What We're Reading

Here are some of the books our family is reading this week. We rotate books often, but Richard Scarry has been a staple for my 4yo for the past month or so. Finding this very large storybook was a nice change of pace from Busytown since it seems like we've read all those stories MANY times over. Once this one becomes rote I'll be hunting down some of the books I just saw on the Random House page for Scarry.

Surprise Treasure

I found this hidden behind some boxes inside a closet and it immediately brought a huge smile to my face!

I had no idea we had this book. I'm pretty sure it belonged to my sis when we were little. Don't you just love it when that happens?

I dusted it off and right now is sitting in my studio along with many other awesome books so it won't feel lonely and I get to see Gyo Fujikawa's beautiful artwork every day while I work.  :o)

La Flor Aventurera (The Adventurous Flower)

La Flor Aventurera

by Begoña Ibarrola

-Ediciones SM-

Last year I worked on this lovely picture book and it just happens it's release date is today!

La Flor Aventurera is the story of Margarita (Daisy), a beautiful and courageous flower who decides to follow her dream and stays awake until winter in order to see the snow. The autumn days get windier and she becomes afraid and cold but realizes that she had made a decision and she had to stick to it.

© copyright Alicia Padrón

This book is part of a series of books written by renowned Spanish psychologist Begoña Ibarrola. The series, Cuentos Para Sentir (Stories That Make You Feel), is filled with stories that deal with every day feelings kids can relate to.

© copyright Alicia Padrón

It was very interesting to draw this character as the story evolved. Margarita is tough yet scared at the same time. She experiences many different feelings and of course by being a flower she is in that same spot in the garden throughout the book. I found that by being restricted to just one setting I was able to be more creative in finding ways to keep things visually interesting for the kids.

© copyright Alicia Padrón

I truly enjoyed working on this book and love my editor to pieces. The level of trust and freedom she gave me is just amazing. She is a joy to work with.

© copyright Alicia Padrón

I really hope the little ones will enjoy this book as much as I did! :o)

An Arroz con Mango Post

Is today Wednesday? I need to make sure. Last week I thought I posted on Wednesday and it turned out it was Thursday. ;o)

OK, to be brutally honest I have no clue what to post today so I will make it an "arroz con mango" type of post. That means a little bit of everything, non-related stuff, all put into one.

I recently visited a lovely bookstore in a converted brick little house (above) that used to be part of an old tobacco & coffee hacienda in the late 1700's. I was SO happy when I found it! I spent a good couple of hours browsing all the books and talking with the owner. Such a nice lady.

I also showed some of the kids in the store a few books I knew they would love, like Flotsam. As soon as I told them a bit about how the book was made, how long it took him to make it (I had seen David Wiesner speak at the NY conference a few years ago) and that the book had NO words.. this really interested them. They sat down on the floor in a circle and started reading it.

I found a few goodies for myself too. One book that I always wanted to get was Lost & Found by Oliver Jeffers. I recently posted a video of him on my blog giving some very interesting tips on how to write. This copy I got is in Spanish of course.

He is so brilliant. His art and stories are so simple but every little detail counts. Every shadow, every tilt of a line. Look at it carefully. He is amazing.

I still choke a bit with the spread of the boy and penguin hugging. So simple but so expressive. Seems effortless but says so much. It's like someone whispering a loud statement from the top of their lungs. Does that make sense?

To top it off, my wonderful bookstore day didn't end there. I had the most delicious gelato ever! The flavor was Bacci, which is my favorite Italian chocolate. It's a magnificent little dark chocolate wrapped in star bright foil and filled with hazelnuts bits. Ahhh.. sooo good! A gelato made of Bacci tastes like heaven.

So there you go. My arroz con mango post is over. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday, and if you can.. try to go to a bookstore and then have some gelato afterwards. I highly recommend it. :oD

What I'm working on

© Copyright Alicia Padrón 2010

I recently created these two characters for a possible book project, a little Princess and her royal kitty. I like to think she lives in a cotton candy color world.

Turns out she wasn't chosen for the book, these things happen, so she is available so to speak. ;o)

Meanwhile I've been busy working on a beautiful Christmas book to be published next year in the UK. I will also be working on a series of baby books which I'm really excited about! I can't say much just yet. I love doing baby books.

We are still on our summer vacation. Kids don't start school until mid September, so juggling work with vacation time has been a challenge I have to say. But it's all good.

Hope you all had a great summer too. :o)

We have 3 winners!

My kids helped pick the lucky winners..

Tracy Bishop

Michelle Henninger

and Annie Patterson,

please email me so we can send out your Peachtree books!

Thanks everyone for visiting and

a special thanks to Peachtree Publishers for sharing their beautiful books with us.

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!