Gaucho!

Tell It to the Walrus

Free Library Fest This Weekend!

If you are anywhere near Philadelphia this weekend, swing by the Free Library Festival! It's huge! It's fun! It's literary! I'll be there talking about the making of The Storm in the Barn and signing books on Sunday at 12:30!

Slim

International Children's Book Day!

I thought I'd celebrate International Children's Book Day with a look at a couple of titles of international appeal.

You can't escape Alice in Wonderland at the moment. And although I haven't seen Tim Burton's movie yet, from the trailer, it's clear that Wonderland gets the thorough Burton treatment in its disturb-o design. Dark and creepy seem to be where most illustrators go when illustrating Alice, and while I love many of these interpretations (Tenniel, Rackham, Blair), I think my favorite version of Wonderland comes from the great British illustrator, Helen Oxenbury.

Her version of Wonderland is bright and sunny, dare I say welcoming. It doesn't sugar-coat the text or make the characters less odd, but it presents a fully-realized Wonderland that has the added benefit of being a place that the average little girl wouldn't run screaming back up the rabbit hole to escape. And of course, because it's Helen Oxenbury, it is beautifully drawn with a delicate approach to watercolor that makes a very difficult medium look effortless. So while I like dark and creepy as much as the next guy, this is the version of Alice in Wonderland that actually makes me want to sit down and read the book.

Years ago, FSG editor Janine O'Malley gave me a copy of Olof and Lena Landstrom's Will's New Cap and I will forever be in her debt. Simple in the best and most difficult way and hilarious to boot, the Will books (and everything else by this team) are the kinds of books that fall under the category Just Buy Them. You can't go wrong.

So those are my picks. It's a beautiful spring day, so grab a good book and go find a nice cork tree to sit under.

Update: Apparently ICB Day was yesterday... well, this still stands.

A Review... plus a squirrel

Here is a fine review of Two of a Kind posted by an eight-year old reader named Sonia. It is always good to get feedback from one's actual audience. Good work, Sonia!

Spilling Ink!

This week sees the release of Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. I was pleased as punch to contribute a series of drawings for this amazingly detailed and highly entertaining look at the writing process. I think this book will be invaluable to any young writer in your life and I really wish I had something like this when I was growing up.

I'm not alone in this opinion. Bruce Coville calls it "wonderful, funny, wise" and Nancy Springer deemed it "outstanding".

Anne and Ellen have launched a fantastic website that is going to be an ongoing resource for writers and teachers. The site also features a Creativity Blog that will host a series of guest bloggers. I was honored to be their first guest. Read my post here.

And leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Spilling Ink signed by Anne and Ellen!

Slow Burn

The Latest from the Ring

Check out how The Storm in the Barn fared in the Anita Silvey-judged 1st round of the Battle of the Kids' Books...

(spoiler: Yes indeed, Storm had a spectacular editorial and design team in its corner.)

Squid

Hey, Cowboy Guy

Brush pen and H2O.

Top 10 and more!

The Storm in the Barn has made the 2010 edition of Booklist's Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth!

In other Storm-related news, the SLG Battle of the Kids' Books is getting ready to begin. You can check out the brackets for your office pool here. Storm's bout is set for March 23rd.

Also, while you're there, why not vote for Storm to come back as a zombie if... well, you know... if things don't pan out for it. Just a suggestion. The Undead poll closes on March 14th.

Hey, Pennsylvanians!

I will be happily attending the 3rd Annual Author & Illustrator Reception at Harleysville Books TONIGHT from 6-8. There will be authors aplenty, books being signed, cheese being nibbled, and local wine being imbibed!

Check out all the details including the very long list of featured authors and illustrators. It promises to be a hoot. If you're in the area, stop by and say howdy.

Pan!

Last of His Kind

Ensign Enigma

A sadly forgotten crimefighter. While villains tried to decipher the meaning of his chest symbol, Ensign Enigma would punch them in the nose. It was oddly effective.

Not Just a Pug

Just a Mug

Polychromos pencil and Liquid Pencil.

Harp Player

Graphitint pencil and wash sketch.

A Temper