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 missed Lunch Box Series. Her book The Little Yellow Leaf is stark and startling. A beautiful treatise on patience and the passing of seasons. Lovely, lovely work.
The other “well met” choice is genius, Kadir Nelson. His book We Are the Ship collects his breathtaking portraits of the Negro Leagues. You have not seen light until you have see light reflected off his figures and faces.
View a slide show of the 2008 Best Illustrated from the NYTBR.
