Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Beards and Birds Not Bombs!

These are exciting times. Beards, long hair and bee hives are back in style. Did you see Miss floral beehive/Amy Winehouse's performance on the Grammy awards show? It's nice to have a truly unique talent win and hopefully end a long run of typical banal pop- star stuff we've endured over the past few years.









Today we voted in Virginia. When I tucked the babies in bed last night , I could hear Barack Obama talking on our answering machine...how strange! I'm not going to go political....we'll keep this blog about children's books, authors and illustrators. Speaking of illustrators, things are starting to stir in the art world with small underground homespun illustrators becoming overnight superstars via internet exposure and a good printer. Lots of really great pop/sign art is getting eaten up. I bought this one yesterday, "knock"...get it? So cute!!! Here are a couple more fun illustrations I found online to go with the times:






My book of choice today is "Across America I Love You", written by Christine Loomis and illustrated by Kate Kiesler. From the craggy coasts of the Pacific to the forests of New England, Christine Loomis has America's landscape covered. Her lyrical poem of America is perfect for a mother to sing her child to sleep. Here's an excerpt: "In the forests of northern California branches of giant sequoias reach up to rock the moon and cradle the Western sky, reach up to embrace a universe of possibilities. My arms reach too, ready to rock and cradle you, to embrace the universe of possibilities in you."

Kate Keisler's paintings in this picture book are filled with the natural beauty across America as well as the wonder of the miracle of life.

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