Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (or "7-Imp," if you're in a hurry), created in 2006, is a children's literature blog that features the work of authors and illustrators and is primarily focused on contemporary illustration and picture books. Think of it as a salon where book creators stop by, after getting a cup of cyber-coffee, to share their craft—and where illustrators wake us up with art.
I’ve probably said this before right here at my Kirkus blog, so I apologize for any redundancy, but it is a spectacular thing to hear award-winning author Jack Gantos give a presentation. Anywhere. I always want to stand up when he’s done, and (complete with lots of fist pumps) yell, “Now, that is why I chose to work in the field of children’s literature!” He speaks with passion and knowledge and a refreshingly wicked humor about children’s books —and ...
An art puzzle book of American and Chinese songs. A wood spirit. Forgetful sisters with prophetic dreams. The triumph of a middle sibling. These are all plot points in a small stack of brand-new picture books I want to tell you about today, each and every one of them with an international flair, if not once originally published overseas.
Let’s start with Africa – Uganda and Nigeria, to be precise. If you follow international picture books closely, as I like ...
Have you heard the happy Lumberjanes news? Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! is on shelves now from New York Times bestselling author Mariko Tamaki. She has adapted the comic book series to novel format for middle-grade readers, complete with spot illustrations from Brooke Allen. I chatted, very briefly, with Tamaki, who is excited about this new project. But then, for the love of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, it occurs to me that some of you may need an explanation as to who in ...
I may as well be honest with you: I’m not feeling very peppy today, as I sit down to type a couple of days after the Las Vegas shooting. It’s another horrific mass shooting with Congress poised to do little to nothing about it. We are a short-sighted country.
However, we can make our voices heard. Always. Speak up. Let our representatives know how we feel. Resist. As I thought about that this week, I found myself looking for my ...
The Fall season in any given year is always a busy time in children’s book publishing. October seems to be the sweet spot for new titles, often ones that generate buzz for months in advance. This Fall, in the world of picture books, there are a handful of new titles in which readers will have the chance to reunite with some favorite characters. I’ve got several of them today. Let’s start with two imports – both from Japanese authors and ...
Fine artist, graphic designer, and illustrator Charly Palmer, who makes his home in Atlanta, describes the chance to illustrate Kathryn Erskine’s Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song as “a dream come true.” Having been inspired as a child by the illustrations in Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day, which to this day informs his own use of color and geometric shapes, Palmer’s life is one of art, design, education, and a passion for history. He ...
The use of line in picture books directs the viewer’s eye across the page, but it also can convey great meaning—just as color, shape, and texture can. Angular lines convey excitement and tension; curved lines express more organic, peaceful qualities. Diagonal lines can communicate spontaneity, and horizontal lines, tranquility. A large part of so-called visual literacy with children is their ability to “read” these elements of art in picture books. It’s a sophisticated thing, and children are very good at ...
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