Bob Dylan

I bet this will be good!

Bob Dylan's "Man Gave Names to All the Animals," from his 1979 album Slow Train Coming, will serve as inspiration for a children's book.

Dylan approved the use of his song's title, which references a line from Genesis 2:20, for use as the book's title and agreed to the book featuring drawings inspired by his lyrics.

Jerry Pinkney wins Caldecott

Well, no surprise here.

One month later...

We have been happily getting settled into our new home after the big move, Christmas and New Years, and then going back to work at our day jobs.

Here is an article speculating on this year's potential Newbery and Caldecott award winners:

This year, children's-book experts agree that the winner should be "The Lion & the Mouse" (Little Brown, $16.99), an Aesop's fable masterfully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, who has won five Caldecott Honors.

As Kellman put it: "... if 'Lion & Mouse' doesn't win, there is no justice."

Pinkney's watercolor illustrations offer wonderful new insights — sometimes humorous, other times dramatic — into the classic story. There's another factor (which, under the rules, can't be considered by the Caldecott committee): If he wins, Pinkney would be the first individual African-American illustrator to win the Caldecott since it was created in 1938. (An interracial couple, Leo and Diane Dillon, have won two Caldecott Medals).

Interestingly, Pinkney also illustrated one of this year's potential Newbery contenders, "Sweethearts of Rhythm" (Dial, $21.99), written by Marilyn Nelson.

Other Caldecott possibilities include:

"All the World" (Beach Lane, $17.99), written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee, who won a Caldecott Honor last year for "A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever";

"Birds" (Greenwillow, $17.99), written by Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes and illustrated by his wife, Laura Dronzek;

"Crow Call" (Scholastic, $16.99), written by Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline;

"The Curious Garden" (Little Brown, $16.99), written and illustrated by Peter Brown;

"Duck! Rabbit!" (Chronicle Books, $16.99), written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld;

"Hello Baby!" (Beach Lane Books, $16.99), written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Steve Jenkins;

"Higher! Higher!" (Candlewick Press, $15.99), written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli;

"Moonshot" (Atheneum, $17.99), written and illustrated by Brian Floca;

"Otis" (Philomel, $17.99), written and illustrated by Loren Long;

"Tsunami!" (Philomel, $16.99), written by Kimiko Kajikawa and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Ed Young.

Happy New Year everyone!

A New Portrait

Illustration Directories

Excellent advise from Mark Mitchell and Jo Ann Miller: Should you advertise in an illustration directory?

...there are always people — right now especially — looking for that nostalgic, hands on feel in the art. Watercolor, draftsmanship, the simple pen and ink line have a more important place than they had three years ago. Everybody’s been touched by someone who’s lost a job. People are going through a tough time. They want an emotional comfort level. That means images that strike an emotional, warm and fuzzy feeling, that appear hand-made rather than in your face and MTV-like.

...

There’s always a need for the humaneness in visual images —  particularly in an economy that’s struggling. And it’s often found in pictures done in the very traditional mediums like watercolor and  pencil. I think artists of that old school style have shied away from promoting themselves when they should be embracing opportunities to showcase their art.

New Neighborhood

We will be making the big move to North Carolina this weekend. Our new home will be in the Trinity Park neighborhood of Durham.

A Little Colored Pencil

Snow

I really like Uri Shulevitz, and his book Snow is certainly appropriate for this season.

We got our first snow accumulation here in Madison this past Thursday, which is always beautiful. We will likely get more tonight and tomorrow.

Illustration Art

Here is a great illustration blog.

Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales

This was a wonderful present from my husband on my birthday (Nov. 27)!