I really need this book.
I would have loved examining all the colors when I was young, and even now I love the design of it. (via and photos: Design Mom)
Tag: lovely
Animal Stories
Wouldn’t this be the cutest picture to have in a children’s bookstore or section of a library?
It’s by WildLifePrints, which has tons of other adorable and funky animal scenes.
The Academy Can’t Resist Animated Books
Last night’s Oscars didn’t have many great surprises or exciting moments, but I was glad to see that The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won for best animated short. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:
http://youtu.be/Adzywe9xeIU
I haven’t seen the other nominees, but this one is so beautifully done I’m really glad it won. Who were your Oscar favorites?
You Can Dance If You Want To
Really digging this video for Don’t Go by Pyyramids:
Lots of awesome work in the background, and I love how genuine this girl seems. I could easily picture her doing the same dance at home, in front of her bedroom mirror. I want to dance, too!
Light the Candles
A little late, but check out this gorgeous trailer for Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda. A fantastic example of how artistic pop-ups can be!
Also make sure to check out this interview with Rosen about creating the book. One part I thought was interesting:
One funny accident: We were talking about the “desecration” of the Temple that’s used as the pivotal start of the Chanukah story. And we got all excited about a pop-up spread with columns crashing, oil barrels spilling, fires, and so forth. And then, coming back to my senses after the call, I remembered/realized that we let “desecration” turned into “destruction,” and that neither of the two destroyed Temples are in the this story. I shot Robert an e-mail: “At this point, the Syrians had basically taken over the Temple, erected an altar to Zeus, sacrificed pigs within its space, unsealed the oil containers, etc., but there’s no rubble to tumble and pop up. If scratch-and-sniff is an option, a bacon scent might be nice here.”
I’d always pictured “desecration” as “destruction” as well! It’s cool to see that kind of care with history and translation. And I have to admit, a bacon scratch-and-sniff would be hilarious.
Graphite Library
Check out artist Eric Fonteneau’s new installation, “La Bibliotheque,” at the French Institute Alliance Francaise. A little about the exhibit:
“Fonteneau traveled Europe and North America with graphite and charcoal. The artist goes to libraries and rubs them on book bindings, taking with him a facsimile of the offerings of the particular branch. At first, Fonteneau rented a warehouse in Nantes for his collection, but has since taken them on tour, showing internationally.
A press release for the installation described “La Bibliotheque” as “playing with the idea of real versus imagined and memory versus record,” and the images below offer a promising peak into what’s sure to be a haunting experience. The “books” are carefully arranged, and the rubbed bindings are legible. Diminutive lights illuminate the space and provide an eerie scale to the room, interrupted only by spare wood furniture which suggest a hidden, important library where one is never seen, but always caught.”
What a cool idea! I love the combination of documenting travel with a technique like rubbing (which reminds me of gravestone rubbings) to create an eerie yet beautiful atmosphere. Click through for more pictures of this gorgeous exhibit.
The Living Tree
Confession: When I was little, The Giving Tree really upset me. The poor tree! The stupid boy! (Okay, so I’m still upset.) Even so, this animated version by Shel Silverstein is lovely in its simplicity. Plus it’s narrated by Silverstein as well.
Even though I still want to punch the boy, it is really cool to see such a classic children’s book come to life.
Hold Your Courage
Another cool book trailer, this one for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, illustrated by Ana Juan
The song in the trailer creates such a fantastic eerie vibe, and the illustrations look gorgeous. Very excited to pick this one up!
Religion in Wrinkles
Austin Allen looks at how Madeleine L’Engle combines fantasy and religion in her potentially most famous work, A Wrinkle in 
Time:
“I think she’s being careful, ducking accusations of parochialism, and leaving everything up to the reader’s interpretation. But I also think the variety of her idols suggests a restless imagination, one that was more confined than inspired by doctrinaire Christianity. Her impulse toward sermonizing wrestles with her impulse toward a vision that is—like her extraterrestrials and shimmering presences—unclassifiable.”
This is one reason that I like L’Engle’s work in general. She acknowledges a greater purpose in the general and, even as she tends toward the Christian, suggests that whatever the universe is, it’s beyond our current power of comprehension. But that doesn’t mean we should strive to reach out toward it.
We Built This City on Paperbacks
My friend Rachel sent me this gorgeous video by 4th Estate:
Books are magical.