Tiny King

I wanted to share my latest favorite children's book: The Tiny King.

The Tiny King by Taro Miura

I bought it recently for a friend's son and then immediately bought it for my own little birthday boy. It's about a king that is tiny (obviously) and he is unhappy in a life that is way too big for him. How his problems are resolved are hilarious and sweet and the pictures are fantastic to look at. I can't wait until Dash's birthday so that we can start reading it!

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

Book Crush

I'm a children's book nut. I love a good children's book and I often as an art teacher I weave in literature whenever possible. My current book obsession is The Dark by Lemony Snicket illustrations by Jon Klassen. I loved Klassen's This is Not My Hat and am somewhat new to Snicket. Anyway here are some pictures from the book.

The gorgeous cover. All illustrations were done in gauche. 

I am especially fond of the monochromatic color palette in the above image with the contrast of the bold dark. 

The all-consuming dark. 

Gorgeous image of a sunset. You can feel the coldness of the room while simultaneously feeling the warmth of the colors. 

The limited color palette with oodles of organized geometrics. 

My local bookstore Child's Play in Northwest D.C. had copies of this book signed by the author. I was able to snag one for myself and one for Catie. Yeah I'm a good friend.

I hope you check this book out and I hope even more that you love it as much as me.

-Grace

Art Board Books

Graham has acquired a lot of thoughtful presents over the year. If you asked him what his favorites might be, he’d probably cite the soggy corner of that sweet tasting Amazon box or the Styrofoam packing blocks that made such a satisfying squeak against his teeth. But some of MY favorite things that he’s received are books. And he’s collected quite a few great ones. While sifting through the big pile he’d recently flung off the shelf, I noticed that he owns several art-themed board books that, while perhaps are not the best written of the bunch, contain amazing works of art I am so happy his curious eyes and growing brain are already being exposed to.

Whether you have a child of your own or are searching for a gift for someone else’s kid, these books are sure to please adult reader and baby listener/looker alike:

Counting with Wayne Thiebaud is one that I have already given to a few new moms, and was so excited to find under the Christmas tree from our friends Nick & Janie. It’s chock full of pretty pastel paintings of food (one of my favorite subjects as a kid) and is written in a lovely lilting rhyme.

So Many Stars is more free-form, as it’s really more about stringing Andy Warhol’s simple illustrations together than following any sort of narrative. But it’s pretty cool that many of the images have never been published before. This one was a birthday present from his Mimi. 

Magritte’s Imagination is page after page of the Surrealists’ paintings paired with fanciful possibilities that will spark a reader's budding wonderment. Our friends Victor and Andrea sent this one from Brooklyn with love. 

Charley Harper 123s features 10 of my favorite illustrator’s graphic drawings of animals, fish, and bugs. (With a couple of vague, redundant “creatures crawling” on page 5 and then different “creatures frolicking” on page 9---but all is forgiven knowing that the book was put together after the artist’s death and that they were just working with what already existed.)  It is one of Graham's most-read/chewed on.  

Matisse Dance for Joy is a book of the artist’s bright collages set to a song of disjointed sentences calling the reader to action. It's nice! I just kind of wish it rhymed.

Something else I like to do is write the name of whomever gave the book to us inside. Then every time Graham chooses a book from his little library, he is reminded of the someone who picked it out just for him. 

- Cathleen 

I’d Really Like to Eat a Child

I’d say that I spend a significant portion of my day reading books to my small people and it can get a little repetitive. The requests don’t vary too much from day to day and attempts to change things up are not always received well. (I do understand that 

repetition is really important for little growing minds, but STILL.)

So, new children’s literature that is interesting for my children and enjoyable for me falls squarely into the 

“Blessing from Heaven” category.

Here are my two current hilarious favorites:

“I’d Really Like to Eat a Child” is by the French author Sylviane Donnio about a little crocodile named Achilles who decides that he’s sick of bananas and wants to eat a child. The ending is fantastic and truly French in its lack of a pat resolution.

"This is Not My Hat” by Jon Klassen was a given to us by a friend and we read it almost every day. The protagonist is a small fish that has stolen a hat and he tells of his plans to keep it. The illustrations that accompany the narration are perfect and the ambiguous ending is a moral lesson in and of itself.

I seriously recommend these books. They have both become staples of our reading day even though we don’t own “I’d Really Like to Eat a Child” (we constantly have it on loan from the library). Check them out and add a little dark humor to your day.

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

PS For the record, I’d really like to have a son named Achilles.

Oliver Jeffers- Renaissance Man?

Until this week, I only knew of Oliver Jeffers as a childrens’ book author. And I’m not using “only" as a pejorative here, his books are charming and thoughtful and generally wonderful.

An extra sweet Oliver Jeffers book

But the other day, I came across this interview with him and I was totally intrigued. I had no idea he worked in any other medium but the introductory photo was so compelling that I was instantly wanted to see everything he has ever done. 

“Without a Doubt Part 2”, oil on canvas, 2012

Apparently, he works in all kinds of media and all his work is interesting. He is a talented painter with a serious sense of humor and he also works in video, found objects, typography, and more.

"Fathom Painting No. 1”, oil and letraset on canvas, 2010

“Clocks on Wood"

The Vader Project

“Still Life with Logic and a Choice of Beverage” oil

Seriously, if you want to lose and entire afternoon, check out his website and just try not to get sucked in. I still haven’t looked at everything but I’ve been loving everything that I have seen. Check it out for a quirky, inspiring end to your week.

Happy Weekend!

-Alissa

One Was Maurice

Maurice Sendak with his German shepherd, Herman in 2005.
Photograph by Mariana Cook.



In my ongoing quest to catch up on New Yorkers, I recently came across an article about one of my favorite children’s book authors; Maurice Sendak. Mr. Sendak is best known for his classic Where the Wild Things Are but I thought I’d share three of my favorite slightly less famous Sendak treasures as a belated tribute.





 

I bought Outside Over There from a used bookstore in Raleigh, NC when I was in college. I didn’t have children but I immediately adored it. The story is whimsical and sweet and full of family love and devotion. Not to mention beautiful. Although I couldn’t know at the time, my future little family would fall in love with it as completely as I did.

 

 

When I gave In the Night Kitchen to my younger brother as a Christmas gift almost fifteen years ago, my mom was pretty dubious because of the little naked boy running through the story. But even then, I thought it was so charming and special. I love the image of the boy floating through the kitchen at night. It is so dreamlike and visually striking at the same time that I still regret not keeping that book for myself.

 

 

This one is a cheat because it is four teeny books in one set: The Nutshell Library consists of Pierre: A Cautionary Tale, One Was Johnny: A Counting Book, Alligators All Around: An Alphabet, and Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months. I found this when I was a new mother and although my daughter couldn’t read (or even roll over), it seemed perfect for our family. I love how Mr. Sendak merged his quirky and distinctive sense of humor with traditional children’s subjects (alphabets, counting) and created something original and hilarious.



Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak with a self portrait in 1991.
Photograph by Patrick Downs



 I never wrote to Maurice Sendak to express my appreciation for his work and I think I’ll always wish that I had. But luckily, I still have his books and I can continue to enjoy them with my kids on an almost daily basis. This, I suppose, is the best way to show my admiration anyway. I hope you’ve read all these before but if not, now you’ve got an easy, beautiful weekend project all set up for you, courtesy of Swings and Arrows.

 

Happy Weekend!

-Alissa

Amos & Boris

My daughter and I just checked this book out of our library on Tuesday. Amos & Boris is a beautiful story about a mouse and a whale and their friendship. 

I've always loved William Steig, but had never come across this book before. I won't ruin it for those who haven't read it, but if you want a story with substance, great illustrations, and a valuable moral then this is the book for you. 

Check it out and let me know what you think. 

- Grace