@VikingChildrens
Spring Awakening
Shh! Bears Sleeping, by David Martin, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher; Viking, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 1-4.
Here’s another charming picture-book about springtime and bears. Veteran author David Martin’s gentle rhymes explain the seasonal sleeping habits of bears, while Johnson and Fancher’s oil-paintings of a mama bear and her cubs are at once cozy and realistic, and author’s notes give further detail on these magnificent creatures.
@thebrucemuseum Wild Reading: Animals in Children’s Book Art
From the Big Bad Wolf to the Frog Prince and Peter Rabbit, animals have long played central roles in children’s literature. Now the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut is exploring how and why artists highlight certain animal characteristics. Wild Reading: Animals in Children’s Book Art, which opened March 26, includes over thirty illustrations and original artwork by Lynne Cherry, Wendell Minor, Wendy Rasmussen, Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, Fred Marcellino, and Brendan Wenzel. Taxidermy specimens from the Bruce’s natural history collection are paired with illustrated counterparts to demonstrate what makes each animal unique, and why artists choose to focus on one feature or another. A surprisingly alert raccoon, for example, is mounted next to a watercolor illustration by Brendan Wenzel, which emphasizes the creature’s large, inquisitive, eyes. A gray wolf, groundhog, chipmunks, three black bears, and other stuffed creatures offer plenty of opportunities to explore a range of artistic styles–Wendell Minor’s keen observation of animals in natural habitats contrasts nicely with Scott Nash’s swashbuckling, whimsical pirate, Captain Blue Jay. No matter the method, each illustrator engages children in the story at hand. The whole ensemble delightfully combines art and science.
Wild Reading: Animals in Children’s Book Art runs from March 26 through July 3, 2016 at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT. Visit the museum website for hours of operation and special activity days.
@AZpress @finebooks The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_books_blog/
What a wonderful way to herald spring!
Paul Mirocha Design and Illustration » Free “Make Way for Monarchs” Poster
@penguinrandomhouse @PeterBently
@HelenOxenbury
Adventures on the High Seas of Make-Believe
Captain Jack and the Pirates, by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury; Dial Books, $17.99, 32 pages, ages 2-5.
Masters of nursery-school storytelling Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury have teamed up to create this charming pirate tale set on the high seas of childhood imagination. Jack, Zack, and Caspar (who first appeared in King Jack and the Dragon) are at the beach, building a sandy galleon ready to ferry the boys on a swashbuckling adventure involving treasure and other (slightly parental-looking) pirates. Bently’s prose bobs with gentle rhymes peppered with nautical vocabulary like mainsail and bosun, while Oxenbury’s trademark illustrations bear her singular touch: here, cherubic youngsters revel in the timeless pleasures of make-believe. A delight from stem to stern, Captain Jack and the Pirates is a likely contender to join the pantheon of beloved children’s books.
Children’s Choice Book Awards still need your vote, Tuck Everlasting becomes a musical, and a sneak peek at the latest “Archie” comic are making news this week.
Voting Is Still Open for the 9th Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards!
Voting for the Children’s Choice Book Award is open at ccbookawards.com from March 8 through April 25, 2016.
Tuck Everlasting: The Musical!
http://www.slj.com/2016/03/industry-news/tuck-everlasting-the-musical/
School Library Journal has a sneak peek at “Archie Double Digest #267″ on sale today: http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/2016/03/26/exclusive-preview-archie-comics-double-digest-267/
@gettypubs @mbeatie @PuddleReader @reneegraef
Thérèse
Makes a Tapestry, by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs, illustrated by Renée Graef; Getty Publications,
$19.95, 40 pages, ages 8 and up. (March 2016)
For centuries, Flemish artisans provided intricate tapestries for French monarchs, perhaps most famously during the reign of King Louis XIV. These royal textiles were manufactured at the Gobelins factory, located in Paris’ 13th
arrondissement. One of the pieces created for Louis XIV was the Chateau of Monceaux/Month of December, now located at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and served as the inspiration for Thérèse
Makes a Tapestry. The book was published in conjunction with an exhibit entitled, “Woven Gold:Tapestries of Louis XIV” (also at the Getty), on display now through May 1, 2016.
This fictionalized account sparkles with with detail, where award-winning duo
Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs and Renée
Graef weave the story of
Thérèse, a girl living and working at the Gobelins determined to create a gift for her father–a wintry tapestry scene of a palace. Though women weren’t allowed to weave in the workshops, many wove at home, and the girl crafts her present in secret. Through careful prose and detailed illustration, the book reveals the steps involved in creating delicate tapestries that appear as vibrant today as they did over 300 years ago. Both author and illustrator consulted Diderot’s Encyclopédie and interviewed the Getty’s tapestry expert, Charissa Bremer-David to ensure historical accuracy. Knitters, weavers, and artisans of all ages will appreciate this thoughtful and charming examination of an enduring activity.
Waiting for High Tide, by Nikki McClure, Abrams Books for Young Readers, $19.95, 48 pages, ages 6-9. (April 5, 2016)
Nikki McClure is to cut paper what Robert Sabuda is to pop-ups: the master of her domain. Her latest endeavor is based on a family summer outing to the Salish Sea near Olympia, Washington, when the McClure family built a raft lovingly named the Leaky Kon-Tiki, which the author explains in her endnotes.
In Waiting for High Tide, an anxious boy combs the beach for crabs, clams, and kingfishers. As he waits for the adults to finish constructing their watercraft, the boy observes various marine animals also at work, foraging for food, building nests, and waiting for the tide to change. The child’s narrative is simple and charming, revealing his intimate understanding of this special coastal area.
McClure’s cutouts are done from single sheets of black paper and contrast beautifully against large swaths of gray-blue and pops of pink. Though time and tide wait for no man, this book is a gorgeous ode to the pleasures of anticipation and the wonders of a summer spent by the sea.
Toad Weather, by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez; Peachtree Publishers, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 4-7.
Sometimes it rains cats and dogs. In Philadelphia, it rains toads. Actually, the wet weather brings about the annual vernal toad migration, and on one particularly rainy March day little Ally and her family head out into the streets to see something spectacular – for a few weeks each spring, millions of toads across the country head to water in order to find mates and lay eggs, and the Roxborough neighborhood in Philadelphia is the real-life setting for this migration – there are even volunteers who set up ‘Toad Detours’ to ensure that the amphibians make it across the busy roads. (Toads flood the streets en route to nearby the ponds and reservoir.) Award-winning veteran author Sandra Markle has written over two hundred books for children, and each one is a treat – Toad Weather’s text is a lyrical sing-songy ode to a city transformed by rain, and to the everyday magic that takes place right at our feet. Gonzalez’s luminous pastel and watercolor images of wet toads and earthworms evoke the sense of wonder when we find magic in our everyday surroundings. Don’t skip the informative author’s notes that explain how dedicated groups ensure the life cycle continues for these little croakers.
@PeachtreePub It’s spring, and my addition to #TBThursday is this review from March 2015–Toad Weather, by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez.
Literary Features Syndicate 