A beautiful video by Glen Milner about the making of a book with traditional printing methods.
It might sound silly, but I’m reminded of segments on Sesame Street that showed how things like crayons or peanut butter were made. This is more sophisticated, but it’s still so cool to see the creation process of something you enjoy.
(via bookshelves of doom)
National Poetry Month got me thinking about poems I read and poets whose work I enjoyed, which led me to think about Renate Wood. When I was in college I read some of her poetry in class (my professor chose awesome poems) and had the opportunity to see her read. Her work is fantastic, and she seemed like a lovely person as well. I just searched for her poems and found out that she passed away in 2007. This is very much a loss for the literary community; I’m glad I got to see her when I did.
You can check out some of her work online at VQR. I especially like The Dump, which ends:
perfectly round lips softly breathing ohhh,
the longest, most patient moan: ohhh for polio,
for summers gone, and ohhh for us and for, oh, everything.
When I was in college I studied abroad in England, so I have a special place in my heart for anything related to the UK. Obviously Nina Cosford’s upcoming book, Royal Palaces of London: A Three-Dimensional Expanding Pocket Guide, got my attention. What lovely illustrations!
Nina also has upcoming books about Edinburgh and Dublin. Perfect for young travelers! (Or those of us who wish we were going on holiday.)
(HT: Gems)
Art and innovation doesn’t just come from someone working happily away on their project. Part of creative work involves frustration and failure. This video by Flash Rosenberg examines the agony of art and how that can lead us to imagining and creating the impossible:
Definitely something to bookmark and watch again when you feel like an artistic failure.
(via Brain Pickings)
When I was little I loved Madeline. She was French; she had an adorable hat; she wasn’t afraid of tigers; she got her appendix out. What more could a girl want?
So of course I was psyched to see this interview with the author John Bemelmans Marciano of Madeline’s latest adventure, Madeline at The White House. He’s also the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, author and creator of the Madeline books. What a fantastic lineage! Marciano talks about taking up the Madeline series:
“Q: Taking on the Madeline series is a big job, were you nervous continuing the series and how did you go about it?
A: Most definitely. At first, I tried to search for a style that was consciously different from my grandfather, artwise, but as I’ve gone on I’ve returned more to the look of the originals, and realized that in ways that are important, my own style comes out. What’s most important is that the spirit and honesty of the originals are kept going.”
I love that mention of the “spirit and honesty of the originals” continuing for a new generation. I’m sure that’s very hard for an artist to maintain while also making sure to utilize their own creativity. But it’s also a reason why these characters are so beloved and lasting.
Also really cute–this video of Marciano reading his book at the White House Easter Egg Roll last year:
This makes me want to break out my old Madeline books!
Love this literary map of the UK and Ireland:
Shall we visit William Wordsworth, C.S. Lewis, or John Keats first?
(image: Geoff Sawers, The Literary Gift Company)
Love these bookplates by Mac and Ninny:
Lots more through the link. Not sure this would help me share books more, but it’s a possibility. (via Letterology)
I’m a little obsessed with A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin Stead. Both the art and the story are charming and cozy and whimsical. So of course I squeaked when I saw the Horn Book interviewed illustrator Erin Stead about art, color, and her book And Then It’s Spring. A couple of favorite responses:
“3. My favorite spring song is “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.” What’s yours?
EES: I haven’t been able to think of anything that tops Mel Brooks’s “Springtime for Hitler.””
Erin, you are correct. On a more serious note, about knowing our history:
“I don’t necessarily mean the books that have become part of the canon (although that is an excellent place to start). A lot of good books can get lost in today’s online-blogging-twitter-algorithm shopping, but it’s nothing a good library, new or used bookstore, or a little Leonard S. Marcus can’t fix. Sometimes I worry that we’ve given up a little of the weird or the dark in picture books, while not realizing that some of the books we still love are entirely weird. I love Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, but as an elevator pitch, that book is strange.”
Make sure to check out the whole interview.
What a cool catalog cover for Pan Macillan:
I think this would be an awesome print for a library–heck, even your home library. (image: Owen Gatley)
This October, Charlotte’s Web is turning 60. I’m guessing that kids reading it today are still charmed by Wilbur, Charlotte, Fern, and the rest of the cast. It has a wonderfully timeless feel, and this trailer to celebrate the upcoming anniversary got me teary:
Might have to reread this one before the anniversary! It’s been a long time.
PS–I hate spiders. I can’t even look at pictures of them. But Charlotte is okay by me.