Tim Egan writes and illustrates books for kids, usually involving odd animal characters. Most of his characters do not think of themselves as odd, although a few readily admit they are. The stories normally involve everyday things like boredom, adventure, pigs, food, music, sandwiches, planes, toast and household appliances.
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I love coffee. It makes me feel happy at the very start of each day. The first thing I do is make a pot for my wife, Ann, and me to share. No sugar, but a little cream (and a cookie for our dog, Betsy, with each cup!)
☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, because it’s wonderful and beautiful and brilliant. The kitchen spread where Mickey is flying away is my favorite illustration in all books.
☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Read more about Dodsworth in Tokyo at Entertainment Weekly!
☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Check out this cool animated short, “Dodsworth and the Duck In The Shop!” How much do I love a duck who thinks about cakes and pies? 🙂
I’m the author-illustrator of such books as The Table Sets Itself, Mo’s Mustache, and Something Extraordinary. When I’m not busy making books (and often when I am) I like to cook, read and listen to books (I know! Surprising!), and play basketball. I live in Seattle, WA with my family and friends both real and imagined.
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I love hot apple cider. Especially caramel hot apple cider! Makes me feel warm and cozy and puts me in a writing/reading sort of mood. Sure wish I had a fireplace to go with it. At least I’ve got my mustache Fred.
☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ STILL THIRSTY: Check out this Candlewick Five Questions (Plus One) video where Ben talks about another of his books, Rex Wrecks It. Love his laugh and the sound of his voice. Wonder if he can sing? 🙂
Ken grew up on the works of Margret & H.A. Rey, William Joyce, and DC Comics. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and studied illustration at Art Center, College of Design. He has storyboarded for various commercials and animated TV shows such as The PJs, Futurama and Fairly Odd Parents. His illustration work has been recognized numerous times by the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). In 2012, the first picture book he illustrated, Hot, Hot Roti For Dada-Ji, received the Picture Book Honor Award for Literature from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). These days, you will find Ken illustrating, storyboarding, writing, and dreaming up stories for children.
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I’m not a coffee drinker (wha-?? that’s outrageous!) so when I’m in the mood for a hot beverage, I like a cup of tea or hot chocolate. BUT, I will say, nothing says literature like a cup of hot cocoa in an F. Scott Fitzgerald mug!
Lester is the author of 20 books for teachers and/or children and has two new projects under contract. He works as a consultant and visiting author in schools and school districts throughout the country and abroad. When he isn’t working you’ll likely find him roaming around with a camera in his hand.
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Coffee (aka “writer fluid”) should be hot, strong, slightly sweet, and with a dash of half-and-half leaving it the color of a paper bag.
abc bear pillow (made of natural organic hemp with embroidered alphabet and felt pocket) by Pi’lo
1. This could be the pillow of my dreams — the alphabet + a pocket with a teddy bear! Shall we pause for a moment of deep appreciation? *sigh* Toronto-based Heather Shaw is the artisan behind the P i’ l o collection of home goods, which includes tea towels, bags, mobiles, toys, notebooks, sachets, printed tapes, shawls, stationery and wall art. Everything is carefully made by hand with natural materials (cotton, linen, hemp, rocks) in a coach house studio with the hope that these items will be passed down as family heirlooms.
Typewriter CasePrinted Tape
Both her home and work space are serene and soothing environments filled with inspiration. Heather creates objects of beautiful simplicity — just looking at her collection makes me feel calm, cleansed and relaxed.
2.New book alert! Coretta Scott King Honor author Tanita S. Davis has just published a young adult novel called Peas and Carrots (Knopf, 2016)! Ooh-la-la — is that the best title ever, or what? This story is about 15-year-old Dess and how she adjusts to her new foster family. Check it:
Dess knows that nothing good lasts. Disappointment is never far away, and that’s a truth that Dess has learned to live with.
Dess’s mother’s most recent arrest is just the latest in a long line of disappointments, but this one lands her with her baby brother’s foster family. Dess doesn’t exactly fit in with the Carters. They’re so happy, so comfortable, so normal, and Hope, their teenage daughter, is so hopelessly naïve. Dess and Hope couldn’t be more unlike each other, but Austin loves them both like sisters. Over time their differences, insurmountable at first, fall away to reveal two girls who want the same thing: to belong.
Tanita herself was a foster sister from the age of nine until she graduated from college. I’ve been a fan of her writing since first reading A la Carte (Knopf, 2008)— yes, a foodie book with recipes! — and then, of course, thoroughly enjoyed the award winning Mare’s War (Knopf, 2009), as well as Happy Families (Knopf, 2012), the first YA novel I ever read featuring a transgender character. She is brilliant at exploring family dynamics and personal identity, making the reader question long-held stereotypes and assumptions about race, gender, and body image. I just started reading Peas and Carrots, which is told from Dess’s and Hope’s points of view in alternating chapters, and I love how both voices ring true with raw emotional honesty. The book has already garnered very favorable reviews from School Library Journal, PW, and Kirkus. Check out Tanita’s guest posts at Stacked Books and John Scalzi’s Big Idea, her Five Questions interview at The Horn Book, and her YA Open Mic contribution at Barnes & Noble.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 