well-covered, Dahl + Blake

whilst ordering from this wonderful bookseller, 

lamdha books

in Australia, I'd like to have this included, please just add to box ...

(reality: during c.e.c on f.h.b.)

well-covered, E. A. Style

The young Ardizzone

An Autobiographical Fragment

[I'll take it.]

well-covered, Wanda Style

Wanda Gag's

lovely

Snow White

well-covered

still thinking about book covers

from the nyt, earlier: here

Don't mind me, I'm just...

...thinking [a lot] about book covers

...see:

covers

book cover archive

most coveted covers

kottke

and/or

mit press: book cover design blogs

[jane eyre cover, above, by megan wilson]

Uri Shulivetz

Uri Shulevitz

How I Learned Geography

More here, click.

a book by it's cover

one grabs you?

(She was my hero.)

Your Lone Journey

Your Lone Journey was published in 1986.

 It was M. B. Goffstein's 25th book, the first she'd ever 

illustrated with the words of another author. 

The book is stunning; without a doubt, one of the 

most eloquent expressions of love I've ever seen. 

It was published as an adult book. 

It is utterly timeless.

Reading it, the first time, might break 

your heart with happiness.

Reading it again (and again), there is sweet 

comfort in the brilliant marriage 

of words and pictures, grief and joy.

"Brooke Goffstein had long wanted to explore

the theme of true love in a book. When she

first heard 'Your Lone Journey' sung by John

Hartford on his album Gum Tree Canoe (Flying Fish 

Records), she recognized it as the exact expression 

of what love is, and what real marriage means. 

She got Rosa Lee and Doc Watson's album 

The Watson Family (both records erroneously call it 

'Your Long Journey') and played the two recordings

again and again, until several years later she 

could illustrate the stanzas with color."

quote: jacket flap of 

Your Lone Journey 

Mrs. Deane

from the Alaska Archives, via 

a fascinating blog: Mrs. Deane

Books Change Lives

Just this morning, received an email that reminded 

me of how much I adored the book club (and library) 

when we (here, I drag my sister into the equation again)

were growing up. And I started to wonder about this.

When was the last time a book changed your life?

All of the books, above, changed mine

(the timeline, here, would be Katie John to 

My Ántonia, just for the record).

I remember each one, clearly,  

and the town we lived in 

(we moved often, to various Army posts;

it was a marvelous education, growing up, 

to live in so many different places)

and what our house looked like at the time

and why the book in question 

changed everything around me.

Almost all of the books we loved were checked out of

some wonderful library, in town or at school, or purchased

from the Scholastic Book Club: the best friends 

two girls (who moved a lot a lot a lot) ever had.

[When we lived in Kansas, Linda and I realized we had
enough book-club-books that we could actually create
(and so we did) our own little library. We even checked
the books out to each other. It was a good thing to spend
our time doing, at nine and seven. We loved it. Think I've
mentioned this before, but I remember her part of the
card catalogue being very, very organized.]

The Scholastic books were affordable, 

packable (ready to move to the next house),

exciting to order, heavenly to receive (from 

the teacher, who handed them out in the classroom)

and very important additions to our little at-home library.

(We both, now, have very big at-home libraries, 

as do our parents.)

And those magnificent parents of ours 

were happy to support our

little (big) book habit. Thank goodness. 

What a difference it has made.

For the rest of our lives.

Sisters! [Tinda Binda Alte Kinder]

Sarah's Room

by Doris Orgel

with pictures by 

Maurice Sendak

Sisterly Love 

"Now trees grow tall on Jenny's wall,

and morning glories bloom, 

and she can use, as she may choose,

her own or Sarah's room!"

"Angels walking on the earth."

"Angels walking on the earth. 

Cheribum and seraphim."

Maira Kalman, 

The Principles of Uncertainty

St. Michael, St. John the Baptist, Virgin and Child, 

unknown painter | 16th Century, 

Riva Valdobbia, Vercelli

eggalicious

junior society's old ties and easter eggs

via chris glass 

Heavenly Being

There is a Goldie doll.

Let the celebration begin.

Found on Saints and Spinners,

Farida Dowler's fabulous blog.

Farida found Goldie found on Rakuten.

She is our new hero.

Goldie Goodness

Saints and Spinners: 

Good Goldie Words.

Here.

Happiness.

Abe

maira + abe

4ever

Maira. Lincoln.

Maira. Maira. Maira.

Neil Gaiman on Colbert

first saw on twitter

read blog

here's Neil Gaiman

on The Colbert Report 

via Cory Doctorow 

on boingboing

Virginia Lee Burton. Textile Designer.

The Little House is, far as I can see, one of the best books of all time. But who knew that Virginia Lee Burton was up to all this? More, here. Fabulous, what one can find on the internet.

Don Stevens. Beatnik.

Wandered over to The Selvedge Yard again. 

Absolutely magnificent post on The Best Generation.

As usual, JP's put together a 

beautifully edited group of photos.

This one, in particular, stuck with me. 

It's remarkably timeless,

somehow. Seems as though it 

could've been taken in yesterday.

(Note: This was meant for the other blog; sometimes I get mixed up & post on one when it was supposed to be the other. Anyhow, think Don here is so charming figured I'd leave him. Happy Weekend.)

Meet The Unquiet Library

Last weekend, searching twitter for any Peter Sis mentions, I came upon The Unquiet Librarian. Several posts ensued. I linked to Buffy (said librarian) on twitter. I sent her a tweet (how strange to be using this language, but there it is) when Peter Sis joined (here! you can link, too) twitter (thanks to the magnificent Eric Case). 

Today, I found myself stopping by one of Buffy's blogs again (it has become habit forming). And, after one week, I can tell you this: I'm not really sure Buffy sleeps a lot. This woman gets an incredible amount of stuff done. (And there are so many who benefit from her work!) 

Buffy Hamilton and Ruth Fleet are on to the most amazing thing: they've created The Unquite Library (which, today, has an incredibly moving tribute by author Laurie Halse Anderson). It's on the web. (It's sort of all over the web.) And I am amazed and delighted and thoroughly pleased to bring them to you (and will probably do so again and again). 

The reason I started this blog was that I was convinced that children and young adults would be finding their books on the web....their art on the web...and an awful lot of answers (and, obviously, questions) on the web. And I had high hopes that we could band together and make sure that this will be done in the way that is best for the children. 

There will always be real books (the kind we all love, made with paper and ink all those good things), but there will be...there begins to be...so much more: the future is wide open... 

Just as the delivery of news is undergoing revolutionary change, so must (and is) publishing. It's just the beginning. How wonderful that the Unquiet Library is helping to lead the way!

Thanks, Unquiet Library. Onward!

It's all very exciting, really, isn't it?

 

Neil Gaiman, and his Father and his Father

Neil Gaiman just returned from the U.K. 

He went (I learned only from twitter: here is he is there, for those of you who are interested) for his father's funeral.

It is a sweet and somber moment on his blog. Worth checking in. 

Neil is quite a guy (this is not news). I'd reprint some of what he says in his last few posts, but you really have to look at each of them. They are not long. But they hold the essence of that love that you feel for your family, and for your friends, and for the fleet nature of time. 

Above: Neil, his father, and grandfather. Here: Neil's blog.

Dave McKean Interview on Seven Impossible Things

Yet another magnificent and momentous interview

brought to you by 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast:

here,

Dave McKean

Just In Case

Good Books, great choices, here: The 2009 Notable Books in the Language Arts...via A Year of Reading, charming blog by "two teachers who read, a lot." One of the books on the list is by Yuyi Morales, Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book.

Good time to bring up my current infatuation with the Señor Calavera video, created by Yuyi Morales (who is utterly delightful and blessedly brilliant: was lucky enough to hear her speak at remarkable Reading the World a few years ago). Yuyi has her own blog, here, and has her own Top Ten, here. SEÑOR CALAVERA has his own site, here. There's more about Yuyi at the always-amazing 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

And, finally, the video: Meet SEÑOR CALAVERA.

Garden History and Playgrounds Galore

A playground in Madrid...

Alexander Pope's drawing of 

Twickenham Church, 

from his own garden...

and Langston Hughes' Children's Garden.

All found at gardenhistorygirl and playscapes.

They're the vision of arcady [at] cox [dot] net,

the hand behind several delightful blogs.

Here, a bit more about Hughes (via gardenhistorygirl and "The Life of Langston Hughes," by Arnold Rampersad):

"...But most of the patch of earth beside the front steps, about six feet square, was barren from years of trampling by neighbourhood children, who had little time for flowers. Langston decided to rescue it, and teach the children a tender lesson at the same time. He named the plot their garden.

From Amy Spingarn’s home upstate in Dutchess County came nasturtiums, asters and marigold. Under his supervision, aided by Mr. Sacred Heart [the gardener!], each child chose a plant, set it, and assumed partial responsibility for weeding and watering the garden. On a picket beside each plant was posted a child’s name. Proud of the garden, which flourished, and prouder still of his children, Langston was photographed at least once beaming in their midst."

Time to Jet to Florence, dear Readers: See Messaggero delle stelle!

Florence: 13 March to 30 August, 2009

 The Institute and Museum of the History of Science: 

The Exhibition Galileo:

"Images of the universe from antiquity to the telescope will be inaugurated at Palazzo Strozzi, in Florence. The exhibition is a journey through space and time, exploring the science of the heavens and the birth of astronomy...to the achievements of the classical Greek and Roman civilizations...and...to the head of the astronomical revolution heralded by Nicolaus Copernicus, confirmed by Galileo and his telescope, and completed by such extraordinary figures as Johannes Kepler, René Descartes and Isaac Newton."

Dear Reader, if you can translate the wonderful information about Peter Sis's "Starry Messenger," (see last image in post) from the folks at Rizzoli, please do let me know and I will reprint it for all to see (leave it in comments, or send me an email...I'm not picky). This new version of the starry Sis classic (more info, here) will be available at the beginning of April.

And, for that little touch of class you have come to expect from art.books.children, we've included a final salute from Galileo...his preserved finger, which is housed in the Museo di storia del scienza, Firenze. A bit of the story behind it all:

The Messenger from the Stars

"This short book created a revolution in astronomy – and in the history of science! Based on his observations of the moon in 1609, the Starry Messenger was published in Venice the following year. The publication was met with a storm of protest, and several rivals argued that the moons of Jupiter – which Galileo dubbed the Medicean stars – were mere artefacts caused by the faulty lenses of his telescope. But the real revolution was the use of the telescope to see celestial objects that had been hidden to the naked eye for the first time in the history of humankind.

 The proposal that the earth circled the sun not only shocked contemporary astronomers, but challenged the teachings of the Church, which preached that the earth was the immoveable centre of the universe. Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Chief Two World Systems was banned in 1632, he was forced publicly to recant his beliefs under threat of death a year later, and was placed under house arrest in Arcetri until he died in 1642. In 1992, over 300 years later, Pope John Paul II admitted the Church had been in error. Galileo has long been revered as champion of science over faith, and his middle finger preserved, in the manner of a secular saint." [Biblioteca Nazionale, Firenze]

Jen Bekman = Art

Lord have mercy, that Jen Bekman is a veritable ball of fire! She's rustled up some of the best artists around (and keeps rustling them, click here) and--joy of joys!--she's making art accessible to all. Yep. Seriously. I mean, you and me. Positively pristine prints delivered to your door (in the coolest mailer you've seen for a long while), archival quality and all, for a little bit of shipping and--are you ready? 

$20.00

Yep. $20.00 for real-live art, straight from the gallery in NYC to your doorstep somewhere in the USA (or beyond).

Life, people, doesn't get any better than this. 

Git your fresh hot art now! Click here.

"Let's...Get Lost," copyright Shaun Sundholm