The Giver

I recently read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. The book is a Newbery Medal winner, which is what caught my eye when perusing the book section on a monthly shopping trip to Sam's. Truthfully, I picked the book up to read because I was interested in experiencing the quality of a Newbury Medal book for early teens. The book was published by Dell Laurel-Leaf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books in 1993.

Here's the teaser from the back of the book: "Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. It's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Lois did a great job "painting a picture" with words to describe the community and way of life Jonas has grown up in. The book gave me the idea that it was almost a cult on a plot of land in the middle of nowhere. It would have been interesting to see black and white illustrations for the book if it had been an illustrated novel.

I thought the story started out slow, however my interested grew steadily as Jonas' life unfolded. As the story progressed, I was increasingly more interested in the story until I couldn't put the book down! I was just more curious than anything! As an adult reading the book, I personally was looking for something a little deeper in the storyline, however, I think it would be great for children the age it was intended.

Would I recommend it? YES!! I was thrilled at the outcome of the book which kept me guessing clear to the last page!

David Wiesner

On Friday, I posted that I had been doing some research and ran into more of David Wiesner's books.

David Wiesner was born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. He has illustrated several books including The Loathsome Dragon, which he retold with his wife Kim Kahng. He is the author / illustrator of several books published by Clarion Books.

June 29, 1999, is a story about a girl named Holly, who has great expectations for her science project when she sent seedlings into the ionosphere, she never expected the results she received on such an enormous scale. Holly has trouble imagining that she was responsible for the events of June 29, 1999. She just might be right!

http://www.amazon.com/June-29-1999-David-Wiesner/dp/0395727677/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Tuesday, is a story about a group of frogs that go out on the town. The events that happen this particular Tuesday evening are verified by an undisclosed source to have happened somewhere in the USA, on a particular Tuesday.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesday-David-Wiesner/dp/0395870828/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Flotsam, is a story about found objects on a beach. The definition of Flotsam is: something that floats. If it floats in the ocean, it may wash up on the beach. A boy finds these objects and shares his discovery with someone else.

http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-Caldecott-Medal-David-Wiesner/dp/0618194576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248121641&sr=1-1

These are a few of the books of David Wiesner that particularly enjoy! I love the fact that the stories are so imaginative. They take a modern, normal event and the outcome is an exploration of the improbable. A lot of times, I think "why did I not think of this?" It's brilliant!

As I have come to know David's work, I have always related him to a Caldecott Medal. Tuesday and Flotsam are Caldecott Medal winners and probably my favorite of his books. This has been inspiring for me in my own work as David has successfully planted a seed within me, to reach for the gold and someday be awarded the Caldecott Medal.

He uses Arches watercolor paper for his pieces. I have a strong feeling that it is hot press paper, usually a little more smoother and less textured paper than cold press. This would allow him to get a beautiful, smooth wash without many "bumps" and extra un-invited texture!

As I build my collection of children's picture books, these will be among them:
Flotsam, Tuesday, The Three Pigs, Hurricane, Free Fall, Sector 7, hopefully the list will go on!

My Apologies

My apologies for the quiet stint! I have been ball & chained to my drafting table as I am preparing my portfolio for the SCBWI Denver Conference 2009 in September. My pieces are coming along well and I look forward to having all of this work finished about mid-September. My dirty dishes are nearing 10 feet high and the house plants are gasping for water.

This hiatus has given me a few things to ponder. I have been a regular at the local library lately and stumbled upon a few Caldacott Medal books -- happens to be by the same illustrator. Have you ever read anything by David Weisner -- WOW!! I am a fan! I love his illustrations. They are precise and quite representational. I will be posting a few posts about the books I have of his. They are definately worth a look. Really wish I could post pics, but I don't have the rights!

I will do my best to get back to posting semi-regular posts. They may be short for a while.

The opportunity still exists: Looking for a few people who want a regular "soap box" about writing and illustrating for children! Even if you are on the fence, let me know. I am searching for people who want an opportunity to do some self promotion. The posts don't have to be long and they can be about anything related to the subject! Please pass along the news.
Email: info@shaundra.com for more information.

Call for Writers and Illustration Entries

Welcome to Children's Picture Book Review!

**** A Call for Writers & Illustrators ****

I have chosen to restructure the posts by giving them a schedule!

Monday - a Featured Artist
Tuesday - a Book Review
Wednesday - an Article about Writing or Illustrating - open opportunity to submit articles
Thursday - "Guest Blog Posting" - open opportunity to submit articles or writings
Friday - Artist Tip / Writing Tip - open opportunity to submit tips

I need:

• Writers who want to contribute articles & tips to a blog about Children's Picture Books.
• Illustrators to submit color and black & white illustrations (jpgs) to pretty up the place!

All entries should be entered in final writing draft form and will be read before posted. As you are writing / illustrating on the topic of children's picture books, please make sure nothing is INAPPROPRIATE!!

All writers and illustrators will retain the rights to their own work. Writers - please limit posts to approx 400 words or less per post. You may submit a "part 1 and part 2". Artists - please put your own name and copyrights on the images you submit. Please submit images no larger than 300 pixels in width or height.

Contributors are encouraged to spread the word about the blog - as we are looking for other contributors as well as followers!

Thank You for your following!