author/illustrator interviews

SOUP’S ON: Ellen Potter in the Kitchen Interview!

~ jama ~ 46 Comments

“Today, the girl in the dark glasses, whose name was Clara Frankofile, was sitting at her customary table with a tuna-fish sandwich, cut into four perfect triangles, and a tall glass of tomato juice with a straw.” ~ from Pish Posh by Ellen Potter       



Recently, while nibbling on a few tasty restaurant books, I stumbled upon a middle grade novel called Pish Posh by Ellen Potter. It’s about a rich 11-year-old snob, Clara Frankofile, who has the power to decide which of the celebrities, socialites, princesses and movie stars who frequent her family’s restaurant are important enough to stay.

It’s a great premise (especially in light of recent events), that sheds light on our ongoing obsession in this country with celebrity and the trappings of material wealth. Equal parts fantasy, reality, and mystery, Pish Posh is generously laced with Ellen Potter’s signature humor, razor-sharp wit, and boundless imagination, and contains lots of twists and turns to keep young readers intrigued.

How much do I love that this book is set in New York City and satirizes those who think they’re “Somebodies,” but who could instantly become “Nobodies,” at the whim of a child? Or that Clara teams up with a crafty, whip-smart jewel thief named Annabelle to solve a 200-year-old mystery revolving around an unassuming soup cook?

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going to the dogs with leslie mcguirk and alex von bidder

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Note: This is a polite post about a very polite book. Please wipe your paws before reading and wag your tail whenever one of our guests says something especially witty or charming.


Leslie and Alex at Books of Wonder, NYC, September 2009.

Welcome, friends!

Thank you for grooming yourselves and arriving precisely on time. Your table is ready!

Today’s menu features a mini-review and chat with the creators of this year’s most fetching picture book, Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant (Candlewick, 2009). The story of how author/illustrator Leslie McGuirk and restaurateur Alex von Bidder let the Four Seasons go to the dogs has set tongues wagging on Bark Avenue and beyond.

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Surprise Guest: Top Dog Diane deGroat!

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Diane with her collaborator, Shelley Rotner.

Woof woof! Hot diggety dog!

I’m pleased as punch today to welcome back supremely talented and prolific author/illustrator Diane deGroat, who has totally gone to the dogs with fellow author Shelley Rotner to create a thoroughly delightful, tickle your funny bone picture book, Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth. 

   
     Picture book for ages 4-8, 32 pp.     

Just released by Orchard/Scholastic on August 1st, this fold-out concept book combines photographs with digital art to illustrate what dogs do, and what they don’t do, and has readers of all ages howling with laughter and begging for more.

You don’t have to be a dog lover to appreciate these charismatic canines, who, thanks to Shelley’s expert photography and Diane’s clever Photoshop manipulations, can be seen doing fun things like playing tennis, eating with a knife and fork, playing in a rock band, and of course, brushing their teeth (with White Fang toothpaste, no less). The fold-out format is highly effective at keeping the suspense and surprise padding along at a good clip with nary a whimper. And if all this adorableness isn’t enough, the acknowlegement page features all the dogs’ names and breeds with their profile pictures. Yip!

Some of you may remember that Diane was my very first alphabet soup interviewee back in October 2007, when she stopped by to talk about the snowflake she had created for the Robert’s Snow auction. That’s when we all found out about this:

Yes, Diane’s famous taxidermy collection! Quite fascinating, no? Since then, Diane has published two more titles featuring everyone’s favorite possum, Gilbert, in addition to the new dogs book. So, why did Diane have to remove the canine’s canines? And what other tricks did she and Shelley perform for these perky posable pups? 

Sit. Stay. Read on:

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look who’s here: charlotte, joan, and melissa!

~ jama ~ 15 Comments

CHARLOTTE IN LONDON by Joan MacPhail Knight,
pictures by Melissa Sweet (Chronicle, 2008). Ages 8+, 64 pp.

It’s August, the perfect time for some armchair traveling! Are you in the mood for a little cherry clafoutis, raspberry fool, and vegetable soup?

Earlier this year, while I was preparing for my interview with Caldecott Silver Medal winner Melissa Sweet, I noticed that she’s the illustrator for Joan MacPhail Knight’s Charlotte series. I had never seen any of these totally captivating, impeccably designed books before, and it was love love love at first sight!

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SOUP’S ON: Sidney Greenbush in the Kitchen Interview!

~ jama ~ 26 Comments
Sidney Greenbush (2009)

 For eight seasons, when they were 3 to 11 years of age, Sidney Greenbush and her identical twin sister, Lindsay, played the part of Carrie Ingalls on the beloved TV series, “Little House on the Prairie.” I’ve been a big fan of the show ever since the two-hour pilot first aired in March 1974.


Never in a million years, not for a single second, could I ever have imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to interview one of the show’s stars on my children’s book blog. I had guessed before that Carrie was played by twins, even though the role was credited to “Lindsay Sidney Greenbush.” What I didn’t know was that my nephews, Ian and Greg (also twins), had attended the same high school as the Greenbush twins.

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