This Picture Book Life

fox’s garden + the fox and the child

11.04.2014

Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam (2014).

This is a powerful little book. A wordless book. A book made of cut paper that comes to life. A book that will stay with you as it did with me.

So before I say anything else about it, here are images from inside, in order to give you a taste of the experience of reading it.

(Click image(s) to enlarge.)

Did you feel it? Sadness when the fox looking for shelter is kicked out by the man.

Wonder and hope when the boy sees the fox enter the greenhouse.

And then, surprise when the boy discovers the fox with her cubs!

There’s one more surprise in this book, but I won’t give it away here. Let’s just say it’s called Fox’s Garden for a reason, but not necessarily the one you might dream up. It’s the reason Princesse Camcam dreamed up. And I’m so glad she did. It’s a surprise that promises joy and hope.

This is a book about the relationships of humans and animals. The cruelty that’s sometimes there. Or perhaps more gently put, misunderstanding. And also the connections. The kindness. And who better to rekindle that than a child who still has love and wonder in his heart? (We know he does in part by the many animal artworks that adorn his room.)

I’ve left for last this one’s other magic—its illustrations, each a cut-paper art box photographed for the spreads of the book. They’re intricate still-lifes that make us feel this whole world is real. Because of course it is.

Thanks to Enchanted Lion Books for images!

600full-the-fox-and-the-child-poster-529 The Fox and the Child
(2007) directed by Luc Jacquet (of March of the Penguins). (Kate Winslet narrates the English version.)

This film is also French. And it’s about a child and a fox, like the book. It’s beautiful; the landscapes are breathtaking in every scene.

But it’s a heartbreaker. And I’d also say, given some of the horrible things the fox endures and the sheer terror of watching and rooting for her, it may not be for young children. Let’s just say, I wept big, fat, sad tears watching this movie.

But it was worth it.

A 1o year old girl finds a fox in the forest. Patiently, over seasons, she convinces the fox she’s safe (unlike many other humans). They visit. They bond. The girl names the fox. The girl tames the fox.

And it is a beautiful thing to behold. But one fraught with troubles ahead. Because a girl and a fox are not meant to live together, however much they might like the idea. However much they might be friends.

It’s a film to show us foxes in the forest and how they live. And it’s a film to teach us more than that. About kindness. About how sometimes kindness is in keeping an eye out but withdrawing one’s hand.

You could cozy up and read one, then watch the other. Talk about foxes and nature and how to be kind to the world.

happy birthday madame chapeau + HATS!!! (+ giveaway)

PICTURE BOOKS +

10.30.2014

happy_birthday_madame_chapeau Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau words by Andrea Beaty, pictures by David Roberts.

Beaty and Roberts are true collaborators. A perfect picture book team.

Story and illustrations complement each other perfectly. They make each other SHINE.

Also, SO STYLISH. You know that already if you’ve read Iggy Peck, Architect or Rosie Revere, Engineer.

“It is Andrea’s Law of Picture Books to include…notes only for plot points or jokes. Everything else, I think should be left to the illustrator with guidance from the editor. They are wildly talented people who take my words to places I never dreamed of and that is such fun to see!”

—Andrea Beaty

From the first page, you fall in love with the hats in this book. So many whimsical wonderful fantastical hats. And then you fall in love with Madame Chapeau. Hatmaker. Hard worker. Elegant, creative Parisian. Lonely gal.

I have to mention how Andrea Beaty does rhyme! I mean, on top of everything, this book rhymes! And in the most natural story-telling, fun-loving way.

“In a three-story house with a shop down below

lived the world’s finest hat maker, Madame Chapeau.”

Chapeau makes the most perfect hat for each of her customers. But she always dines alone. Except on her birthday, that one special day a year, she wears her best dress and bonnet and eats at a super fancy restaurant. (Chez Snooty-Patoot, of course!!)

Only this year, she loses her hat in a most creative way. And, in a way, she loses her HEART.

“As David [Roberts] worked through the sketches, our editor, Susan Van Metre, helped us find the heart of the story – which is Madame Chapeau’s loneliness and how the simple act of kindness can change a person’s world.”

—Andrea Beaty

If you read between the lines, as in look carefully at the illustrations, Madame Chapeau’s character is that much richer. Yes, the hats she designs—those shapes and details. But also, the framed photos at her desk and table. Photos of her and a fellow. She, wearing a heart-shaped red bonnet. A bonnet someone else made for her if you pay close attention.

And finally: the girl! She first shows up on the spread with all the shops and is featured again below, with her mother. She makes all the difference to Madame Chapeau in the end!

“David took the idea and created very subtle details in the illustrations to tell the back story about Madame Chapeau’s husband who is now gone. (For instance, the photos and the hatbox from Monsieur Chapeau.)”

—Andrea Beaty

Last fun tidbit: David Roberts himself was a milliner in Hong Kong and the heart-shaped bonnet Madame Chapeau loses—that’s his own millinery design!

I received a review copy of this book; opinions are my own.

Hats! Many hats featured in this book! (Check out that first image at the top of the post to see some of these illustrated.)

Upside down shoe hat byElsa Schiaparelli.

Princess Beatrice’s royal wedding hat designed by Philip Treacy.

Grace Jones in Philip Treacy hat.

Charlie Chaplin’s iconic derby.

Marcel Marceau’s famous crinkly one.

Isabella Blow, whom Madame Chapeau’s likeness is based on, wearing one of many hats. (See her in more hats over the years, some by Philip Treacy, here.)

That’s Isabella with Philip there. And the hat the girl’s wearing? Red and white-striped with long black feather? You can bet that’s an important hat in Happy Birthday Madame Chapeau!

See the last page of the book and that darling little girl to see what I mean!

And if you’d like to enter for a chance to win a copy of the book, simply leave a comment on this post! Tell us about your favorite hat if you like.

And you can check out my previous hat posts too!—the hat I made and the hats I borrowed.

I’ll contact the randomly chosen winner by email for your mailing address.

(Open to N. America only—sorry about that far-flung international readers!) Giveaway ends Monday, November 3 at midnight. Good luck!)

Thanks to Abrams Books!

apple cake: a recipe for love + apple cake recipe by thirsty for tea

PICTURE BOOKS +

10.28.2014

Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love by Julie Paschkis (2012).

Words to describe this book:

Whimsical. Romantic. Sweet. It’s about love and cake after all.

Light as a feather illustrations, full of charm. A boy who wants to win the heart of a girl who reads. That about sums it up.

(click image(s) to enlarge)

Ida reads and never looks up. Alfonso wants her to.

A simple plan. A cake. But a cake so full of magic and love it will be anything but ordinary.

Paschkis started with her great grandmother’s apple cake recipe and took it, well, to the land of imagination through her illustrations. Alfonso gets butter from the sun and salt from the sea and bakes the cake with the fiery breath of a dragon.

This is the original recipe card! Not from Paschkis’s great grandmother, but from her own mother. The recipe though is the same one, passed down.

This book celebrates the joy and connection of baking. The way it can be shared and show love.

Can you guess what happens next?! Ida and Alfonso eat the cake together!!!

One last thing, Julie Paschkis is part of an exhibition of Children’s Book Illustrators in Washington at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art from now until February 22nd. It’s called “Points of Entry” and by happenstance I think I’ll be able to stop in on a trip to Seattle this winter. So while I hope you can make it to the show yourself, if not, I’ll report back!

Thanks to Julie Paschkis for images!

My lovely and supremely talented friend Bonnie over at Thirsty for Tea has a special treat for us today! An apple tea cake recipe that’s perfect for fall (or falling in love, per the book).

From Bonnie:

“Staying true to the book, I used 1 green apple (Granny Smith) and 2 sweet ones (Honeycrisp) in this Apple Tea Cake recipe. The sour apple is mixed into the cake batter while the 2 sweet apples are cubed, dusted generously with cinnamon sugar, and scattered over the top of the cake to create a rustic topping.

My personal ingredient addition not included in the original recipe of the book is buttermilk. The baked apples meld together with the buttermilk based cake batter to create an almost custard-like texture to the cake–moist, tender, and deliciously creamy!”

THE RECIPE:

Apple Tea Cake

Makes 1-8″ cake.

Ingredients:

{Cake Base}

4 Tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2″ cubes

{Apple Topping}

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2″ cubes

sifted powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Equipment:

8″ baking pan (I used a spring form for easy removal), sprayed with non-stick spray

large mixing bowl

medium mixing bowl

rubber spatula

peeler and paring knife

small heart-shaped cookie cutter (optional)

Directions:

1.) Make the Cake Base. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the 1 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, cream the 4 Tbsp of butter and 1/3 cup of sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix them in. Gradually add the flour mix into the butter mixture until barely incorporated. Gently mix the Granny Smith apple chunks into the batter, then pour the batter into the baking pan. Use the back of the rubber spatula to smooth and even out the batter. Set aside.

2.) Make the Apple Topping. Place the Honeycrisp apple chunks into the medium bowl. Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp of melted butter over the apples, then dust with the cinnamon and sugar. Toss the apples so that all the spice, sugar, and butter is evenly distributed. Topple apples over the cake batter evenly, then lightly press them in so that they adhere to the top surface of the cake.

3.) Finish the Cake. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is lightly golden, the apples look slightly dry, and a toothpick comes out clean. Wait for the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the baking pan. Dust the top of the cake with sifted powdered sugar just before serving. For an optional decorative touch, top the cake with red apple heart cut-outs. Enjoy!

Looks amazing right? And the apple heart on top?! Whimsical, romantic, and sweet—just like the book!

Pop over to Thirsty for Tea to see what tea Bonnie recommends to sip with this one. She knows her stuff.

mary lyn ray’s picture book life

their picture book life

10.23.2014

Mary Lyn Ray. Picture book author. Conservationist. Huge inspiration.

Ray’s books are special to me. And I doubt I’m alone in that. They’re special period. Lyrical, lovely, connected to the earth and community.

I consider her the Barbara Kingsolver of children’s literature. Wendell Berry comes to mind too.

Many well-known picture book creators are author/illustrators, for good reason. So when an author on her own is well-known, someone illustrators want to partner with, that’s a big deal. It means they know how to do it just right.

Pumpkins: A Story for a Field illustrated by Barry Root (1996).

A man, a field to save, and magic. With pumpkins, of course. It has all the ingredients of a modern day fairy tale.

(I posted about Pumpkins last fall with my staple pumpkin muffin recipe that I really need to make again.)

Go to Sleep, Little Farm, with art by Christopher Silas Neal (2014).

In which everyone prepares for sleep in their own way.

Christmas Farm, also illustrated by Barry Root (2008).

A woman and a five year old neighbor start growing trees. Five years later, the trees are ready to spread good cheer. And so are they.

Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2011).

A poem that thinks like a kid. It’s perfect. Stars in the sky, in your pocket, on the calendar to mark a special day. Stars. Are and Is. Beautiful.

Welcome Brown Bird, illustrated by Peter Sylvada (2004).

Leave it to Mary Lyn Ray to write a book about the migration of birds that is poetic and moving enough to make you cry. (Me cry, anyway!) Two boys in different parts of the world both listen to the same brown bird singing in different places, at different times of year. Both are connected to that bird even though they will never know each other. Goosebumps.

Mud, illustrated by Lauren Stringer (1996).

Celebrates all things spring, especially squishy brown mud to play in.

Deer Dancer, also illustrated by Lauren Stringer (2014).

A young dancer is told to hold her head like she wears antlers. To listen with her cheekbones. Then she meets a deer who shows her how. These two make a beautiful dancing pair out in the green grass, in stillness and leaps and circles.

Mary Lyn Ray’s wonderful books touch on seasons, nature, and animals. And using those elements, each of her stories hits home.

little red hood + DIY fairy tale costumes

PICTURE BOOKS +

10.21.2014

10174316 Little Red Hood by Marjolaine Leray (translated by Sarah Ardizzone) (2011).

Written in French. Translated to English and published by Phoenix Yard Books.

I’m obsessed with fairy tales and fairy tale retellings. I don’t think I’ve told you guys that! Well, I am. They’re always on my nightstand and they always show up in my own writing.

Let me warn you: little kids might be scared by the drawings of the wolf (I know I am). He’s nightmare-inducing. And the whole concept of the wolf wanting to eat Little Red is on the scary side. So this book is, like many of my favorite picture books, for older peeps too if not ideally for them.

Let’s just say the wolf doesn’t win this one. Little Red Hood does. And she wins in the cleverest, coolest way.

But at least half the power of this book of course is the illustrations. So spare. so stark, scribbly, expressive. We never see the little girl’s face—only her iconic hood. But we know how she feels by the line of her nose. Her nose! And the wolf, by his eyes and jagged teeth.

Even if you’re not a huge fairy tale fan, this book is so good it will make you one. (Or at least a fan of this book.)

And by the way, Leray’s newest book is April the Red Goldfish. I think we can guess this talent’s favorite color!

In honor of Little Red Hood and Halloween, I give you fairy tale costumes!!!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears via A Beautiful Mess. This is just plain one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

Stacy at Hart & Sew made this sweet sweet Little Red Riding Hood costume.

And how great are these felt wolf masks from Oh My! Handmade?!

The Huntsman from “Little Red Riding Hood” by Make It & Love It.

Easy Snow Queen costume? Make this pipe cleaner crown by Blythe Ponytail Parades, wear white, paint nails silver. Done. And wicked fun.

There’s so much to love about this mermaid (a la “The Little Mermaid“) costume from Woman’s Day! It’s made mostly with cupcake liners! I’m having trouble containing myself!

This swan mask by Ulla Norup Milbrath is extraordinary. Make six from her inspiration and you’ve got “The Six Swans“! (Or use six of these free printable swan masks from Little Gatherer.)

Finally, here’s my contribution. Cinderella BEFORE the ball. This is all stuff I found in my closet. (Except the feather duster. The feather duster was found at a hardware store.) Put on rosy cheeks and streaks of dirt and you’re good to go!