OUT OF THIS WORLD: THE SURREAL ART OF LEONORA CARRINGTON

Woo-hoo! March is Women's History Month! I'll be focusing my picks on books by women — about women. (This is Anika, btw, and yay... it's great to be back in the Cottage!) 

Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington
by Michelle Markel
illustrated by Amanda Hall

Anika, age 6, with 'Girl Without Arms' 

This week’s pick is from Cottager Anika Aldamuy Denise, who owns an original painting by Emily Lisker, an artist whose style combines folk art and surrealism. And who coincidentally illustrated another of Michelle Markel's books!

What it’s all about …
Out of This World is the fascinating and stunningly illustrated story of Leonora Carrington, a girl who made art out of her imagination and created some of the most enigmatic and startling works of the last eighty years.

Why I love it …
Leonora's story was unknown to me until I read Michelle Markel's and Amanda's Hall's gorgeous picture book biography. Making art is a leap of faith. Making art in the early 20th century when you're an Englishwoman of genteel birth and scrapping it all to join a group of all-male surrealists in France? Inspiring and impressive!

Favorite illustration …

From Out of This World by Michelle Markel (HarperCollins 2019) (c) 2019 Amanda Hall

Favorite lines ...
The stories took Leonora to worlds that shimmered beyond this one, and when the spirits
flew, and the gods stirred their cauldrons, and the fairies shifted shapes, something
flew and stirred and shifted inside of her.

Why will kids love it?
It's a story of passion and defiance, of belief in magic and the magical gifts we carry within us. This book will remind kids not to accept limitations set upon them by others.

After you read the book ...
Look at the the work of surrealist artists like Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dali, and Frida Kahlo. Make a surrealist drawing or painting.


Where to find/buy …

Indie Booksellers

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Or at a school or library near you!


About the Author
Michelle Markel loves writing narrative nonfiction. She’s the author of Brave Girl, which won the Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Younger Children, and was also chosen as an NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book. Her recent titles are Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead (on the Amelia Bloomer Project List of feminist literature) and Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books. She lives in Woodland Hills, California. You can visit her online at www.michellemarkel.com.

About the Illustrator
Amanda Hall is an international-award-winning British illustrator, particularly renowned for her many wonderfully decorative and colorful children’s picture book and educational illustrations. Out of This World is her second picture book about the life and work of a significant figure from art history. The first—also written by Michelle Markel—is The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Amanda exhibits her original illustrations at the Chris Beetles Gallery in St James’s, London. She can be found online at www.amandahall-illustration.com.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf on ReviewsDay!

TERRIFIC TONGUES!
by Maria Gianferrari
illustrated by Jia Liu

(This week's #ReviewsDay pick is from cottager Anika Denise.)

What it's all about...
A nonfiction ode to tongues! From woodpeckers to frogs to bats — who knew animal tongues could be so much fun? Readers can imagine what it would be like to have a tongue like a sword, a straw, and party blower, among other cool comparisons.

Why I love it...
Because it's packed full of great info but is not bogged down by its facts. Terrific Tongues moves along lickety-split! It's funny, interesting, and the illustrations are marvelous.

Favorite lines...
If you had a 
tongue like a washcloth.
you might be an. . .

OKAPI!

An okapi's tongue is like a 
washcloth. Okapi tongues 
are so long that okapis can use them to 
wash their eyes and ears.

A few of my fave illustrations...

What's the kid-appeal?
Little kids love learning weird and interesting facts. Facts about tongues? Fascinating! In an easy-to-digest, playfully-illustrated format, readers can discover all sorts of tasty tongue tidbits such as: a giant anteater flicks its tongue 160 times a minute.

What's the grownup appeal?
It works beautifully as a read-aloud, and it's also a great choice for kids who like their STEM lessons served up silly.

Where to find/ buy Terrific Tongues
Indie Booksellers
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Or at a school or library near you!

MARIA GIANFERRARI is the author of both fiction and nonfiction picture books, including the Penny and Jelly books, Coyote Moon, and Hello Goodbye Dog. She lives in Virginia. Visit mariagianferrari.com.

JIA LIU received her MFA in Illustration Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art. Terrific Tongues! is her debut picture book. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit jia-liu-t7ay.squarespace.com.

Mr. Pig Visits . . . Cathy Morrison

Greetings from Colorado! 

I'm on my way to visit author and illustrator Cathy Morrison in her studio with a view. Cathy works in her green constructed home located in the the foothills northwest of Fort Collins. Her studio overlooks the Mummy Range which is the northern side of Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Wow, she wasn't kidding about that view!

Cathy is the illustrator of numerous nature-themed picture books, including The Prairie that Nature Built by Marybeth Lorbieck, Pitter and Patter by Martha Sullivan, and Dino Treasures by Rhonda Lucas Donald. She's passionate about the environment, nature, and science, as you can see from her art!

Oh, here we are at her front door.

<<Knock, knock>>

Hello, Cathy! It's me, Mr. Pig!  

Come on in and get warm, Mr. Pig! You look chilly. I very much appreciate you visiting my studio. Follow me. I'll give you the tour. . . .

Mr. Pig, here's a chair for you to sit and enjoy some coffee and light reading.

Why, thank you!

This is my studio desk with my wacom cintiq and computer. I'm all digital, no pencils are harmed in the making of these books. The view from my window is the Cache La Poudre River canyon, the Roosevelt National Forest, and past that is the Mummy Range.

Sigh! It's gorgeous! And warm. I think my snout is frozen.

Oh dear. Here are my flat files with older work before I went digital. I used to do pastels, colored pencils and water color. I still do, but all through my computer now.

I get a lot of help from short people. This is my grandson, Konnor making snowflakes and taping them to the window.

Short people and pigs make great helpers. Need a hoof, Konnor?

Here's Konnor with his sister, Gracie, working away on more snowflakes.

Konnor assists when books are delivered. He's opening a box full of Daisylocks by Marianne Berkes. Konnor posed for some of the illustrations in Daisylocks and other books.

Meet my dog, Crowley. He goes with me to check the mail everyday as you can see he's excited to get ARCs for The Prairie That Nature Built, which he posed for, and Dino Treasures, which features a lot of dinosaur bones. He fantasizes about digging up a dinosaur and gnawing away to his heart's content.

Nice to meet you, Crowley!

Winter here in Colorado can range from negative numbers to 70 plus degrees. This a typical looking frosty morning view from my window.  

Here are some photos taken during other seasons. This one shows the beautiful sunsets we get here. 

Ooooh, pretty! I'd love to live here. Are you looking for porcine roommates, by any chance?

 

Mr. Pig, I know you traveled many miles through snow-packed mountain switchbacks to get to my studio. I hope you come back in the summer when it's nice and sunny with a lot of pretty prairie flowers and grasses.

Yes, but next time I'll hop on a plane. Cathy, could you show us some your art?

I'd love to! This image is from Pitter and Patter. Its release date was March 1, but it's already out! In this illustration, Pitter landed on the leaf of an oak tree. Hello, squirrel. Good morning, blue jay. Rise and shine, caterpillar.

 
Meanwhile, Patter had landed in a spring meadow. Hello, daisy. Good morning, bee. Rise and shine, butterfly.

So many beautiful details! Hey, what's this dino doing?

This is an illustration for the cover wrap of my new book Dino Treasures. It should be available any day. It's the sequel to Dino Tracks. Lots of research went into this book. . . .

Each spread was vetted by the dinosaur expert. Donna German, my art director and editor, sent the illustrated spreads to the person who worked on the dig and got their feedback. Then Rhonda and I made any adjustments necessary. This is one reason I'm glad to be a digital illustrator. We needed to tell a fun story while being as authentic as possible. 

The book's release party will be at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. You should come, Mr. Pig.

You bet! This pig loves a party. Tell me about this picture, Cathy. 

This is from This Land Is Your Land by Catherine Ciocchi. Its release date is April 10, 2015. This book is about landforms and geologic features, and includes a study of maps.

You sure have a lot of books in the works. Thanks for the tour, Cathy! Um, it's a long, cold walk back to the Enchanted Woods. Do you mind if I stay a while? Maybe I'll take a nap or . . . Zzzz.

Sure thing, Mr. Pig. But er, may I ask how long is "a while"? . . . Mr. Pig? Hello?

About Cathy Morrison

Cathy Morrison is the illustrator of Daisylocks by Marianne Berkes, Dino Treasures by Rhonda Lucas Donald, Pitter and Patter by Martha Sullivan, The Prairie that Nature Built by Marybeth Lorbiecki, and many more. Her forthcoming books include This Land Is Your Land by Catherine Ciocchi (Arbordale, April 2015). She also wrote and illustrated the picture book I Want a Pet!  To learn more about Cathy, visit her blog, Studio With A View.

About Cathy's books

PITTER AND PATTER
by Martha Sullivan
Illustrated by Cathy Morrison
Dawn Publications, March 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58469-508-0

"Startlingly realistic artwork takes readers through the water cycle. Pitter and Patter are two water droplets that fall as rain. . . . But what most stands out is Morrison’s gorgeous artwork. Full-page spreads show a slice of each habitat and close-up, realistic portraits of three animal. . . . An unusually striking glance at the water cycle." --Kirkus 

Check out the FREE 3-D pop-up app!

DINO TREASURES 
by Rhonda Lucas Donald
Illustrated by Cathy Morrison
Arbordale
ISBN 978-1628554502

"This book is a jewel for early elementary teachers in grades K-3. The book begins with a series of dinosaur behaviors and topics, such as nesting or sleeping. Each topic has a poem explaining the science in simple terms. . . . Both the text and illustrations are thoughtfully written and scientifically accurate." --The National Science Teachers Association (recommended)



THE PRAIRIE THAT NATURE BUILT
by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Illustrated by Cathy Morrison
Dawn Publications, September 2014

"A cumulative rhyme describes the components of a prairie. . . . Morrison’s digital illustrations are full of identifiable creatures and tiny details. While the text will read aloud nicely, the images are worth the careful attention a child reading alone can give them. . . .  A vivid introduction to a vital habitat." --Kirkus

Check out the FREE 3-D pop-up app!