Tag Archives: picture book illustrators

The Good Egg

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: The Good Egg

Author: Jory John; Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Publisher: HarperCollins

Number of pages: 40

Type of Book: Picture book, Fiction

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Egg-Jory-John/dp/B0817JDTLL/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Price: $9.75

MY SUMMARY

This is a funny and insightful tale about the importance of self-care and taking things easy. The verrrrrry good egg likes for everything and everyone to be perfect. She (I liked to think of the egg as female, just because I am partial to female characters😀 ) is always ready to help anyone and everyone, she specifically says ‘… if you need any help whatsoever, I’m your egg.’ She also cleans up after her housemates who she describes as ‘not-good’ eggs because they ignore bedtime, throw tantrums, cry for no reason and eat sugary cereals (typical toddlers). Of course, she’s really exhausted every night and eventually, she starts cracking up, literally. Read the book to find out how the good egg deals with the problem of being ‘too good’

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It tickled my funny bone, I loved it. The word play was hilarious: ‘Egg was cracking up’, ‘egg’s head felt scrambled’, names of the other eggs: Meg, Sheldon, Frank😀 The illustrations were particularly funny and charming. The eggs were really cute and expressive. I really loved the good egg’s huge round frames. I loved the page where the egg was sick and took IV fluids labelled ‘yolk’❤️ I think Pete Oswald did a fantastic job with the illustrations. In fact, the two, John and Oswald make a perfect match. They have worked together on several great books: The Couch Potato, The Bad Seed. (Check them out too)

I loved the universal themes of the book: It’s OK to not be perfect; we need to be as good to ourselves as we are to others; we need to take things easy and we need to take time off to cool off when things get too much.

Finally, I love that even though it’s a book for kids (a picture book) it really is wonderful for adults as well.

DOWN: None.

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Watch a read-aloud video here:

CHALLENGE: The Good Egg

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Draw an angry egg, a happy egg and a sad egg (4 – 6 year olds)
  • Find four things the good egg did to ‘relax’ in the crossword puzzle below (7 – 8 year olds)
ZDCYPAINTGJBX
VNOHGONDSAMNO
KSARESBENGEDN
HBGRAYWKBLUAN
IMEDITATIONET
ODSJAAGKNRSRS
OCNKLEWALKSNA
LXSBAELPGUPLF

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com.

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 25th 2020.

Next Book of the Week:

QUEEN IDIA OF BENIN by 234 Express

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photo credit: amazon.com

Sulwe

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Sulwe 

Author: Lupita Nyong’o Illustrator: Vashti Harrison

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Number of pages: 48

Type of Book: Fiction; African, Magical Realism, Folktale 

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/sulwe-by-lupita-nyongo-and-vashti-harrison/; https://www.amazon.com/Sulwe-Lupita-Nyongo/dp/1534425365

Price: N4000; $11.78

MY SUMMARY

Little Sulwe’s skin is as dark as midnight. She is the darkest member of her family and the darkest child in school. This makes her very sad. Slew desperately wants to be bright and beautiful like her sister Mich, whose skin is the colour of high noon. She wants to be light-skinned so she’ll be loved and accepted and make new friends.

So, Sulwe tries to lighten her skin. She eats bright foods, tries to rub her skin off, and even applies her mum’s makeup but nothing works. Poor Sulwe stays sad until one night, she goes on a magical journey that shows her that she’s beautiful, just the way she is. 

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP:The art. I am a lover of Vashti Harrison’s art and as usual, she outdid herself. She brought Sulwe to life with vibrant illustrations. 

I love the story-within-a-story structure. The folktale within the story adds a magical element to the story and makes it even more entertaining.

I like that there are so many teaching opportunities in this story. My kids and I had a whole discussion about the way God answers prayers; because they wanted to know why God didn’t answer Sulwe’s prayer.  

I love the premise of the story. In Lupita’s words, “Sulwe holds up a mirror for dark-skinned children.” I love that Sulwe’s story deals with the universal human need to be loved and accepted while staying true to one’s self in a very child-friendly manner. 

It’s a heartwarming story, it builds confidence and it’s quite entertaining. I loved every bit of it, my boys loved it too. We’ve read it countless times and we highly recommend it. 

DOWN: None.

RATING

* * * * *

TRIVIA

  1. Sulwe is Academy Award-Winning Actress, Lupita Nyongo’s, debut children’s book. 
  2. Like Sulwe, Lupita was teased and taunted in school because of her dark skin. 

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: https://www.amazon.com/Sulwe-Lupita-Nyongo/dp/1534425365  (Click on the look inside feature on the amazon website)
  2. Download some fun exercises here: https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/5367491/9781534425361_cg_sulwe%20curriculum%20guide.pdf

CHALLENGE: Sulwe

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

Read the excerpt and answer the questions below:

  1. List 4 things Sulwe did to become light-skinned (4 – 6 year olds)
  2. Write a 100-word essay. Topic: What does real beauty mean to you? (7 – 8 year olds)

OR

3. Sulwe wants to be light-skinned, so that she can make friends like her light-skinned sister. If Sulwe were your sister, what advice would you give her? (7 – 8 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, October 4th2020.

Next Book of the Week:

TOO SMALL TOLA by Atinuke

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Scholarship for the 2020 THE CRAFT AND BUSINESS OF ILLUSTRATING CHILDREN’S BOOKS course

NEWS/EVENTS, , , , , , , , , , ,

Scholarship CBA illustration course

Calling on illustrators and aspiring illustrators of children’s books. Here’s a scholarship for the game-changing illustration course: THE CRAFT AND BUSINESS OF ILLUSTRATING CHILDREN’S BOOKS by the Children’s Book Academy and the amazing Mira Reisberg. 

Scholarship Criteria:

a. If you identify as being of color, or LBGQTI, or as having a disability, or are a member of a group who are currently underrepresented in the children’s publishing industry, you can apply.

b. Also, low income folks who might not be able to take this course otherwise, as well as  SCBWI Regional Advisors, ARAs, and Illustrator Coordinators and children’s librarians  can also apply.

Here’s all that you need to do:
​
1. Using your funniest or most lyrical language, say something lovely about yourself
2. Describe how you meet the scholarship criteria
3. Include your website if you have one, or email 3 images labeled with your name and “CBICB” in the subject line to mira@childrensbookacademy.com
4. Talk about how you are going to give back by helping your fellow students and the Academy by participating in the group and helping us spread the word about our offerings
5. State if you are agented or if you’ve been previously published

It’s open till August 4. Do not miss it!

For more information about the scholarship, click on the link below:

https://t.co/EqtKDWkJkS?amp=1

For more information about the course, see this post or click on this link:

https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/2020-craft–business-of-illustrating-childrens-books.html

 

Course Alert: The Craft and Business of Illustrating Children’s Books 2020

NEWS/EVENTS, , , , , , , , ,

cba illustration courseimage

 

Are you an illustrator or an aspiring illustrator? Are you looking for a professional course taught by industry giants? Are you looking for a network of illustrators? Do you want to learn in a professional and warm environment? Do you want the chance to show your work to agents/editors? Then this course is for you.

Run by the very kind and fabulous Editor/Art Director, Mira Reisberg of the Children’s Book Academy, with Illustrator Larissa Marantz and Art Director Andrea Miller, it is the opportunity of a lifetime!

I’m currently taking my second course with the Academy (the Middle Grade Mastery)! I highly recommend it!!

It starts August 3.

Besides all the wonderful things you’ll learn from this course, plus the chance to meet other illustrators and get new critique partners, there’s the almighty Golden Ticket: A chance to pitch to agents, editors and art directors!!!!!!

Click on this link for more information:

https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/2020-craft–business-of-illustrating-childrens-books.html

Try it, thank me later.