Take a peak into the new Photoshop!

This is very cool!

Rabbit Pie

I love "quiet" books, especially those ideal for bedtime reading. If you do too, this is a must have. When I first discovered it, I was intrigued by the title. Rabbit Pie? I just adore the clever way Penny Ives cooks up this lovely "recipe" of a mommy rabbit getting her babies ready for bedtime.

This book is such a treasure with its sweet writing and charming watercolor illustrations. I hope you'll grab yourself a copy too.

This "recipe" book inspired me to create a little bunny family of my own. Check it out here.

Happy pre Easter everyone!

The Magic Rabbit

Easter is upon us, and what better season than to feature a book about a rabbit!

Here is one of my more recently published favorite books. The Magic Rabbit by Annette Cate was released in 2007 -- three years ago, and I love the book just as much today! The story is about a magician and his rabbit, and what happens one day when something goes awry during one of their outdoor performances.

Annette Cate, the author/illustrator, is someone I used to work with many moons ago (at Tom Snyder Productions). She always impressed me back then when she was the Art Director of the Dr. Katz animated television show. When, by chance, I discovered her book on the shelf of my local bookstore three years ago, I was ecstatic. When I actually sat down and read the book, I was impressed yet again with Annette's many talents. This is a perfect combination of a really good story and really good art. All this, and at the time Annette was but a first-time-published author/illustrator. The Magic Rabbit even earned a Publisher's Weekly starred review. Pretty impressive!

The art is all greyscale black pen line work (with just a dab of color which is used as a device to help move the story along). Detailed work, but not so tightly rendered that there is a lack of of motion and gesture to the illustrations. It's very beautifully done.

I wrote a blog post about The Magic Rabbit years ago when I first discovered it. You can read it here.

Check out The Magic Rabbit!

Emily Gravett

Earlier this week the members of the PBJ's were having some discussions about Photoshop tips and Alicia showed us a fun video of Emily Gravett's work. Her book "Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears" also just happened to be my picturebook pick this month. And when I was at the bookstore this week, Emily's book "Dogs" jumped out at me and of course I HAD to buy it!

Emily has a new book coming out at the end of the year called "The Rabbit Problem." Her characters are so adorable. And although I'm not sure exactly what kind of problem the rabbits have, I do know it has a surprise ending!

Chew on this kid!

This weekend I got to splurge on new books for my 1 yr. old thanks to a nice birthday gift card to our local indie bookstore, RiverRun. They have a small section for children but it is densely packed with excellent choices.
I found Wiggle!March! on a display with a few other titles of "Indestructibles". Published by Workman Publishing, they are essentially Tyvek books that are, as advertised: "Chew proof, Rip proof, non-toxic, 100% washable". Genius!!! (Visit the Indestructibles website for the charming story of how a mother of triplets created these.)
At $4.95, it's a great investment, even for older kids. My son loves the thinner pages - like a picture book that mommy doesn't have to protect! The art, by Kaaren Pixton, is also lovely: rich and painterly. All titles are wordless. They just came out last fall so I thought it would be nice to share something technically 'new'.

I love Ted! No, not a guy..

Don't you just love to wake up on a Saturday morning, make yourself a cup of coffee, sit down with your computer and start reading your favorite blogs, news and websites?

I do too. And one of my favorite places to visit is TED.

If you don't know, TED is a site filled with amazing talks. And when I say amazing I really mean amazing. You can hear brilliant people talk about what they do best. From scientists to musician, artists to engineers, there is everything for all tastes. It's genius people sharing their vision.

Here is an example of one I particularly love:

Listen to author Elizabeth Gilbert talk about creativity. She had a big boom with her book Eat, Pray, Love. She explains what its like to get inspiration and how to deal with the lack of it.

This is just an example of all the wonderful videos you have access to. Don't you just love the web? :o)

Writing & Illustrating a picture book- Julie Olson

In November 2010 illustrator, Julie Olson's book, Tickle Tickle Itch Twitch, will be coming out. Most exciting of all it will be her debut as an author/illustrator. Congratulations, Julie! On her blog, Julie spent two weeks sharing her perspective of writing & illustrating a pb, posting a step each day. Start here on Day 1 and continue through the days by clicking "newer posts".

New book discoveries

This Saturday, I found myself at Borders Books. I saw a few books that I found charming for one reason or another...

Chick
This pop-up book is smart and fun to play with. Children will love the bright colors, activities and characters, but adults will get a kick out of it, too. The art is very good quality, and the humor is, well, funny!

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Sammy the Snail
What I love about this book is the interactivity. The stretchy fabric finger slots allow the reader to make Sammy's eyes move just like a real snails eyes do. an idea so simple makes something that is so much fun to play with and animate.

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The Ultimate Dick and Jane Collection
I know what you are thinking. Dick and Jane are outdated for today's kids. You are right! But still, the nostalgia gets me every time. Though the era of "Dick & Jane" was way before my own, I am very well-acquainted with D & J books. When I was in grammar school, I ended up in the nurses' office time and time again. Well, there was nothing to read in the nurses' office... except for Dick & Jane books. LOTS of Dick & Jane books. I probably read each of them 10 times in the space of my fourth grade year.

The art, the style and the naivete of the stories (and of the era) must have inspired me creatively in some way, though I cannot pinpoint exactly how it translated to what my art is today. But I do know that Dick & Jane still seem to fascinate me. Their simple life seemed so otherworldly to me back then, and still does to this day.

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Farm Animals (Snapshot Picture Library)
This was the "pièce de résistance" of books for my day! I never expected to be so mesmerized by a little book on farm animals. I couldn't put it down. I ended up taking it home. The photos were beautiful and the small bits of text were just right. I found the book very inspiring. It's just a little book on farm animals, but it got me, and it got me good!

Hybrid Dogs

I'm working on a chapter book about a dog....a real mutt. He is a bunch of different breeds all mixed up into one adorable little package. Well, not really little, but not really big either. And let's see, he has a really wild tail and a big black nose. He's part dashchund, part collie, brittney spaniel, labrador, cadoodle, broodle with a little touch of terrier. Confused yet?

Well these were the directions I was given by the art director and the authors to create this funny character. I must say I had to look up broodle and cadoodle as I had never heard of them before. Let's just leave it to say that there is a poodle floating around in there somewhere!

After printing out photos of all the different breeds, I started sketching. There was a lot of back and forth with the art director, the marketing team, and the authors were very invested too. Unfortunately, I can't show you the winner, but I thought I'd post a few reject sketches that I kind of liked. The final dog chosen actually looks nothing like these reject sketches. So who knows, maybe they will show up some day in another project!

Inspired by: Edward Gorey

I'm venturing outside the traditional 'safe' realm of Children's Book Illustration today to share one of my favorite artists, and an inspiration to so many of us: Edward Gorey. The above is from The Gashleycrumb Tinies, a poster I got in high school, which followed me to college, and still lives in my basement. Don't you love the tilt of Basil, and how Gorey has captured this moment just before the terrible action. His little eyes go right out to us amidst a sea of inky texture. Yes, his work is dark, but here's a link to an excellent list of his books, and a little encouragement to actually share his work with children. It starts with this quote:

"(Edward) Gorey is perfect for children." -- Maurice Sendak, Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Spring 2007

This image was in an anthology I own, Amphigorey Also. I tucked it away and kept it with my class notebooks - something about it just spoke to me (hardy-har-har). He had remarkable lettering skills, and a way of making the titles fit perfectly. No computers, no undo button - just pure draftsmanship.

I was lucky enough to see an exhibit of Gorey's in Boston shortly before he passed away. I found out later that he liked to attend his shows, in disguise, so I like to imagine him walking the show the same day I was there, mysterious and observant. Have you seen a photo of him? I'm still unclear how exactly he 'disguised' himself. I also visited his home, now a museum, in Yarmouthport just a few years after his passing. I highly recommend a visit if you ever find yourself on Cape Cod. His life seemed almost obsessively devoted to his art. There are several great books on Gorey, as well as a wealth of information on the internet.

What is style?

Lately, I’ve been thinking to myself how can I define style.

The dictionary defines it as:

“a way of painting, writing, composing, building, etc characteristic of a particular period, place, person or movement.”

So in the illustration world it would mean a way of painting characteristic of a particular person.

I agree, style is linked with who you are and I also think that most of the style comes through your pencil or brush without you even realizing it.

Some artists have different styles, true. But after taking a closer look you get to see it’s just different ways of rendering rather than completely different styles. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and there are a few artist that can really handle distinct styles.

I can only speak for myself, and in my case I just have one style. It is not planned and it’s pretty much who I am. What you see in my art is me.

Illustration is an art form, we don’t produce art entirely for ourselves and we have to meet some standards that is why we are commercial artists and not artists. But it is an art form. There are other art forms like music and acting that I often wonder how does the style translate there. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two types of art worlds:

The type where you want to show who you are and the type where you don’t.

To me painting, illustrating and music are related in the sense that with every stroke or note we are giving clues to the spectator of who we are. You express yourself through your art.

Acting is not like that. I’ve heard actors repeatedly say how they love playing roles completely different from who they really are. And when a part comes along that is similar to them, they don’t like playing it since is too close for comfort. They don’t really want to “show” who they are. So clearly even though acting is an art form, to me, it has a different purpose for the artist.

I’d love to hear what you think? Can a style be forced? Does the style appear by planning or is it rather unconscious? Do all arts have the same purpose?

Interview- Betsy Snyder

On the PBJ sidebar, we like to highlight a book each month. We don't receive any money from our link to Amazon, it's just there for convenience in case it appeals to you too.

The book I chose this month is "Sweet Dreams Lullaby", by author/illustrator Betsy Snyder. Isn't it gorgeous?

This peaceful and imaginative picture book invites a bunny—tucked snugly in bed—to dream of comforting scenes from nature’s bedtime. Each spread reveals a delightful dreamscape for children to imagine as they drift off to the lulling rhyming text.

Betsy uses a combination of digital and traditional methods which she likes to call "digital collage" to create her pieces. Her color palette and style mesh so beautifully with her quiet rhyming text. I can't imagine a child that wouldn't enjoy having this read to them as they drift off to sleep at bedtime.

I'm excited to share with you a little interview that Betsy kindly answered for me. To learn even more about her, be sure to check out her blog and portfolio.

What came first for you with "Sweet Dreams Lullaby", visual images or words?

A little of both. From the very beginning, I had some images I knew I wanted to incorporate. But I also played a lot with words that had a soft, sleepy feel (like "water lily beds" and "eggs wrapped in a nest") and then worked images around those words. When developing a concept, I move back and forth between words and images until the balance of the words and visuals work well together.

Can you share the process of how "Sweet Dreams Lullaby" evolved? For example, did the finished product stay true to your original vision or did it change?

"Sweet Dreams Lullaby" changed a lot from the initial concept to the finished book. It was originally picked up as a novelty board book idea, but when it was time to start the project, Random House decided they wanted a picture book instead (which I was thrilled about!). At that point, I only had a few spreads written with a couple of thumbnails sketches as a general idea of direction. I explored a lot of different writing directions and shared ideas with my editor until we settled on an approach that felt right for a picture book format. The project didn't end up at all where it started, but I'm really happy with the finished book. I try to not be TOO attached to any one idea or image, and to know when to let it go if it's not working. I think if you give an idea room to breathe and grow, it blooms into something you couldn't have imagined in the beginning, something better. This is the first picture book that I've written and developed from start to finish, so I am thankful I was able to work with such a supportive team at Random House that gave me the time and encouragement to help this book evolve into what it was meant to be.

Who/what has inspired your style?

My style is inspired by a lot of different people and things. First and foremost, I'd have to say that kids influence my art and writing the most—after all, they are the audience my books are meant for! Kids have such a fresh, unfiltered way of looking at the world that I love and try to capture.

I also gain inspiration from my own childhood memories, traveling, and art from other times and cultures (like Japanese wood block prints). Being part of a creative community of other artists and writers also feeds my inspiration. Family, friends, mentors, other artists, and my previous experience as designer/illustrator at American Greetings have all made an impression on me and have helped me discover and develop the artist inside myself. Some well-known authors and illustrators that I admire are Leo Lionni, Eric Carle, Richard Scarry, Shel Silverstein, Beatrix Potter, Robert McCloskey, Ezra Jack Keats, Maurice Sendak, Lois Ehlert, Charlie Harper, Marc Boutavant, Lauren Child, and soooooooo many more!

Describe a day in the life of Betsy.

My husband is a graphic designer who is also self-employed, so we share a studio space a few short blocks from our house. We usually head to "the office" together, where I start my day sipping homemade chai and looking at some kind of inspiration to get me going (blogs, websites, books, etc.). I always keep an idea sketchbook close by so I can quickly jot down any random bits that pop into my head and save them for later. I try to get the e-mails and "business stuff" out of the way early so I can focus on my illustration and writing projects the rest of the day. Sometimes there will be a phone chat with my agent, or maybe a client, to discuss a project. When I'm really busy with projects or I have a big deadline coming up, I do work long hours. But I try to make as much time as I can for fun, too. When I am able to sneak away, I like to hike the local parks, travel anywhere, have backyard bonfires, bake yummy treats, and spend time with family and friends.

For budding author/illustrators, what advice would you give?

There are so many different paths, so I would say that everyone needs to find their own way. I think it's essential to surround yourself with people that recognize your talent, support your goals and help you grow. It's also so important to seek out and even create opportunities that will help you develop your skills as an author or illustrator.

For anyone interested specifically in children's book publishing, I would highly recommend joining SCBWI and getting involved on a local level: http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Top-10-FAQs

This is another great resource for children's publishing info: http://www.amazon.com/2010-Childrens-Writers-Illustrators-Market/dp/1582975876/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

What can we look forward to seeing from you next?

Right now I am working on a new picture with Random House, which is scheduled to come out Fall 2011. I also have a few books that I illustrated for Blue Apple Books—look for "Lily's Potty" and "Pete's Potty" coming out in May 2010. I am also usually working on a few smaller projects here and there, like greeting cards and stickers, for various clients including Peaceable Kingdom Press, Papyrus, and American Greetings.

Thanks so much, Betsy!

*Images, courtesy of Betsy Snyder

Bunny School

Today I'm posting about a picture book I love: "Bunny School, A Learning Fun-For-All" by Rick Walton and Paige Miglio.

Bunny School takes the reader through a full school day with a classroom full of cute little rabbits. The story is written in rhyming verse, so it's a lot of fun to read and it has a nice 'beat'. The rhyming is very nicely done. The story does not feature one single main character, rather, the story takes you through all of the activities that the bunnies do together as a class. I like the way the story is told. It could have come off as a little chilly and impersonal because there is no main protagonist. But to the contrary, the artwork adds such expressiveness to the charaters and imbues each with individual personality that you feel like you are following each individual bunny's progress throughout their day.

The art appears to be done in colored pencil and watercolor, and proves to be a great marriage of the two. Another thing I like about the art is how the bunnies features and bodies are really truly bunny-like, but they still have a sense of whimsy and fantasy about them. The illustrations also take up the ENTIRE spread on each page, save for the overlaid curved-edged box containing each spreads' text. So many books these days have designs that intermingle the art and the text. While I enjoy these types of books, for my money there's nothing like a good ol', old-school, full-page color picture book done in a classic style once in awhile, and Bunny School delivers this.

The compositions themselves are also really interesting and well thought out. They are easy on the eyes but they are decepitvely complex in design. I am sure it was a lot of work to make them look this interesting, but all the viewer sees is a fun illustration that is endlessly interesting but they're not exactly sure why.

Most of the spreads have many characters, and often, they are engaged in various independent activities. It's fun to see what each of the individual characters are doing on each page against each page's story text. This adds a lot to the story and it is so much fun to find new things to look at each time I look at a spread.

The book Bunny School is not really well known at all, but it is one of my favorites in my collection. It's just a total comfort read for me.

Duck! Rabbit!

Okay, it's Friday. You've been working hard all week. Your brain is fried. Here's a little brainteaser pick-me-up to get you through the day. What I like about this book is how unbelievably simple it is in concept and so darn cute! A marketer's dream, it even comes with it's own website. "Duck!Rabbit!" came out last Spring, so maybe you are already familiar with it. It won tons of awards and was on the New York Times bestseller list. But hey, that makes it even more fun to revisit, especially since Easter is right around the corner. Written and illustrated by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, this book asks the BIG QUESTION...are you a DuckPerson or a RabbitPerson?

Although this book is just one simple line drawing, Tom Lichtenheld's illustrations are quite colorful and fun. He was trained as an art director, but fell into the picture book world purely by accident. Inspired by a letter from his nephew asking him to draw him a picture of a pirate, Tom ended up drawing 20 pages of pirates which eventually became the book "Everything I Know About Pirates."

His latest book is out this Spring and is called "Bridget's Beret." A story about a little girl who is an artist, this one was inspired by his niece. When Bridget accidently loses her beloved beret, she gets a serious case of artist's block. You can see the adorable sketches for the first half of the book here. His website is also worth a look. Full of information on his process.

Have a great weekend!

Bunnies, Bunnies, Everywhere!

With Easter right around the corner, our local Barnes & Noble had quite the array of bunnies, chicks, and eggs on display in the Childrens' book department. I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed since the covers and imagery started to blend together. It was either soft & safe, ho hum, or character based, which never interests me. A few stand outs however:

Good Egg, by Barney Saltzberg Super simple graphic book, but really fun and innovative. Every spread is a new mechanical to express 'Good Egg', sit, roll, shake, speak, etc. Just a white egg, and the text 'Good Egg' - but so smart. Actually, follow that link and there is a book trailer where you can see it being read to kids. If I had my wallet that day, I would have either bought the book or let my son play with it - I was afraid he'd damage it, although it wasn't all that delicate I know better!
Numbers, by Jane Smith. Illustrated by Jill McDonald I have a soft spot for all Jill McDonald work. I admired her licensing work when I used to hire artists, and am happy whenever I see her joyful, painterly art. You just get the feeling that she loves all things childhood related. I love the simplicity of this book. Each spread has a giant, chunky number that pops out, revealing that same number of little animals or objects. It's tactile and fun and bold. Gosh, I don't even remember it having anything to do with Easter. But the animals and Spring-ness of it suit the display perfectly.

I realize that I linked to Amazon for those books. So, here's a link to 'Easter Favorites' on Barnes & Nobles website. It's always interesting to see what people are actually buying! I apologize if I implied these were the only two good books on display for Easter. It's just what I noticed while keeping an eye on a 1yr old during story time this week. I don't know if all stores do this, but ours has story time every day at 11am - what a nice program!

What's on my desk and under it.

I'm busy at the moment working on a board book. Deadline is close and I'm at the painting stage. My tiny studio is crazy right now. So I thought to myself, what a perfect moment to invite people in and see my mess! Right?

So here is the table with my light box that I love. I'm right handed (although I think I might of been born left handed but let's leave that for another post) so I work with all my painting supplies on my right hand side.

I have two lamps on each side. My work space is very little and dark so I really need those.

There is a small mirror that I use sometimes to make sure of an expression I want to draw. But mostly I just get spooked by my own reflection and messy hair.

I work with several water mugs, helps my watercolor colors stay clean and bright.

That little guy you see in the back, the one with the snorkel mask is my cute penguin assistant, he holds my favorite brushes for me. Don't tell him I told you, but he really is a toothbrush holder.. he doesn't know this. He wants to be an artist someday. I bought him and told him he would have an art future with me. ;o)

There are 3 sets of watercolor pans. 2 Yarka and 1 Van Gogh. I particularly love the Yarka colors, really bright.

This is lucky cat. Lucky cat has been very good to me and brings me book projects.

I got her in San Francisco at the, get this, 99 cent dollar store in Japan town. Are you with me? 99 cents for all japanese adorable and unique stuff! I was there all morning and came out broke. I had spent 20 bucks and was carrying a bag full of goodies. ;o)

This is what's under my desk. And look there is Lucy! :o)

You can't tell from here but lately with this heat under there live around 2000 mosquitos. Yay... So much fun to apply mosquito repellent every morning.

And this is a reading nook I have in the studio. I like to take little breaks from work and basically just lay there and read. Lucy likes it too. She particularly likes that the puff has a hole and tiny white styrofoam balls fly out and fall everywhere. You'll see some on her on the pic below.

And here she is reading.

Hope you enjoyed my messy studio. Now I need get back to painting!

Will Terry

A few years ago, my kid's favorite board game was, "1313 Dead End Drive".

I originally bought it for them because I was so taken by the artwork. Loved the rich tones and play of light and shadow which worked so well with the theme of the game (the game is really fun, btw).

By a happy accident, I discovered that this artist has a strong online presence with a great blog, website and videos. His name is Will Terry and if you follow illustration blogs, you may already be familiar with this talented illustrator. Look at how his works "glows". So yummy.

Since I posted an AI video last week, I was excited when Will posted an Adobe Photoshop video this week.

Check it out, along with Will's blog and children's books available.

A Fairytale from will terry on Vimeo.

Jack Prelutsky's Pizza, Pigs and Poetry

He is Children's Poem Laureate for good reason! His poems tickle my funny bones as well as my rhyme-loving brain. I honestly do not have nearly enough of his books! They are so fun to read over and over again, that they are truly useful to have around for more than just the funny pictures and fun stories. His works  are major word play inspiration and are a GREAT example of GREAT children's poetry!

Here is one Jack book that I do have and that I love a lot: Pizza, Pigs and Poetry is kind of a poetry primer plus  an inspiring read. Written for kids who are interested in getting started in writing poetry (so, of course, I had to buy it!) Jack shares several humorous anecdotes from his youth and how the stories inspired some of his poems.  He shares ideas for writing  exercises to get started. He explains some poem terminology. It's a great pick for a 9 - 12 year-old (my best guess) who enjoys creative writing and is interested in poetry... but, it's good for.. ahem... all ages! Can't go wrong with this book. Too fun!

Dogs on the Brain

I've been collecting picture books for years. A majority of the books I own have stories that revolve around some kind of animal since this is my most favorite subject matter! This month I'm illustrating a chapter book for Viking about a dog. A mutt really with about six or seven different breeds all mixed up in his motley pedigree. So with dogs on my brain, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite dog books that have been sitting on my bookshelves for years.

Dee Dee, Ol' Ed and Butch used to be Carey's three ordinary, lovable dogs until one day during a solar eclipse his dogs turned into three rather strange people living in his house. Written by Merrill Markoe (former writer for Late Night with David Letterman) and illustrated by Eric Brace who has illustrated many picture books, The Day My Dogs Became Guys still holds up for me even though it was first published in 1999. The stylized dogs and illustrations are hysterical.

Gina Perry's post yesterday about teeny tiny books reminded me of my copy of Babette Cole's Dogs, which is a little pop-up book that is 3-1/2 inches wide. I have this book on display on my shelf. I just love Cole's crazy, quirky style. This book was published in 1995 and although it only has five spreads, it's one of my all time favorites.

And, of course, Babette Cole did Dr. Dog, which I just could not put down when I bought my first copy. When Dr. Dog's entire human family falls sick, this pet beagle saves the day, curing them of head lice, pinworms, and even a case of too much gas....kids love this stuff!

I Want a Dog is one of my latest purchases. I was immediately drawn to it because of the cover. I love the portraits of all these dogs and their cool backgrounds. An adorable story by Austrian artist and school teacher, Helga Bansch, this story has a great solution to the dilemma of wanting a dog, but living in an apartment that is too small for one.

And I'm sure most of you know about Mark Teague and his loyal and misunderstood character "Ike" LaRue. One of my all time favorite illustrators, Mark Teague is also the illustrator of How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

And finally Chester, by Ayano Imai, a young Japanese artist, is just exquisite with it's soft pallete, eye-catching compositions and attention to detail. This is a sweet story about a dog who finds that his family has forgotten him with their busy lives and sets out to find himself a new home. You can flip through the pages of this entire book on minedition. Have a great weekend everyone! Woof!

Big Book, Little Book, Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny Book.

I may not be putting pencil to paper for my own book these days, but I'm thinking about the final size of it as a much bigger component than I had before. How much do you consider size when working on a dummy? How often do you think about the size of books?

Last year I noticed a few oversize board books at our Barnes & Noble. A gigantic version of Freight Train had me tweeting 'Why?' My son has the 'normal' size book and it seemed just right. Since then, we've acquired a few books bigger and smaller than what I assumed was the average sized board book.

Now that my son is mobile, the giant Moo Baa La La La seem to stop him from a distance, just catching his attention as he toddles along. He'll play while standing at the couch, but so far he doesn't seem interested in flipping the pages in these behemoths. It's just too heavy. So I'm starting to see the value a bit, but I still find myself asking, Why? Is this size appealing for daycare centers, so workers can read to a group of toddlers without worrying about tearing of delicate pages? Will it be interesting to him when he's actually big enough to carry it, or will he prefer picture books? Is this targeted at reluctant readers, who want to feel BIG but can't sit for a more complex story? Or is it just another way to try and make money for the publishers? Not that I'm against it, but I feel like books should be the right size, for the right age and child.

The average sized board book has been our mainstay. Whether square or horizontal, it serves us well for laptime, wandering, stacking, flipping, grabbing, and loving. We prefer the native board books, not those picture books that have been shrunk down, although a few of those seem to work just as well (I Kissed the Baby comes to mind). Hanukkah Lights is no longer seasonal, but that hasn't stopped us from reading it often. It's a perfect first Melissa Sweet book, don't you think?

And last, but not least... the tiny book. Oh, how we loved this little apple-shaped book when we checked it out of the library! That's why its my pick for this month (see sidebar). I'm still thinking about tracking it down to buy, that's how much we miss it. It just fits in his little hands. It's light enough to carry everywhere - and really it got carried everywhere. And the illustrations inside charmed us over and over. Richard Scarry is timeless, even if some of the vehicles are a bit dated (a metal toothpaste car, and actual jar of yogurt as the yogurt car, etc.). I definitely understand the value in such a dear little object, especially with the scale and detail in the illustrations on white. I checked out a big picture book of Richard Scarry's and it just didn't have the same appeal - for either of us actually.

So what do you think, dear readers? Big, Little, Teeny - or all of the above?

The wonderful Eric Carle

I love discovering interviews of children's illustrators and writers. I found this and thought I would share it with you.

Eric Carl is an adorable man. As I'm sure you all know, he's the illustrator behind famous titles like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Just listen to him speak about his collage technique and his passion for color.

Loved to hear him talk about his childhood too and how he had envisioned what being an adult would be like. I also enjoyed how Bill found a "rhythm" for the book before the actual words.

I find that I like his voice and the way he talks about books, there's a passionate yet soothing tone to it.

Hope you enjoy them. :o)