More Reviews and Interviews!

Elaine Magliaro from Wild Rose Reader has a review of Dizzy on her blog. Check it out - Wild Rose Reader Blog. Also, she reviews Ella Fitzgerald - Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea and Brian Pinkney.

Thanks Elaine!

Read an interview with Jonah Winter, author of Dizzy, Frida, Diego, and Secret World of Hildegard!
Interview.

Interview at The Brown Bookshelf!

I did an interview with illustrator/author Don Tate for The Brown Bookshelf. In celebration of Black History Month they've interviewed authors and illustrators and posted them on their website. Each day features a new interview. Here's a partial list of other authors and illustrators interviewed: Karen English (author of THE BABY ON THE WAY), Carole Boston Weatherford (author of BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT), Nina Crews, Tonya Bolden and Shane Evans. Many thanks to Don Tate and The Brown Bookshelf!

The interview is here.

Jazz Giant Review!

Jules from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a nice review of Before John was a Jazz Giant and a couple of other new picture book biographies here. Thanks Jules!

Poet Slave of Cuba Wins the Pura Belpre Award at ALA!

I'm a bit late getting around to announcing this but if you don't already know about two weeks ago the ALA announced its annual award winners and Poet Slave of Cuba was among them. Poet Slave won the Pura Belpre Award for writing. Here's a quote from the ALA website about the award - "The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth." While the award acknowledges the book as a whole it is really for the author Margarita Engle. Congrats Margarita!
You can see a list of all of the award winners here.
Congrats to everyone including friends Mo Willems, Gregory Christie, and Brian Selznick.

The Little Rock Nine for READ Magazine

These are two of four illustrations that I recently did for READ Magazine. The story, "Warriors Don't Cry", is about Melba Patillo - one of the Little Rock Nine - a group of African-American students that were intigrated into the all-white Little Rock High School in 1957.

Brooklyn Museum Signing

I almost forgot to mention that I will be signing copies of Dizzy, How We Are Smart, and The Poet Slave of Cuba today at The Brooklyn Museum's for their member's Holiday Sale inside the gift shop from 3-5:30pm. If you're a member drop by.

Robert's Snow: Cancer Cure Online Fundraiser!

Chances are that you are already aware of the Robert's Snow: for Cancer Cure Fundraiser. If you don't here's the deal. It's unique way to acquire original art from some of your favorite children's book illustrators and authors while helping to fight cancer. Grace Lin created the fundraiser after writing the book Robert's Snow which was inspired by her husband Robert's battle with Ewing's sarcoma. Selina and I are proud to have each contributed a snowflake for the fundraiser this year. Above is Selina's snowflake and mine can be found lower on the page under Snowflakes and Postcards. The third installment of the auction will begin this Monday December 3rd and ends Friday December 7th 5pm.The snowflakes can be seen here. In addition to our snowflakes you can also bid on snowflakes from some of our friends and other fellow illustrators:
Grace Lin, Mo Willems, Peter Brown, Meghan McCarthy, Jarrett Krosoczka, Dan Santat, Rebecca Doughty, Matt Phelan,Ashley Bryan, Rebecca Guay, Carin Berger, Kelly Murphy, Mark Teague and lots more.


Take a look and hopefully place a bid too!

New book! Before John Was a Jazz Giant

I just received the f&g's (folds and gathers) for another book I finished work on earlier this year. The book was written by the award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford including the Caldecott Honor/ Coretta Scott King award book Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.


This is my second book with Henry Holt and with editor, Reka Simenson. They also published Poet Slave.

Stay Tuned!

Prints!

I have new prints available for sale at my website. Check it out! All prints are hi-quality giclees printed on 300lb watercolor paper and ready to be framed. Most orders ship within 2 weeks. Get your holiday gifts now!

Booklist! Top 10 Arts Books for Youth: 2007

Just when I was thinking Dizzy was old news I receive an email from a former teacher Monica Wellington telling me that Booklist has chosen Dizzy as one of it's Top 10 Arts Books for 2007.
Check it out! Here are a few images from the book.