Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Early sketch

 

“Papa strikes a match. He and Gertie light the shamash, the helper candle. They say the blessings in Hebrew. And Gertie, together with Papa, takes the shamash and lights
the first candle, just one candle, for the first night of Hanukkah, for the first time.”
(Click to enlarge this final spread, which is sans text)

 
Over at Kirkus today, I’ve two new picture books about hip-hop and rap.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Emily Jenkins’ All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah (Schwartz & Wade, September 2018), illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Today, I’m following up with some art from the book, as well as some preliminary images (sketches, roughs, etc.) from Paul, who rendered the illustrations digitally. I thank him for sharing.

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“Every hour he makes his rounds, alone.”
(Click to enlarge spread)

 
I have a review over at BookPage of one of my very favorite picture books this year, one that is especially perfect for preschool-aged readers. It’s John Sullivan’s Kitten and the Night Watchman (Paula Wiseman Books / Simon & Schuster, September 2018), illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.

The review is here, if you’d like to read more about it. Today here at 7Imp, I have some art from the book, and Taeeun also shares some early studies, thumbnails, etc. (Pictured above is an early character study, as well as a final spread from the book.) I thank her for sharing.

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— From Jeff Newman’s Found, illustrated by Larry Day
(Click to enlarge spread) 

— From Glenda Millard’s Pea Pod Lullaby, illustrated by Stephen Michael King 
Over at Kirkus today, I write about my favorite holiday picture book this year.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Jeff Newman’s Found (Simon & Schuster, November 2018), illustrated by Larry Day, as well as Glenda Millard’s Pea Pod Lullaby (Candlewick, December 2018), illustrated by Stephen Michael King.

I’m following up with art from these two books today. Larry also visits to share early thumbnail images, sketches, etc. from Found.

Enjoy!

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“When Bear got closer, she could see it was a young wolf. …”
(Click to enlarge and read text in its entirety)

 
Here’s a book I had wanted to write about earlier this year but didn’t get around to. Daniel Salmieri’s Bear and Wolf was released in February (Enchanted Lion), back when it was snowy. But now things have come full-circle, as they do, and it’s snowy again, so what better time than now to take a peek at the beautiful art? You will also see below in this post a video in which Daniel talks about the creation of the book — I am always a sucker for listening to artists talk about their craft — and I love what he says about how, to him, the story is about “being present and experiencing life fully. It’s about a shared understanding with your friend where not a lot needs to be said.” You can hear and see more in the video below, including Salmieri’s snow talk.

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Lazy Activism
(Click to enlarge)

 
It is the first Sunday of the month (in the last month of the year — WHUT), and so that means today I welcome a student or newly-graduated illustrator. I’m happy to have Susan Haejin Lee visiting. She graduated last year and tells me more about her work below and shares more images, so let’s get right to it.

I thank her for sharing. Be sure to visit her site for more art.

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“But then he noticed how the sunlight shone through the onion’s layers.”
(Click to enlarge)

 
Today over at Kirkus, I’ve two new picture books about loss, seeking comfort, and being found.

That is here.

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Last week, I wrote here about Alexandria Giardino’s Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda and his Muse (Cameron Kids, September 2018), illustrated by Felicita Sala. I’ve some spreads from the book here today.

Enjoy!

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Maps. Discoveries. Inquiry. Over at BookPage, I’ve a feature on Deborah Marcero’s My Heart Is a Compass (Little, Brown, November 2018) and Joyce Hesselberth’s Mapping Sam (Greenwillow, October 2018).

That is here.

(Click to enlarge)

 
Over at Kirkus about two weeks ago, I chatted here with author Jonathan Auxier about his novel Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster (Amulet, September 2018). When I write about picture books over at Kirkus, I always do follow-up posts here at 7-Imp with lots of art, so you’d think there’d be no Sweep follow-up post, seeing as how it’s a novel without any illustrations. But I do have art! Jonathan is sharing his journal sketches, ones he made during the course of writing this book, which you know (if you’ve read it) is a novel that has been many years in the making. You also know, if you’ve read it, that Jonathan has been fascinated with and drawing golems since the age of 19, when he lived for some time in the Czech Republic. (Those older drawings are quite possibly lost to time, he says.) Read the rest of this entry »

 

At Kirkus today, I’ve got a picture book about gratitude and, more specifically, an onion that “came out of the dark earth to shine like a bright moon.”

That is here.

Until Sunday . . .

 
Up for some tiny baby horses and/or very big dogs today? I’ve a review over at BookPage of Elliott Kalan’s Horse Meets Dog (Balzer + Bray, October 2018), illustrated by Tim Miller. That review is here, and here today at 7-Imp is some art from the book.

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