Great Links- Picture Book Construction

Graphic by Tara Lazar

Here is a very useful post by the wonderful Tara Lazar that explains all the possible layouts on a typical 32 pg Picture Book.

Really worth checking it out! :o)

Ollie The Purple Elephant

We all know the wonderful Jarrett Krosoczka from many titles like the Lunch Lady series and Punk Farm, to name a few. Soon he will be releasing a new picture book, Ollie The Purple Elephant. Ollie is beyond adorable! I am in love with his gentle and sweet face.

In this video, Jarrett explains how his idea for the book was born and the similarities that sometimes happens between career and life. :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

Anthony Browne- London Book Fair 2010

Since it seems to be video week at the PBJ's, hee.. I decided to continue with the unplanned theme and post a video I found the other day. Bring some popcorn!

It's an interview with author/illustrator Anthony Browne where he shares his point of view on the importance of pictures in picture books. I couldn't agree with him more.

This is the 1st in a series of 6 videos that were recorded during the London Book Fair of 2010. If you have the time, make sure to see them all. They really bring very interesting topics and questions to the table. All you have to do is click on the youtube tab on the video bar and you'll be redirected to the site where you can watch the rest of the videos.

What would I do without the web and youtube? :o)