Great Gracious Grant
Anne Sibley O’Brien and I were awarded the fine news that we had received a grant from the Maine Arts Commission (glory be their name) to produce 15 profile postcards to support her outreach for After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of NonViolent Resistance. Charlesbridge Publishing has already done heroic work for the book producing a stand-alone website, downloadable posters, an ed guide, a book trailer, and a widget. They also did extensive outreach to peace, justice, and social action groups and publications. Anne Sibley O’Brien, the writer, illustrator, activist that never rests...
Read MoreIt’s the End of the World (With Swearing)
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” –Albert Einstein Author, Charlotte Agell led her televised appearance at The Portland Public Library’s First Friday Author Talk (to be broadcast on CTN) with the above quote and the advice that quoting a genius on TV can only make you look good. Curious City invited 80 King Middle School students who are studying Science Fiction to attend the filming of Charlotte’s talk about her YA dystopia novel, Shift. We solicited Charlotte’s permission to copy the first 4 chapters for students to...
Read MoreLunch Box Illustrators Land Caldecott
There was much dancing of jigs by Curious City at the ALA Award news this week.Illustrator, Beth Krommes took the Caldecott Medal for her (beyond) lovely picture book, The House in the Night. Curious City Lunch Box attendees will remember her meticulous illustration style of pulling a reverse image out of ink-saturated scratchboard. Where you there?The dancing continued with much abandon when it was announced that Melissa Sweet took a Caldecott Honor for the illustrations for A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams. Melissa’s layering of colored pencil, bits of paper,...
Read MoreSome Social Justice
NAACP president, Benjamin Jealous not only got a key to Portland, Maine, but a stack of young adult literature as well.As part of Human Rights Day: Marking the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the keynote speaker Benjamin Jealous was presented with books on social justice from Curious City clients, Phillip Hoose, Anne Sibley O’Brien, and Maria Testa.Phil Hoose presented his forthcoming young adult biography of Claudette Colvin, the brave 15-year-old who refused to give up her seat to a white woman in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama. Benjamin Jealous nodded...
Read MoreIllustration Huzzahs
Huzzah! Huzzah! The brilliant Melissa Sweet has been feted as such this morning in the New York Times Book Review.Her stunner of a many-layered tribute to the poetic mind of William Carlos Williams, River of Words (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers) has been named “Best Illustrated.”You must get your dear paws on this book to savor the collage of fonts, old book covers, watercolors, and bits of this-and-that that mirror Williams’ creativity. Read a brief interview with Melissa about the book.Also honored for her collage work is Carin Berger, the final guest in the sorely...
Read MoreTalk Like a Pirate
Ahoy, Mateys! Your ship has come in!Plunder awaits at Sarah L. Thomson’s website. To launch her picture book, Pirates, Ho!, Sarah and I joined audio book narrator, William Dufris in his studio to record an uproarious reading of the piratical picture book.Listen to the reading and see pictures of the madcap recording session.We shout, “Avast!” We cry, “Ahoy!”The deadliest danger’s our greatest joy.From the first mate down to the cabin boy,we are pirates, pirates, ho! Share...
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