Let's Talk Illustrators #128: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Get ready, everyone! Today I'm talking to the incredible Vanessa Brantley-Newton about her newest book Just Like Me, which showcases her expertise in using a wide array of mixed media and textures to heighten the overall design of her books. Vanessa took time to chat with me about what it's like to be writing and illustrating books, how her process has evolved, and what she has on the docket next. Enjoy!

Crushes of the Week: January 12-18, 2020

This week's crushes:

1. What's Up, Maloo? (Maloo and Friends) by Genevieve Godbout (Tundra Books, January 2020)
2. Goodnight, Rainbow Cats by Bàrbara Castro Urío (Chronicle Books, November 2019)
3. Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki (Schwartz & Wade, September 2019)
4. Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcántara (Candlewick, December 2019)
5. Ninja Boy's Secret by Tina Schneider (Tuttle Publishing, September 2019)
6. Ignore the Trolls by Jordan Gershowitz and Sandhya Prabhat (POW!, October 2019)
7. Can You See Me? by Mikhala Lantz-Simmons and Mohammad Rasoulipour (Andrews McMeel Publishing, October 2019)
8. Iced Out by Isabella Bunnell and Ck Smouha (Cicada Books, November 2019)

       

WHAT COLOR IS NIGHT?

What Color Is Night? by Grant Snider is the ultimate bedtime story.

Let's Talk Illustrators #127: Rachel Wada

I was moved to tears the first time I experienced Heather Smith and Rachel Wada's The Phonebooth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden. I somehow totally missed it when it published last September, so when I saw it later in the year I knew I had to make my interview with illustrator Rachel Wada the first one of 2020. It was a pleasure learning more about the illustrative process behind this beautiful, sobering book. Enjoy.

Favorite Picture Books of 2019

And here are my favorite picture books from 2019! It was another banner year for creativity in illustration, story, and book design, so I can't wait to see what 2020 brings. Talk to you then!

Favorite Comic Books of 2019

I was a little off my game in the second half of the year with comics, but I still managed to read a bunch at the end for Cybils. Here are the ten that stood out the most!

Picture books are up tomorrow!

Favorite Casewraps of 2019

Here are my favorite casewraps of 2019, and don't forget that you can see my casewrap reveals all year round here.

My list of favorite 2019 comics for children is up next!

Favorite Leporellos

Tomorrow I start my favorites of the year lists, but today I want to talk about my favorite leporellos. Leporellos (also called concertinas or accordion books) are books whose pages are folded into an accordion –– a series of events literally unfolds as the reader opens the book. You can learn a little more about the history and evolution of leporellos here.

For now, though, I wanted to share my updated list of favorite leporellos. Click on the book images to jump around, or scroll all the way through to see them all (which I highly suggest).

                   

Let's Talk Illustrators #126: Taltal Levi

Taltal Levi's A Little Courage caught my eye even before I knew it was the story of a teacup-sized child who befriends a cat. There are many stories about finding courage, but few are illustrated with the grace and tenderness seen in Taltal's work. I was grateful to ask Taltal some questions about her work, and I hope you enjoy learning about her process as much as I did!

Let's Talk Illustrators #125: Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud

Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud teamed up again recently to create their latest innovative pop-up book The Acrobat Family. Anouck and Louis work together quite frequently to create some very interesting pop-up books like Wake Up, Sloth! and Under the Ocean (my personal favorites), among others. With its unique trim size (and even more unique engineering), The Acrobat Family falls right into place in a long line of creative projects undertaken by this French duo. Let's take a closer look inside!