hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Iza Trapani

November 19, 2015September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 36 Comments

When I immigrated to America from Poland at age seven, I learned English with the help of a Mother Goose collection. Little did I know that someday I would extend many of those nursery rhymes and have a successful career as a children’s book author and illustrator. I am currently at work on my 26th book.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I drink all kinds of teas. Lately, I’ve been enjoying hot cinnamon spice from Harney & Sons. It’s lightly sweet and zesTEA :-). Looks like Teddy would like some too. Should I offer him a cup?

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: Old King Cole (Charlesbridge, August 2015). Forthcoming: Gabe and Goon (Charlesbridge, July 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK(s): Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (Harcourt, 1995), Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 2002), Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper (FSG, 2005), and Split Pea Soup (from the George and Martha stories) by James Marshall (HMH, 1974).

☕ Visit Iza Trapani’s Official Website and blog, In and Out of My Studio.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Old King Cole Book Trailer !

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☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Iza’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star read by ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard the International Space Station!! Far out and too cool. 🙂

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[review + recipes] The Little Kids’ Table by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle and Mary Reaves Uhles

November 13, 2015September 7, 2017 ~ jama ~ 42 Comments

The holidays are here and you know what that means: fun and “interesting” gatherings with family and friends, a time when we’re especially happy to hear these two little words: LET’S EAT!!

When all your favorite dishes magically appear on the table, where will you sit?

I love when we visit my grandma Mabel.
I get to sit at the little kids’ table!

The young narrator in this hilarious new rhyming picture book, The Little Kids’ Table, couldn’t be happier. After all, he knows he and his cousins are in for a rollicking good time. Unlike his parents, who must sit at the grown-ups’ table (“so shiny and fancy,/and has pretty flowers from my aunt Nancy”), they will, among other things, get to fiddle with their flatware:

Next to our forks we have spoons at our places.
We try to get them to stick to our faces.

First you breathe on the spoon, then press it on tight.
It’ll hang from your nose if you do it just right.

Continue reading →

Happy 60th Anniversary, Eloise: Rawther Festive Musings, Reviews, and Tea, of course!

November 9, 2015August 15, 2017 ~ jama ~ 53 Comments

Guess who’s celebrating her 60th Anniversary this month?

ELOISE!

She isn’t 60 years old, silly. She’ll always be SIX. And a city child. Who lives at The Plaza.

But 60 years ago, the first Eloise book was published: Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grownups by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. It became an instant phenomenon and was followed by four sequels: Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, Eloise in Moscow, and Eloise Takes a Bawth. To date, these five original titles as well as other books based on the Eloise character and the art of Hilary Knight have sold an estimated 6 million copies. 🙂

Here’s what I like

my Eloise bookshelf

Here’s what you should do

make a splawsh

Whenever things get the teensiest bit dull, I skibble and skiddle and oh-so-artfully sklathe through any of the Eloise books.

Here’s what she taught me

live LARGE

rebel

imagine

eat oatmeal every morning or you’ll dry up

Continue reading →

[Review and Author Chat] Samantha R. Vamos on Alphabet Trains

November 6, 2015September 1, 2017 ~ jama ~ 44 Comments

#52 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.

Tear the ticket.
Load the freight.
Sound the whistle.
Raise the gate.

Clank! Chug-chug! Whoosh!

Alphabet trains.

All Aboard, Letter-lovin’ Railroad Buffs!

Author Samantha R. Vamos is here to tell us all about her clickety-clack-cool new rhyming picture book Alphabet Trains (Charlesbridge, 2015)!

Not too long ago, we had so much fun cruising and vrooming through Alphabet Trucks (Charlesbridge, 2013), that we were pretty excited when this shiny new book hit the rails.

Since I’m especially fond of trains (blame it on the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” and the fact that I met my husband in London while he was designing a railroad in Algeria), I was anxious to ask Samantha a few questions about writing and researching this 26-track gem.

A is for Auto Train,
Load your car on the rack.

B is for bullet train —
high speed on welded track.

Continue reading →

hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: John Parra

October 29, 2015September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

John Parra is an award-winning illustrator, designer, teacher, and fine art painter. His books have earned starred reviews, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for illustration, and the International Latino Book Award for Best Children’s Book Interior Illustrations. He lives in Queens, New York.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Café Bustelo, a Cuban-Style coffee, brewed and cloth strained old fashion style mixed with milk and Solgar sweetener to kick start any day.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans, written by Phil Bildner (Chronicle Books, 2015); Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors, written by Roseanne Greenfield Thong (Chronicle Books, 2014).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred (Charlesbridge, 2011), written by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Rafael López is wonderful. The NEW children’s book by Sonia Manzano [illustrated by Marjorie Priceman], Miracle on 133rd Street (Atheneum, 2015), is equally terrific. Lastly when I was young I loved Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

☕ hotTEA IN THE FLESH: I will be participating in the Third Annual Picture Book Panel: Too Good to Miss – Picture Books for Older Readers, November 8th, from 5pm to 8pm, at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.

☕ Visit John Parra’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Bonus pic of little John with avocado tree (Santa Barbara, April 1975)