Monday, September 29, 2014

Once In A Lifetime

A generous witch is repaid for her kindness




Get on! There's plenty of room!


Recently I received a copy of ROOM ON THE BROOM by Julia Donaldson, pictures by Axel Scheffler. (First published in 2001.) Donaldson is an expert storyteller. Her website states that she really enjoys writing in verse, and her enjoyment shows.

ROOM ON THE BROOM is a musical romp, perfect for story time or quiet inspection. Scheffler's illustrations are simple and rich at the same time. I loved the details in the landscapes, and the bug-eyed characters, especially the not-too-scary red dragon. Great fun.

  • ISBN-13: 9780803726574
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Pages: 32
  • Age range: 4 - 8 Years

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Visit theguardian.com to see a nice collection of illustration (by David Roberts, Lydia Monks, Emily GravettAnna Currey and Axel Sheffler) from some of Julia Donaldson's books.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Smallest Girl



Hardly anyone noticed young Sally McCabe.
She was the smallest girl in the smallest grade.


Shelley and I are big fans of Christian Robinson, so I was delighted to receive a copy of THE SMALLEST GIRL IN THE SMALLEST GRADE illustrated by Mr. Robinson and written by Justin Roberts.

THE SMALLEST GIRL will resonate with anyone who has felt ignored. Day after day tiny Sally McCabe surveys the schoolyard without a single person seeing her. Little do they know that Sally possess special powers—not the standard type of super powers, but the powers of observation and compassion. She goes unnoticed until the day she raises her voice in the lunchroom: "I'm tired of seeing this terrible stuff. Stop hurting each other! This is enough!"

The message of the book is front and center. Roberts's rhyme adds some bounce, and Robinson's simple colorful shapes and faces add humor and a sophisticated sense of style.


Hardcover40 pages
Published September 2014 by Putnam Juvenile 
0399257438 (ISBN13: 9780399257438)

Monday, September 22, 2014

The Noisy Paint Box


(I just sat next Mary GrandPré at a SCBWI book signing. Why didn't I get someone to take our picture? I am the dumbest blogger ever.)

Friday, September 12, 2014

A Shift of Perspective for Madame Martine


Madame Martine
Sarah S. Brannen 
Hardcover
9780807549056 
Published 2014
Age Levels: 4-7

Madame Martine lives a solitary life of safe routine. And that’s how she likes it, until the day she adopts a bit of chaos in the form of a “very small, very wet, very dirty dog.” When the adorable mutt gets away from her, the chase leads to the top of the Eiffel Tower—a place Martine has avoided (believing it was a tourist-trap and “a waste of time”). A luminous panorama of Paris at dusk changes Martine's thinking.

Straightaway, the cover of Madam Martine conveys Sarah Brannen’s finesse with watercolors. The city at twilight, the intricate metal work of the Eiffel Tower, and even a simple yellow bedspread have a translucent, delicate quality. Brannen’s light touch is perfect for telling this sweet story of an old woman’s new appreciation for life in Paris.

To see more of Sarah S. Brannen's work visit http://sarahbrannen.yellapalooza.com.




Ivy and Bean the Musical


Dot Day-- September 15

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Meet the Author/Illustrator column

I wrote a short column for the September/October issue of Knowledge Quest. Visit the Children’s Book Council (http://www.cbcbooks.org/about/knowledge-quest/) to read my column and previous Meet the Author/Illustrator columns.  

Friday, September 05, 2014

Jim Henson's Journals


'Imagination Illustrated', the delightful journals of Jim Henson, published by Chronicle Books...
Imagination Illustrated
by
ChronicleBooks