If you Listen - Zolotow

I had to post this now as it is such a coincidence. Another Zolotow/Vitale now out of print 2002 reissue found its way to our store and will soon go to a home where it is needed. *Other Zolotow/Vitale books are: When the Wind Stops and The Sleepy Book Kim just wrote about.

If You Listen is a calm and spiritual story that
reassures little ones about loss. In Zolotow's spare lyrical prose, a little girl asks her mother, how do I know father loves me if I can't see him or feel his hugs? Through the pages, her mother assures her that if she listens inside herself, "like the rustle of birds in the leaves of the trees or like a boat whistle in the fog, she will feel someone very far away sending love to her."

Recently a friend lost her husband suddenly. They have two little girls who don't yet understand that their father is not coming home. I hope this serene illustrated story will help her show her children that their father is always there inside them sending love to them.

Sleepy Book

There are soooo many different  illustrated versions of this book! Sleepy Book was originally published in 1958 by Lothrop, Lee and Shepherd. It was written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by Vladimir Bobri. My favorite versions are these vintage ones with Bobri's art.

The illustrations  are on black paper and the text in this book is  a hand-cut blockletter by Rudolf Koch, in gray ink on the black pages. It's fantastic! I wish I owned a copy.....
This one's from the library.

Sleepy Book was brought out by Harper& Row in 1988 with pictures by Ilse Plume (Plume cover pictured above)

then reissued a third time in 2001 by HarperCollins with simple, colorful illustrations by Stefano Vitale (the Vitale cover above) .
This timeless classic to sleepiness has long outlived its first publisher and outlasted two name changes on its second. I wonder if yet another future generation will see it differently?

Charlotte Zolotow's  words are soothing and lyrical making it the perfect bedtime book:
"The snowy crane sleeps standing on one long leg like a flower on its stem"..."Spiders when they sleep are like small ink spots in the middle of their lacy webs"..."But little boys and girls, when the night comes and the wind whispers gently in the trees and the stars sparkle and shine, sleep warm under their blankets in their beds."
Visit Charlottes website here to learn more about her timeless classic books.

With The Sun In My Eyes

This morning I woke up to find an email from one of my favorite artists: Morteza Zahedi. Morteza is an artist who hails from Iran and I'm a big follower/fan of his work. His email announced that his new Book: With The Sun In My Eyes (due out in March 2012) published by Groundwood, has just been nominated for Best Books for Children and Youth 2012! The event involved "books of excellent quality, remarkable in style, content and illustration."

Written by Jorge Lujan, Con El Sol en Los Ojos is a poetry book in both Spanish and English. It's about a little boy and girl describing day to day experiences in their world.

The girl loves her little dog, Oliver, the wind blowing in her face and laughter that "explodes for no reason" and the little boy describes newborn chicks "like tiny walking suns."

Sounds lovely and lyrical and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this wonderful collection of poems for children.

If you'd like to see more of Morteza Zahedi's fabulous art,

visit his blog here.

"Someday"

Needless to say I haven't posted in a very, very, very long time and I want to update you with some happenings. My friend Rachel who wrote a few book recommendations here had her sweet baby girl and moved from Half Moon Bay to Iowa. They are all well and big hugs to her and her family in 2012. Kim is making a lot of art and selling on Etsy (find her under her seller's name Jikits.) She has 3 little ones and a household to look after but I'm hoping to coax her into posing here again sometime.

The bookstore is doing well and we have now gone through two busy Christmas seasons. We're still working on our website but the bones of it are up at coastsidebooks.com Our girls are growing into quite the readers and love going on book hunts with me out of town. My plan is to list some of those out of print picture book treasures on our site in the near future.

One of my latest, greatest finds is a 1965 copy of Someday by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Arnold Lobel. CZ dedicated the book to her eleven year old daughter, " for Ellen right now " and we can really relate to this little girl's imaginings. She wishes for many things like, "Someday I'm going to go to dancing class and Miss Bird will say, 'Ellen is doing it just right. Everybody watch her.' " Or, "Someday, when I have nothing to read, the doorbell will ring and a big box of books will come for me." (Remember this is before Angry Birds.) Lobel's illustrations are feel-good- funny and full of whimsy just like the text. The inside jacket reads, "Everyone, young or old, girl or boy, has his own particular "somedays." They are the days when the impossible becomes possible, the unlikely turns into the likely, and dreams are no longer dreams but realities." Someday I will write here about picture books at least once a week.
Someday I will write all the content for the Coastside Books website. Someday I will catch up on all the bookkeeping details. Someday I will cook more vegetables for dinner... But tomorrow I am going on my birthday trip down the coast to spend a SOLO morning in Santa Cruz, shopping and stopping to look at whatever, whenever I like.
I hope all your "Somedays" become realities this year too : )

Happy 2012!!!!

Wild Animals and Five Faves

I had a nice visit with my sister, Nancy last week-end. We left the kids at home with their Dads (jumping on the bed) to enjoy a day of shopping and couldn't decide whether

to buy this

this...............

or this. All fitting!

This week, I have five favorite blogs to share with you:

One of my favorite artists, lili scratchy has three children (like me:) who share an art blog called (1)lilifefe they are amazing artists (like their mom!)

another favorite is (2) cowboy bunny because she is funny and creative (she's having a sweet little handmade giveaway right now so be sure to visit her and comment!)

(3)maxiluchini 's colorful childrens illustrations for inspiration

(4)mypapercrane the art and craft of Heidi Kenny (be sure to view her little stump cake with the mushrooms on the sidebar!)

(5)kickanandconkers is another mom blogger with three kids. she features lots of vintage and modern ideas, childrens books both old and new, and letterpress printmaking which I really and truly love.

Here's a funny clip I found via cowboy bunny's blog:

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Back to school with blogger Rachel Formaro and It's a Book!

We're Back to School! The girls are loving their classes and teachers and Kim and I are excited to invite friend, writer and soon to be mom, Rachel Formaro to post at Bees Knees Reads!
I met Rachel and her husband Tom at the bookstore last year when they were releasing, their children's book, Alfonso the Christmas Pumpkin. And now they are expecting their own sweet, little girl "pumpkin" right around the end of October. So I'm sure we will have many wonderful picture book reviews and joyful insights from Rachel.

We have to catch you up with what we've been doing... Kim is making art for Etsy and getting back into the studio and printmaking. Her baby turned 1 last month! Little C is 3 and D is now 6. My baby turned 5 last month and started Kindergarten and my 6 year old has found a new love, HORSES, and her 1st-grade friends of course. I have a Horse book review post planned for all who share that passion. And I've been enjoying running Coastside Books. The shop is ever evolving and it's a challenge to keep up with the new releases!

One of the reasons we love to blog is that there is no obligation to do so and we can connect with so many literature- loving creative people on the blogosphere. We are grateful to Margo at The Fourth Muskateer for passing along the Versatile Blogger Award. And we're gathering our lists so we'll be passing on the award to 15 Versatile Bloggers in the next few posts.

My picture book pick of the month is Lane Smith's It's a Book, that clever, clever man. I get that people love their e-readers yet the art of the book and the tactile experience of books can not be replicated electronically. And I do like electronic media, I'm a blogger after all, but reading, for me, especially children's books is a pleasure best reserved for paper pages. I've included the trailer for fun but the book has a punchline that will make any adult smile wryly. Smith's publisher, Macmillan says, "... IT’S A BOOK is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age...." You'll just have to find it and read it to get to that smart-ass last line : )


Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today is Tasha's Tudor's Birthday and here is a lovely post by Clarice over at Storybook Woods celebrating Tasha Tudor Day 2010. Reading Tasha Tudor's books with my mom and sister is a favorite childhood memory. I dreamed of the pastoral life and intimate country traditions Tudor illustrated and I especially loved her Christmastime and holiday illustrations.

Well, I've packed a lot of news into this post and I'm looking forward to Kim and Rachel's favorite picture books and versatile blogger award lists. The rules say we can pass it along to 15 bloggers so I'll link 5, Kim will link 5 and Rachel will link 5. Happy back to school!

Congratulations to my 6-year-old nephew whose band The Legos just won a professional studio session with their original song at an LA battle of the bands competition!!!!

In honor of your new hipster status D, I'm sending you a copy of Alternative ABC'S (Chunky Edition) to read to your little bro.
This is the ABCs book for future skaters and rock guitarists but also for earth lovers and environmentalists!

Look for it in the mail soon Kim xoxoxox

NYC Book Week and Powered By Girl

Today, Monday, May 24th is the start of BEA's New York Book Week. There are some amazing events planned to celebrate all week long. If you live in NYC or just happen to be there visiting, be sure to stop by Tilbury House's newest children's book, One of Us release party. I got to view this wonderful book was so impressed with its message about "bravely being who you are, "that I wrote a little blurb about it here.

Bring your kids to Book Culture (at Broadway and 114th St.) today, May 24th at 4pm to hear this brand new story read by author Peggy Moss (recommended for ages 5-11) and see first-hand how a book is made. Then, illustrator Penny Weber will lead the kids with glue and glitter to create their own story characters.

At 6pm, the party will move to Book Culture on 112th st (between Broadway and Amsterdam) where you will hear some amazing speakers including author Lyn Mikel Brown, author illustrator Dimitrea Tokunbo and her daughters and girls and women advocate/ humorist, Betsy Sweet. The reception will have music, refreshments, prizes and interactive projects.

There will be an exhibit of small self-portraits by children's book illustrators on display all week at Book Culture and on sale to benefit Powered by Girl, a new campaign from Hardy Girls Healthy Women. I have donated my self portrait to be included in the show! (above)

Hope you can stop by to join in the fun!

Children's Book Week Poster

I hope everyone had a joyful Mother's Day! Today kicks off Children's Book Week and this year you can send away for this poster by Jon Muth. How nice it would be to have Stillwater around the house to read to the children... Hmmm in my make believe world, like the Land of Make Believe as Fred Rogers would have it. (But maybe not as scary as some of those puppets.)

There is a book out titled 75 years if Children's Book Week Posters: Celebrating Great Illustrators of American Children's Books by Leonard Marcus if you're inclined to start collecting. This should be a good week around the kidslit blogs and here is a page with CBC activities and events. Enjoy the week!

Of Mice and Hamsters

Nancy's cat Jake passed away. He was 20 years old. I think the girls took it kind of hard. They had a nice funeral in the backyard but I heard that her littlest daughter wanted to dig him back up because she missed him dearly.

So now there is a new addition to her family and it is a dwarf hamster named Tiny. I don't know much about hamsters. We had one as kids but I was too young to really remember. Nancy recommended this book which is all about dwarf hamsters.

Meanwhile we have been reading Petshop Lullaby by Mary Ann Fraser. It's nighttime in the pet shop but the littlest hamster can't sleep. The animals try everything to soothe and calm him. In the end they discover that he likes to sleep in the daytime. It's a great way to teach kids about nocturnal creatures. I wonder if Tiny's keeping Nancy up at night too? My little guy has a new tooth coming in so I'm there with you!

Since we're on the subject of cute rodents I must share this adorable blog I just found called Mouses Houses . Isn't it amaaaazing?!

Seems we have a soft spot for mice. Here's a few of our past book reviews on mice to check out: Mary and the Mouse the Mouse and Mary, Chopsticks, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears and Miss Bianca.

Ocean's Child

I must return this overdue library book today. I've been holding onto it for a bit too long....

Ocean's Child by Christine Ford is a poetic, soothing bedtime story about parental love and oneness with the universe.
A pregnant inuit mother and her child paddle in a small boat through the ocean at dusk and observe the "children of the ocean" being snuggled to sleep by their mothers.

When the last lullaby of the whale song is sung, Baby naps on Mother's back.

To Ocean's child we say good night.

Goodnight, little whale, good night.

I held onto this book because the inuit seascape illustrations by (Caldecott award winning artist) David Diaz glow and radiate with a warmth that I've never seen before in any illustration and I'm in love with the peaches, yellow and turqoise color combinations....


(and also because I wanted to share this book with you).

It's a wonderful rhythmic and hypnotizing bedtime story that is sure to calm, soothe and lull your little one(s) to sleep.

Happy Easter

Author/ Illustrator, Marjolein Varekamp sent this darling photo of her daughter and her Easter Rabbit, Jip. Marjolein who wrote and illustrated A Wonderful Week with Bees Knees Books is currently working on a new book about a little mouse named Harold for a Dutch publisher due out fall next year. Congratulations Marjolein!!!

My family is enjoying a very wet and windy Easter indoors this year and the girls are looking forward to a week off for spring break. It looks like we'll be planning some crafty things to do inside the house. And some gardening when the weather clears and the earth is nice and soft.

Happy Easter!

Windy and Foggy, Dolls and Origami

Lately, I've been on an an origami bend. I stay up late at night folding butterflies to make these cheerful color garlands. I also like reading the blogs of other artists and recently connected with Australian feltist, Trudi from Me and Ewe. She's stayed in a teepee too.

Trudi has a little shop where she sells this Waldorf bead doll kit. You can make your own dolls! I think they're the cutest.

So, when I came across this book at our library last week, everything seemed to fall into place. Windy by Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman is done with photo tableaux and contains both Waldorf dolls and origami. Just look at those adorable origami chickens and that's Windy flying her kite above the colorful cut-out paper trees. It's the sweet story of a little girl who lives beneath a tree. She loves to fly her big blue kite, but when the wind blows it away she sets out on an adventure to find it. You'll be surprised at where it finally appears.

I did a little googling and found out that Windy has her own blog here and is also on facebook, where she gives away prizes and free coloring pages to download and print

It just so happens that Canadian authors/artists, Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman just had a book launch on March 20th at Collage, Collage. Foggy is the fourth book in the Windy series and it looks to be just as incredibly adorable. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Don"t Lick The Dog

Spring is officially here and we've been out and about, strolling here and there with the kids.

The apartment clustered neighborhood we live in (Sherman Oaks) must be second in the world to West Hollywood's largest pet-owned dog population. On an 8 block walk to school we encounter an average of 15 dogs being walked!

The best is when it rains here and the dogs are wearing raincoats and sweaters. I need to get my camera ready but I don't want to be rude. Dogs are not always in the mood to smile.

Don't Lick The Dog (Making Friends with Dogs) is a new book by Wendy Wahman. It teaches kids how to interact with unfamiliar dogs with silly rhyme and humor. The illustrations are wildly outrageous which make it even more fun to read to kids.

Wendy provides really great helpful tips about all kinds of dog behavior: slow down, stay still and remember, don't lick the dog!

" Good dog manners show you care...... when meeting new dogs everywhere."

The adorable Springy- Boston Terrier Dog illustration above is by etsy artist Brian Rubenacker.

Wormy Worm Meets Hip Hop Dog

My sister Nancy and I are big-time Chris Raschka book fans, so much, that we talk about his books over phone conversations.
Yesterday, I was telling her how my little C, who just turned 3 (rhymes) wants me to read Wormy Worm over and over again as she squeals in delight!

It's part of his series of Thingy Things published by Hyperion from 200-2002.
Some in this series include: Moosey Moose, Whaley Whale, Sluggy Slug, Doggy Dog, Snaily Snail, Whaley Whale, Goosey Goose and Wormy Worm.

I know we've already had a few Chris Raschka posts at Bees Knees: there's one on the Hello, Goodbye Window which you can revisit here and A Kick in the Head here.

Meanwhile, Nancy is raving about Chris' new book: Hip Hop Dog published by Harper Collins which I haven't seen or read but can't wait to check out. The illustrations are not by Chris but Snoop Dogg fan, Vladimir Radunsky. It's a great combo!
Here's a super neato trailer I found of it:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Dark Night

French author/illustrator Dorothee de Monfreid has created quite a few wonderful picture books. Unfortunately, Dark Night is the only one I found that has been translated to English.

These are some of my favorite illustrations from the story. You can find an excellent review of Dorothee's book by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

If your library gets a copy in, check it out asap. It's wonderful!

In Our Mothers' House

My sister, Nancy passed Gringa ( A Contradictory Girlhood) by Melissa Hart on to me when she came down for a visit a few weeks ago.
Hart tells her coming of age story which starts early on with forced separation from her lesbian mom by the court system in California in the 1970's. " You can't grow up parented by two women. It's unnatural." This was the rationale of the court system back then.
She finds comfort in Latino culture as she tries to find her identity and tells of her desires, aspirations and vulnerabilities with total honesty (which made me laugh out loud a few times).
Melissa Hart grew up in So Cal with her father and stepmother and in Oxnard with her two mothers in the 70's and 80's and attended college in UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara , same as Nancy and I, so it was extra fun to read.
After my Tuesday Babygarten class with C, I noticed that our Studio City branch Library just got in a brand new picture book which happens to run along the same vein:
In Our Mothers' House by Patricia Polacco is a beautifully illustrated and wonderful story celebrating an untraditional family with two mothers raising their three adopted children in "a big old brown shingle house on Woolsey Street in Berkeley, California." Marmee and Meema's house is full of love and they teach their children that different is not wrong. But one family in the neighborhood doesn't accept them because they are different: "How can a family have two moms and no dad?"
Polacco shows an amazing, unique family that lives by its own rules and one that is held together by a very special love. The story lets us watch the three children grow up into perfectly normal adults with children of their own. Marmee and Meema enjoy their grandchildren and when they grow old and pass away, they are laid to rest in a green hillside overlooking the bay "near the place where they pledged their love to each other so many years ago."
The house remains as a gatheing place for the three children and their families. "All of our hearts find peace whenever we are there, together, in our mothers' house."

Now I'll leave you with a fun clip of Melissa Hart's recipe for the California 70's Frito Boat (I forgot to add that each chapter in Gringa ends in a recipe) Good Stuff!

Biblioburro

Dr. Seuss Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS! D and I made this Green Eggs and Ham get-up for you. He proudly wore it to school this morning for NEA's Read Across America and to Honor you, Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Animals A To Z

Last week-end, my sister Nancy came down for a visit. We managed to sneak away sans the kids and do a little shopping. One of the vintage stores we shopped at had this amazing animal print fabric (above) and I know Nancy is still debating where she could incorporate it in her home. Well Nancy, it's still at the shop waiting for you and I snapped this image and also immediately thought of another great artist whose blog I follow: Elizabeth Graeber

This is her self-published book available in paperback on LuLu : Animals A To Z. Elizabeth Graeber is an amazing non- stop artist. She posts new works on her blog almost daily. Her art is outsiderish and almost undescribable.....sometimes quirky, silly, serious, wonky and always fresh and real. You can preview her alphabet animal book here. Believe me, it's unique and beautiful!