Barbara and Katherine and Megan and Joan

Thinking of the brilliant Barbara Cooney today, and the wealth of beauty she brought to our world. Above, a bit of crow for Halloween, via Brookeshelf and Vintage Kids' Books My Kids Love..both, fabulous blogs.  

[Here, I must say that my heart skipped a beat, just now, when I saw that Vintage Kids' has just posted Joan Walsh Anglund's yummy Nibble Nibble Little Mousekin, the book that brought me to voracious readership...why? Because I did not win it in the West Point Elementary School Library Contest of 1966. Once I realized that reading more (the lucky girl who won it did so by reading the most books in first grade) could bring me my very own personal hardback library, I was toast. Is this the reason that, nowadays, you can scarcely move through our house without bumping into a book stack or well-stuffed shelf? It makes me wonder.]

Thinking of Barbara Cooney always brings me back to Miss Rumphius, one of the greatest picture books in the galaxy. That, in turn, brings forth the happy thought of the ethereal, wondrous, and utterly charming illustrator Katherine Tillotson, whom I am quite sure might be the real Miss Rumphius. She does so much to make our world a more beautiful place to live. You'll find Katherine's gorgeous art in this sweetly-paced, lovingly illustrated guide to getting by in low-light (we'll fall back tomorrow, remember? Yep, it's that time of year again): it's all about

When the Library Lights Go Out, written by Megan McDonald (the one and only, she of Judy Moody fame!). Happily, this perfect author/illustrator pair have another yummericious book on the way: it's due to arrive next summer, June 23rd, to be exact. Put it on your calendar, in red.  There's a sneak peek which can be found on Simon and Schuster Canada. For those of you who are summer solstice fans (it's practically my favorite day of the year), remember that Katherine and Megan's new book will be arriving at the time of long light-filled days.

Well, this gives us something to look forward to...since we must now roll back the clocks and watch the dusk creep up an hour earlier...it's nice to know that summer will bring us this glorious new work from two of our favorite people! It may not quite be "...Picture Day Today,"...but, it will be, soon enough. 

We'll close with a smile that we love, guaranteed to light up any room, from our very own Miss Rumphius...Katherine Tillotson. Happy November to You! Keep heading toward the light.