Before I talk about this book, I need to talk about some other books.
I went to my most FAVORITE bookstore ever yesterday, Hicklebee’s.
Why are they my favorite?
Well, they’re a bookstore that’s 95% children’s books.
That means many picture books are facing out (makes my heart happy!)
And they also have amazing authors and illustrators that come to talk.
This week, there’s Lois Lowry on Monday
and Jon Klassen on Wednesday, who will be signing a book for one of you lucky people 🙂
So, in preparation for Lois Lowry, I had to buy some books.
I had the Giver, and Number the Stars.
I also had the second book in the Giver set, Gathering Blue.
I only needed Messenger and Son.
Son JUST came out, so it’s hardback.
And, all the others were made in a matching hardback format to celebrate Son coming out.
I looked at them all.
And wanted them.
SO BAD!
It would have been 80 dollars for the whole hardback set.
I did some negotiating with myself.
“Well, if I get the whole set signed, it will look nice on a bookshelf”
“Who cares if it looks nice on a bookshelf, you don’t have the money right now!”
“But if I have two hardcovers and two paperbacks…”
“If someone judges you by a not matching set of books, do you REALLY want to be friends with that person?”
“BUT…”
“You don’t have the 80 dollars. Find the silver lining and get over it.”
So, eventually I won out, and here’s what I ended up with:
“The Son” is the new hardback; that’s the style they were all available in!
Two hardback and two paperback.
But, when seen in order, it goes paperback, hardback, paperback, hardback.
Silver lining.
Ok, moving on to the book that I read today:
I heard about this one on NPR I believe.
I was astonished that the book was
“created as a single, continuous thirty-five-foot-long piece of art using Adobe Illustrator”
so when I saw it at the library, I was very excited!
Title: Along A Long Road
Published by: Little, Brown, and Company, 2011
Written by: Frank Viva
Illustrated by: Frank Viva
In one word: Woo-hoo!
In one sentence: Take a journey by bicycle on a fun yellow road through a colorful and eventful town!
Favorite pages:
Likes:
- the look of the illustrations. They almost have a linoprint look to them!
- the small amount of words we use on the journey
- no punctuation!
- the simplicity of the illustrations
- the different texture of the road, making it easy to follow with your finger.
- the rider is wearing a helmet. Or is that his hair? I like that it can be either. But I think it’s a helmet.
Learns:
- a story can come from something simple. This is a bike ride through a city with one or two “bumps” along the way, but it is mostly a journey story.
- I’d like to write something that is literally “linear” like this….a journey story, maybe a road story?
- anything can be a book. What I mean by that is, think outside the box! A 35 foot long piece of art? so cool.
- yellow really draws your eye.
- Good design=good book.
Wow, that was kind of a long road to get to this point!
Thanks for coming along on the journey.
Has anyone read this book?
What did you read today?
Let’s look at the bookshelf:
Filling up nicely, don’t you think?
Ok friends, keep reading!
Enthusiastically yours,
Kathy Ellen and Singe Singe
Happy Sunday, Kathy! Your book today is one of the most unique I have EVER seen! I will definitely have to check it out.
Yes, I know what you mean about wanting EVERY book…I frequent the ‘friends’ section of our libraries a lot…they have books that have been donated by people or discarded by libraries and schools…hardcovers are a dollar and paperbacks are 50 cents. Sometimes you get really lucky and find treasures there. 🙂
Today I read “ME…JANE” by Ptrick McDonnell. I had been wanting to get a look at this story about the young Dr. Jane Goodall, the amazing primatologist, environmentalist, humantiarian and United Nations Messenger of Peace. Some of us are very fortunate and know who we want to be, even when we are very little…so goes the story of Jane. This is a lovely book that will show kids how to dream…and that dreams can come true if we are willing to work hard at making them happen! Simple text and charming illustrations will make this book a hit with any child!
Love Me…Jane! I can never get through the last page turn without choking up!!
I love Me, Jane too! I love that it shows children how to dream…thanks for pointing that out, Vivian!
Dreaming is the first step to accomplishment!
I want to go to your bookstore! Lois Lowry and Jan Klassen in one week?! Love your collection. And your picture book of the day 🙂
Yeah, I frequently tell friends I cannot move because I have such an awesome bookstore! And I look at my bookshelf and think, “ok, I can only keep the ones that are signed…” but so many of them are, so that doesn’t work! My weakness=signed books! Thanks for stopping by!
Today I read BOY + BOT by Ame Dyckman, illustrations by Dan Yaccarino… again! I love this book. It’s so simple with only 240 words, yet the marriage between art and words is brilliant! Tomorrow Ame will be on my blog discussing the road to becoming a picture book author who DOES NOT illustrate. She certainly knows what she’s doing.
Check out Ame’s post tomorrow, Monday at http://writeroutine.blogspot.com. And if you haven’t already read BOY + BOT, do so. It’s a touching tale of finding friendship despite our differences while also discovering similarities.
Yay for reading that book and YAY for giving it away because it’s coming to me! Can’t wait to read it when it arrives, Marcie 🙂
I just learned of Hicklebee’s when I celebrated the birthday of author/illustrator Lindsay Ward on my blog. Her first job was at Hicklebee’s and it was were she fell in love with picture books!
Tonight we got into our Halloween books and read, TRICK OR TREAT? by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson. We have read this book the past few years around Halloween. We love the names of people in the book — a few are, Slipper Slopper and Wiggle Waggle! My kids love it!
That’s so cool about Lindsay, Eric.
I talked to the owner and she said quite a few authors and illustrators have worked there….
I look forward to the time when I can go in there with my own books and say,
“you know, back in the day, I used to come to Hicklebee’s to meet authors..”
They don’t have to know that back in the day was when I was in my late twenties 🙂
Slipper Slopper and Wiggle Waggle? Awesome!
I’ve heard of Hicklebee’s and I envy you being able to just drop in there. How wonderful!
Today I read “Child Of Faerie” by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jane Dyer. The illustrations alone are more than worth the price of admission. Wow, they are gorgeous. I especially like the fact that the fairies are translucent with transparent wings. Not being an artist, I can’t even imagine how the illustrator did that, but I love it!
I like the story, too. It took me a while to make my peace with the rhyming text. I admit I’m a great lover of poetry, but not of rhyming picture books. Once I told myself to read the text as if it were a poem of olden days, which is the way the meter and length of stanzas feel, I was easier with the format. Truthfully, I would have preferred the same story told in prose. Which is probably sacrilege, saying something like that about a Jane Yolen book, but that’s just my taste.
This sounds great, Beth.
I need to read more poetry and rhyming picture books.
Thanks for sharing your taste, I don’t think it’s sacrilege.
I lucked out living close to Hicklebee’s.
I’m never moving!
Hi Kathy,
Today I read Hey Rabbit by Author/Illustrator Sergio Ruzzier. This was a cute story about one little rabbit with a suitcase who is asked by a number of his friends if there is anything in it for them. The wonderful illustrations showed the magic waiting for them inside a little suitcase. Perfect blend of prose and pictures…
Donna L Martin
http://www.donnalmartin.com
http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com
Sounds good, Donna!
Sounds like a neat bookstore! Where do you live? Along a Long Road sounds like a very unique book. I read Crafty Chloe by Kelly DiPucchio. I’m drawn to character-driven books and titles with metallic writing! We do lots of crafts, so this is a perfect book for us. Kelly writes with great characters, and I like how the mc even solves her problem with a craft.
I like reading all the titles everyone is choosing! I have Boy + Bot, and am amazed at the small word count!
Tina, I live in Santa Cruz, CA, and Hicklebee’s is in San Jose, about a half an hour away. Usually I’m working around there though, so it’s not so bad.
I saw this book at Hicklebee’s and I LOVE crafts so much..it’s a wonder I haven’t read it!
My brother-in-law lives in San Jose. Next time I’m there I’ll have to look up this store! We used to live close to LA.
Today I read another book about Australian History – Nancy Bentley, the first Australian Female Sailor – http://melissawrites.com.au/2012/10/31-picture-books-nancy-bentley-the-first-australian-female-sailor/
Wow, that sounds great, Melissa! I need to sit down and look through all your reviews too!
You know, I read ALONG A LONG ROAD last year and I wasn’t crazy about it. But I think maybe I need to give it another chance.
On Day 7, I re-read CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS by Peter Brown. I really like his use of the dialogue boxes and the texture of the woodgrain in the background.