picture books

[artsy talk] Ashley Wolff on My Towering Tree

~ jama ~ 19 Comments

Happy to welcome back Vermont artist Ashley Wolff to talk about her latest picture book, My Towering Tree, written by Janna Matthies and published by Beach Lane Books (2024).

In Matthies’s lyrical ode to a special tree, a girl appreciates the natural wonders in her own back yard, from squirrel to garden to bee. Beneath the towering tree’s leafy canopy, she can think, breathe, rest, write, reflect, and simply be. She can also remember her dog who’s buried there beneath “a squarish stone,” and joyfully bask in the warm rays of sunshine streaming through the branches.

In my yard’s a towering tree. It reaches high to cover me.

Ashley’s lush, color-saturated gouache and pastel illustrations bring Janna’s spare rhyming text to vivid, glorious life. Her dramatic use of scale in several double page spreads creates a sense of intimacy and introspection, while charming details such as the squirrel stealing a tomato, the girl blissfully reclining in a wheelbarrow, and her endearing notebook doodles keep us turning the pages. The majestic tree, with its thick sturdy trunk, generous branches teeming with wildlife, and foliage rendered in soft, fluid daubs of green is soothing and inviting.

In my yard’s a squeaky squirrel. He zigzags like a tilt-a-whirl and races up the towering tree that reaches high to cover me.

Big thanks to Ashley for dropping by to tell us more about creating the art for this lovely study in meditation and mindfulness, and for sharing so many wonderful reference photos. 🙂

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[salty review] Potatoes for Pirate Pearl by Jennifer Concepcion and Chloe Burgett

~ jama ~ 9 Comments

Ahoy there, mateys!

Pardon for sayin’ so, but yer lookin’ a might peckish, mebbe a trifle peaked.

No worries, here be a tasty tater tale to tempt your tum-tum. Yarrr! We’re off to the high seas with Pirate Pearl and her perky parrot Petunia in pursuit of provisions. So twirl yer tricorns and climb aboard!

In the rib-tickling read-aloud, Potatoes for Pirate Pearl by Jennifer Concepcion and Chloe Burgett (Feeding Minds Press, 2023), a hungry pirate and her squawky sidekick learn how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes, all while making a new friend.

Pearl and Petunia, who had been at sea for many months aboard the Jolly Oyster, were absolutely fed up with eating hardtack biscuits day after day. “I’ll make this codswallop walk the plank!,” Pearl said, just before she tossed their barrel of grub overboard.

Now what?

Luckily, with a “splish splash SQUAWK” they were soon able to make landfall to scope out some fresh grub. They “splashed through streams . . . hiked hills . . . and trooped through trees” when they spied a red barn and silo in the distance. “Thar she grows!”

Fading fast, Pearl and Petunia could barely drag themselves toward the farm. Just in the nick of time, a friendly landlubber named Farmer Fay came to the rescue. She carted them off to her kitchen to revive them with a steaming bowl of potato soup. Blimey, was it good!

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[saucy review] Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta by Aimee Lucido and Mavisu Demirağ

~ jama ~ 29 Comments

Bucatini, capellini, spaghettini, tortellini!

Molto delizioso!

Italian pasta names make me happy. Joyful, lyrical, rhythmic — saying them is almost as good as eating them. Hungry? Time to put on a bib, grab a fork, and feast on Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta by Aimee Lucido and Mavisu Demirağ (Beach Lane Books, 2024).

Mangiamo!

In this lip smacking celebration of all things noodle-y, a family of picky eaters gathers for dinner. Their names just happen to rhyme with where they’re from as well as their pasta preferences. Told from a young girl’s point of view, the story begins with the arrival of her grandmother:

Ring-a-ding, the doorbell rings, and oh!/What did my Nonna bring?

Nonna Ana (who’s from Catania and only likes to eat lasagna) wheels in her chicken and some eggs. The girl and her mom get busy making the lasagna from scratch — combining ingredients, rolling out the dough and then cutting it into thin layers.

The next minute, the doorbell rings again. Nonno Titi arrives with a bag full of fresh veggies. “Nonno Titi from Tahiti only eats our spaghettini.” Papa and Mamma proceed to slice and cook the spinach, zucchini, eggplant and onions to go with the spaghettini.

Pasta pasta lotsa pasta/made for Nonno and famiglia!

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

1. Hello, September! We’re welcoming this new month with the lush beauty of Linnea Tobias’s art. Based in Spokane, Washington, Linnea enjoys painting modern interpretations of nature.

She’s inspired by daily walks in her neighborhood — the trees, birds, plants, light and color she observes later emerge in her work.

 I am influenced by textile design, the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, fairy tales, optical illusions, and the changing of the seasons. I use different mediums depending on the effect I want to achieve. Lately I choose between watercolor, encaustic or acrylic paint, combining collage and texture with abstract forms and patterns.

Each painting or print has multiple layers of color to heighten contrasts and create an inner glow.

Linnea earned a BA in fine art from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA; studied painting, art history and printmaking at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece; and graphic design and ceramics at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA.

Visit Linnea’s Official Website for more. Prints and cards may be purchased via her Etsy Shop. Follow her Facebook Page or Instagram for the latest updates.

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[review] Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love by Rashin Kheiriyeh

~ jama ~ 19 Comments

“Should you wish to be in heaven forever? Be a friend to everyone.” ~ Rumi

Can meeting the right friend change your life? Why is it important to share your story with others, and how is embracing everyone in love and friendship its own spiritual practice?

Whether through his relatable aphorisms or divine poetry, Rumi has touched us all. As one of the world’s most popular poets, this 13th century Persian scholar and Sufi mystic continues to teach, inspire, and open our hearts to humanity.

In her stunning picture book biography, Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love (NorthSouth Books, 2024), Iranian-American author-illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh shows how a chance meeting with a stranger transformed an already revered scholar and theologian into a poet for the ages.

We first learn Rumi was born on “a crisp and colorful autumn day in Iran” (present day Afghanistan) on September 30, 1207. From the beginning he was a child of nature and reveled in the beautiful world around him. He chased butterflies and “delighted in the scent of roses and the songs of the birds.” Rumi especially loved to feed the birds; his favorite was the hoopoe, the symbol of wisdom.

Rumi’s father patiently answered his many questions, teaching his son all he knew. One day he shared these prescient words: “Learn generosity from the sun. It lights the world every day and asks for nothing in return.”

An avid reader, Rumi was excited one day to meet the great Persian poet Attar, who gifted him with a copy of his epic poem, “The Conference of the Birds.” Attar advised Rumi to “read it and search for the deeper meaning. One day you will shine and illuminate the world like the sun.”

In Attar’s poem, hundreds of birds (including the hoopoe) travel many miles in search of the mythical bird Sīmurgh to serve as their king. Only thirty birds survived this arduous journey, realizing when they reached their destination that they were actually the Sīmurgh. When together, they flew as one giant bird.

Years later, after Rumi had moved to Turkey with his family, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, with followers from near and far eager to study with him.

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