Illustrator and author widely admired for The Church Mice, his series of children’s picture booksGraham Oakley, who has died age 93, was an illustrator and writer known almost entirely for one series of picture books: The Church Mice, published over a period of nearly 30 years from 1972. Beautifully illustrated, written and designed, they are a series of warm-hearted and witty books which demonstrate perfectly that a successful picture book needs to be subtle and many layered, on the assumption that it may be read and re-read many times over and that its audience will be intergenerational.Art-school trained and with a background in set design, latterly as a production designer at the BBC, Oakley was as interested in the settings of his stories as the characters and their actions. Drawing on the Victorian illustrative painters as well as, in particular, the work of the American artist Norman Rockwell, Oakley’s painterly illustrations for The Church Mouse (1972) appealed immediately, both for their colourful scene-setting and their wonderful observations conveyed in line illustrations. Into these Oakley crammed a mass of detailed action commented on in witty asides presented as part of the picture. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-24 17:41:11 UTC ]
HAPPY PRIDE: 37 Drag Race contestants (and RuPaul) on drag as an art form and the show’s legacy • Jess deCourcy Hinds on building an LGBTQ picture book library for her queer family • Cat Sebastian on the unexpected power of Mary Renault’s The Charioteer, the 1950s novel that presaged queer... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-01 10:30:49 UTC ]
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This year, I’m celebrating Pride through LGBTQ children’s books. I’m building a new library for my two kids and wife Stefanie, who is trans and transitioned just two years ago. We began with Being You: A First Conversation About Gender (Penguin, 2021) and a pride alphabet book, Pride Puppy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-01 08:53:12 UTC ]
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When I saw the trailer for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, I thought we’d reached the nadir of public domain-enabled re-imaginings, but it turns out, it can get much, much more horrifying than a low-budget slasher. Like a picture book in which the beloved bear must face a school shooter.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-30 16:28:26 UTC ]
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From calming stories to nonfiction facts about our celestial neighbor, these are the best children's books about the moon to read, including Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-23 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Children’s illustrator whose picture books with his wife, Elizabeth, and authors such as Ted Hughes, are enjoyed worldwideThe illustrator Gerald Rose, who has died aged 87, was the youngest winner of the Kate Greenaway medal for children’s book illustration, in 1960. Then still in his mid-20s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-12 17:25:36 UTC ]
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May children's book releases include a hilarious new picture book by Adam Rex and a magical middle grade by Leah Johnson, Ellie Engle Saves Herself. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-04 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Fay Evans alleged similarity between the 2019 Excitable Edgar TV campaign and her self-published book A self-published author who sued John Lewis over its 2019 Christmas advert about a trouble-making dragon has lost her case.Fay Evans brought a case for copyright infringement, alleging that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-03 12:29:46 UTC ]
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Children’s author who devised the adventures of the Pig family and illustrated stories including Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-PigThe writer and illustrator Mary Rayner, who has died aged 89, was best known for her picture books about Mr and Mrs Pig, and the escapades of their 10 piglets. In... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-03-23 16:59:39 UTC ]
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'When I Talk to God, I Talk About You' by 'This Is Us' star Chrissy Metz and her partner, Nashville songwriter Bradley Collins, debuts at #11 on our picture book list. Plus Sarah J. Maas's YA hit 'Throne of Glass' gets an adult makeover, and Susan Cain's newly minted Oprah's Book Club pick,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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There is more to Black history than trauma, and these picture book biographies celebrate Black joy, ingenuity, talent, and magnificence — like Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed and Stasia Burrington. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-15 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Elaine U. Cho’s debut sci-fi novel 'Ocean’s Godori,' Johanna Hedva’s essay collection 'How to Tell When We Will Die,' and Jay Leslie’s picture book 'What I Must Tell The World' are slated for publication in 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Illustrator and author widely admired for The Church Mice, his series of children’s picture booksGraham Oakley, who has died age 93, was an illustrator and writer known almost entirely for one series of picture books: The Church Mice, published over a period of nearly 30 years from 1972.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-24 17:41:11 UTC ]
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We take a look at the new television show 'Shape Island', based on the Shapes trilogy of picture books by frequent collaborators Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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On the 125th anniversary of “J’Accuse,” a picture book for older kids places the lives of Alfred Dreyfus and Émile Zola side by side. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-01-06 07:36:52 UTC ]
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January children's book releases are on fire with a new book by Kwame Alexander called An American Story, Emma Straub's picture book debut, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-03 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Beatrice Alemagna’s “You Can’t Kill Snow White,” a picture book for older kids, mines the brutal envy that underpins the original Brothers Grimm tale. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-12-16 17:24:59 UTC ]
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These picture book biographies of authors, including John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien, show children how they can use their words to describe their inner and outer worlds. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-15 11:31:00 UTC ]
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First published in Japan in 1983, this picture book from the fabled animator is eerie, enchanting and surpassingly strange. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-02 09:00:16 UTC ]
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Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez serve up a picture book 'Con Pollo,' #9 on our children's picture book list. Plus neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius advocates for 'The Brain-Friendly Workplace,' and clinical psychologists John and Julie Schwartz Gottman write 'The Love Prescription.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In celebration of LGBTQ+ History month in October, nonprofit organization Parents, Families, & Friends of LGBT National has brought together a slew of celebrities to voice characters in a video adaptation of picture book 'The Mother of a Movement: Jeanne Manford—Ally, Activist, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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