Book Review Wednesday: Soup!

Picture book month continues here at Book Review Wednesday, but first a word from our sponsors…

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. When the temperatures cool it is a good idea to pull out the ingredients for a little soup– the ultimate comfort food. In my husband's family, the joke is that a chef can't make truly good soup until they've reached 40. (We're there.) To pull together the right ingredients and spices, and end up with love in a pot, it takes creativity, know-how, and risk taking.

Ruthie, in The Princess of Borscht, has all of these qualities. The Princess of Borscht, written by Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty member Leda Schubert, and illustrated by another VCFA faculty member, Bonnie Christensen comes out Tuesday, November 22rd. (Happy Book Birthday Leda and Bonnie!)

From the publisher:
Ruthie's grandma is in the hospital, not surprisingly complaining about the food. All she wants is a nice bowl of borscht. Ruthie comes to the rescue, even though she hasn't the faintest idea of how to make it. With the help of a few well-meaning neighbors (including the Tsarina of Borscht and the Empress of Borscht and some ingenuity of her own), a soul-reviving brew is concocted…

The book has earned a star from Kirkus:
"Of course, it’s not just about borscht or even about cooking, though there’s a great recipe included. Schubert has concocted a sweet mixture of traditions that bind and give comfort, along with love in many forms; intergenerational family, friends and neighbors all act with selflessness, kindness and compassion. Christensen’s heavily outlined, strongly colored illustrations emphasize equally strong personalities. The paintings are filled with details that add interest to the proceedings, from the array of get-well cards in the hospital room to the homey, old-fashioned décor of Grandma’s apartment."

The book also got some attention from the New York Times (that's nothing to sneeze at):
"Schubert (“Ballet of the Elephants”) turns the story of a sick relative, not a particularly cheery topic, into a sweet and salty tale, warmed by Christensen’s lively sketches, about bickering Jewish neighbors and intergenerational caregiving."

If you'd like to know more about Bonnie and her art work I can point you to not one, but two! lovely postings on Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast.

Soups on, grab a book!

Book Review Wednesday: Holiday Books

November has been dubbed Picture Book month. You can find out more, read about the importance of the picture book at this blog. Or you can take a look at the Picture Book Proclamation here.

I'll be using my Book Review Wednesday space this month to celebrate the picture book! If you missed last week, Sleds and Balloons, take a look.

This week, let's dive into the Holiday season with one Christmas and one Chanukah book. In order to be well-sold, a picture book should face out on a bookstore shelf. Space is short these days though, and holiday themed books have an even harder time competing because they have a very short shelf life in the bookstore.

Toni Buzzeo, a Maine youth services librarian, school presentation expert, and author, has had a long line of successful picture books. These include: Sea Chest, the Dawdle Duckling series, and a number of books that are set in libraries. I got a sneak peek at her January 2012 release One Cool Friend, when I went to a workshop presented by the amazing David Small (her illustrator for the story), but more about that later. Today, I want to tell you about her current release, Lighthouse Christmas.

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From Toni’s website:
Frances is determined to make Christmas jolly for her younger brother, even if it means joining family on the mainland and leaving Papa behind on their isolated lighthouse island. After all, would Santa even know how to find them in this faraway spot? But when Christmas Eve is ushered in on a wild storm and Papa risks his life to rescue a drowning man, the children realize that the most important thing about the holiday is being together.

As in all great Christmas stories, a happy ending is in store, and Santa finds them after all. Cozy and nostalgic, this story was inspired by the Flying Santa program, a New England tradition since 1929. It’s the perfect book for a family to read together in front of the fire on Christmas morning.

School Library Journal gives it a starred review:
“There’s a charmingly nostalgic feel both to the story and to the illustrations, which convey a sense of time and place and are very appealing. An author’s note gives a brief history of the Flying Santa Service, which was created in 1929 and continues to this day delivering treats to Coast Guard families. A lovely tradition and a lovely book.”
–Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Educators should take note that in addition to the back-matter regarding the Flying Santa Service, Toni also has a curriculum guide and a reader’s theater script for seven parts on her website. Take a look!

Erica Silverman gave us Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, as well as Liberty’s Voice: the story of Emma Lazarus. Her recent release, Hanukkah Hop, illustrated by Steven D’Amico, is bopping, rhyming book that invites readers to a Hanukkah party.

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The illustration are bold, bright and graphic and remind me of jazz posters from the 1950’s. This style fits the story to a tee. The book takes the reader from party preparation, to when the guests arrive, to games, and to a quick review of the Hanukkah miracle. There were moments when Silverman’s rhyme felt clunky, and I wasn’t sure where to put the stress in a line. A couple of times, I wanted to remove or add syllables. However, she has a lovely refrain that keeps the story moving forward. Things really heat up when a Klezmer band arrives and the dancing starts.

All in all, Hanukkah Hop is a great read aloud for you Hanukkah party.

Illustrator Day! Give Away #2

Well friends. It's that time again. Prizes!!!

A huge thank you to the following people who are helping to spread the word on twitter, facebook, and blogs about NESCBWI's Illustrator Day! Check them out. (If you helped and you're not listed here, please give me the link in the comments below. I'll enter you right away.)
@melindabeavers (who won last week)
@23catsinaroom
@jeanettelarson
@Michaelrapa
@WendyMartinArt
@juanamartinez
@matthewboehm
@kellylight
@johnlechner
@ImDanielleEGray
@erniedelia
@aliciapadron
@smilingotis
@anindita
@thewritejoyce
@TheWackyBrit
@DiandraMae
@mehenniger
@smozer
@faughnanc
@classicsixbooks
Patty Mynczywor

The hat please…Ooops. My helper is napping.

The winner is…
Russ Cox! @smilingotis
I have your info because you already registered to come to Illustrator Day!
Please tell me in the comments if you want me to send your prize or give it to you in Manchester.
Congratulations

You too can be entered to win a sketchbook/drawing pencil/eraser set. We will have one more drawing next Monday, 11/14.
Then all the winners will be put back in the hat for the grand prize drawing in Manchester at Illustrator Day! on November 19th for a copy of Keynote Speaker, Salley Mavor's Golden Kite winning book Pocket Full of Posies!

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Next drawing: next Monday, 11/14/11

If you missed the origninal call for help, here's the gist. New England SCBWI is sponsoring an amazing afternoon of speakers and workshops for working and aspiring illustrators. (All minors must be accompanied by a paying adult participant.) The event venue has been generously donated by New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. Illustrator Day! is November 19th from 1-6 pm. Help us spread the word.

Link to this blog on facebook, or twitter or through your own blog (tag me on facebook or give me the blog link in the comments here.)
Retweet any information from me @annawritedraw or @casey.girard and make sure to use the #illustratorday hashtag
Or blog about the event on your own.
Make sure to include the registration page url: http://tinyurl.com/illustratorday-registration

Thanks for your help.

Book Review Wednesday: Sleds and Balloons

Happy Book Birthday to Red Sled, by Lita Judge and Balloons Over Broadway, by Melissa Sweet. Both of these wonderful, kind, talented and generous women have been featured here at Creative Chaos before and I’m pleased to welcome them back.

If you loved our early snowstorm, Red Sled, will take you into the cool blues of winter with loose and lovely watercolors.

Starred From Kirkus: “Judge’s latest may be virtually wordless, but it packs a powerful visual punch that will stick with readers long after the final page is turned…Though rendered simply, Judge’s pencil-and-watercolor animals are gloriously full of life and infectious joy. Readers will be hard-pressed to finish this without letting their own joy show through. Pure genius.”

I attended Lita’s book cover workshop at the NESCBWI Spring Conference. In addition to giving all of the participants generous feedback on their work, she also shared the journey to the cover of Red Sled. It was not easy folks. There is a mystery in this almost wordless picture book and it was difficult to show what the book was about without revealing the ending.

Enjoy the trailer of the book here or there:

For those of you who are counting down the days to Thanksgiving, pick up Melissa Sweet’s, Balloons Over Broadway. This is a picture book biography of Tony Sarg, who was responsible for many of the helium balloons we enjoy in the Macy’s Day parade.

Starred From Kirkus: “This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high.”

Starred From School Library Journal: “Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying both Sarg's enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement of the parade. Rich in detail, the gouache, collage, and mixed-media illustrations are a stand-out, capturing the charm of the period and the awe-inspiring balloons. This one should float off the shelves.”

And here is a fun illustrated interview with Melissa about the book!

Have a great picture book week.

Illustrator Day! Give Away #1

I know that you were all waiting with bated breath to see who would win prize #1 in our Illustrator Day! Give away.

Thanks to the folks who helped us spread the work about Illustrator Day!:

Then my faithful assistants drew a name:

And the winner is…

@melindabeavers
(Who also won the NESCBWI poster contest at the last conference. Melinda Beavers, I think you have to move to New England now!)
As soon as Melinda sends me an address, I'll send her a sketchbook, pencils and an eraser.

Next drawing: next Monday, 11/7/11

IF you missed the original call for help, here's the gist. New England SCBWI is sponsoring an amazing afternoon of speakers and workshops for working and aspiring illustrators. The event venue has been generously donated by New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. Illustrator Day! is November 19th from 1-6 pm. Help us spread the word.