Claire A. Nivola

Ack!! Why does my mac mail program mess with my font format?

Honestly, I send an email written in 12 point Arial and the recipient receives a crazy assortment of sizes and fonts. Next it will start adding emoticons and animated unicorns.

A First Book Of Nature

A delightful new book out from Walker Books, written by Nicola Davies and beautifully illustrated by Mark Hearld...

...thanks Simon Lewin and AllThingsConsidered...

Storybird

A teacher just told me about what her elementary school students are excited about; a fun, interactive website called Storybird, which allows her students to select from numerous illustrator's images, write a story to accompany them, share the story online and even have a book printed of the work! And illustrators have a 'shop' to feature their work. Take a peek...

Isabel Hojas

Beautiful 3D collage by Chilean illustrator Isabel Hojas for 'El Ciervo De Las Cuernas De Oro' ('The Deer Antlers of Gold'), written by Enriqueta Flores...

Emiliano Ponzi

Italian illustrator Emiliano Ponzi has illustrated a beautiful, quiet storybook from Nobel Laureate Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago's only children's story, 'The Biggest Flower In The World'...

read more about it on Ponzi's blog...

Golden Kite Awards

link: SCBWI Unveils the Winners of the 2012 Golden Kite Awards

from the SCBWI website:

Picture Book Text:                              OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW By Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal Chronicle Books Exploring the enchanted lives of animals that survive winter underground, Kate Messner’s Over and Under the Snow is this year’s winner for Picture Book Text. Messner’s vivid imageries and delicate prose glide us along a whimsical journey of a father and son as they ski through the forest and discover the hidden, sometimes secret existence of the animals that inhabit the cold season. Picture Book Illustration:              BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY By Melissa Sweet Houghton Mifflin Melissa Sweet’s imaginative use of art and illustration in Balloons over Broadway makes it the winner of this year’s Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration. Using handmade toys and puppets, watercolor illustrations, and collages made from old books, found objects and fabrics, Caldecott Honoree Sweet’s charming images are fluently united to help tell the story of Tony Sarg, the original puppeteer of the Macy’s Day Parade.

Pablo Auladell

Surreal, interesting illustrations by Spanish illustrator Pablo Auladell...

If you encounter a wolfish mood...

FREE BOARD BOOKS by Susie Lee Jin

ENTER HERE TO WIN 

See more work by Susie Lee Jin here

Transformers!

Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon is a friendly game of one-upmanship between colorful robots. Spread by spread, shapes (reminiscent of Colorforms) are added to make multicolored costumes. This fast-paced pick for story time is also perfect for quiet inspection. Endpapers display the shapes that make up these two robot buddies, and inspire this reader to design her own Robot Zombie.

"Jan Berenstain,

 who with her husband Stan wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died"

"Berenstain’s family is honoring her memory by directing memorial gifts to RIF – the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit (www.rif.org/berenstain)." Shenikwa Stratford

Paloma Valdivia

Charming illustrations by Barcelona illustrator Paloma Valdivia...

And Then It's Spring

We can be ever hopeful spring will come with 'And Then It's Spring', by Julie Fogliano. Beautifully illustrated by Caldecott winner Erin E. Stead...

Read more about Erin and her interesting woodblock printing process at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

A New Zig and Wikki Adventure from Nadja Spiegelman & Trade Loeffler

There are three types of dung beetles! Thanks to ZIG AND WIKKI in THE COW I now know this along with many other facts about dung, soil, and cow patties. (My kind of science lesson!)  The duo from outer-space, once again, explore Earth in all its exotic splendor. 


Want to read the first Zig and Wikki adventure? See it HERE!

Want to know more about dung beetles? See Dung Beetle TV  and watch this video from National Geographic:

Thank you to Leigh Stein.

Stylish, limited color...

 in the service of a simple story and a fiery character -- perfect!

Illustration by Matthew Forsythe

Children's Book Week 2012

Poster by David Wiesner

&

Bookmark by Lane Smith

Genie Espinosa

Isabelle Arsenault

Canadian illustrator Isabelle Arsenault has made yet another beautiful book, coming out in April, 'Virginia Wolf', written by Kyo Maclear...

..and a few of her other lovely books; 'Spork', also by Kyo Maclear...

'My Letter To The World and Other Poems'...

and her 2011 book 'Migrant', which was on the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2011...

♥ A Year of Reading

Highly Strung from dave jones on Vimeo. (Thanks, Jay!)

In My Day from dave jones on Vimeo.

Simone Rea

Beautiful work by Italian illustrator Simone Rea, one of the winners at the the Biennale of Illustration in Bratslava last year...

"The very best picturebooks become timeless mini art galleries for the home..."

link: CHILDREN'S PICTUREBOOKS
 The art of visual storytelling

 Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles share their artistic and scholastic perspectives on the history and process of making picture books, with examples from 19 countries including artwork by 
Beatrice Alemagna, Kitty Crowther, and Franciszka Themerson.

Thanks to Debra Matsumoto for sending this beautiful book!

Comics Festival in Angoulême: the winners revealed

Walter Wick:

Exhibit link: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic

R.G. Roth

R.G. Roth illustrates beautiful children's books, many of them with a jazz theme. His latest is 'Everyone Gets The Blues', written by Leslie Staub...

...and a few of his other gorgeous books...

...as well as his wonderful paintings. Take a peek here to see more..

AT THE ROSENBACH: Tue, 01/24/2012 - Sun, 07/15/2012

The Life of Three Sendak Picture Books: 

Pen to Publisher

Cybèle Young

http://web.mac.com/davidandcybele/cybeleyoung/prints.html

A FEW BLOCKS

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2

Oscar-Nominated Animated Short

Jon Klassen

'Extra Yarn', a sweet story by Mac Barnett, delightfully illustrated by Jon Klassen...

 A Caldecott for Daisy

2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winners

http://www.jewishlibraries.org/main/FeatureStory.aspx

Curious Pages

"A SITE FOR ALL YOUR READING DISORDERS. LOOKING FOR BOOKS ABOUT TEDDY BEARS OR RAINBOWS OR FEELINGS? YOU’RE AT THE WRONG PLACE. HERE WE CELEBRATE THE OFFBEAT, THE ABSTRACT, THE UNUSUAL, THE SURREAL, THE MACABRE, THE INAPPROPRIATE, THE SUBVERSIVE AND THE FUNKY"

Who couldn't love a blog like this? Put together by the inimitable Lane Smith & Bob Shea

Winnie-The-Pooh Sketch Set To Sell For £20,000

Marion Deuchars

What a fun book! Lets Make Some Great Art by Marion Deuchars...

Gene Deitch's 'The Hobbit'

Stig Lindberg

Stig Lindberg, one of Sweden's most important post-war designers, was an illustrator, painter, designer of industrial products, ceramics and textiles. First released in 1959 in black and white, this delightful book by Lennart Hellsing and illustrated by Lindberg, has now made it's 21st century debut in colour...thanks FineLittleDay...

...and check out this terrific book about Lindberg...

...thanks OrangeYouLucky...