Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Book Review - The Artist and the King

"The Artist and the King is the absolutely delightful story of a young girl who refuses to give up."

-- www.featheredquillblog.com

Book Review - The Artist and the King

"The Artist and the King is the absolutely delightful story of a young girl who refuses to give up."
-- www.featheredquillblog.com

INDIES FIRST STORYTIME


SATURDAY, May 17 @ 3 p.m. – Quail Ridge Books & Music 


 3522 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607   

Celebrate Children's Book Week with our Indies First Storytime on Saturday, May 17, at 3 p.m.  Corduroy(costumed character) pays a special visit - be sure to bring your camera!  Children's authors Stephanie Greene and Julie Fortenberry will share some of their favorite children's stories during Storytime.  We hope you come dressed as your favorite children's book character - what a picture we could make!  Enter a raffle for a bag of goodies, too.  Fun for all ages! 
















INDIES FIRST STORYTIME

SATURDAY, May 17 @ 3 p.m. – Quail Ridge Books & Music 
 3522 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607   
Celebrate Children's Book Week with our Indies First Storytime on Saturday, May 17, at 3 p.m.  Corduroy(costumed character) pays a special visit - be sure to bring your camera!  Children's authors Stephanie Greene and Julie Fortenberry will share some of their favorite children's stories during Storytime.  We hope you come dressed as your favorite children's book character - what a picture we could make!  Enter a raffle for a bag of goodies, too.  Fun for all ages! 





Solo exhibition by Peter Sis - May 8 through September 2, 2014


Peter Sis: Cartography of the Mind

OPENING RECEPTION: WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
The Czech Center New York at the Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021 
More info here.
jpeg of Peter Sis, Alligator, 2013, pen, ink and watercolor on paper, from http://new-york.czechcentres.cz/program/event-details/petr-sis/

Monday, April 28, 2014

"She’s Madeline, she’s Madeline, and she’s coming to the New York Historical Society."

To see 15 exhibition highlights, click on this wonderful slideshow.

July 04, 2014 - October 13, 2014 -- www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/madeline-new-york

"In addition to drawings from all six Madeline books, the exhibition will also feature Bemelmans' drawings of the old Ritz Hotel in New York, murals from a rediscovered Paris bistro, panels from the Onassis yacht, and a cache of fabrics based on an early picture book."

Monday, April 21, 2014

coy, contrived and condescending, and Buzzing as loud as a Bold Brass Band










Last Tuesday I was a guest on Julie Danielson's blogSeven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Julie's questions are fun and thoughtful, and she takes great care to link to sites about the people and books referenced throughout the Q & A. Some of her links I'd never seen before. 

One link, to an Amazon placeholder  of The B Book, prompted me to photograph and upload pictures of my 1962 edition, written by Phyllis McGinley and illustrated by Robert Jones (above).

Below is a 1968 edition illustrated by  John C. Johnson, that I found on Etsy. (Thank you, Pipi Pompon.)


The B Book was the first book that I read by myself. I loved it. But the premise of the book involves a play on words that troubled my six-year-old brain.

The little protagonist named Bumble is tired of being a bee and wants to be somebody else.  He asks a big bee how to be something "Besides a Bee."  The big bee then takes Bumble on a tour of all the wonderful things (Buttercups, Butterfly, Blackbird, etc.) that begin with the letter B, explaining with each stop that "Everything Best in the world Begins with a Big Bee." By the end of the tour Bumble is happy to be a bee. WHAT?  

If I enjoy the illustration and the characters, can I ignore a big fat non sequitur? Almost.

The B Book is one of several in a beginning reader series called "Modern Masters Books For Children."  The editor of the series was the poet Louis Untermeyer. (My friend, Jennifer Thermes, lives in Untermeyer's old house!)

In looking for information on the "Modern Masters" books, I found another from my childhood via Ward Jenkins, and a review of The B Book from the 1963 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. Reviewer (and the third editor of The Horn Book Magazine) Ruth Viguers found the The B Book  “limp, listless, unoriginal, mediocre and humdrum," as well as "coy, contrived, and condescending."   I sense that Viguers suspected that the entire "Modern Masters" series was a ploy to corner the snob market. 

Friday, April 18, 2014

The Secret World of Dr. Seuss

The touring "Hats Off to Dr. Seuss" exhibit  is on display at 
The Art Shop in Greensboro, NC through tomorrow, April 19th.


Slideshow via http://wunc.org/


Pictures from the opening here.

And if you can't get to Greensboro…


A 1944 Puppetoon  (Hat tip to Betsy Bird)


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

A Good Week









On Tuesday I was Julie Danielson's guest for breakfast. I love that Julie takes such care with her interviews, and that she links to so many images and people. The interview is so comprehensive that  I may never write another autobiographical word for the rest of my life. I'll just link to that interview.





 Also this week, I became a member of Writers and Illustrators of North Carolina or WINC.  I spent some  time looking through the group's various websites and book reviews—they are an impressive bunch. I'm honored (and a little intimidated) to be a member. I'm going to have to up my game. Thank you, WINC!





And now for a  little closing music



























A Good Week



On Tuesday I was Julie Danielson's guest for breakfast. I love that Julie takes such care with her interviews, and that she links to so many images and people. The interview is so comprehensive that  I may never write another autobiographical word for the rest of my life. I'll just link to that interview.

 Also this week, I became a member of Writers and Illustrators of North Carolina or WINC.  I spent some  time looking through the group's various websites and book reviews—they are an impressive bunch. I'm honored (and a little intimidated) to be a member. I'm going to have to up my game. Thank you, WINC!

And now for a  little closing music









Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees 2014



http://www.comic-con.org/awards/will-eisner-comic-industry-award-nominees-2014

Meet Paul Klee

Meet Paul Klee from Tapook on Vimeo.

Thank you to Manon Gauthier

Auction to benefit the Victory Academy

Illustration by Gilbert Ford from "12 Days of New York" by Tonya Bolden. (This lot includes a signed digital print of an illustration from "12 Days of New York" and a copy of the book signed by the illustrator.… read more)

 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

20th Annual Children's Book Art Silent Auction and Reception at BookExpo America

 CELEBRATING CHILDREN'S BOOK ART

Wednesday, May 28 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
River Pavilion at the Javits Center
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship, has organized an auction. All proceeds will support the Kids’ Right to Read Project, which ABFFE co-sponsors with the National Coalition Against Censorship. Buy Tickets Here!


The deadline for submitting general art is May 1 and for Seuss dedications is May 14. 

Auction to Benefit The Federation of Children’s Book Groups

Over the past year the FCBG has been collecting signatures and drawings from authors and illustrators in an autograph book. The book is now full and they are auctioning it off. 


Saturday, April 05, 2014

Tall Tales and Huge Hearts: Raúl Colón

North Carolina Museum of Art
2110 Blue Ridge Road | Raleigh, NC | map | (919) 839-NCMA


East Building, Gallery 2
April 13–July 27, 2014




Raúl Colón, Cover Art, 2003, from Rise the Moon (Dial, 2003)
jpeg and info: http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/tall_tales_and_huge_hearts_raul_colon/

More about Raúl Colón here and here.


Tuesday, April 01, 2014

A sweet little Hungarian film, 'Streamschool', animated with fabric characters, by Peter Vacz. Read his blogpost on the 'making of' here and here

Thanks Sandra Monat...