Let's Talk Illustrators #125: Piet Grobler

I have been a fan of Piet Grobler's work since I first studied his 2005 picture book Today Is My Day in graduate school. So it goes without saying that I've been waiting quite some time to find the right book to talk to him about his process. Enter The Playgrounds of Babel, written by JonArno Lawson. Piet truly has a chance to shine and flex his artistic muscles with different media in this book, and I was so glad to talk to him about how he created it. Enjoy!

Crushes of the Week: November 17-23, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Chirri & Chirra, on the Town by Kaya Doi and David Boyd (Enchanted Lion Books, December 2019)
2. A Year with Mama Earth by Rebecca Grabill and Rebecca Green (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, September 2019)
3. The Magical Unicorn Society: A Brief History of Unicorns by Selwyn E. Phipps, Aitch, Oana Befort, Rae Ritchie, Zanna Goldhawk, and Harry Goldhawk (Feiwel & Friends, October 2019)
4. Life: The First Four Billion Years: The Story of Life from the Big Bang to the Evolution of Humans by Martin Jenkins and Grahame Baker-Smith (Candlewick Studio, September 2019)
5. Rabbit and the Motorbike by Kate Hoefler and Sarah Jacoby (Chronicle Books, September 2019)
6. Orchestra by Avalon Nuovo and David Doran (Flying Eye Books, November 2019)
7. The Speed of Starlight: An Exploration of Physics, Sound, Light, and Space by Colin Stuart and Ximo Abadia (Big Picture Press, October 2019)

      

Let's Talk Illustrators #124: Angel Chang

There is no better way to describe the illustrations in Dave Eggers' new book Most of the Better Natural Things in the World than "breathtaking." Angel Chang's debut as an illustrator brings light and warmth to every crevice of the Earth as a tiger carries her chair from one geographically-notable area to another. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Angel about her stunning illustrations of  most of the better natural things of the world.

Crushes of the Week: November 10-16, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Panthera Tigris by Sylvain Alzial and Helene Rajcak (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, October 2019)
2. A Million Dots by Sven Völker (Cicada Books, September 2019)
3. Otto Goes North by Ulrika Kestere (Gecko Press, September 2019)
4. The Day of Your Arrival by Dolores Brown and Reza Dalvand (Nubeocho, October 2019)
5. Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul and John Parra (Clarion Books, September 2019)
6. Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling and Irene Luxbacher (Groundwood Books, August 2019)
7. Whose Footprint Is That? by Darrin Lunde and Kelsey Oseid (Charlesbridge, October 2019)
8. North America: A Fold-Out Graphic History by Sarah Albee and William Exley (What on Earth Books, October 2019)
9. Paper Peek: Colors by Chihiro Takeuchi (Candlewick Studio, October 2019)

        

THE BALCONY

The Balcony by Melissa Castrillón is a beautifully inspirational book about the power of nature to unite a community.

Crushes of the Week: November 3-9 2019

This week's crushes:

1. We Are Artists: Women Who Made Their Mark on the World by Kari Herbert (Thames & Hudson, September 2019)
2. Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell by Illustratus (Chronicle Books, August 2019)
3. The Piano Recital by Akiko Miyakoshi (Kids Can Press, September 2019)
4. Nya's Long Walk: A Step at a Time by Linda Sue Park and Brian Pinkney (Clarion Books, September 2019)
5. Small in the City by Sydney Smith (Neal Porter Books, September 2019)
6. Grobblechops by Elizabeth Laird and Jenny Lucander (Tiny Owl Publishing, September 2019)
7. Nuts! by Lou Peacock and Yasmeen Ismail (Nosy Crow, September 2019)

      

STARS AND POPPY SEEDS

Stars and Poppy Seeds by Ukrainian husband and wife team Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv is a stunning combination of art and mathematics.

Crushes of the Week: October 27-November 2, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins and Sara Palacios (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), September 2019)
2. And Then the Seed Grew by Marianne Dubuc (Kids Can Press, September 2019)
3. Space Train by Maudie Powell-Tuck and Karl James Mountford (Tiger Tales, October 2019)
4. Follow Chester!: A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History by Gloria Respress-Churchwell and Laura Freeman (Charlesbridge, September 2019)
5. The Knight Who Said "No!" by Lucy Rowland and Kate Hindley (Nosy Crow, September 2019)
6. Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max (Candlewick, September 2019)
7. The Mystery of the Missing Cake by Claudia Boldt (Tate, April 2018)

      

THE HIKE

The Hike by Alison Farrell is the sweet story of three kids (and a dog) who love hiking more than anything in the world.