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You are here: Home / Archives for picture books

Meet An Illustrator 23 – Yuval Zommer

June 12, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

self-portrait © Yuval Zommer

The twenty-third subject of Meet An Illustrator is Yuval Zommer, best known for his award-winning Big Book Of… series published by Thames & Hudson and sold in countries world-wide. The latest title, The Big Book of Belonging, publishes in September this year [2021].

He also produces a seasonal series for OUP that includes titles such as A Thing Called Snow (a previous ACHUKA Book of the Day) and The Tree That’s Meant To Be, a Sunday Times Book of the Year.

He only began publishing illustrated books for children in 2014, after a career as a creative director, but has already built up an impressive list of titles.

In addition to The Big Book of Belonging mentioned above, we can also look forward to publication of The Lights That Dance In The Night, coming from OUP in October.

Yuval will be participating in The Children’s Bookshow, Warwick Arts Centre, this November.


As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember admiring? 

I used to sketch all of my dogs—every dog we ever had became a model for my life drawings. I had no idea that decades on I would still be drawing animals!

Who/what inspired you when you were young?

My grandparents had books from the ‘World of Art’ series, about the great masters, popular at the time. As a child, I thought of these titles as picture books with every painting telling a story. I particularly remember trying to imagine what Gauguin, Rousseau and Monet were trying to tell.

Who inspires you today?

I discovered Brian Wildsmith relatively late—I love his flair and use of colour! Particularly his work from the 60’S and 70’s. I feel privileged and honoured to be published by Oxford University Press who, decades apart, published his pioneering work. I also find children’s art very inspiring and fresh! My readers are very creative and often send work inspired by my Big Books.

Did you study art/illustration?

MA illustration at the Royal College of Art, some time ago.

What is your favourite artist tool/product?

It changes, but I am enjoying the immediacy of liquid chalk markers which I use to draw on bookshops’ windows. Except more of, in the run up to Xmas.

Where do you buy your art supplies?

Usually Cass Art but whenever I get to travel abroad I always try to source local bookshops and art shops!

What software/apps do you use?

I use Photoshop mainly, and an extra large Wacom tablet to draw on with a stylus pen.

What was your first commission?

My first published picture book was The Big Blue Thing On The Hill and it set the tone for future things! I am forever grateful to Amanda Wood the then editor for seeing the potential in what was still a concept with just a few drawings.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on a large format book to do with Nature Art which I am very excited about. I very much support the idea that ‘Every Child Is An Artist’ and that’s all I can say for now.

Twitter or Instagram? Both—for different reasons, and for different communities.

Coffee or tea? Too much coffee.

 Dog or cat? Dogs, dogs, dogs!

Grape or grain? Grain—Scottish and undiluted, maybe a few ice cubes.

Sunrise or sunset? Sunrises give me energy for the day when working on projects. Sunsets on holidays.

What do you listen to when you are working?  I like ‘abstract’ noises such as the Italian staff from the restaurant opposite having their kitchen breaks, the hum of the buses from near by, the birds who have made the derelict building near me their home. I live in a very urban setting!

Where can we follow you on social media?

I’m pretty much daily on Instagram: @yuvalzommer
And you can follow me on Twitter: @yuvalzommer

This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Books, Meet Tagged With: artist, illustration, illustrator, picture books

Nosy Crow In Open Call For Submissions From Writers and Writer-Illustrators Of Colour

January 21, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

Nosy Crow want to increase the diversity of their list.

 If you’re a writer or writer-illustrator of colour, they want your picture book stories!

Please send no more than three picture book texts to submissions2021@nosycrow.com, along with a synopsis of each story and a short biography in the body of the email. The window for submissions is for a limited time only, from the 21st January 2021 to the 18thFebruary 2021. 

It’s completely free to submit. Submissions must be in the English language and unpublished anywhere in the world. Writers and writer-illustrators must be aged 18 or older.

Picture book texts should be no more than 1,000 words each and submitted as aMicrosoft Word document (or similar document that can be opened in Microsoft Word) or Adobe PDF document. They should be sent as an email attachment (no paper submissions).

If you are a writer-illustrator, texts can be accompanied by your artwork. PDFs should be no more than 5MB in total. If you’re a writer-illustrator, please also include a link to your website and/or social media.

More details here:
https://nosycrow.com/blog/an-open-call-for-submissions-from-writers-and-writer-illustrators-of-colour/

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: picture books, submissions

Shannon Cullen Selects Her Top Ten Baby Books

March 17, 2017 By achuka Leave a Comment

“Until I had a baby I never appreciated quite how hard it is to write a good picture book. But having read hundreds now – and many of them repeatedly – you soon learn why classics (longstanding or modern) are classics. Some of our favourite books are the ones that rhyme, as there is something very soothing about the bouncing word play. But the greatest books are fun for both parents and children, and a bookseller will be able to recommend something that’s perfect for you. It’s especially satisfying to discover a new author and illustrator, or a book that helps with your baby’s next development stage.”
Shannon Cullen, publishing director and aurthor of I’m Wrecked, This Is My Journal – The alternative baby book for frazzled parents

Baby’s Very First Book: Faces by Jo Lodge – excellent crinkly black and white fabric book, including a mirror for the baby to check out their own reflection.

Baby Touch First Focus: Things That Go – vehicles in black, white and yellow, with different noises to make as you read.

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy (currently out of print) – lovely black and white book with splashes of colour, with an excuse to tickle and kiss your little one.

That’s Not My Pirate by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells – this series is the gift that keeps giving, with every conceivable theme and quality touch-and-feel pages.

First 100 Animals by Roger Priddy – a bright animal book that uses photos rather than illustrations.

Sing Along with Me: The Wheels on the Bus by Yu-Hsuan Huang – the classic nursery rhyme includes a QR code to download the music.

Peepo! By Janet and Allan Ahlberg ­– one of the best picture books with hundreds of details to point out, plus classic ‘peepo’ fun

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell – one of the original lift-the-flap books with a playful story to entertain.

Lulu Loves Flowers by Anna McQuinn – a lovely story incorporating garden nature and friendships.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss – a masterclass in language!

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: baby, baby books, picture books

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2016

November 4, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

Every year since 1952, the [New York Times] Book Review has convened an independent panel of judges to select the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books. Judged purely on artistic merit, it’s the only annual award of its kind.

This year’s judges were G. Brian Karas, Cynthia Weill and Cheryl Wolf.

G. Brian Karas is the illustrator of over 70 books for children, including “Are You Going to Be Good?,” a Best Illustrated Books winner in 2005. Cynthia Weill is the director of the Center for Children’s Literature at Bank Street College of Education and the author of the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series; she holds a doctorate of education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Cheryl Wolf is the librarian for two New York City public elementary schools, the Neighborhood School and S.T.A.R. Academy.

The 2016 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books are, in alphabetical order:

Image
CREDITFROM “THE CAT FROM HUNGER MOUNTAIN”

The Cat From Hunger Mountain

Written and illustrated by Ed Young

The wealthy, selfish Lord Cat lives in wasteful luxury high on a mountain and treats his servants with contempt, until a drought brings hunger and he is forced to change his ways. With complex collages that mix photographs, torn paper, string and other materials, Young creates a stunning visual symphony with a surprising and unsettling emotional power.

32 pp. Philomel Books. $17.99.


Image
CREDITFROM “THE DEAD BIRD”

The Dead Bird

By Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Christian Robinson.

Brown’s quiet 1938 story of children who find a dead bird in the woods and give it a proper burial gets an exuberant, emotionally resonant update from Robinson, who moves the setting to an urban park and gives one child fairy wings, another a fox costume. Our reviewer, Mark Levine, praised Robinson’s “bold and angular visual style,” which features deceptively simple brushwork and masterly compositions.

32 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $17.99.


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CREDITFROM “FREEDOM IN CONGO SQUARE”

Freedom in Congo Square

By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

Sweet and powerful rhymes count down the days from Monday to Sunday, when the enslaved people of New Orleans were allowed to join free blacks for a day of music, socializing and commerce. “Christie’s art is, as always, breathtaking, uniting folk art and sleek modern gestures with a graceful dynamism that calls to mind Jacob Lawrence and Benny Andrews,” our reviewer, Maria Russo, said.

ADVERTISEMENT

36 pp. Little Bee Books. $17.99.


Image
CREDITFROM “LITTLE RED”

Little Red

Written and illustrated by Bethan Woollvin

This reboot of the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” gives us a heroine who’s wised up from the start to the wolf’s trickster ways. Woollvin’s ingeniously minimalist illustrations use bold shapes and a palette of blacks, whites and grays with strategic pops of bright red, creating a jaunty and confident trip to the dark side and back.

32 pp. Peachtree. $16.95.


Image
CREDITFROM “THE POLAR BEAR”

The Polar Bear

Written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond

This factual account of polar bears’ biology and habitat also features the story of a curious little girl who gets lost in reading a book about polar bears and visits one in her imagination. Desmond’s varied illustrations combine watercolors, acrylic paint, pencil, crayon and printmaking techniques to create ever-changing moods and spectacular scenes of Arctic life.

40 pp. Enchanted Lion Books. $17.95.


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CREDITFROM “PREACHING TO THE CHICKENS”

Preaching to the Chickens

The Story of Young John Lewis
By Jabari Asim. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis.

Before John Lewis, the African-American civil rights leader and congressman, began his illustrious career, he was a boy growing up on an Alabama farm, practicing his oratorical skills on his family’s flock of chickens. The poignant, observant watercolors by the illustrator E. B. Lewis (no relation) are bathed in subtly changing light, making homespun scenes of country life seem celestial and exalted.

32 pp. Nancy Paulsen Books. $17.99.


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CREDITFROM “THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR”

The Princess and the Warrior

A Tale of Two Volcanoes
Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Tonatiuh presents his version of the legend of two volcanoes near Mexico City, in which Izta, the most beautiful princess in the land, falls in love with Popoca, a brave warrior of modest means. The book’s highly original style draws on images from traditional Mixtec art to create layered, mixed-texture collages that are both sweet and majestic in their timeless vision of love, war and eternity.

40 pp. Abrams. $16.95.


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CREDITFROM “THE TREE IN THE COURTYARD”

The Tree in the Courtyard

Looking Through Anne Frank’s Window
By Jeff Gottesfeld. Illustrated by Peter McCarty.

The famous tree that stood in the courtyard outside Anne Frank’s window bears witness to the Frank family’s long hiding and Anne’s capture by the Nazis during World War II. Using only brown ink and tiny, patient strokes, McCarty juxtaposes the tree’s growth with the somber realities and flashes of joy in Anne’s constrained young life, creating pages of devastating intensity and heartbreaking detail.

32 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $17.99.


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CREDITFROM “A VOYAGE IN THE CLOUDS”

A Voyage in the Clouds

The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785
By Matthew Olshan. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

A British doctor named Jeffries and a French balloonist named Blanchard undertake a daring balloon flight — accompanied by their dogs, an English and a French bulldog, of course. Blackall’s exquisite watercolor and pencil illustrations of well-dressed people, dangerous waters and soaring balloons, done in creamy pastels and moody grays, have a winking vintage look, both witty and elegant.

32 pp. Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $17.99.


Image
CREDITFROM “THE WHITE CAT AND THE MONK”

The White Cat and the Monk

A Retelling of the Poem “Pangur Ban”
By Jo Ellen Bogart. Illustrated by Sydney Smith.

This book retells the ninth-century Old Irish poem “Pangur Ban,” a monk’s simple reflections on his companionship with his cat and the parallels between his scholarly pursuit of knowledge and the cat’s playful hunting. Smith’s “distinctive art . . . falls partway between modernist fairy tale and graphic novel, opening an inviting portal between past and present as the ancient story comes to life in a decidedly contemporary aesthetic,” our reviewer, Maria Popova, wrote.

32 pp. Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press. $18.95.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: illustrated, picture books

Highly Recommended Blog Picturebook Makers

September 7, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

picturebookmakers

ACHUKA highly recommends this enterprise, whose goal is “to provide an interesting and inspiring resource for publishing professionals, illustration students and graduates, and anyone else with a passion for picturebooks and a curiosity about the different approaches taken to make them.”

A marvellous resource.

http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: illusttration, picture books

Excellent New Online Resource: Power of Pictures | CLPE

July 22, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

The Power of Pictures is a new literacy website from CLPE and children’s authors/illustrators which helps primary school teachers to develop their understanding of the craft of picture book creation as a way of raising children’s achievement in literacy. This site houses short films from children’s illustrators alongside a range of specially developed teaching materials and resources.

includes excellent video content such as:

via Power of Pictures | CLPE.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: education, illustration, picture books, primary, resource

Whatever their age, the audience can take something away from a picture book

June 6, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

TinyOwl

Tiny Owl has been asking children’s writers, illustrators, lecturers and journalists:

‘Are picture books for children, or adults can enjoy them just as much?’

Below you will find more answers:

 

The Book Sniffer

The Book Sniffer

The Book Sniffer Blog:

Picture books are for EVERYONE!

 

Picture books are for EVERYONE! I weep with dismay when I hear “grown-ups” ushering little ones away from picture books because they are too big for them.

 

  • The Book Sniffer introduces itself as: ‘A blog for the unashamed book sniffing community.’

 

 

Colin West

Colin West

Colin West:

A picture book is a charming and unique art form

 

I personally feel the 32 page picture book is a charming and unique art form which I esteem as highly as the Shakespearean sonnet or the perfect two minute popular song. A great, or even a fairly good one, should be a delight to read (and look at) again and again, without one tiring of it. I would hope that any reasonably intelligent and liberal minded person might vaguely agree with me. The saddest thing would be a child of, say, nine or ten feeling (or even worse, being told) that picture books are for little kiddies only, and that they should move on to more “advanced” books.

 

More responses via Whatever their age, the audience can take something away from a picture book.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: picture books

An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: BOLOGNA BOOK FAIR 2016 – TRENDS IN ILLUSTRATION

May 2, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

splendid and highly recommended look back at this year’s Bologna by Dianne Hofmeyr

I couldn’t help but be struck by the vibe of Bologna. Art students flood the halls carrying portfolios and in the afternoons, it’s open house for them to show their work to publishers. Students line up in queues snaking through the halls, in the hope of being the next best discovery. How hard it must be for acquisition teams as they sift through the work and how hard for the students. But there’s hope! The picture book won’t die.

via An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: BOLOGNA BOOK FAIR 2016 – TRENDS IN ILLUSTRATION – Dianne Hofmeyr.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: Bologna, illustration, picture books

Arabella Stein Joins Bright Group Illustrator Agency

February 19, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

bookseller

Literary agent Arabella Stein right has joined illustrator agency Bright Group international’s London office.Stein, whose official title at Bright is senior agent, reports directly to m.d. and founder Vicki Willden-Lebrecht. She will take on some of the company’s existing clients as well as looking for new talent.Stein told The Bookseller she wanted to help her clients to have as broad a career as possible. “The market for children’s books is exciting globally, not just in the UK. We are going to be looking at doing everything we can do for our illustrators. Yes, it’s about picture books, but also activity, educational and commercial work.” Bright Group is particularly interested in helping its lesser-known artists become brands, she added.

via Arabella Stein signs up for Bright Group | The Bookseller.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: agency, moves, picture books, staff, staffing

PJ Lynch and the man who fell to water – Irish Times profile

November 2, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

Excellent profile of the P J Lynch in the Irish Times:

Lynch was never interested in writing. Publishers were happy to send on “texts presented as fait accompli”. It came as a surprise to him, then, that he should find himself embarking on an original book project that would take him eight years to complete at a time when he had never been busier with commissions.
The seeds of the book that would become The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, or John Howland’s Good Fortune were sown when Lynch was invited to illustrate a story about colonial pilgrims in America. “I was very interested in the subject matter, but the version, in rhyming couplets, was too sweet. I thought relations between Indians and the colonisers couldn’t possibly be that good, and I turned it down.”
He was interested enough in the subject matter, however, to do his own research, and when he read about John Howland, a servant who fell off the Mayflower and survived, “I became obsessed with finding out more about him”.

via PJ Lynch and the man who fell to water.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: illustration, picture books

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