The Things Tumbling in My Noggin

8 March 2013

Thrilled for this book that won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award! I loved everything about it, from that dazzling cover to the gorgeous words and relationships inside. I’ve been a Joanne Rocklin fan since I read One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, and I’m already looking forward to seeing her speak in LA this summer. She makes me glad to be a California writer.

That cover was designed by Chris Buzelli. I don’t think this one is on his site yet, but the cover for Orange Street is, and again…whoa.

Now, this book is about a cat. Not entirely, but he’s the glue that sticks all the other parts together. I’m not really an animal person at all, but this darn cat made me cry like crazy.

And speaking about animals, Random Acts of Reading asked me about a book that changed my perspective on something…anything. I talked about that Newbery-winning gorilla, Ivan, in this post. All around good suggestions there if you are adding to a toppling to-read pile like me.

Oh! I shared Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet’s A River of Words on Design Mom this week. Worth a look if you love words and pictures and Caldecott Medals! Post right here. I love, love, love this book.

Hoping to snag copies of Open This Little Book and Flora and the Flamingo this weekend. Have you seen either of these? Adoration is an understatement. I’ll show you when I get them. Good thing sharing is only virtual in these parts, because…obsessed.

And two books that I can’t wait for – like burn the roof of your mouth on hot pizza can’t wait for – this one and this one. Again with the whoa!

Happy weekend!

Color + Colors

28 February 2013

22 Comments

I have no children. I have board books. Is this weird? Maybe. But these in particular are little graphic design studies. I will not literally try to chew them, but they are definitely droolworthy.

Do you know Alexander Girard? He was a midcentury designer, specializing in color and textiles. I’m crazy about the Nativity set at that link. And while most people have heard of Herman Miller, Girard was the designer that sizzled up their furniture line with his palettes. He said this, which made me fall in love a little: “People got fainting fits if they saw bright, pure color.”

He did it anyway.

So this little book is a huge celebration of his style, color, and desire to make you faint and fall in it.

How about Charley Harper? He took a vibrant love of color from the natural world, and distilled that into his pictures. I adore that on first glance, whimsy and delight dances around, but a longer gaze reveals storytelling ingenuity. He said, “When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see feathers, fur, scapulars, or tail coverts—none of that. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior, and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures.”

And this tiny treasure explodes with his search for endless possibilities. And it’s lovely.

Was I right about that whole droolworthy thing? I know.

Sleep Like a Tiger

19 February 2013

16 Comments

written by Mary Logue; illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

{published 2012, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt}

So you have to do a couple things for me. First, dash off to the library for a copy of this book. Better yet – the bookstore, cause you probably won’t want to give it back.

And then visit the always delightful Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast’s post. She’s got final spreads and sketches and you’ll probably never claw your way out of that web of beauty.

When I got my hands on this book late last year, I fell in love. Why I was blindsided by its Caldecott Honor nod I have no idea! Of course it won. Can’t wait to see a version with that shiny silver sticker.

But while you’re gone or while you’re here, think about texture, and how it gives life to most anything we see. In design, texture represents on a flat plane what your fingers could touch were it three dimensional.

You’d eat a shiny red apple before you’d eat a furry, rotted one, right? We respond to texture.

But in art, texture adds a layered depth to whatever story is being told, and that’s why Sleep Like a Tiger is so beautiful to behold.

The battle for sleep is not as simple as mom and dad saying so + child + pillow. I’m not a parent and I know that much! It’s complicated, messy, and doesn’t always make sense. It’s dreamy. And so is the cast of characters that is larger than life and also snuggled up in this wee person’s bed.

I love the overlapping lines and patterns. And the scrapes and smudges and intricate detail. These pictures are warmth wrapped up in a blanket with a side of hot tea.

And side note: I adore the recurring circles in the pages. A wheel, a sun, a moon – all subtle reminders of the cycle of sleep.

Fish On A Walk

12 February 2013

8 Comments

by Eva Muggenthaler

{published 2012, by Enchanted Lion Books}

I’ve mentioned my bookshelf issues before, right? As in not nearly enough space to put all the books? In my head, picture books are so skinny! They’ll take up no space at all, right? But rather than on shelves, I have stacks. Everywhere.

Well, this book bowled me over when I first laid eyes on it. You’ll see. But the stack it was in? Covered by a throw pillow on the couch. Not anymore, I promise. Please send shelves.

Anyway. Let’s talk about this book, because I think you will adore it.

An intriguing title that gives away the delightful dichotomies to come – unusual instances, and a billion bitty details to love.

The cover hints at all of this, with its mossy greens and a muddy red – complementary colors on the good old color wheel. As far a part as they can get from one another, and a great use of contrast in design framing a book all about sometimes absurd differences.

I adore the way the green line of the cover dangles down along the stark red endpapers! Love.

Inside, each spread contains one glorious illustration holding all of those billion bitty details. And each spread holds only two contrasting words which can explain or guide or drive the pictures. You figure it out, you get into the story, you make sense of the contrasting duo.

It’s like Eva Muggenthaler gave your imagination a diving board and didn’t tell you that the pool was so deep that you’ll shoot out of the other side of the globe. Extreme? I don’t think so.

A hint! Such a tease.

Wonder and ooh and ahh with this one. This is one of those books that needs to stay out all the time, not ever stuck on a bookshelf. And definitely never ever ever under a throw pillow.

PS – Valentine’s Day is charging forward. Do you need a good book for your sweetie? Check out my Top Ten over at Design Mom!

Weekendy Bits

8 February 2013

Pepi Sings A New Song

21 January 2013

9 Comments

by Laura Ljungkvist

{published 2010 by Beach Lane Books}

I’m a huge fan of Laura Ljungkvist’s sophisticated and playful style. Remember Follow the Line?

Pepi Sings a New Song is a delightful romp through a world of words. Pepi meets and greets his neighbors, from Manuel at the bakery to Cynthia at the dog park, all in search of stanzas for a new song.

The vibrant color on each page adds life and zest to Pepi’s journey. It separates each pit stop, and subtly references the full circle journey Pepi makes in search of a song. And? It’s just darn beautiful.

That baker, Manuel, lives on pretty pastry pink pages.

Aurora’s art studio is framed by a cool, creative, blue.

Clive’s music studio is on a brassy, golden orange, which perfectly echoes his trumpet. (And his awesome plaid pants.)

Love this book, love Pepi, and once again — love Laura Ljungkvist.

Dangerously Ever After

14 January 2013

13 Comments

by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Valeria Docampo

{published 2012 by Dial Books for Young Readers}

I’m not usually too keen on princess books. I just…don’t get the appeal? And the pink? And the super sweetness?

Princess Amanita is my kind of girl, though. She’s prickly and fearless, and she has a killer hairdo. (I’ll overlook her love for cats. They still make me nervous.)

Remember Dashka Slater? She’s the brain behind a story full of words like stink lilies, heckle-berries, and sentences like ‘It sounded like a troop of monkeys playing tubas.’

Fun, lively, and funny, much as l imagine her to be.

And Valeria Docampo has a sweeping style that evokes a monster sense of wonder in me. This illustration that welcomes you to her website is breathtaking.

Her pictures are a perfect frame for Princess Amanita.

Shape is just any space that is enclosed by a line. They can be defined and pointy triangles, or round and comforting circles. Or perhaps just the space that’s left behind, in between two lines.

Princess Amanita is thorny on the outside, interested in danger and sharp things. So her hair resembles a scorpion tale, and her dress is outfitted in what looks like metal. Even her garden is prickly.

But she is sweet and friendly underneath it all, so the softness in the curves of her face and dress serve as a subtle reminder to us.

I love this spread. Gradually from left to right, the vines grow from pointy triangular thorns to the muted and organic lines of the Prince’s kingdom. Similar shapes tell a very different story.

And I adore these tiny frames that are dotted through the pages. The shape for these spot illustrations is bound by both curved and straight lines. She’s not all sweet, but she’s not all danger either.

Because really, aren’t we all a bit like that?

Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth

7 January 2013

25 Comments

Hello and happy 2013 and welcome back to this little corner of the internet!

And a huge hello to those of you who hopped on board over the last couple weeks! It’s nice to have you.

Here’s an awesome and odd little book to kick off the new year:

by Jon Chad

I promise not to use bad puns like, “This book rocks!” or “Perfect for kids who don’t take science for granite!”

Much like another favorite, Sky High, Leo Geo uses size and scale in such an unusual way. Telling a story about a journey through the center of the earth calls for a different visual method than the standards we are used to.

So flip it 90 degrees and read top to bottom. Of course! Its width (or lack thereof!) perfectly frames the skinny tunnels and canals through which our ‘surface man’ drills.

And just when you get to the center, flip it 180 degrees and read bottom to top as you emerge with him to the other side of the world.

Throughout the entire journey, Leo Geo narrates his trip with a good healthy dose of science. You’ll get reminders of the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, what makes up the continental and oceanic crusts, and how many miles you would have to travel before reaching the core.

Even though his voice is conversational and funny, every once in a while you might run into a Quadclops or find a magic dagger. I love that this book becomes a spectacular combination of nonfiction and comic book.

By using only black and white, the reader gets to fill in the blanks and let their imagination run wild. The contrast between the whites of the tunnels and the black hash marks of piles and piles of fossils provide a very satisfying balance. The art is so intricate that I imagine a young reader (or an old one!) could pore over these pages for hours.

So yeah. This book rocks.

Over and Under the Snow

24 December 2012

5 Comments

by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal

Settle in for a bit. This book will warm your soul.

Absolutely zero snow falls in southern California this time of year, or any time of year really, but this book makes me feel like I am deep in the middle of a winter wonderland.

Kate Messner’s words are hushed and poetic; she is such a beautiful writer. And we tweeted each other once about Ramona Quimby, so I’m an extra huge fan. I love this post by her editor on her words’ rhythms. And Christopher Silas Neal’s art is stunning. The tiny animals are vibrant against the stark snow, and page by page, this quiet walk bursts with life. This post by both Kate and Christopher is a great glimpse into the process of making this book. Go ahead.

You certainly don’t have to be a writer or artist to appreciate this book, but those bits in me make me crazy for this one.

I especially love the use of color in the illustrations. The cool grays and blues are balanced by our girl’s red knits, a pouncing fox, and a roaring bonfire back home.

White snowflakes scatter over the shadows.

And the sky — I love the sky — it changes from a warm blue, to a cloudy purple, to a deep midnight navy over the course of the book. A gorgeous transformation over the course of this jaunt through the snow.

Add this one to your winter collection! And this little blog wishes you a lovely holiday season. See you back here in 2013?

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

19 December 2012

16 Comments

Fridays were ice cream days. And after lunch every Friday, one class of six year olds came to the library. Jack always, always, had chocolate smeared across his face. Always. He was adorable. Bright, funny, kind, and everything wonderful about the world wrapped up into a six year old package. When I saw him around the school on a day other than Friday, I pretended to have no idea who he was. Because, you know, the chocolate was missing from his face.

“Oh, hello, brand new student! My name is Ms. Higgins, so nice to meet you!”

“Hmmm, I don’t quite remember your name — is it Hugo? Marty? Nelson?”

His giggle was infectious, and his playfulness a joy.

Six year old Nathan only liked his bananas opened from the wrong end. Little monkey.

Six year old Jessica told me she was going to be a hamster when she grew up.

Six year old Mark tried his very best in the spelling bee, and I had to be the one to ring the bell when he got his word wrong.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few days remembering six year olds I’ve known and taught. It’s been a number of years, but the unbridled life in a room full of six year olds is hard to forget.

(This is a favorite book from my days of sharing stories directly with kids, this time of year even. I wrote about it over on Design Mom, and have been cheered by the comments and the warmth around this little gem!)

Design of the Picture Book

the intersection of graphic design + picture books

The Things Tumbling in My Noggin

Color + Colors

Sleep Like a Tiger

Fish On A Walk

Weekendy Bits

Pepi Sings A New Song

Dangerously Ever After

Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth

Over and Under the Snow

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

Follow “Design of the Picture Book”

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Follow “Design of the Picture Book”