Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Sam Riddleburger has created a Christmas keepsake for those involved with the Blogging for a Cure effort and those hanging ornaments on trees this year (those celebrating in other ways can still make one and, say, hang it in your window). It’s awfully thoughtful of him. Go see.

The Blogging for a Cure effort for Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure is complete! I think it went well. Wahoo! Yesterday was the final day of illustrator/snowflake features. Since I know of at least two more new ’07 snowflakes which were not featured by a blogger, I’m showing them to you here. These are the last snowflakes I’ll be featuring, as auctions begin today. Above is “Golden Snowflake” by Inga Poslitur (who, as I understand it, has not illustrated any children’s books, though she’s otherwise very busy), which you can bid on today in Auction 1. The bottom snowflake, “Swept Away,” is by Linda Bronson and can be bidded on in Auction 3. Linda’s most recent illustrated book is My First Nutcracker by Stephanie True Peters (Dutton Juvenile; September 2007).

I think this entire Blogging for a Cure effort has been wonderful on many levels, and it wouldn’t have been the success it was if it weren’t for all the bloggers (over 65 bloggers — not to mention all the others in the sidelines who helped promote the cause) who wrote the snowflake/illustrator features to which we’ve been treated for over a month now. Read the rest of this entry �

Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Pictured here is an ’07 snowflake, entitled “Cupid and Psyche,” which was not on the initial list and so not covered by a blogger in the Blogging for a Cure effort. I’m happy to be able to feature it. It was created by Rebecca Guay and can be bidded upon in Auction 3. Guay’s most recent illustrated book, I believe, is Muti’s Necklace: The Oldest Story in the World (Houghton Mifflin, 2006), written by Louise Hawes and described by School Library Journal as “an original fairy tale about familial love and its power to thwart even the majesty of Pharaoh,” the adaptation of and expansion of an ancient Egyptian story. She also illustrated Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple’s The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, published in 2004.

And, just because I know of at least three more snowflakes that are new but not snagged by a blogger to feature, I’ll show you one more today (and can show you the other two tomorrow when I wrap up Blogging for a Cure and everyone starts bidding on snowflakes). This one (below) was created by Kathy Jakobsen, one of America’s premier folk artists. Having lived once before near D.C., I like that there’s a snowflake out there for us cherry-blossom lovers. Kathy’s most recent illustrated title is My New York: New Anniversary Edition (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2003).

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Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Pictured here is an ’07 snowflake, entitled “Wishing,” which was not on the initial list and so not covered by a blogger in the Blogging for a Cure effort. I’m happy to be able to feature it. It was created by Jui Ishida and will be sold in Auction 3. Jui illustrated Janet Buell’s wonderful Sail Away, Little Boat (Carolrhoda Books, 2006). A web search reveals that Ishida will be illustrating Good Night, Little One: Bedtime Around the World by Chris Matsuda next year (Rising Moon) as well.

If you missed them, you can read yesterday’s features here. If you collect dolls or know someone who does, here’s a snowflake for you. Read the rest of this entry �

Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Pictured here is an ’07 snowflake which was not on the initial list and so not covered by a blogger in the Blogging for a Cure effort. I’m happy to be able to feature it. It was created by multi-media artist and illustrator and animator and comic book artist (whew, busy man) Brian Biggs, and it’s entitled “Ice Skater’s Waltz” (for sale in Auction 2). The auction site states: “{Brian’s} past lives include those of an art director, professor, competitive accordion player, and television personality.” Brian most recently illustrated One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales by Garth Nix (Eos) and Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids’ Guide by Lynn Brunelle (Workman Publishing Company), both published this past summer. How did I miss that first one? It looks particularly interesting.

If you missed them, you can read yesterday’s features here. My fun fact for the day was learning that illustrator Mary Newell DePalma, as featured by Elaine Magliaro, used to work as a sign language interpreter, as did I. Who knew?

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Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Today’s 2007 snowflake (pictured above) — which was not assigned to a blogger, so I’m happy to feature it here — was created by Brooklyn editorial illustrator, children’s book illustrator, designer, painter, and sculptor James T. Williamson, whose blog branches off in many directions: his work as a children’s book illustrator (where he talks about some of his books); his work as designer and illustrator on CD covers and posters; and his work as a “computer painter” at Impressionist Robot. Look at his post about his ’05 snowflake, “Vincent Van Goghflake.” The back of that snowflake is pictured here. And if you click here and scroll down a bit, you can see his ’04 snowflake, “Edward Hopper Snowfake, an interpretive copy of Edward Hopper’s New York Corner, 1913 with extrapolated dendrites and snow.” Read the rest of this entry �

Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

The above ’07 snowflake by Kristina Swarner wasn’t on the initial Blogging for a Cure list, so it was not assigned to a blogger to feature. I’m pleased to show it here. Just look at that lovely snowflake! And Ms. Swarner’s portfolio. And this, too. And here’s an ’05 feature at Embracing the Child. Her work is not familiar to me, but I have now found a new illustrator whose books I must explore. I really like her style. According to my web search, her most recent illustrated title is The Bedtime Sh’ma: A Good Night Book, written by Sarah Gershman and published this year by EKS Publishing. She also illustrated Doris Gayzagian’s One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book in 2006 (published by National Geographic) and 2005’s Before You Were Born (Roaring Brook Press), a retelling by Howard Schwartz of a Jewish legend in which Lailah, a guardian angel, places the indentation that everyone has on the upper lip just before a baby is born. Read the rest of this entry �

Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Many thanks to Elaine Magliaro for telling me about some beautiful snowflakes she saw in person at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framinghman, Massachusetts, on Sunday, November 4th (here is her post about it). These are snowflakes who haven’t been assigned to a blogger in the Blogging for a Cure effort, so I was able to snag images of them from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and will be showing them to you over the next couple of days.

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Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Pictured here, just ’cause I like it, is Sophie Blackall’s 2005 snowflake, “Winter Swallow.” Her ’07 snowflake, “Flying Fox and Three Babies,” which is also quite beautiful, was featured here by Jennifer at not your mother’s bookclub during the second week of this Blogging for a Cure effort. Okay, it’s too beautiful to not just go ahead and post again, so I’ll do that just underneath today’s schedule below.

If you missed them, you can read yesterday’s features here. Yesterday’s write-up featured the second dino-flake I’ve seen in all the snowflakes thus far this year. So, if you want to see that and are generally trying to keep up, go read ’em and enjoy — and don’t forget this page where all the features are being compiled in one spot. Read the rest of this entry �

Below is today’s Robert’s Snow schedule.

Pictured here is R. Gregory Christie’s 2004 snowflake, “Christmas Dew.” Not only do I love this snowflake, but I just finished Ann Patchett’s new novel, Run, which is so entirely and perfectly wonderful (and I may not review here at 7-Imp; I might just cut myself a break from reviewing every dang thing I read). Anyway, this is exactly how I imagined the character of Kenya (from Run) looking. Exactly. When I stumbled upon this flake just now, I thought, I know her.

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