children's book illustration

[splashy clean review] Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine by Kate Hannigan and Sarah Green

~ jama ~ 17 Comments

“The woman of the future will have the memory of Josephine Garis Cochrane in grateful remembrance. It was she who invented the machine which has set woman free from the most slavish and disgusting task of housekeeping — dishwashing.” ~ The Daily Picayune, April 2, 1892.

First there’s a hum as the motor engages, the sound of water filling, then a swoosh as the pump starts up. After a couple of friendly knocks, my dishwasher settles into a comforting churn; sometimes a plate or two clinks with satisfaction. Ahhh!! Soon we’ll all be so clean and sparkly!

I like hearing the sudsy slosh and the jet spray during the rinse cycle. But as much as I’ve appreciated this efficient, time-saving appliance, I never really knew who invented it until I read Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine by Kate Hannigan and Sarah Green (Calkins Creek, 2023).

In lively, rhythmic prose, Hannigan relates how Chicago socialite Josephine Garis Cochrane invented the first practical and successful hand-powered dishwasher despite societal hurdles, lack of professional training and financial hardship.

It all began one night after a dinner party when, much to her dismay, Josephine discovered cracks and chips in some of the china her household staff had washed. She then tried washing the dishes herself, but hated the laborious, never-ending drudgery that robbed her of precious time she’d rather spend doing pleasant things, like playing the piano, picking flowers, frosting cakes, or scratching “the furry ears of her beloved hounds.”

Convinced “there must be a better way,” she set about designing her own dishwashing machine. This wasn’t such a far fetched idea, as her great-grandfather, John Fitch, had secured a patent for the steamboat, and her father, John Garis, was an engineer who built bridges. This innovative spirit was also characteristic of the time period (Second Industrial Revolution), when many notable inventors were at work: Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), Margaret E. Knight (paper grocery bags), Thomas Edison (light bulb), Sarah E. Goode (convertible bed).

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[splashy review + giveaway] How the Sea Came To Be by Jennifer Berne and Amanda Hall

~ jama ~ 22 Comments

Oh, the oceans they shimmer with such wondrous lives!
Our mysterious, beautiful sea
where so long, long ago, in the far distant past,
the first glimmers of life came to be.

Imagine a leisurely stroll along the beach, waves crashing on the shore, the ebb and flow calming, hypnotic, rejuvenating. Looking out at the horizon, you marvel at the crystalline water’s sweeping expanse, in awe of its magic and mystery.

Is there a nearby tide pool to explore? Will you be lucky enough to spot a starfish, baby octopus, hermit crab or sea urchin? What about colorful sea anemones, pesky barnacles, limpets, mussels or snails? This fascinating ecosystem teeming with marine life is but a microcosm of the world’s vast, ancient oceans — oceans where life on earth began billions of years ago.

With dynamic lyrical verse and breathtakingly beautiful art, Jennifer Berne and Amanda Hall tell the greatest evolutionary tale ever told in their magnificent new picture book, How the Sea Came To Be: And All the Creatures In It (Eerdmans BFYR, 2023). Their captivating account unfolds in three parts: The Birth of the Sea, The Birth of Life, and All That the Sea Came To Be . . . From Then to Now.

They first take us back some 4.5 billion years, when our very young planet was a fiery, volatile entity with molten lava exploding from within, comets and asteroids crashing down from the sky. The sizzling and simmering, bubbling and burbling continued for millions of years until the Earth finally began to ever-so-slowly cool.

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[lickalicious review] The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson and Stacy Innerst

~ jama ~ 31 Comments

At this very moment I am eating devouring a bowlful of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie. There’s nothing like rich and creamy chocolate ice cream lovingly loaded with chewy brownie chunks to send you over the top. So decadent, maybe even a little sinful. Marry me, please.

I still remember when Cherry Garcia (another of my favorites) first came on the market in 1987. Not only was it darn good ice cream, it was named after a cool musician. Since then, I’ve enjoyed many a pint, and continue to be impressed by Ben & Jerry’s wacky innovative flavors, progressive core values and ongoing social activism. How wonderful that America’s most popular ice cream company is thoroughly committed to making the world a better place!

Since I didn’t know much about how Ben & Jerry’s actually got started, I was hungry to read The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson and Stacy Innerst (Abrams BFYR, 2022). This fun and inspiring story of teamwork, determination, and experimentation is a delicious testament to living the American Dream and makes me want to taste every single Ben & Jerry’s flavor. 🙂

It all began in 1963 when Ben Cohen met Jerry Greenfield in a Merrick, Long Island junior high school. Though Ben liked art and Jerry was into science, they enjoyed hanging out, found lots to do together, and shared a big love of eating — especially ice cream. One summer Ben even drove an ice cream truck while Jerry helped scoop the ice cream.

After high school they attended different colleges. Ben dropped out after sophomore year to become a potter, while Jerry went on to graduate, only to be rejected by all the medical schools he applied to. Down but certainly not out, they touched bases again in NYC and decided to go into business together. No question it would involve food.

They scrapped their initial idea of making and delivering bagels after learning bagel-making equipment was too expensive. Luckily, making ice cream was cheaper. Burlington, Vermont seemed like a good location since it was a college town without any ice cream shops, and everyone knows students love ice cream. 🙂

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 26 Comments
“Autumn Festival” by Heegyum Kim.

1. Happy September!! What better way to anticipate the best season of the year than with Heegyum Kim’s delicious art. The little girl and her animal friends are celebrating fall with pumpkin cupcakes and donuts, apple pie and carrot cake. Yes, please. 🙂

Originally from South Korea, Heegyum is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer currently based in NYC, where she lives with her husband and two corgis, Fry and Mandu.

She studied Communication Design at Pratt Institute and Ewha Women’s Institute in Seoul. After working as a graphic designer in the beauty industry for ten years, she decided to shift her focus to illustration. Her favorite subjects are animals and nature depicted in a whimsical, humorous, and graphic style. She likes to explore shapes and colors to show characters’ unique personalities, and typically works in gouache and colored pencil.

She recently published her first children’s picture book, Un Hiver Chez Bleuet (Michi, 2023). This project actually began during the pandemic, when she shared a drawing of a blue bear on Instagram (she’d always loved the color blue and often made pictures entirely in blue). Her followers loved it so much that she started a Blue the Bear series, which she made into a postcard book.

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 12 Comments

1. Happy June! The lazy days of summer are just about upon us. How will you while away the hours — relaxing on a quiet beach, sharing ice cream with friends, or indulging in some midsummer magic with your favorite critters?

Michigan artist and illustrator Gretchen Ellen Powers helps us envision the possibilities in her beautiful pictures. In fact, her debut picture book, Summer’s Call (written by Amber Lynn Hellewell) captures the feeling of a “Michigan summer,” something she’s known well since childhood.

The nostalgic feel and soft, muted palette of Gretchen’s art is reminiscent of Tasha Tudor. I also see a touch of Amy June Bates in how she draws her characters. I like the old fashioned throwback to classics such as Anne of Green Gables and Little Women in some of her pictures — a comforting nod to simpler times. And one of her favorites is Beatrix Potter. 🙂

Prior to Summer’s Call, she created 30 interior illustrations for the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Boxcar Children. She’s also done label and greeting card design and editorial work for such clients as The Telegraph (Stella Magazine), Mollie Makes, Lionheart Magazine, and Creature Comforts.

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