Tag Archives: david mackintosh illustrator

lucky by david mackintosh + pineapples (+ screenprint giveaway!)

11.18.2014

Lucky by David Mackintosh (2014).

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we’re thinking about two things for the holiday: food and feeling thankful to have what we already have. Perhaps rephrased as feeling lucky about what’s in our lives. Now. This picture book has something to do with that.

Lucky promises to answer the question posed at the beginning. What is Mom going to surprise these two brothers with at dinnertime? What could it be? (Do note that pineapple in the bowl of fruit on the very first page as it comes into play.)

The narrator and his little brother, Leo, come up with plenty of possibilities during their day at school, each more exciting (implausible?) than the last.

Their final hypothesis is the best of all, gently gleaned from a magazine they’re reading in the Nurse’s office. I love the way the power of suggestion works in this book. And the magnitude of jumping to conclusions.

The boys are CONVINCED they’ve won a two week all expenses paid trip to HAWAII, land of volcanoes and grass skirts and fruit. We should all be so LUCKY, no?

They’re wrong. Of course they’re wrong. And there’s disappointment pre-dinner table.

But not for long. Because, in the non-cheesiest way, Mackintosh shows us what the narrator has to be thankful for. He figures out for himself why he’s quite lucky. Already, without the trip to Hawaii.

He’s lucky in the little things and even in that little brother Leo of his.

Mackintosh’s illustrative style is so recognizable. There’s a retro quality. There are real photographs thrown in. And sometimes scribbles. Type that perfectly narrates the visual story in its white spaces. All with a whole lot of playfulness.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

David was kind enough to send me a limited edition screenprint to give away to one of you LUCKY readers! And it’s signed! Enter with the Rafflecopter above! (And see the printing process here.)
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 24. Good luck!)

Thanks to David Mackintosh for images!

So, pineapples! For anyone dreaming of going to Hawaii for two weeks (expenses paid-hooray!), here are some pineapples instead. The shape, the color, there’s so much bright and happy about a pineapple. They look like they symbolize bounty, no?

Coco Cake Land’s cool-guy pineapple cake! (Stay tuned for a collaboration we’re doing together later this week!)

Studio DIY’s obsession with pineapple produced this pineapple piñata!

Now That’s Pretty made her pineapple lamp out of plastic spoons!

Oh, and It’s Mine Now Blog’s pineapple potato stamp too!

Free, printable black and white pineapple wrapping paper at Whimsey Box.

I love Peachy Vida’s idea of a pineapple flower vase. Out of the box Thanksgiving centerpiece anyone?

the frank show + old stuff is new

PICTURE BOOKS +

06.12.2014

The Frank Show by David Mackintosh (2012).

I love this book. I love it for its retro and architectural illustrations, its humor, and good old Grandpa Frank who is so persnickety and old-fashioned and endearing.

I read it aloud to my husband, who laughed the whole way through it.

Basically, this kid needs to do a show and tell presentation in which he talks about a family member to his class for a full minute.

Talking about Grandpa Frank for a full minute seems an impossible task because he’s always saying stuff like, “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.” Everyone else in class has a cool relative to talk about, but this kid’s just got Grandpa Frank whose arm hurts when it’s about to rain. Ugh.

“He doesn’t like noise,

or today’s music,

or gadgets and gizmos (or new things),

or haircuts, or weather, or doctors,

or any sort of ice cream that isn’t vanilla.

And today I have to talk about him for a

full minute.”

But wouldn’t you know it? At the very last minute, Granda Frank surprises the kid. And the class. And it turns out he’s pretty cool.

This book is smart and wry and hilarious and I just dare you not to enjoy it immensely for even ONE FULL MINUTE

Thanks to David Mackintosh for the images!

Lots of stuff Grandpa Frank likes is cool again. In fact, his taste is de rigueur. So I give you stuff sold at Urban Outfitters that Grandpa Frank would probably dig. (Urban didn’t pay me to do this either lest you think it’s an ad.)

Mustache Wax. Because mustache. (There’s pomade for hair too.)

Portable record player. Because records.

Brass comb. For shirt pockets. (There’s still room for pens.)

Suspenders. Pants-holding up purposes.

Fedora. Obvs.

Cropped pants a la Albert Einstein. (I think I must get these for my dude.)

Finally, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Grandpa Frank would like these t-shirts. I mean shuttle lift-off and National Geographic? Right up his alley.