litalux's luxurious literature children's book reviews

Oliver Jeffers

2010-09-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Why did I just find out about this guy? Check out any one of his amazing books. I've only read The Great Paper Caper, and I loved it. LOVED it. Want to own it.

collaboration and expansion

2010-04-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Chris Sickles
(image courtesy of microsoftofficetutorials.com)

This past Thursday, SCAD hosted an incredible lecture panel, Collaboration and Expansion. The panel consisted of art directors Tyler Darden (Virginia Living Magazine) and Brigid McCarren (How Magazine), and heavy-hitter illustrators Anita Kunz, Christoph Niemann, Yuko Shimizu, and Chris Sickles (a.k.a Red Nose Studio). In the week leading up to the lecture, the illustrator panellists spoke during our illustration classes and, remarkably, covered completely different themes and material than what they spoke about during the panel. The whole experience was really incredible; I was particularly amazed by how grounded, hilarious, and downright nice they all were.

Anita Kunz

Christoph Niemann

Yuko Shimizu

I even got to meet Chris Sickles personally! He works in 3D, creating "puppets" out of Sculpey clay and found objects. His children's book Here Comes the Garbage Barge, the true story of a tug boat captain and his barge of displaced garbage looking for a home, just came out and I would love to read and review it. In fact, I went to the local Barnes & Noble only to find they don't carry it. They have all the classics (yes, I took a few cartwheels down memory lane) and some safe newbies, but very little in the way of the experimental, postmodern children's books that are becoming so popular and will, I hope, be the books for which kids 50 years from now will do mental gymnastics.

I recommend asking your local independent book store to carry this book. Watch the awesome making-of here.

snozzcumbers

2009-03-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

For today, I would like to depart from the paper world of children's books and illustration into the THIRD DIMENSION.

I finally saw Coraline last week. I'm sure every 11-year-old knows this by now, but I had no idea that 3D movies--with 3D glasses--are the new thing. And they have come a long way from blue-red separation lenses. The effect is incredible, and you can tell that movie-makers are still enamored with their new-found realm. The introduction to Coraline shows button falling from behind your head, lading in the title and being sewn into place by a needle that comes AWFULLY close to your face. All in the first 30 seconds!

I'll save the book-to-movie comparison for a later date; for now, the movie in itself. It's refreshing to see claymation back on the screen after the Pixar revolution. I love Finding Nemo and Wall-E as much as the next girl, but claymation has such a human, tactile quality to it.

To build the set of Coraline, artists created scale landscapes through which the puppets move. (Although I would recommend saving Coraline's website for after you've seen the movie, it is worth checking out the "making of" section.) An orchard of cherry trees is bedecked with painted popcorn "blooms," and a fantasy gardenscape lights up delicately. It is the kind of landscape one aches to explore as if it were real; the beauty of Coraline is that much of the movie is dedicated to doing just that. The movie tells the tale of a girl who moves into a tired, pink Victorian apartment building with her tired, overworked parents. In exploring her new environs, Coraline discovers eccentric neighbors, a doll doppelganger, and a door that leads to an alternate universe in which everyone and everything is much more exciting than real life. And, in the end, much more terrifying.

The tale is reminicent of Roald Dahl's macabre work and is honest-to-god terrifying. I would say it's almost too scary for kids, but it works in much the same way that Roald Dahl's stories do; it deals with death and torture in such a matter-of-fact way, it's not as scary as it should be. In The BFG, Dahl's people-eating giants non-chalantly debate which country's citizens taste best, and it's hilarious. Cannibalism, no big. In Coraline, a spider-woman poses as Coraline's mother and tries to eat her soul. Whatev. Coraline problem solves, asks for help, and out-smarts her attacker. Go see it. Take your kids. It's the visual equivalent of taking them to a chicken-pox party. Give a little scare now; they can take it.

robot prom

2009-03-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

I volunteer at 826CHI a.k.a. The Boring Store, a really incredible tutoring center in Wicker Park that focuses, mainly, on creative writing and making writing fun for kids. They also throw some pretty killer fundraisers. 826Prom, probably my favorite event, is here again; it's a fake prom (for 21+ only) where volunteers, board members, friends and robots come together for a night of drinks, live cover band awesomeness, a prom photo shoot, corsages, etc. Above, you'll notice a picture from last year's prom, with I think an 80s theme. Everything (drinks, robots) are free with ticket price.

This year the theme is (yes, yes!) robots. You can dress to the theme, dress for prom, do anything you like. But please do come, it's a really fun night and the money goes to a great organization. The date is set for April 25, and tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door.

Hope to see you all there.

you're invited

2009-02-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

print shown above is from the press release, but it doesn't say who it is...TBA

Come to the Tender Twenties exhibition! I'll have a print showing. Huzzah!

Spudnik Press
1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 308
March 7 through March 28
Mondays and Thursdays, 6:30-11:00

In a crazy twist of fate, I won't be able to make it to the opening, but please come with me to the closing party from 6-9 on March 28.

Featured artists:

Andrew Blair
Julie Boehmer
Kinsey Brady
Scott Campana
Caroline Carlsmith
Lenora Ditzler
Brianna Edwards
Brianne Farley
Chelsea Ann Goodwin
Sarazen Haile
Julia Vodrey Hendrickson
Megan Klawitter
Georgeanne Louise Krampien
Angee Lennard Laura Mariposa
Ryan O'Hean
Sarah Pargulski
Rachel Pollak
Andy Schmidt
Jessica Taylor

ice shanty art abounds

2009-02-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Don't judge, cyberspace. Only look in envy upon evidence of the best weekend ever.

The cold spell in Chicago has broken momentarily but winter is far from over. If you need a little color in your tundra-bound existence, I recommend art. Art on a frozen lake, please. A few weeks ago I visited the Art Shanties on Medicine Lake, a very short drive from Minneapolis in fair Minnesota. This was the the second year in a row I attended; see un-judge-able evidence of last year's best weekend ever below.

This artistic extravaganza is thoroughly Midwestern, to the point of being near incomprehensible to those so unlucky as to live more than a stone's throw from a Great Lake. Here's the idea: artists construct an ice shanty, traditionally used for ice fishing, out of any material they like, for any purpose they desire. This year, my personal favorites included the Snap Shot Shanty, a structure made of bubble wrap in which one's photo was taken while one wore a provided prop; the Sauna Shanty, from which people would momentarily emerge, yelling, steaming, and wearing only their underwear; and the Church Shanty, in which one confessed on a piece of paper which was then anonymously tacked to the outside of the church. My favorite confession I read was "I farted in the Church Shanty." Shame. Maybe it was the same guy that kept farting at Tuman's the other night when I was trying to dance.

Persons of all ages were on Medicine Lake that sunny day, and it was really incredible the way these simple environments brought out the adventurer in everyone. It's amazing; no one tells the artists, "make these shanties absurd," and no one tells the visitors, "run around like nuts," yet everyone seems to take the que and that Midwestern version of mahem arupts. Acutally, I may need to take back the exclusionist comments I've made. The most adventurous shanty I visited was built by a group of people from California who had read about the project online and decided to enlist. They built their shanty out of found lumber and are living in the shanty for the entire duration of the project. One month on a frozen lake.

Everyone needs a little bit of ridiculous in their lives. You do. The shanties close on February 14th so if you live in the area, get there. Take your date.

Also! Coming up: Pilcrow Lit Fest, May 17-23, hosted by none other than author/person extraordinaire Amy Guth, who reminded me how much I love Art Shanty. Check out the side bar, yo. And! Tender Twenties print show at Spudnik Press in March (exact date TBA). I'll be in it! Check it out please.

gimme more of that education

2009-02-03T16:01:00.001-08:00

My grad school applications are in and I'm getting freaky things in the mail aka really small envelopes. These really too-small-to-be-good envelopes have (oh my god thankfully) so far contained "we've received your application" receipts. And so I can pick myself up off the floor and open the CB2 catalog and my new Netflix instead. Yeah!

I'm applying for an MFA in illustration. Above you can see some of my schtuff, and you will also please notice my able-to-take-it-as-well-as-dish-it-out-y-ness. It's only fair to display my own illustrations if I'm going to blog about other people's work left and right. That's not to say that every critic must be a creator, but I don't think a critic should be secreting their creations away in their smelliest closet, either. ALTHOUGH, I'm not sure how many people snog this blog so this may be, erm, a digital smelly closet.

In other news, I will soon broaden my artistic appreciation to incorporate the third and fourth dimension! Screw baby steps. This week I'll attend Tarantino: The Improvised Show at the Playground Theater. In their own words, "Tarantino is an hour-long improvised show that uses fake guns, black suits and an audience suggestion to make the movie Tarantino hasn't." It sounds awesome, my good friend, Tyler Samples, directed, and it's cheap! $10 for you interested parties in Chicagolandia.

write about birds

2009-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

I stopped by my local library today, the Logan Square branch. I noticed that the outside is small with few windows, while the inside is enormous and sunny, with many windows. How did they do that?

I admit I was on the search for a free printer (no dice...15 cents a page) but stopped by the children's book section, too. It's right at the front of the library and the shelves are short (like its patrons), so it's easily accessible on many levels. Two books stood out in particular.

The first is The Crow, by Alison Paul, a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. The story, an homage to Poe's "The Raven," tells the story of a child who mistakes a crow for a king, a robber, a wizard and a pirate. Written in verse, the timing is a bit clunky, but the images compensate for the awkward rhythm. Paul cleverly uses the pages to hide and reveal, to flip from reality to dream. The image of the crow in the child's yard lines up with the imagined scene on the next page--it's a match cut. The images themselves are also thoughtfully presented. Paul paints and draws over patterned paper, which peeks through beautifully. It adds a nice depth to the image, and makes you want to examine and re-examine each illustration. Perfect for the kid who reads this book over and over and over and over.

A part of me loves Paul's book for completely self-serving reasons. She is a recent graduate of a school I just applied to, and this is her first book. She is a successful artist in a difficult economy in a near-impossible field to break in to. The field I love. Oh no. Hi, Alison Paul, I'm proud of you and jealous.

And, as much as I want to say this rookie dazzled me beyond compare, a second bird book stole the show away from her. Underdogs beware; I love Mo Willems. I picked up The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, read it, and considered smuggling it out of the library. (Didn't.) Much like personal hero Quentin Blake, Willem's illustrative strength lies in his communication of emotion. But the gem you'll find in all his books is his sense of humor. It is simple yet satisfying, like spaghetti, and well loved by children and adults even when consumed daily, like spaghetti.

All I need to do now is win six Emmys and I'll be fine.

just terrible

2008-12-28T15:46:00.001-08:00

I think I have a thing for monsters. First Bill Peet, now Leonardo.

If you're looking for a great book for beginning readers, check out "Leonardo the Terrible Monster," by Mo Willems. The illustrations are endearing and the text is simple; Mo Willems is really fantastic at keeping his stories well edited but completely fascinating. Just like Hemmingway. Except less substance abuse and more monsters.

Lenoardo is a little monster who just can't scare any one. He doesn't have any of the scary qualities of his compatriots. But when he tries to scare the biggest fraidy-cat he can find, he re-evaluates his career choice.

Like I said, it's a simple story. But what I really like about this book is the way it appeals to the dorky adult designer in me. The colors are sophisticated and the typography is really incredible. The (enormous) size of the book even speaks to the content, highlighting Leonardo's miniature stature. That's what really takes this from a book you read to your kids to a book you steal from your kids. Sigh.

HOWEVER. "The Monster at the End of This Book" is still the best monster book to date.

heightened awareness

2008-12-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Chicago illustration world is a small one, I guess, or maybe it's just a case of heightened awareness.

A few short weeks ago your humble author found herself at the Renegade Craft Fair, desperately hunting for Christmas gifts and drooling over the beautiful print art and eating a passion-fruit cupcake. Full belly, happy eyeballs. Please note, I am hugely biased toward print art and illustration. I love it! Gah! Specifically, screen and woodblock printing, which are, in fact, las pijamas del gato. The graphic lines make me swoon and the colors are delicate but it's the texture of a handmade print that really makes me weak at the knees.

One of the Chicago artists that I feel particularly wobbly-kneed for is Jay Ryan of The Bird Machine. His portrayal of animals is endearing and anthropomorphic, but in no way saccharine or cutsie. I would love to see his illustrations in a bizzare, clever children's book someday, but again, I'm biased. I want everyone to write bizzare children's books. (Has anyone read Hicksville yet? In essence, Dylan Horrock's graphic novel imagines a small New Zealand town which houses the library of every graphic novel that should have been written--the novels that could have been written by famous artists if graphic novels got the respect they deserved.)

Now our Christmas gifts have been opened (Mom liked her feather necklace from Fox and Clover that I bought at Renegade) and the hills have been sled and I'm reading in front of the fire. My sister brought home a Dwell magazine and (why was I reading the letter section?) I see a letter from none other but Jay Ryan. Dwell even included a print he designed with his letter. Shameless! Wonderful!

So then I'm sleuthing around on the Bird Machine website, and who do I discover works at The Bird Machine but two of the other poster artists I've come to admire in the Chicago area--Dan Grzeca and Alana Bailey. I have found ground zero for fantastic print illustration. I have found Hicksville. And it's in Skokie.

magnificent marvelous mad madam

2008-11-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

The illustrations of Bill Peet, wonder-illustrator, are now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. If you live in the area, this exhibition is well worth the visit. If you are not familiar with Bill Peet, WHAT? WHY AREN'T YOU FAMILIAR WITH BILL PEET? I just checked out his homepage...I had no idea the man was so cute. Gawrsh. Though not as cute as our new president. Raowr.

I stumbled upon his books in elementary school; by far, my favorite book was "No Such Things." But, I had no idea that Bill Peet was also the illustrator behind such Disney classics as The Jungle Book and The Sword in the Stone. The first sketches you'll come across in the Art Institute exhibition, in fact, make up the story-board for the wizard fight scene between Merlin and Madam Mim. I now graciously link you to Madam Mim's song. May it get stuck in your head for at least the whole day.

Anyway! The exhibition will be on display in the AIC Kraft Education Center until May 24, 2009. Admission is free on Thrusdays from 5-9, and also free the entire month of February.

new york times says so

2008-11-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

The New York Times has published their review of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008...and they are incredible. Illustrated Children's Books, as a genre, is launching into the world of respected media hand in hand with their Magic-the-Gathering-playing cousin, Graphic Novels (P.S. just a little stereotype ribbing. Please, everyone, read Hicksville. Please).

Two factor account for this aesthetically pleasing trend, I think:
1) More parents are reading their kids. Thus, there is more demand for books, and more demand for books that are not completely irritating but instead equally fun for the adults.

2) Someone has realized that kids can handle a good chunk of whatever we throw at them. Kids are way funnier, way more serious, way more macabre, inventive, open, and smart than we adults (I'm 24, can I say "we"?) give them credit for.

So I'm going to bestow credit for this wonder-trend to two groups:
1) The parents and other guardian-figures, and
2) The publishers.
(The artists/writers have always been great. Now they have a market!)

Here are some favorites of mine that the New York Times features:

I'm feeling the kitchy, old-timey quality of Roaring Brook Press' "Ghosts in the House!" by Kazuno Kohara. In Roaring Brook's Spring Catalog, "Uncle Bigfoot," written and illustrated by George O'Connor, looks like a good old modern version of Clifford the Big Red Dog, while the Diamond of Drury Lane has some sumptuous illustrations for older readers.

"Wave," written and illustrated by Suzy Lee and published by Chronicle Books, is an inspired, wordless book that brilliantly sticks to the basics. Even the gutter is used as part of the story; on the left side of the page, we find a simply-drawn girl on the beach; on the right, the ocean. The girl and ocean move in a slow tango across the pages, sizing each other up in such a hilarious, beautiful page you want to turn the page and turn the page and never get the end. Chronicle is, of course, a heavy hitter and always impressing in the aesthetic area. But I'd have to say that "Knuckleheads," written by Joan Hollub and illustrated by Michael Slack (published October 2008) looks the most enticing. It's yet another re-imagining of the old fairy tales, except the main characters are hands. HA! Let's read it.

welcome to the litalux welcome blog post and creation story

2008-09-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Laurel Snyder, author extraordinare, gave me the wonderful opportunity to review The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, as a guest blogger (this is a really incredible book and you should stop reading this post and run to your local bookstore/library/friend's house and run home to read it or even read it in the store/library/friend's kitchen, preferably with a delicious snack immediately following.) Many many thanks to Amy Guth, incredible author and blogger and lit-fest organizer, for the introduction.

That guest-blog spot now has blossomed into this full blown blog. I'm glad you are here. Please come back and continue to read up on the nearly-boundless (and vastly under-explored) realm of children's and young adult literature. I hope that here you will find books wonderous, unafraid, and out-of-the-ordinary.