Celebrating “The Book”: The works of Suzy Lee...

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Celebrating “The Book”: The works of Suzy Lee

I can safely say that one of my favorite picture book creators of all time is Suzy Lee. I own every book she’s made expect for the few that don’t have English editions. I’m hoping that there will eventually be translations, and that I can read them someday. But I’m thrilled that I got my hands on her latest work as illustrator called Open This Little Book.  The concept behind this gem came from the imaginative mind of the author, Jesse Klausmeier. This great little interview with the author/illustrator duo will give you some background on their creative and collaborative process. The result of their combined efforts is the most innovative book I’ve seen so far this year.   As much as I’d love to share pictures of the inside pages to show you just how ingenious...

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Ezra Keats and multicultural picture books...

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Ezra Keats and multicultural picture books

Today is a very special children’s book icon’s birthday: Ezra Jack Keats‘s. He  is widely credited with introducing multiculturalism into mainstream children’s publishing in the US. For over 25 years the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation has given an annual award to the best new author and illustrator that represents the “universal qualities of childhood… and the multicultural nature of our world.” In fact, this year’s winners were announced just a few days ago.  So today  seems especially apt to look back at this wonderful author and illustrator, because what he contributed and represents are the most important elements to me as a reader, lover, and creator of picture books — inclusion and diversity.   The book that brought  widespread recognition to Keats was The Snowy Day. It is a delightful picture book with an endearing African-American boy (Peter) as its protagonist,...

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No, picture books are not just for children...

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No, picture books are not just for children

As an adult who avidly collects picture books for myself, it makes me exasperated when people talk about them only in the context of books for young children. Toddlers, even. For some reason there is an assumption that the apparent simplicity of picture books are not demanding enough for older readers. I would argue that they are layered and challenging not only for older children, but also adults. It is the balanced interaction of the visual and written that creates the space for an entirely different and complex way of experiencing a book. Picture book creator, Oliver Jeffers, says in a recent article that he doesn’t write them specifically for children, but for everyone. I completely agree with his point of view. It is all too easy to classify picture books neatly within the children’s...

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