Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Jules: What a pleasure it is to feature Jeremy Hiebert today. Our frequent kicks-listers will recognize Jeremy as a Sunday regular. Lucky for us, he stumbled upon our blog during some point last year, I believe it was, while looking for some books for his children (one of our readers told me recently, “Y’all seem to have a gift for bringing in regular readers who’ve just wandered by and smelled the cinnamon buns baking,” which is probably my favorite blog compliment of all, as it involves dessert, for one thing.) And, since then, Jeremy’s been here just about every Sunday to share his weekly kicks — usually having to do with his beautiful family, photography, music, friends, and the other simple joys of life. As observant kickers know, on occasion Jeremy has shared some Flickr or blog links with us, pointing us in the direction of some of his photography — always quietly and modestly so, too. And I know I’m not the only one who’s noticed: These are humdingers, these photographs. Jeremy has an eye, as we photography laity say. His skill with the camera is impressive. He seems to be seeping with talent, whether it’s photos of his young children or horses or orchards or other nature shots.

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I’ve been wanting to do a quick post about nonfiction goddess April Pulley Sayre’s Trout Are Made of Trees, illustrated by Kate Endle, for a while now. It was released last year by Charlesbridge—way back in January, I believe—and sometimes I’m just slow.

It’s a good thing I waited a bit, though, since I was eventually able to chat a bit with Kate, the illustrator, who studied at The Columbus College of Art & Design, and convince her to share some of her other art work in one of these in-their-own-words random illustrator features I’m fond of doing these days.

Opening this post is one of Kate’s collages, not from that title, but more on that in a minute.

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This is probably my very favorite picture book illustration from all of 2008:

Yeah, I have a thing for sun images, but even with that affinity aside, isn’t that just stunning? I wish I could make it even bigger for you so that you could see the detailed collage work.

That would be the handiwork of award-winning designer, illustrator, and author Carin Berger, who joins me this morning for seven questions over breakfast. “I am a bit of a breakfast-skipper,” she told me. “But on a fine, leisurely late morning (say, a birthday or Mother’s Day), crepes with lemon and powdered sugar are a fave. And a swig or two of my husband’s very strong, but milky, coffee.” Let’s consider this a fine, leisurely late morning, I say, and we’ll have those crepes and coffee. It’s also a special morning, since I’m a huge fan of her collage work. And the very way her mind works, bringing us books like 2008’s The Little Yellow Leaf (Greenwillow Books), the book from which the opening illustration and the below illustrations come and which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2008. And one of my top-five favorite books from last year. Seriously, did you guys see the thing of beauty this book is?

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Jules: Jump back and slap the floor seven times! It’s our 100th kicks post. Now, I have to say, that just snuck right up on me. If I were more organized, perhaps we could have planned some big celebration, but I’m just now realizing this anniversary as I type. Just think: One hundred weeks of reflections on the beautiful things (starting way back here in March of 2007). I love it.

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