Showing posts with label Children's Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children's Books. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

#IReadsYou Book Review: Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES

THE WITCHES
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE/Puffin Books

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Roald Dahl
ILLUSTRATOR: Quentin Blake
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3716-5; hardcover with color dust jacket; 5.31 in x 7.75 in; (September 3, 2019)
224pp, B&W, $17.99 U.S.

Ages 8-12

The Witches is a 1983 children's dark fantasy novel written by the British author, the late Roald Dahl.  The book was published with almost 100 full-page and spot illustrations by Quentin Blake (who illustrated many of Dahl's works).  This review is based on a hardcover edition of The Witches published in September 2019 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

The Witches is narrated by an unnamed young British boy who recounts his and and his grandmother's experiences battling a society of child-hating witches.  Some people are familiar with The Witches through two film adaptations, director Nicholas Roeg's 1990 adaptation, which starred Anjelica Huston, and the recently released 2020 film directed by Robert Zemeckis.

The Witches opens in Norway where we meet the story's narrator, an unnamed seven-year-old English boy whose parents were Norwegian immigrants to England.  After his parents are killed in an accident, the boy goes to live in Norway with his grandmother, whom he calls “Grandmamma.”  He has already previously spent much time with her, and he loves all her stories, especially the ones about horrific witches who seek to either kill human children or to transform them into animals.  It turns out that Grandmamma is a retired witch hunter, and she tells the boy how to spot witches.  They all look like ordinary women, but they are actually disguising their deformities,  For instance, they have bald heads, have claws instead of fingers, and do not have toes, to name a few of their deformities.

The boy eventually returns to England with Grandmamma in tow, and while on holiday at the grand Hotel Magnificent in Bournemouth, England, the boy has his second experience with witches.  While hiding in the hotel ballroom, the boy discovers that a meeting of the “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children” (RSPCC) is really the annual gathering of all the witches in England.  At that meeting, the boy sees something that almost no human has ever seen – the Grand High Witch, leader of all the world's witches.  And nothing can prepare the boy for the Grand High Witch's diabolical plan to get rid of all the human children in England.

THE LOWDOWN:  My experiences with Roald Dahl revolve around his 1964 children's novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the two film adaptations of it, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).  I read the novel once, sometime after the release of the 2005 film, and I have seen both films a few times.

I remember when Nicholas Roeg's film adaptation of The Witches was originally released, and I planned to see it but never did.  I have been putting off seeing the film ever since, but when I heard about Zemeckis' then-upcoming adaptation of The Witches, I chose the book as one of my Christmas 2019 gifts.  After finally reading it, I wish that I had read The Witches a long time ago.  I feel it could have been a formative reading experience for me when I was young.

That aside, it is a fantastic novel.  I am amazed that Dahl could create such evocative and vivid prose in writing for children.  Well, I guess that's why he is beloved by generations.  From the moment he introduces the unnamed boy, Dahl transports readers into another world, one that is fantastical, but one in which the readers will want to believe.

I also love that Dahl makes both the boy and his grandmother, who is 86 in the book, both plucky and adventurous.  The boy is not afraid of new things, and his child's sense of wonder and nosiness makes him not afraid to try new things and to go new places, as well as to try dangerous things and to go to dangerous places.  The boy is one of those classic characters onto which the readers will graft themselves in order to follow him on an incredible and perilous journey.  The witches of The Witches are unique and scary, but are also a little pathetic and funny, which is enough to make them creepy.

The best thing that I can say about Roald Dahl's The Witches is that when I got to the end of its 200 pages, I could have read another 200 pages.  Also Quentin Blake's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the novel.  I feel like the world of The Witches as my mind imagines it should look similar to the way Blake presents it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Of course, fans of Roald Dahl should read and re-read The Witches, and fans of great children's literature will want to fight The Witches.

[This volume includes a 16-page from another Roald Dahl book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.]

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Fantagraphics to Republish Four Tomi Ungerer Books

Honoring A Legend

Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

SEATTLE, WA—The international art and literary communities recently suffered a huge blow with the loss of legendary artist and writer Tomi Ungerer (1931–2019). Readers of all ages have been enchanted by his vast oeuvre, from his masterpieces of children’s literature (such as the internationally beloved and award-winning The Three Robbers, Moon Man, and Otto) to his equally masterful satirical and erotic work for adults. In his lifetime he was recognized for the extraordinary breadth of his creative vision, receiving both the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Children’s Book Illustration and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sexual Freedom Awards.

Fantagraphics Books is honored to play a part in preserving the legacy of this creative genius with the re-publication of four Ungerer books for adults: The Underground Sketchbook, The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve.

Due out in Fall 2019, Tomi Ungerer’s infamous 1969 Underground Sketchbook is a tour de force glimpse into the artist’s id. A shocking departure from his children’s book illustration, each page seethes with coruscating social commentary, dada-esque observations, and existential angst. Underground Sketchbook is revered for its audacious visual wit, absurdist humor, and scathing satire, and this long-awaited reprint will be a visual treat for both fans of Ungerer and appreciators of fine cartooning unfamiliar with his work.

“While preparing for my career-spanning interview with Tomi Ungerer that appears in the new print edition of The Comics Journal, I was astonished to discover that many of his best satirical works were only available as used books at exorbitant prices,” explains Fantagraphics Publisher Gary Groth. “In an attempt to right this wrong, I chose four of his books to reprint, all trenchant commentaries on the folly of our relationships and the absurdity of our social order."

The publication dates of The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve are TBD.

Underground Sketchbook by Tomi Ungerer
Introduction by Steve Brodner
On-sale: October 2019
$19.99 Hardcover
160 pages, two-color, 10 ¼” x 7 ¼”
ISBN: 978-1-68396-262-5

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Sunday, February 3, 2019

Amazon Announces Imprint Focusing on English Translations of Children's Books from Around the World

Amazon Publishing Announces Amazon Crossing Kids, an Imprint for Children’s Books in Translation

Amazon Crossing Kids will publish English-language translations of popular and award-winning picture books from across the globe

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon Publishing announced the launch of Amazon Crossing Kids, a new imprint for children’s picture books in translation. Building on the work of Amazon Crossing, the largest publisher of translated fiction in the United States, and Amazon Publishing’s Two Lions imprint, a leading children’s book publisher, Amazon Crossing Kids aims to increase the diversity of children’s picture books in translation and encourage young reading from a range of cultural perspectives.

    “Publishing and translating children’s books from around the world is an important way to provide young readers with writing, illustration, and storytelling of the most extraordinary range and quality”

Amazon Crossing Kids launches with three picture books and is seeking picture book submissions from all regions of the world. The first titles on the list are:

    Spiky, written and illustrated by Ilaria Guarducci and translated by Laura Watkinson (7/1/2019): First published in Italy in 2016, this is the story of a forest creature named Spiky, who spends his days bullying the other forest creatures and sharpening the spikes on his body. But suddenly, when he begins to lose his spikes, he must learn how to befriend the other creatures of the forest and share his softer side, making meaningful relationships along the way.

    A Tiger Like Me, written by Michael Engler, illustrated by Joëlle Tourlonias and translated by Laura Watkinson (9/1/2019): First published in Germany in 2016, this sweet story follows a little boy who likes to reimagine his world as that of a tiger’s. This “tiger cub” shares with the reader a day in the life of him and his “tiger” family—waking up in the den, eating in his favorite spot, and how a little tiger feels when he’s awake, hungry, or in the mood for an adventure. With splendor and delight, this little boy encourages the reader to get creative with his or her own imagination.

    Along the Tapajós, written and illustrated by Fernando Vilela and translated by Daniel Hahn (10/1/19): First published in Brazil in 2015, this is the story of two children—and their pet tortoise Titi—who live in the region of Jarí, a small community that links the Amazon and Tapajós rivers. Every year, the families living there must relocate when the rainy season starts. When the boy and his sister move with their family, they realize that they have left Titi behind! Eager to rescue him, the pair sneaks back at night on a journey along the river. This story offers a unique look at this way of life.

Two Lions Editorial Director Kelsey Skea will also serve as Editorial Director of Amazon Crossing Kids, working in collaboration with Two Lions Editor Marilyn Brigham and Amazon Crossing Editorial Director Gabriella Page-Fort, to acquire a diverse list of storytellers, illustrators, and translators from across the globe.

“We’re delighted to blend the missions of Amazon Crossing and Two Lions by introducing terrific books from around the globe to readers who are beginning to develop their worldview,” says Mikyla Bruder, Publisher of Amazon Publishing. “Whether a title has a universal theme with regionally-influenced artistry or focuses on an aspect of local culture, our list will encompass a broad range of perspectives, styles, and characters that celebrate what makes us unique as well as what we have in common.”

Award-winning translators, Laura Watkinson and Daniel Hahn, will translate the first titles from Amazon Crossing Kids. Laura Watkinson has translated from Dutch, Italian, and German and is the winner of the Vondel Prize for her Dutch-to-English translation of The Letter for the King as well as a 3-time winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. Daniel Hahn has translated works from Portuguese, Spanish, and French and is the recipient of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his translation of The Book of Chameleons and was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his translation of A General Theory of Oblivion, which won the International Dublin Literary Award.

“Publishing and translating children’s books from around the world is an important way to provide young readers with writing, illustration, and storytelling of the most extraordinary range and quality,” says Daniel Hahn, translator of the forthcoming Amazon Crossing Kids picture book Along the Tapajós. “Any new attempt to broaden our literary horizons, by making it easier for a greater variety of books to find a greater pool of readers, is to be welcomed enthusiastically!”

Both Amazon Crossing and Amazon Crossing Kids accept book proposals from any language for translation into English at translation.amazon.com/submissions.


About Amazon Publishing
Amazon Publishing is a leading publisher of trade fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books with a mission to empower outstanding storytellers and connect them with readers worldwide. The Amazon Publishing teams based in Seattle, New York, Grand Haven, Luxembourg, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Munich contribute to discovering and publishing emerging, bestselling and critically-acclaimed authors in digital, print and audio formats.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Review: BART SIMPSON Bust-Up

BART SIMPSON BUST-UP
HARPERCOLLINS/Harper Design – @HarperCollins @harperdesignbks @TheSimpsons

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: John Zakour; Carol Lay; Sergio Aragones; David Seidman; Tom & Henry Gammill; Mary Trainor; Max Davison; Ian Boothby; Peter Kuper; Tony Digerolamo; John Jackson Miller; Evan Dorkin
PENCILS: John Delaney; Carol Lay; Sergio Aragones; Hilary Barta; Tone Rodriguez; John Costanza; Phil Ortiz; Peter Kuper; Jason Ho; Eric Shanower; James Lloyd; Rex Lindsey
INKS: Dan Davis; Carol Lay; Sergio Aragones; Hilary Barta; Tone Rodriguez; Phyllis Novin; Mike DeCarlo; Andrew Pepoy; Peter Kuper; Jason Ho; Eric Shanower
COLORS: Nathan Hamill; Peter Kuper & Minah Kim; Jason Ho; Art Villanueva
LETTERS: Karen Bates
COVER: Matt Groening
ISBN: 978-0-06-269255-9; paperback (April 3, 2018)
128pp, Color, $16.99 U.S., $21.00 CAN

Bart Simpson Bust-Up is a new trade paperback comic book collection from Harper Design.  Bart Simpson Bust-Up collects 18 comic book short stories and short gags that were published in various Bart Simpson comic books during the second half of 2012.

Bart Simpson is a character on the animated television sitcom, “The Simpsons,” produced first run for the Fox Broadcasting Company.  “The Simpsons” present a satirical depiction of a working class family which consists of Homer Simpson (the father), Marge Simpson (the mother), Bart (the oldest child and only son), Lisa (the precocious and brilliant elder daughter), and Maggie (a baby girl).  “The Simpsons” also parodies American culture, pop culture, society, politics, media, etc. via the denizens of The Simpsons home town, Springfield.

In 1993, Matt Groening (creator of “The Simpsons”), Bill Morrison, and Steve and Cindy Vance founded Bongo Comics Group (or simply Bongo Comics).  Over the course of a quarter-century, Bongo Comics has published numerous comic book series and single-issue publications based on “The Simpsons.”  The comic books have starred and featured all the characters that are part of this franchise, from the Simpsons clan to the various supporting characters, including Ralph Wiggum and his father, Chief Wiggum; Bart's pals, Milhouse and Nelson; Ned Flanders; and Principal Seymour Skinner, to name a few.

Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins, has been publishing a line of full-color, original trade paperbacks that reprint select stories from Bongo Comics' various Simpsons comic books.  The latest trade paperback, Bart Simpson Bust-Up, reprints issues #73 to #77 of Simpsons Comics Presents Bart Simpson (July 2012 to November 2012) and The Simpsons Summer Shindig #7 (May 2013).  Simpsons Comics Presents Bart Simpson or simply Bart Simpson was Bongo Comics' long-running comic book series starring Bart Simpson that ran from 2000 to 2016.

Bart Simpson Bust-Up opens with “Everybody Really Hates Bart,” and it is Bart's fault after one of his pranks creates a nightmare right out of a horror movie.  Then, Bart is the victim of Lisa's sociological experimentation in “Decisions, Decisions.”  It is a disaster of shoe proportions in “There's No Business Like Shoe Business,” with a little help from baby genius, Maggie Simpson.

Bart and Milhouse go “Into the Woods,” showing that these two boys are not scout material.  Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson are among the boys trying to impress the “New Girl in Town.”  Bart uses old coupons and causes a disaster in “ For a Limited Time Only.”  Finally, Bart uses all his wiles to bring comfort to his family in “Railroaded.”

Harper Design has been sending me review copies of its Simpsons trade paperback originals for the past few years.  Bart Simpson Bust-Up is the fourth one they have sent me, and I am delighted to say that it is the best.  That is saying a lot because I really liked the previous three Simpsons collections that I read.

Bart Simpson Bust-Up is filled with stories that are funny (obviously), but are also imaginative and inventive.  “Good Cop, Bart Cop” (story by Ian Boothby and art by John Delaney and Andrew Pepoy) is funny in a way that recalls the best entries in the Lethal Weapon film franchise (the first two).  “Into the Woods” has a killer “special bonus” panel to end the story.  No two stories are the same; each one is a surprising and novel treat.

In my review of the previous volume, Simpsons Comics Game On!, I wrote that one does not have to be a fan of “The Simpsons” to like it.  It is the same with Bart Simpson Bust-Up, which is filled with excellently crafted humor comics.  If you want funny comics, buy this collection.  If you are a fan of “The Simpsons,” Bart Simpson Bust-Up is too funny to pass up.

9.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Book Review: SLEEP TIGHT, ANNA BANANA

SLEEP TIGHT, ANNA BANANA
FIRST SECOND BOOKS – @01FirstSecond

WRITER: Dominique Roques
TRANSLATION: Mark Siegel
ART: Alexis Dormal
LETTERS: Marion Vitus
ISBN: 978-1-62672-019-0; hardcover (June 17, 2014) 10.5” x 7.75”
24pp, Color, $15.99 US, $18.50 CAN

Ages: 3 to 7-years-old

First Second Books is bringing Anna Banana to America.  This little star of European children’s books is the creation of Dominique Roques and Alexis Dormal, a mother-son author-illustrator team that creates children’s picture books.  Their bio says that when Dominique discovered that one of her two sons, Alexis, had become a picture book illustrator, she began writing stories for him to illustrate.

Together they have published several picture books starring Anna Banana.  Last year, I discovered that First Second Books was going to publish one of them, Ana Ana – Douce nuit, in the spring of 2014 as Sleep Tight, Anna Banana.  The title attracted me because I have a niece named Anna, so last year, I asked First Second for a copy for review.  They remembered, and I received a copy just recently.

Sleep Tight, Anna Banana introduces Anna Banana, a lively little girl who can be a fearsome tyrant to her stuffed animal toys.  These anthropomorphic stuffed animal pals are Zigzag (a rabbit), Fuzzball (some kind of Muppet-like monster), Pingpong (a penguin), Foxface (a fox), Whaley (a whale), and Grizzler (a bear).  One night, Anna is enjoying a good book, so she is not ready to settle down and go to sleep.  However, Anna’s stuffed animal friends are tired and just want to go to sleep.  Now, they have to turn the tables on Anna, but can they win?

I have been eagerly anticipating Sleep Tight, Anna Banana’s release, and having just read it, I am not disappointed.  This is a children’s picture book.  While the story is told by an unseen narrator, Anna’s dialogue is spoken in word balloons.  In a way, Sleep Tight, Anna Banana blurs the line between the children’s picture book and the comic book or graphic novel.

This format allows the narrator to tell a lively story, but Anna’s dialogue is what really punctuates the action and conflict in the story.  Mark Siegel’s translation of Dominique Roques’ exposition and dialogue seems to match Alexis Dormal’s illustrated and graphical storytelling.  This allows readers to get the best of both the picture book and comic book formats.

First Second plans on publishing a second Anna Banana book in 2015, and this first book is an excellent way to introduce what is an inspired concept for a children’s book.  Sleep Tight, Anna Banana is one of my favorite reads of the year, and my only complaint is that I wish it were longer.  Adults looking for a good picture book for readers 3 to 7-years-old will want to choose Sleep Tight, Anna Banana.

A

www.dargaud.com
www.firstsecondbooks.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.



Friday, August 9, 2013

Happy Birthday, Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod, the co-creator of the New Mutants, renowned inker, and children's book author, celebrates his birthday.  He has also been a mentor to me, so I wish him a Happy Birthday and many more.

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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Review: ZITS: Chillax



ZITS: CHILLAX
HARPERTEEN/HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN – @HarperCollins and @HarperChildrens

AUTHORS/ILLUSTRATORS: Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
ISBN: 978-0-06-222851-2; paperback (May 21, 2013)
256pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S.

Ages 13 and up

Debuting in July 1997, Zits is a comic strip written by cartoonist Jerry Scott and drawn by artist Jim Borgman. The strip is set in a suburban central Ohio area and stars Jeremy Duncan, a 16-year-old high school sophomore. Zits: Chillax is a 2013 teen novel from Scott and Borgman and is set in the world of Zits. Zits: Chillax is also an illustrated novel, featuring more than 300 illustrations.

Just about every page of Zits: Chillax features art. There are spot illustrations throughout the text. Some pages are half-art and half text, and some pages are entirely illustrated, while there are many full and half double-page spreads. If that were not enough to put the “illustrated” in illustrated novel, the authors have also included art that imitates comic strips and comic books.

Zits: Chillax stars Jeremy Duncan, described as a teen slacker. He has a girlfriend (Sara Toomey), a best friend (Hector Garcia), and is the lead guitarist of a four-member garage band called Chickenfist. Now, Jeremy is about to go to his first real rock concert, and it will be a chance for him to see his favorite musical act, the guitar mayhem band, Gingivitis.

However, the only reason Jeremy and Hector got two tickets to the Gingivitis show is because the tickets’ original owner, Tim, their friend and fellow band mate, will be busy donating bone marrow for his cancer-stricken mother. Jeremy’s parents, Connie and Walter (“Walt”) Duncan, and his friends and their parents are doing things to support Tim and his family. However, Jeremy and Hector are going to be at the concert the very night Tim will be in a hospital donating the bone marrow. Jeremy and Hector decide to have a rockin’ good time in support of their pal, and hopefully also score him a supremely cool souvenir. The pursuit of fun and swag leads to a night the two friends will never forget.

The press release that I received with my review copy of Zits: Chillax (from HarperCollins) says that the book “speaks ‘teen’ fluently…” Other than what I hear on television, I don’t know what teenaged vernacular is this year, but Chillax has slang and language that I recognize from pop culture. Actually, I don’t care about what Chillax “speaks,” but I assume that it is important to the publishers.

What I do care about is the quality of Zits: Chillax. It is actually a good read, and I say “actually” because I was mostly bored with this book for the first three chapters. At the end of the third chapter, Tim announces his mother’s cancer. Suddenly, the book changes, and, for me, it really starts to grapple with what it means to be a teenager when “real life,” meaning adult troubles, intrude on the fun time.

I remember, as a child, avoiding anything to do with discussing cancer. Once, my mother took us to visit one of her relatives who had late stage cancer. My mother told me that the relative “looked really bad.” So when we got to the relative’s home, I stayed in the car, because I was so afraid of what she might look like. I remember staring at the house, imagining the sick person behind the front door. I think Stephen King could have transformed my thoughts and feelings at that moment into a story to scare everyone. In reality, there was nothing or no one truly frightening behind that door.

However, Zits: Chillax is not downbeat. It is a gentle, yet lively teen adventure about teenagers being allowed to find their own way to express friendship and solidarity when faced with tough issues like grave and serious illness. Zits: Chillax is funny and has heart, and I am happy that there will be another Zits illustrated teen novel, Zits: Shredded!, which is previewed at the back of this book.

Aimed at teenagers, I think Zits: Chillax is appropriate for and will appeal to late pre-teen readers. Plus, fans of the Zits comic strip – of all ages – should try this book.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Secret World of Arrietty Arrives in Books Stores February 7th

VIZ MEDIA BRINGS THE WONDROUS MINIATURE ADVENTURES OF STUDIO GHIBLI’S THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY TO READERS IN A NEW SERIES OF BOOKS

Releases Based On The New The Film By Hayao Miyazaki’s Famed Animation Studio Include Film Comics, Art And Picture Books

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, brings the miniaturized adventure of famed Studio Ghibli’s newest animated creation – THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY – to readers everywhere with a collection of ARRIETTY film comics, art and picture books set to debut on February 7th, 2012. THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY is scheduled for North American theatrical release on February 17th, 2012.

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY is based on the celebrated novel, The Borrowers, by Mary Norton and was produced by Studio Ghibli, the famed animation company founded by Hayao Miyazaki, which also created Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo. The new film, with planning/screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, will feature the voice talents of Bridget Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett and Will Arnett for its English language release.

Arrietty isn’t your ordinary fourteen-year-old girl – she is small enough to make her home under the floorboards of a typical house, “borrowing” what she and her family need from the giants in whose shadows they live. A young boy named Shawn befriends Arrietty, but when adults discover the Borrowers, Arrietty and Shawn must work together to save her family.

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY PICTURE BOOK • Rated “A” for All Ages • MSRP: $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN • Available February 7th, 2012

The colorful and easy-to-read THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY Picture Book is a full-color hardcover edition that will appeal to younger readers especially. The book uses the vividly colored animation cel art from the feature film combined with simplified text to retell the story of Arrietty and her adventures.

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY FILM COMICS • Rated “A” for All Ages • MSRP: $16.99 U.S. each / $19.99 CAN each • Available February 7th, 2012

The official 2-volume film comic of THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY re-tells the film’s story with vivid full-color frames.

THE ART OF THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY • Rated “A” for All Ages • MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN • Available February 7th, 2012

Co-founded by the legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli films enthrall and enchant audiences across the world. The Art of series gives fans the opportunity to follow their favorite film from initial concept to the silver screen, thanks to hundreds of sketches, concept drawings, and animation cels, plus in-depth interviews with the creators.

“Fans and readers of all ages won’t want to miss these new additions to VIZ Media’s Studio Ghibli Library of titles,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Director, Editorial. “Studio Ghibli has mastered the ability to tell poignant and engaging stories that captivate both children and adults, and their latest film, THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY, continues this tradition. Our forthcoming picture book and film comics are fun ways for young readers to visit the world of ARRIETTY while the gorgeous art book will be a must-have for the ardent Studio Ghibli fan or those who want to know more about the evolution of the film. Discover the adventures in-store for this band of ‘borrowers’ in these new releases scheduled for February!”

More information on VIZ Media’s Studio Ghibli titles is available at http://www.viz.com/.


Saturday, January 21, 2012

43rd NAACP Image Awards Nominations: Literature Categories

The NAACP Image Award an award bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The award honors outstanding achievements by people of color in film, television, music, and literature. The awards are voted on by members of the NAACP.

The 43rd NAACP Image Awards winners will be announced in a ceremony, February 17, 2012 and broadcast live on NBC.

LITERATURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction
• "A Silken Thread" - Brenda Jackson (Harlequin Kimani Press)
• "Boundaries" - Elizabeth Nunez (Akashic Books)
• "Say Amen, Again" - Reshonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books)
• "Silver Sparrow" - Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books)
• "The Plot Against Hip Hop: A Novel" - Nelson George (Akashic Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction
• "Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America" - Melissa Harris-Perry (Yale University Press)
• "Super Rich" - Russell Simmons (Gotham Books)
• "The Cosmopolitan Canopy" - Elijah Anderson (W. W. Norton & Company)
• "The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place" - Hill Harper (Gotham Books)
• "Who's Afraid of Post- Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" - Toure (Free Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author
• "2Grieve 2Gether: A Journal from the Heart Helping Survivors & Supporters Navigate the Healing Process" - Denise Hall Brown (2Lift 1Up Publishing)
• "A Defining Moment" - Patricia Duncan (IJABA Publishing Inc.)
• "The Loom" - Shella Gillus (Guideposts Books)
• "The Strawberry Letter" - Lyah Le Flore (Ballantine/Random House)
• "We the Animals" - Justin Torres (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Auto-Biography
• "A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother" - Janny Scott (Riverhead Books)
• "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention" - Manning Marable (Penguin Group (USA)-Viking)
• "My Song" - Harry Belafonte (Knopf)
• "No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington" - Condoleezza Rice (Crown Publishers)
• "The John Carlos Story" - John Carlos, Dave Zirin (Haymarket Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional
• "A Year to Wellness and Other Weight Loss Secrets" - Bertice Berry (Freeman House Publishing)
• "Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing" - Synthia Saint James (Create Space)
• "Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy, & Social Justice in Classroom & Community" - Quraysh Ali Lansana (Teachers & Writers Collaborative)
• "The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible: Life Lessons on Relationships from the Inspired Word of God " - T.D. Jakes (Atria Books)
• "Too Important to Fail: Saving America's Boys" - Tavis Smiley (Author), Juan Roberts, (Illustrator) (SmileyBooks)

Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry
• "Afro Clouds & Nappy Rain: The Curtis Brown Poems" - James Golden (iUniverse)
• "Head Off & Split" - Nikky Finney (TriQuarterly Books / Northwestern University Press)
• "Honoring Genius: The Narrative of Craft, Art, Kindness and Justice" - Haki Madhubuti (Third World Press)
• "Intimate Thoughts" - Darrin Henson (Author), Anna Saunders (Illustrator) (Godzchild Publishing)
• "Last Seen" - Jacqueline Jones Lamon (University of Wisconsin Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Children
• "Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band" - Kwame Alexander (Author), Tim Bowers (Illustrator) (Sleeping Bear Press)
• "Before There Was Mozart" - Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), James Ransome (Illustrator) (Schwartz & Wade Books / Random House Children's Books)
• "Heart and Soul" - Kadir Nelson (Author/Illustrator) (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books)
• "White Water" - Michael S. Bandy (Author), Shadra Strickland (Illustrator) (Candlewick Press)
• "You Can Be A Friend" - Tony Dungy (Author), Ron Mazellan (Illustrator) (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Little Simon)

Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens
• "Camo Girl" - Kekla Magoon (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Aladdin)
• "Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary" - Jerdine Nolan (Author), Sadra Strickland (Illustrator) (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing - Paula Wiseman Books)
• "Jesse Owens: "I Always Loved Running"" - Jeff Burlingame (Enslow Publishers, Inc.)
• "Kick" - Walter Dean (HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books)
• "Planet Middle School" - Nikki Grimes (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Review: YOUNG ARTISTS DRAW MANGA

YOUNG ARTISTS DRAW MANGA
WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS

AUTHOR: Christopher Hart
ISBN: 978-0-8230-2657-9; paperback
144pp, B&W, $14.99 US, $16.99 CAN

I like how-to-draw books, although I’ve been plugging away at them for 20 years, and I’m not really any good. I own many books by Burne Hogarth, and I’m still in love with my beat-up copy of The Figure by Walt Reed. One of the recent authors of how-to-draw books that I’ve discovered is the prolific Christopher Hart.

Hart is a bestselling author of illustrated art books that focus on drawing and cartooning. His website describes him as “the world’s leading author of How-to-Draw books on the popular arts, including cartoons, manga, comics and classic subjects such as figure drawing, anatomy and realistic animals.” I discovered Hart a few years ago and have his 2008 book, Drawing the New Adventure Cartoons: Cool Spies, Evil Guys and Action Heroes.

Hart has a new series of art instructional books and it launches with the just-released Young Artists Draw Manga (Watson-Guptill, 144pp, $14.99). The book not only gives step-by-step instructions on how to draw a basic face and the rest of the body, but it also presents a way to draw character types from manga, Japanese comic books. Taking characters from anime, books, movies, and video games, as well as manga, Hart offers more than 120 original characters for young artists to learn to draw. Each character gets a full page, and Hart breaks the character down into six basic steps along the way to drawing the character.

I think children and teens that are interested in manga and anime and want to draw characters from them will like this book. The entire book package and its contents are clearly directed at young readers and artists, in an open and friendly way. With so many different characters offered, Young Artists Draw Manga seems determined to both reach as many young artists as possible and to offer lots of material to inspire them. If a young artist has talent or a young reader wants to begin drawing, Hart meets her or him halfway with plenty of material to try.

http://www.chrishartbooks.com/

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Leroy Douresseaux on THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK
HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN

AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman
ILLUSTRATIONS: Dave McKean
ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1; hardcover
312pp, B&W, $17.99 U.S., $19.50 CAN

The Graveyard Book is a 2008 children’s fantasy novel from author Neil Gaiman. It won the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2009 Newberry Medal.

The Graveyard Book chronicles the adventures of a boy, Nobody Owens (“Bod” for short) who would be completely normal, except for the fact that he lives in an old cemetery and is being reared by the ghosts of a couple that died centuries ago. There are dangers and adventures aplenty. The Indigo Man and the Sleer stir deep beneath a hill in the cemetery, and one grave is a gateway to a world of hungry ghouls. There are things for Bod to learn – how to fade and be invisible to humans. But if Bod leaves the safety of the graveyard, Jack, who brutally murdered Bod’s family when the boy was a toddler, will kill him, too.

Chronicling Nobody Owens’ youth, from the time he was a toddler to his 15th birthday, The Graveyard Book is a riff on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, but here a boy is raised by ghosts, instead of by animals as in Kipling’s classic. Gaiman tells Nobody Owens’ story through eight short stories that act as chapters; a few years of Bod’s life elapse between stories.

As with all of his work, Gaiman displays much imagination in his storytelling, and he’s always an engaging storyteller, although here, he seems a bit stiff at times. The Graveyard Book is a fun read, and the last two chapters skirt the razor’s edge of suspense and supernatural thrills. Early sections of The Graveyard Book, however, are a bit limp. The book’s opening comes across as pretentious, elegant writing, and the early chapters sometimes seem too mannered, with Gaiman writing as if he were an athlete “playing tight” in big game.

It’s the other half of the stories that are riveting, fun, and exhibit Gaiman’s gift for taking his readers’ imaginations on flights of fancy, deep into the macabre. When he crashes the real world of his characters into those dark, magical places that seem to hang on the edges of reality, (such as the chapter “Nobody Owens’ School Days”) The Graveyard Book hits its stride, and Gaiman seems closer to famed horror writer Clive Barker than he is to some generic writer of drippy, faux-Victorian fairy tales.

B+