li-Qiong that he illustrated and which won a New York Times<\/em> Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award that year<\/strong><\/a>.) <\/p>\n

In the final spreads, the girl makes another exception. Perhaps what she loves most in the world is her mother: “You have been here since before I was born. You look after me. Mostly we have good times. Even when we are upset with each other, we belong together.”<\/p>\n

There is an immediacy to the text that is engaging, and Murphy fills it with the little sensory details of the girl’s world \u2014 the way her fries taste when dipped in the middle of her egg, the way the river shines, the way her grandmother’s house smells of apricots, and much more. (This book would be paired well with Amy Schwartz’s<\/a><\/strong> What James Likes Best<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, published in 2003 and one of my favorite books for preschoolers.) Cheng-Liang’s delicate, relaxed-line illustrations in watercolor and pencil bring light and a fluid energy to the girl’s world. Below are some more illustrations. (Please note that some of these vary slightly from the final ones as they appear in the book.)
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WHAT I LIKE MOST. Text copyright \u00a9 2019 by Mary Murphy. Illustrations copyright
\u00a9 2019 by Zhu Cheng-Liang. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA on behalf of Walker Books, London.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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1)<\/strong><\/font> My kind, patient, understanding daughters. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> On my birthday this past Wednesday, there was not only a new What We Do in the Shadows<\/a><\/strong><\/em> episode about Colin Robinson (my favorite), but there were THREE Colin Robinsons in the episode!
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3)<\/strong><\/font> The 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award winners<\/a><\/strong> were announced this past week. Congrats to Jacqueline Woodson and Albertine!<\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> Weighted blankets. How’d I sleep without them in the before world? <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong><\/font> One of my favorite musicians, Laura Marling<\/a><\/strong>, did a Song Exploder<\/em> episode<\/a><\/strong> about the title track of her new album, “Song for Our Daughter.” And it is a devastatingly gorgeous<\/em> song, so I was happy to hear about its construction. Also, she announced a solo concert from Union Chapel in London on a Saturday in early June. Virtual, of course. But it will be filmed with multiple cameras in Ultra HD and with the highest quality audio and all that. So, though my ticket to see her in Nashville back in March had to be refunded, now my whole family can watch this with me. <\/p>\n

6)<\/strong><\/font> My new favorite tweet: <\/p>\n

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\u201cJohn, you\u2019re on mute. John. Mute. You have to unmute.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/4N6kd0816m<\/a><\/p>\n

— SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN\ud83d\uddfd\ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffd (@sivavaid) May 3, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n