Wednesday, June 13, 2012

A mouse for your summer reading


When I think of government agencies and rodents, I think first of NIMH. Now, happily, I can also think of the NEH: Poppy, by Avi (with my pencil illustrations), is on a Children’s Booklist for Summertime Reading compiled and just published by the National Endowment for the Humanities (with an assist from the American Library Association). 

From the NEH press release: “Organized by grade level, the NEH Summer Booklist offers suggestions of 238 books recommended for young readers.  The titles range from such classics as Madeline and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel to Fahrenheit 451 and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, but also include newer works such as Coraline, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and The Book Thief.
It’s a great list and I’m proud to see Poppy on it. Thank you to the NEH and the ALA!
The press release and complete list is here.


Monday, June 11, 2012

Z is for Moose




Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky’s new picture book Z is for Moose has been widely and justly praised: six starred reviews! And now there’s a new trailer for the book, which premiered  yesterday at Betsy Bird’s A Fuse #8 Production blog, hereMy studio mates and I and others not necessarily known for dulcet voices had the chance to speak and mutter for this production. Thank you to Paul for helping us to get our voice-over careers off the ground, and congratulations to Kelly and Paul on the creation of a smart, generous, and very funny book.