Mishaps and Adventures

There is Nothing Like a Real Book

2012-01-11T09:32:00.002-05:00

Hopeful Monsters: Chad Beckerman, Design Wunderkid

2011-12-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

Hopeful Monsters: Chad Beckerman, Design Wunderkid: Chad and I worked together on a totally rad book cover. Here is Chad's post in which he describes the process!

My Aunt's Chicken Coop

2011-12-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

Fake Mustache type

2011-12-11T15:24:00.001-05:00

Type by Meagan Bennett for Tom Angleberger's next middle grade novel, Fake Mustache

LAUREN MYRACLE’S WILD RIDE

2011-10-20T13:26:00.002-04:00

For some folks, life is a straight and steady line, pushing on toward the horizon. For others–and one must surely count author Lauren Myracle in this latter group–it’s a roller coaster ride of dizzying heights and dramatic lows. Never more so than in the past ten days. Last Monday the 10th, Lauren got a phone call that authors dream of: her most recent book, Shine, had been nominated for a National Book Award. She was ecstatic, but was told to keep the news secret until the formal announcement on the 12th. Sure enough, at the live press conference, Shine was held up and extolled as one of the best books of the year for young people. Lauren heard her name read off in a list that included such great writers as Albert Marrin, Gary D. Schmidt, Thanhha Lai, and Debbie Dahl Edwardson. Then, shortly after the press conference, another book was hastily added to the list, the similar sounding Chime, by Franny Billingsley. The National Book Foundation explained the late addition by saying there had been a “mistake” and a “miscommunication.” Soon the internet was alight with speculation that the wrong book had been announced, that Shine was meant to be Chime.The roller coaster was plummeting to earth.

But the NBF said they would go forward with six nominations instead of their usual five, and Lauren decided to put a good face on it and try to enjoy the next four weeks leading up to the awards gala. Then the gears of the ride began to move again. Another phone call from the NBF on Thursday, the 13th, this time saying that some folks felt Shine should come off this list. Then the phone rang again on Friday–yep, it needed to come off one way or another.

Over the weekend Lauren decided to withdraw but asked the NBF for a favor, to make a donation to theMatthew Shepard Foundation, an organization named for the victim of a hate crime that sponsors pro-diversity youth programs. Shine is about such a crime and the bullying of gay teens, and in what had seemed like a meaningful bit of synchronicity, the official announcement of the finalists took place on the anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death. The donation seemed like a way to hold onto that synchronicity and to make sure something good came of the whole mess. The NBF graciously agreed.

Monday morning, a week after her thrilling first phone call, Lauren officially–and sadly–withdrew. But then, something amazing happened. The roller coaster began a crazy climb upward again. Suddenly, the e-mails, phone calls, posts, article, and tweets were FLYING in. Two campaigns were spontaneously launched on Twitter, #IsupportShine and #BuyShine. Libba Bray, a fellow young adult author with a popular blog, posted a shame-on-the-NBF rant that was retweeted hundreds of times. The young adult community had been galvanized, and they rallied around Lauren and Shine. The AP ran with the story, which was picked up by the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Gawker, Gothamist, Salon, Entertainment Weekly, the BBC, the NBC Nightly News, and outlets around the world! Lauren was interviewed by Vanity Fair and NPR, asked to blog for the Huffington Post. The outpouring of interest and support keeps coming, and has been nothing short of extraordinary, and so heartening to Lauren. You can follow links to some of the many articles and posts below.

And as for Shine. It had enjoyed a nice bump in sales after the original award announcement, and is now flying off the shelves. We have shipped our existing stock and have a rush reprint on the way.

What a crazy, crazy ride.

—Susan Van Metre, Publisher

http://blog.abramsbooks.com/

Shine in the Media:

Twitter is still buzzing with book fans and literary supporters using the hash tags #ISupportShine and#BuyShine

So that happened . . .

2011-10-19T09:45:00.000-04:00

News about Lauren Myracle’s Withdrawal from The National Book Award Continues to Garner National Media Attention.

Amulet; $16.95; May 2011; 9780810984172

About the book

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice. Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

On Wednesday, October 19^th, NPR’s “All Things Considered” will be interviewing Lauren Myracle during the program, which airs on WNYC-AM at 7:00pm.

http://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/

Also, Lauren Myracle will have an *exclusive* blog post on

The Huffington Post on

October 19^th.

On Tuesday, October 18^th, VanityFair.com interviewed Myracle, which will be featured on their homepage on October 19^th:

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/10/-i-vanity-fair--i--exclusive--a-conversation-with-national-book-

Twitter is still buzzing with book fans and literary supporters using the hash tags

#ISupportShine and #BuyShine

The news has also appeared in the following media, within the last 48 hours alone,

and continues to grow:

· PUBLISHERS LUNCH

http://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2011/10/lauren-myracles-book-is-withdrawn-from-the-national-book-awards/

· PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/49143-shine-withdrawn-as-nba-young-people--s-literature-nominee.html

· SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

http://www.slj.com/slj/home/892417-312/lauren_myracle_drops_out_of.html.csp

· YALSA

http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/

· THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://hosted2.ap.org/COGRA/75b5867d7ab940959fa6cee255e38415/Article_2011-10-17-Books-Nominee%20Withdraws/id-85ac52f1ad5e469bb5abf37e6368383f

· REUTERS

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/10/17/us-books-laurenmyracle-idINTRE79G4UE20111017

· YAHOO NEWS

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/book-award-nominee-withdraws-144708096.html

· TIME

http://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/18/shine-not-chime-the-national-book-awards-gets-it-wrong/

· HUFFINGTON POST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-withdraws-national-book-awards_n_1015649.html

· SALON

http://www.salon.com/2011/10/17/liberia_president_optimistic_over_runoff_vote/

· MSN

http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=676052&affid=100055

· BUSINESS WEEK

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9QE6DSO0.htm

· CBS MONEYWATCH

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/news/book-award-nominee-withdraws/6316207/

· NY TIMES

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/she-coulda-been-a-contender-national-book-award-finalist-withdraws-after-mistake/

· WASHINGTON POST

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/lauren-myracle-national-book-award-nominee-withdraws-from-contention/2011/10/17/gIQABpTkrL_story.html

· LA TIMES

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/10/lauren-myracle-asked-to-withdraw-from-national-book-award-finalists.html

· NPR-Monkey See

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/10/17/141420533/a-disappointed-author-a-misheard-word-and-a-mess-at-the-national-book-awards

· ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-national-book-award-nomination-withdrawn/?iid=rcfooter-books-%27shine%27%3A+national+book+award+nom+an+error

· NY MAGAZINE

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/10/national-book-awards-shine-myracle.html

· THE NEW YORKER

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2011/10/in-the-news-book-award-breakdown-think-fast.html

· NY OBSERVER

http://www.observer.com/2011/10/dumb-assonance-national-book-foundation-a-victim-of-vowels/

· GAWKER

http://gawker.com/5850524/national-book-awards-oops-we-shortlisted-the-wrong-book

· BLACKBOOK

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/national-book-award-honors-wrong-book/27379

· GOTHAMIST

http://gothamist.com/2011/10/17/author_mistakenly_given_national_bo.php

· FLAVORWIRE

http://flavorwire.com/221020/childrens-author-withdraws-from-national-book-award-competition

· PR NEWSWIRE

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vermont-college-of-fine-arts-applauds-alumnas-gracious-withdrawal-from-national-book-awards-controversy-132011578.html

· WBUR

http://www.wbur.org/npr/141420533/a-disappointed-author-a-misheard-word-and-a-mess-at-the-national-book-awards

· OREGON LIVE

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2011/10/national_book_award_finalist_l.html

· NEWSDAY

http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/books/book-award-nominee-withdraws-1.3251264

· MEDIA BISTRO

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/lauren-myracle-drops-out-of-national-book-award-consideration_b40303

· SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Book-award-nominee-withdraws-2222544.php

· BALTIMORE EXAMINER

http://www.examiner.com/books-in-baltimore/lauren-myracle-withdraws-shine-from-national-book-awards-finalists-list

· SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_19131724

· ASBURY PARK PRESS

http://www.app.com/article/20111017/NJENT07/310170075/National-Book-Award-nominee-withdraws-after-mistakes-others-made

· MIAMI HERALD

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/17/2458427/book-award-nominee-withdraws.html

· FRESNO BEE

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/10/17/2580223/book-award-nominee-withdraws.html

· THE REPUBLIC

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/7b33bd1b716b4483a34d05851b6018fa/US--Books-Nominee-Withdraws/

· BANGOR DAILY NEWS

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/10/18/living/you-know-that-big-book-award-we-just-gave-you-never-mind/?ref=mostReadBox

· KING 5 TV SEATTLE

http://www.king5.com/news/business/131989418.html

· WW2 NEWS SAN DIEGO

http://ww2.cox.com/myconnection/sandiego/today/news/entertainment/article.cox?moduleType=apNews&articleId=D9QE6DS00

· KPTV

http://www.kptv.com/story/15712096/book-award-nominee-withdraws

· 1310 NEWS

http://www.1310news.com/entertainment/article/289259--lauren-myracle-national-book-award-nominee-withdraws-from-contention

· CF NEWS 13

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/ap/october/330980/Book-award-nominee-withdraws

· NWCN

http://www.nwcn.com/news/business/131989418.html

· WCNC

http://www.wcnc.com/entertainment/131996253.html

· WFAA

http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/131989418.html

· WNEM

http://www.wnem.com/story/15712096/book-award-nominee-withdraws

· HYPABLE

http://www.hypable.com/books/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-withdraws-from-national-book-award/

· IBT TIMES

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/232627/20111017/lauren-myracle-book-award-nomination-mistake-withdraw.htm

· NOTES IN THE MARGIN

http://www.notesinthemargin.org/weblog/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-withdraws-from-national-book-award-finalists-latimes-com/

· FIGMENT

http://blog.figment.com/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-and-the-national-book-award/

· THE CELEBRITY CAFE

http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/lauren-myracle-agrees-withdraw-national-book-award-nominees-10-17-2011

· KT LITERARY

http://ktliterary.com/2011/10/a-nba-update/

· RYAN FIELD

· http://ryan-field.blogspot.com/2011/10/lgbtq-ya-book-shine-removed-from.html

· HILLARY HOMZIE

http://hillaryhomzie.com/2011/10/the-myracle-mistake-did-the-national-book-award-do-the-right-thing/

· LIL RED WRITING HOOD

http://lilredwritinghood.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/really-really/

· STEPHEN L DUNCAN

http://stephenlduncan.blogspot.com/2011/10/lauren-myracles-shine-wronged.html

Peter Nimble Book Trailer

2011-09-01T14:42:00.001-04:00

Meet Tom Angleberger!

2011-09-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

The Evolution of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes Jacket

2011-08-11T12:56:00.002-04:00

About the book

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny

After reading the first chapter of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes I knew it was special.

It hooked me right away. For example.

Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves. As you can well imagine, blind children have incredible senses of smell, and they can tell what lies behind a locked door—be it fine cloth, gold, or peanut brittle—at fifty paces. Moreover, their fingers are small enough to slip right through keyholes, and their ears keen enough to detect the faintest clicks and clacks of every moving part inside even the most complicated lock. Of course, the age of great thievery has long since passed; today there are few child-thieves left, blind or otherwise. At one time, however, the world was simply thick with them. This is the story of the greatest thief who ever lived. His name, as you’ve probably guessed, is Peter Nimble.—JONATHAN AUXIER

First step hire an amazing illustrator that will bring something fresh to the project. His name Gilbert Ford! Gilbert and I had just finished the cover of Tom Angleberger's Horton Halfpott so I was well aware of his talents. While working on Horton, Gilbert punched out a bunch of ideas right on the first go around this time was no different. I had an idea working in my head but I wanted to see what Gilbert came up with first. No reason.

Below are Gilbert first round of sketches and his explanation behind each idea.

This has peter nimble blindfolded, representing blind, and a crown on his head. On each jewel shows one of the three different pairs of eyeballs. This represents the jeweled eyes in his crown that gives him power. It also alludes to him being a prince. The characters are Sir Tode, Simon, one of the apes, and Frederick the fish. At the bottom is the ship and the air balloon the cat and raven ride. The back cover would be done in a similar fashion to the front, making room for bar code and text.

This plays with the idea of turning the silhouette of the boy's eye into a die-cut. I was also thinking that the keyholes could be die cut. I thought that the two symbols of a lock and eyes could be used like they are linked together. On the back are the ravens, which turns to sky and sand and then the hot air balloon over the desert. Room for text in the white area. Not sure if the type should be treated differently.

The keyholes are literally his eyes (since they are holes, too, having no eyes) but also the holes represent both his talent and his weakness, and opening new doors- his fantastic eyes can take him places. In the decorations around the border are the literal eyeballs. I am wondering if they should just be gold so that you don't see that they are eyeballs immediately. I was thinking of just treating the boy in dark blues so that if you want to make the key holes into a die cut, it will show up.

The E's in peter are eyes. The silhouettes of the boy shows him looking and there is a color radiating out as if it takes him to another dimension.

I sat on these sketches for a week or so. I loved that I was being presented with so many thought out ideas. But at this phase of the process I was still hooked on another approach. Imagine a die-cut cover ( see example below) where the eye hole are cut out in perfect circles. Behind the die-cut on the endpapers we could see Peter Nimble's fantastic eyes. Still being stuck on this idea I had Gilbert work up a few sketches to see if this idea worked. I was sure it would.

But I was wrong. I had lead the design to much in the direction of a cool effect.

(Way to psychedelic)

Now we ran into the issue of where the type would go.

But still the idea of a die-cut was just not working with the design or the story. I was missing out on the fantastic setting an world of the story that needed to be shown on the cover so the read could be identify and hopefully be sucked into the world of the book as I was from the first paragraph.

Here is Gilbert's next sketch based on the idea of place. We have him in silhouette to show his blindness.

But we need to still go farther. After a talk with Tamar Brazis the editorial director she suggested to see Peter running a top the roof tops.

Much better!

Now it was time to focus in on the type.

Yikes! This type looks to much like Herbie the Love Bug or Disney movies from the 60's

I wanted the type have florishes but not be to decorative and have a key hole element worked in. And some how all these ideas needed to form a logo for Peter Nimble. My hope was the type would be good enough to be used if for a movie version. Easy right? Here is what we came up with.

Now the subtitle needed some attention. Poor lonesome subtitle.

For the subtitle I thought it was important that it be hand drawn. Really for no particular reason other than it just felt right. Using a straight font just seemed to mechanical.

Close but no cigar. Too blocky.

Ahh just right! Only the stupid H needed to be capitalized. Oh copyediting. Sigh.

Some fine tuning still needed to be done on the cover image. Peter's pose was bugging us. He was to big, his burgal sack was also to large and he need to be positioned so his feet were grounded.

Various charcter sketches followed.

Final Full Jacket art

Final Jacket Layout

Spot Gloss layer

Case design

The last thing left to do is pic the color for the case. You want to try and match the colors of the jacket to the case. There are a few different was one can go. And for some reason the easiest part of book design always make me sweat a little. Did I pick the right colors?

Emerald green. Just right. To match Peter's Emerald Green Fantastic Eyes.

Endpapers

Half title page

Title Page

Contents page

Chapter opening pages

Margi Preus speaks about Heart of a Samurai by Bookpagedotcom

2011-07-25T10:16:00.001-04:00

interview by http://www.youtube.com/user/BookPagedotcom

Chad Portraits

2011-07-22T12:51:00.005-04:00

In the past few years a few of the illustrators I have worked with took it upon themselves to work up portraits of me. Here area few of them. As you can see there are a different takes, yet common themes in all.

FUN FACT: Oddly all of these illustrators have lived near me at some point. Julia comes from my home town of Cheshire, CT ( although we did not know each other at the time ), Sophie lives around the corner from me in Brooklyn and Nathan and I went to high school together.

By Julia Denos

By Sophie Blackall

By Nathan Fox

To Market, To Market Nikki McClure visits NYC Farmer's Markets

2011-07-22T10:51:00.007-04:00

Nikki McClure took a rare East Coast trip recently to visit New York's local Farmer's Markets. This was the first time I was meeting Nikki. We have worked on three books together ( All in A Day, Mama Is It Summer Yet?, and To Market, To Market) and spent hours on the phone coming over all sorts of things. So I was excited to finally meet her and thank her for the honey she sent me while working on To Market, To Market to help with my cold. It was the day before Labor Day weekend and I needed to release the final files to the printer for proofs. Only I had a horrible cold, which I later found out was strep throat. No biggie. A hero you say for coming into the office sick . . . I think not. The real hero was Nikki's Honey which saved my throat from certain destruction. Honey which I am sure she picked up at her local farmers market. It was amazing!

Prospect Parks Farmer's Market

Susan Van Metre's very well behaved dog Mugs stopped by and had a drink of water

"One of my favorite things about life in New York City is the bounty of local farmer’s markets. Whether it’s the massive Greenmarket in Union Square or a neighborhood farmstand, buying local and fresh is the motto these days and the farmer’s markets that have popped up across the country serve as evidence." —Alison Gervais, senior production manager at ABRAMS

About the book

Known for art that celebrates the virtues of community, hard work, and living gently on the planet, Nikki McClure here explores a topic close to her heart: the farmers market. Alternating between story and fact, this lovingly crafted picture book follows a mother and son to the weekly market. As they check off items on their shopping list, the reader learns how each particular food was grown or produced, from its earliest stages to how it ended up at the market. To Market, to Market is a timely book that shines awareness on the skill that goes into making good food.

About the author

Nikki McClure is a self-taught artist who has been making paper-cuts since 1996. She is the author and illustrator of Collect Raindrops and Mama, Is It Summer Yet? and the illustrator of All in a Day, by Cynthia Rylant, which won the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's award. She visits her farmers market in Olympia, Washington, every week. Visit her online at www.nikkimcclure.com.

Nikki demonstrates how she cuts her art.

Susan Van Metre and Mugs at the Prospect Park Farmers Market

After the signing and cutting at the Farmers Market came to an end.

We enjoyed a meal of treats from the market courtesy of Susan's husband Pete.

New Orleans, My first ALA

2011-07-06T09:17:00.010-04:00

ALA in NEW ORLEANS

Usually I don't attend the ALA conference but this year I made and exception. How could I pass up seeing Margi Preus accept her Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai and on top of that it was in New Orleans which I had never been too. I obviously I could not.

Alex Beard's studios on Royal Street

Dan Santat enjoys time with the King.

Laura Mihalick works the booth

Orgaimi Yoda's Tom Angleberger opened up a back house for Wimpy Kid's Jeff Kinney

Mathew Cordell and his adorable daughter who is trying on my specs.

Horn Books Roger Sutton lends a helping hand at the ABRAMS booth

Jason Wells giving out swag for one of my favorite books of the year PETER NIMBLE and His Fantastic Eyes

Author Jonathan Auxier can't believe he is signing his first galley of Peter Nimble.

Tom Angleberger made his own Darth Paper shirt!

Erica Perl

John Hendrix

Auxier speaks over a fine meal to a room of eager Librarians

Margi Preus

Drinks at the Napoleon House in the French Quarter are a must for anybody visiting New Orleans for the first time. "Few places capture the essence of New Orleans like the Napoleon House: A 200 year old landmark that's as casual and unique as its French Quarter surroundings." Sitting there enjoying my Pimm's cup after a long day at the ABRAMS booth you could imagine drinking side by side with Indiana Jones who was just about too get in to a fight over an ancient relic which would lead to the bar being burnt to a crisp

Newbery & Caldecott awards dinner

Jonathan Auxier is still excited or his jaw is locked open.

Jonathan Auxier, William Joyce and Tamar Brazis

ABRAMS Table

Margi Preus accepts her Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai

Abrams Books For Young Readers Fall 2011 Preview

2011-06-24T05:04:00.005-04:00

Babar's Celesteville Games

Authors: By Laurent de Brunhoff

Tilly the Trickster

Authors: By Molly Shannon, illustrated by Ard Hoyt

I Had a Favorite Dress

Authors: By Boni Ashburn, illustrated by Julia Denos

Marshall Armstrong Is

New to Our School

Authors: By David Mackintosh

Full Moon and Star

Authors: By Lee Bennett Hopkins, Illustrated by Marcellus Hall

The Worst Twelve Days of Christmas

Authors: By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Illustrated by Ryan Wood

What Animals Really Like

Authors: By Fiona Robinson

The Basket Ball

Authors: By Esmé Raji Codell, Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas

Dear Hot Dog

Authors: By Mordicai Gerstein

Eli, No!

Authors: By Katie Kirk

Miles to Go for Freedom

Segregation and Civil Rights in the Jim Crow Years

By Linda Barrett Osborne, in association with the Library of Congress

The Jewel Fish of Karnak

Authors: By Graeme Base

Little Pim: Colors

Authors: By Julia Pimsleur Levine

Crocodile's Tears

Authors: By Alex Beard

BREAKING NEWS! DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER

2011-06-16T08:00:00.006-04:00

Hold on Tight, this Winter has Bite

USA TODAY, the #1 paper in the country with a 1.8 million circulation,

broke the news this morning that

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER

the sixth book in the game-changing series by Jeff Kinney,

will go on sale November 15, 2011, with a 6-million copy first printing—the largest to date!

They are also the first to run the cover, which will be “ice blue.”

Please see the full press release attached and below. We expect all major daily trades to follow today and tomorrow.

FIRST PRINTING OF MORE THAN 6 MILLION COPIES OF

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER,

BOOK 6 IN THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES BY JEFF KINNEY,

FROM AMULET BOOKS

NATIONAL LAYDOWN IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011

SUMMER “SNOWBALL” EVENTS WILL THRILL AND CHILL FANS

New York, NY, June 16, 2011—Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, revealed today in a major press announcement the title, first-printing quantity, and cover of the sixth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. CABIN FEVER will have the largest first printing of any title in the series to date, with more than 6 million copies, making it the largest print publishing release of 2011 when it goes on sale Tuesday,

November 15. The cover color is ice blue, which complements the red, blue, green, yellow, and purple of the first five #1 bestselling books. Cabin Fever follows the sales and publicity momentum of the

March 2011 release of the #1 bestseller the Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, a journal filled with interactive pages and space for readers to record their own stories. In Cabin Fever, the Heffley family is stuck indoors during a blizzard. But will they weather the storm?

“A very tough New England winter inspired me to snow the Heffley family in for the holidays,” said Jeff Kinney. “‘Cabin fever’ refers to the claustrophobia Greg feels, as well as the broader theme of the book. . . that you're trapped by the identity you create for yourself.”

Six summer “snowball” events will be announced in July. Featuring the oversized Wimpy Kid Snow Globe that premiered at BookExpo in New York in May, and much more, the events will thrill fans with treats and special book previews. The wide reach of the release of the title will continue in August as kits with branded materials are mailed to booksellers and librarians to help build awareness and excitement.

“This is clearly the most anticipated book of 2011, with the largest initial print run,” said Michael Jacobs, President and CEO of Abrams. Jeff Kinney’s millions of fans are eager with anticipation, and the release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever will be an elating experience for them. We’re thrilled to bring millions of kids—and their parents, caregivers, librarians, teachers, and friends—the book this fall, and believe that our laydown of Cabin Fever will help make this holiday season a great one for booksellers. Our pre-sales and marketing campaign over the next few months will help build that excitement and anticipation for our laydown of Jeff’s next number-one bestseller.”

Books in the core Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010). Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary. The series is a fixture on the USA Today bestseller list (the first book in the series has remained in the top 150 for more than 200 weeks) and the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. It has also remained consistently in the top spots on the New York Times lists since publication of the first book in the series.

More than 50 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are in print in the United States and Canada. The books have been sold in more than 36 countries in 35 languages around the world. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers onto books. Jeff Kinney was named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in the world. The first movie based on the books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, grossed more than $75 million worldwide in box office sales, and the second movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, was the #1 movie at the box office in its opening weekend in theaters. The book series won Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2010 and 2011, and Jeff Kinney was nominated for a Children’s Choice Book Award in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Books in the series have won numerous awards voted on by students and teachers in schools around the globe. In March 2011, the first-ever Wimpy Kid Island, Wimpy Wonderland, debuted on www.poptropica.com.

# # #

For more information, interviews, or images, please contact:

Jason M. Wells

Executive Director, Publicity and Marketing

Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books

GUYS READ panel at BOOK EXPO

2011-05-26T17:12:00.004-04:00

"Weren't at the Javits Center in NYC for BEA? Don't worry, the Internet is here. BookExpo just uploaded a video of the whole shebang. Hang with Jon Scieszka, Jack Gantos, Mac Barnett, Matt de la Peña, Eoin Colfer and some weirdo in a red pleather Thriller costume as they talk about Guys Read and the Guys Read Library anthologies."—Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Lilly Look Here

2011-05-26T04:03:00.000-04:00

My friends Shannon and Patrick Strange made a short film. Here is the teaser trailer. Enjoy!

Page by Paige —Self Portraits

2011-05-24T14:05:00.005-04:00

This Sunday Laura Lee Gulledge held a signing and workshop at BookCourt in Brooklyn! She talked about her artwork and invited kids and adults to make mirror self portraits, which was an activity based on her introspective style of art-making portrayed in Page by Paige.

Rainy, cold, gray with no F or G Train service in Brooklyn, it was a perfect day to sit and draw.

Amulet Books Fall 2011 Preview

2011-05-19T16:50:00.002-04:00

COMING FALL 2011

Books for Young Readers / Amulet Books:
http://www.abramsbooks.com/amuletbyrfall2011

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

First Cover sketch for Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
by Gilbert Ford

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

1st Origami Darth Vader by Tom Angleberger

About the book

It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . .

With his proven knack for humorously exploring the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school, Tom Angleberger has crafted a worthy sequel to his breakout bestseller.

NERDS 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom

Jacket character sketches
by Ethen Beavers

About the book

Matilda “Wheezer” Choi, the asthmatic who can fly and kick butt courtesy of her nanobyte-enhanced inhalers, loves pro wrestling and hates anything “girlie.” Maybe that’s because she grew up with six brothers—or maybe it’s because her home life has become a battle zone in the conflict between her parents. Unfortunately for Wheezer, when a former member of NERDS turned villain gets extensive plastic surgery in order to become a cheerleader, Matilda must swallow her pride to successfully infiltrate the squad.
The newest supervillain, Gerdie Baker, assisted by the criminal mastermind Simon, has created a device that opens portals to other worlds, which she and the other cheerleaders have been pillaging. But the alternate realities are starting to get awfully close together, so it’s up to Wheezer and the NERDS to stop the cheerleaders before the worlds collide.

Redesigned cover for Lauren Myracle's Flower Power series
Art and design by Maria Middleton

Reel Life Starring Us
by Lisa Greenwald

Photography by Jonathan Beckerman

About the book

Rockwood Hills Junior High is known for the close-knit cliques that rule the school. When arty new girl Dina gets the opportunity to do a video project with queen bee Chelsea, she thinks this is her ticket to a great new social life. But Chelsea has bigger problems than Dina can imagine: her father has lost his job, and her family is teetering on the brink. Without knowing it, Dina might just get caught in Chelsea’s free fall.

Filled with honest truths about status and self-confidence, as well as the bubbly, infectious voice Lisa Greenwald mastered in her breakout, My Life in Pink & Green, this book is sure to charm tween readers everywhere.

Redesigned Paperback cover
Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes

Misfit

About the book

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.
Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose.

Redesigned Paperback cover
Struts & Frets
Hand lettering by Meagan Bennett

The Popularity Papers 3

Book Three: Words of (Questionable) Wisdom from Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

Art and design by Maria Middleton

Redesigned Paperback cover

Free Thaddeus!

Photos by Geoff Spear

About the book
Designed like a case file, chock-full of notes, journal entries, letters, e-mails, illustrations, and more, Free Thaddeus! is an uproarious middle-grade novel that argues why the irreverent Thaddeus should be released from his in-school suspension and explains the unbelievable circumstances that led to his punishment. Soon readers will be chanting, “Free Thaddeus!”

The Storyteller

About the book

Anna and Abel couldn’t be more different. They are both seventeen and in their last year of school, but while Anna lives in a nice old town house and comes from a well-to-do family, Abel, the school drug dealer, lives in a big, prisonlike tower block at the edge of town. Anna is afraid of him until she realizes that he is caring for his six-year-old sister on his own. Fascinated, Anna follows the two and listens as Abel tells little Micha the story of a tiny queen assailed by dark forces. It’s a beautiful fairy tale that Anna comes to see has a basis in reality. Abel is in real danger of losing Micha to their abusive father and to his own inability to make ends meet. Anna gradually falls in love with Abel, but when his “enemies” begin to turn up dead, she fears she has fallen for a murderer. Has she?
Award-winning author Antonia Michaelis moves in a bold new direction with her latest novel: a dark, haunting, contemporary story that is part mystery, part romance, and part melodrama.

Deviant

The Phantom Limb

Cover Sketches and Final by Yuta Onada

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
(revised and expanded edition)

Coming Soon! Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6

NERDS 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom is almost ready to be sent to the printer

2011-05-19T12:45:00.001-04:00

NERDS 3 2nd pass, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Office hilarity!

2011-05-19T12:41:00.001-04:00

Office hilarity!, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

BEA is coming!

Jack Ferraiolo made his first author video/book trailer. Check it out if you have exactly three minutes...

2011-04-25T07:09:00.000-04:00

Music Video Monday

2011-04-25T00:14:00.000-04:00

Evolution of LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE cover

2011-04-21T08:53:00.008-04:00

I had a bad August.

A very bad August.
As bad as pickle juice on a cookie.
As bad as a spider web on your leg.

As bad as the black parts on a banana.
I hope your August was better.
I really do.

When Eleanor's beloved babysitter, Bibi, has to move away to take care of her ailing father, Eleanor must try to bear the summer without Bibi and prepare for the upcoming school year. Her new, less-than-perfect babysitter just isn't up to snuff, and she doesn't take care of things like Bibi used to. But as the school year looms, it's time for new beginnings. Eleanor soon realizes that she will always have Bibi, no matter how far away she is.

Written in a lyrical style with thoughtful and charming illustrations throughout by Matthew Cordell.

Here are a few of Matthew Cordell's first round sketches.

As you might have guessed the title wasn't working for us.
It worked for the story but was just to "quiet."

A list of new possible title was drawn up.

A Letter from Bibi

Waiting for Bibi (she is waiting for the letter after all)

Missing Bibi

Bibi and Me and Our Very Bad August

A Letter from My Bibi

My Life Without My Bibi

Where Old Babysitters Go to Retire
when they Get Sick of Brats, and Why

Kids and the Babysitters that Leave Them

Dealing with an Absent Babysitter

Home Alone

and finally

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

Pickle Juice on a Cookie was just odd enough to be enticing. I love it!

Our designer Melissa Arnst rang up Matthew to tell him the new title news.

He then began sketching.

Yet still nothing was clicking.

Melissa start working up other ideas with Matthew's interior art. Our goal was to up the cuteness factor as well as remaining true to the story. Yet this cover seemed to close to another book design. So we took another look.

We combed through the interior art looking for answers. I was sure they were there somewhere.

We replayed the title over and over in our heads. Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie was so attention getting we needed an image that would be able to hold its own.

Closer. But still to quiet
Too much scenery.

The answer presented its self on a very small illustration hiding out on the title page art.

Melissa and I then combined her previous sketch with the pickle jar idea and KABLAM!

We had ourselves a sweet cover idea!

Next step: Add type and tweak. (Like many other covers on both the Abrams Books for Young Readers and Amulet Books imprints we asked Matthew for to hand draw the type on the cover. I feel it gives a cover that extra push to being unique. Plus it helps the art and the type look like the belong together.)

Matthews final inked art

Now with color!

And the final!

Front Jacket

Back Jacket

Julie Sternberg, formerly a public-interest lawyer, is a graduate of the New School's MFA program in writing for children. This is her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn. Matthew Cordell is the illustrator of Trouble Gum. He lives in Chicago.

Praise for Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

“Eleanor’s ingenuous free-verse monologue should strike a chord with readers, especially those who may have had to cope with the loss of a loved one. Cordell’s halftone cartoons convey the story’s pathos and humor, as well as Eleanor’s changeable moods.” –Publishers Weekly

“Cordell’s winsome cartoon drawings complement the text without overcrowding the verse. It tells a simple, poignant story that will resonate with any child who has ever had to say good-bye.” –Booklist

“This first novel is a promising debut. Eleanor’s concerns, not only about her babysitter, but also about playmates, friends and a new school year will be familiar to readers, who will look forward to hearing more about her life.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Sternberg hits all the right notes here, capturing a sensitive kid’s first experience of loss with tender respectfulness and full acknowledgment that separation is a bereavement too. Sprightly line drawings, with the same perky homeyness as the story, add visual energy.” –Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Heartfelt, accessible, and energetic…” –Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"This heartwarming novel and its winsome cartoon-like illustrations draw readers right into the story. Children would enjoy this short chapter book as an independent read, but it would also be a particularly good choice for parents to read to or with their children." –BookPage

Authors: By Julie Sternberg, illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Imprint: Amulet Books
ISBN: 0-8109-8424-5
EAN: 9780810984240
Availability: In Stock
Publishing Date: 3/1/2011
Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 7 1/2
Page Count: 128
Cover: Hardcover with jacket
Illustrations: 50 B&W illustrations

Morning design enhancing delights

2011-04-20T09:45:00.001-04:00

Morning delights, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

David McPhail stops by for a chat

2011-04-20T09:28:00.001-04:00

David McPhail, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Evolution of the SIDEKICKS Jacket

2011-04-19T11:29:00.005-04:00

About SIDEKICKS by Jack D. Ferraiolo

Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary schoolkid by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero.

But after an embarrassing incident involving his too-tight spandex costume, plus some signs that Phantom Justice may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott begins to question his role. With the help of a fellow sidekick, once his nemesis, Scott must decide if growing up means being loyal or stepping boldly to the center of things.

Sidekicks, here is a project that I thought would be easy. After all its comics related and I spent a good portion of my high school career face down in them (nerd!). So this should be a no brainer! Wrong. The problem turned out to be I was thinking to much. Stupid me. Here is a little tale of the Sidekicks cover.

After seeing Kick-Ass I really wanted this book to have a similar design approach. If not just totally ripping off the branding. Horrible to admit but true. My admiration would be followed soon with problems.

Only difference we didn't have actors so I enlisted Greg Horn to start work on sketches of our hero. Greg had just finished work on Jack's other book The Big Splash which was now in paperback. ( For more on the evolution of The Big Splash in hard cover by Nathan Fox click here)

Below are the samples of Greg's work that won me over.

In Greg's first sketches we wanted to show a close up like the Kick-Ass posters but show be able to show the idea of puberty which our characters are battling through out the story.

With more detail . . .
. . . angrier . . . more braces!

A quick type sample for a sales meeting

After several meeting we were approved to go to final.

However, something was working. Was the Kick-Ass idea not translating? Yep! Just goes to show you when something works it might not work again in another context.

In a desperate attempt to save Greg Horn's fantastic painting. I started playing around with out compositions and type placements. As you can see the type is very rough. At this stage I will place rough type in to just get a since of composition. Later I will go in a finalize the look of the type.

A comment kept coming up that seeing the both Sidekicks was desired. But now what was this cover about? There seemed to be to much going on.

I moved the character in black (Monkeywrench) to the back cover and concentrated on making the cover work with just Bright Boy. The idea here is secret identity revealed.

But turns out this idea was also to busy. Even though I was really into the type layout.

Here are simpler composition, yet none really say anything about the book

Galley cover design

At this point we decide to start from scratch and enlist our old friend Joshua Middleton ( who illustrated the Jacket of the Unknowns) for help. Our new approach was how to show that he was a sidekick. Joshua immediately sent us sketches.

In the hero's shadow.

This approach like everything before was to conceptual. And in the end we just wanted a cover that was action packed. Like I do on many covers I wanted the type to be part of the illustration.

I asked Josh to have Bright Boy kicking the type. These are his takes on that suggestion.

Nice, but too much crotch.

Like every good superhero you need good branding. What to do with a lightning bolt symbol that Shazam and the Flash won't send there crack pot team of copyright layers after us. below is what we came up with

At this point we started going back to the idea of both Sidekicks on the cover. After all the title is SIDEKICKS plural.

Still to0 much crotch!

Now with less crotch!

Here is Joshua's color sketch
At this stage everything is coming together. Except the type.

Better but missing the author's name Do'h!

Full jacket design

Spot Gloss layer ( all the areas in black are gloss)

Case design

About the book

Praise for Sidekicks
*STARRED REIVEW*
“Scott’s present-tense narration keeps pedal to the metal from start to finish, and readers will be quickly won over as the two super-strong, super-fast, super-likable protagonists face both inner conflicts and a Dark Knight–ish villain as deeply psychotic and scary as he is super powerful. Look for more twists than a pretzel factory and a possible sequel.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*STARRED REVIEW*
“A delightfully clever take on superheroes with this unpredictable adventure. Engaging territory as Ferraiolo reveals the story’s true depths.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“An exciting, lightning-paced superhero plot that is also a thoughtful examination of superheroism.”
–The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Ferraiolo starts the cape-flying action right from the opening pages. Ferraiolo is delightfully unafraid to inject irreverence into the superhero formula, adding plenty of humor to the high adventure high jinks.”
–Booklist

About the author

Jack D. Ferraiolo is the author of The Big Splash. He grew up in southern Connecticut and lives in northern Massachusetts. As the head of development at a children’s animation production company, he has developed and writes for WordGirl on PBS, for which he won an Emmy. Visit him online at www.jackferraiolo.com.

Authors: By Jack D. Ferraiolo
Imprint: Amulet Books
ISBN: 0-8109-9803-3
EAN: 9780810998032
Availability: In Stock
Publishing Date: 5/1/2011
Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
Page Count: 320
Cover: Hardcover with jacket

Coming soon!

2011-04-19T09:31:00.003-04:00

∞ Quote of the Day:

2011-04-17T07:49:00.000-04:00

...that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

—This is a quotation from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Ulysses

∞ Quote of the Day:

2011-04-12T17:41:00.000-04:00

∞ Quote of the Day: Mike Tyson - The Brooks Review
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
— Mike Tyson

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda WINNER of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

2011-04-07T20:04:00.004-04:00

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

is the *WINNER* of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award for the Middle Reader category!!!

This award is voted on by the booksellers of IndieBound across the country!

The E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards recognize books that reflect the playful, well-paced language, the engaging themes,

and the universal appeal to a wide range of ages.

They will honor the winners during the ABA Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon during BookExpo this May.

The author, Tom Angleberger, will be in attendance to accept his award.

http://news.bookweb.org/news/aba-announces-2011-indies-choice-and-eb-white-award-winners

Share this fabulous news with everyone, you must.

What I did today.

2011-04-07T18:06:00.001-04:00

Lettering—For Peter Nimble sub title type, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Lettering—For Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes sub title

Out with my ladies at the Eddie Trunk Book Release Party

2011-04-06T10:30:00.001-04:00

Out with my ladies at the Eddie Trunk Book Release Party, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Zach Gordon aka the Wimpy Kid at my desk

2011-04-01T09:33:00.001-04:00

Zach Gordon aka the Wimpy Kid at my desk, originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Charles Kochman(editor), Zach Gordon(actor), Chad W. Beckerman(art director)

2011-04-01T09:28:00.001-04:00

Charles Kochman(editor), Zach Gordon(actor), Chad W. Beckerman(art director), originally uploaded by chadwbecks.

Jacket and Case

2011-03-27T15:16:00.007-04:00

Page by Paige

In an age when books as objects are being thrown into question It is now more than ever that a designer should think of a book as a complete package. I believe very strongly that all the elements of a book from the interior to the case should appear that they belong together with each other. Seems like a no brainer. But there are many reasons why this might not happen. Costs, multiply designers, time, what ever it may be its always makes a book feel special when everything is considered. Here are a few books we have worked on. These show the Jacket and case.

The Kissing Game

Dotty

NERDS

National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One)

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street

The Crows of Pearblossom

Sidekicks

All in a Day

Sweet Treat & Secret Crushes

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

2011-03-25T17:02:00.001-04:00

DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK

2011-02-18T14:10:00.001-05:00

DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK

This morning Susan Van Metre presented DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK at our Pre-Sales conference. I helped by wearing my cousin Jamie's Darth Vader mask to help plug the book new book to our sales force. Before however Susan and I had a bit of fun. Thought you’d like to see.

Drawing

2011-02-09T10:26:00.003-05:00

More Chad drawings

Sometime ago I came across Greg Ruth's 52 weeks drawings series where he produced a drawing a week on any subject matter that he wanted. Not an easy task by any means. I tried to to a drawing a day a few summers ago. I lasted a valiant 2-3 months. During those couple of months I began to post the drawing I produced on a blog. It wasn't my intention really for anyone to see them but rather just to have a place to showcase them and let them go and move on to the next drawing. This process inspire me to become immersed in actually producing new material. As an illustration major and for a very brief time a freelance illustrator that hardest thing in the world to do is keep your self immersed in your work when the world wants you to survive. There is no one telling you (besides yourself ) to draw, paint, etc. As I posted a drawing a day it kept myself empowered to do more work and for 2-3 months it worked. I once again am trying to get back into a regiment. This time I am going to dial it back to a drawing a month. Seemed to work for Greg Ruth.

TYPE!

2011-02-02T12:44:00.001-05:00

The Alphabet from n9ve on Vimeo.

George Bates discusses his process

2011-01-23T16:09:00.008-05:00

"The story is written by Nancy Raines Day and basically tells the tale of a boy traveling through the woods alone on Halloween night as he becomes frightened by what may, or may not, be lurking in the woods and following him home. The manuscript was really an illustrator's paradise as the story of a boy who's imagination may be running wild really lends itself to a very wide visual interpretation. I decided I wanted to try to get the viewer's experience as close as possible to that of the boy in the story's. That being, the experience of things being a little off balance as to the nature of reality. Around the that I was offered the story I had recently been hired to do a job that required crosshatching and thought that approach would lend itself well to seeing things and forms that may be vague and not quite there and set to experiment with the ideas, technique and compositions in my sketchbook."—George Bates

In fall of 2010 On a Windy Night was published. Below is a bit of a glimpse into the process that Illustrator George Bates went through.

Here is the first drawing I played with in my sketchbook. I created the original drawing rather small and enlarged it for the final art so that the hatching marks and line quality has an even rougher look to help with the mood of the story.

This is the color image I submitted to Abrams and Nancy to get signed off on the look and feel of the illustrations. The final color image is an accident that I stumbled upon while playing with layers and textures in Photoshop. I thought that the technique helps the idea of the book by visually confusing the depth of the picture plane.

Here are some sketchbook explorations of the boy character in the book and some rough storyboard sketches. The boy is based on a photo I have of my younger brother who loved Halloween much more than I ever did.

Working on children's books is an extremely collaborative endeavor in terms of choosing and refining the best rythm, pacing, tone and marriage of text and image. Above are some of the first round of storyboards for the ending of the book that just didn't work. In total I think we did three passes of storyboards before settling on a final version. These didn't work because it shows the boy at that height of his fright and in these sketches he clearly leaves reality altogether into madness...not quite right for the age group. From the beginning of the sketching process the challenge was to find the right balance of scary and cute and i think we nailed it in the end. A favorite Maurice Sendak quote I love is "you can't frighten children, they are already frightened...". However, you can traumatize them and we wanted to steer clear of that. I thought it was interesting though that a friend who is a children's librarian told me many children come into the library requesting scary books and often claim the books they receive are not quite scary enough.

Another significant difference between these original storyboards and the final version of the book is that here in the first pass it was decided that each page would be a spread so as to lend the book a more cinematic quality and deepen the reader's immersion each page and the story. I thought this worked out beautifully as a child who had recently read the book exclaimed " that's the best movie I ever read!".

Here is the final sketch for on of the pages from the book. I hired my sister to transfer the images to paper that was close in texture to the sketchbook paper I had been experimenting with in the sketchbooks. I then inked the lines with chisel edge pen. Below shows the final line art and process of adding the color. I can't say how it works exactly as it was an accident I stumbled upon while playing around in Photoshop but everyone was really pleased with the result and it really helps set the mood for the story.

Final line art. About half the size of the final color file. Approximately 18"x7".

The line art is blown up to about 27"x11" and the first layer of color is added. For some reason the first layer is brown with some adjustments for various elements.

The next layer has the texture and main color which is actually a very bright cyan before a filter is applied.

The previous layer is simply floated on top of itself and the image becomes brighter.Here there are some adjustments to various elements like the clouds and boy.

Once more the layer is floated on top of itself, the image get's even brighter and it's finished. This is the final image that was sent to the printer. As with the original experiment with the owl above I loved the final look of the technique but it did take some time to figure out how to get it to function consistently. The final technique reminds me of under-painting and glazing techniques in oil painting.

About the book

On a windy Halloween night, as a little boy makes his way home after trick-or-treating, he hears a voice:

“Cracklety-clack, bones in a sack. They could be yours—if you look back.” As his heart flip-flops with fear, the boy dashes through woods and fields that seem full of haunting shapes—owls, ghosts, skeletons, and more. The detailed illustrations are packed with visual tricks for children to discover. Are those skeletons or cornstalks? Ghostly hands or tree branches? The playful tone of the text makes this a perfect, not-too-scary read-aloud, with an enjoyable surprise ending.

About the author

Nancy Raines Day is a celebrated children’s-book author. She lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Read more about her at www.nancyrainesday.com.

George Bates is the illustrator of Abrams’s Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit him online at www.georgebatesstudio.com

http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/On_a_Windy_Night-9780810939004.html

2011-01-21T12:38:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. I have been missing way to long. I need new content. Oh me. Alright I'll get to it, I promise. Right after we stop celebrating HEART OF A SAMURAI winning a Newbery Honor.

So You Want to Make Children's Books?

2011-01-02T12:18:00.001-05:00

Werner Herzog Reads Twas The Night Before Christmas

2010-12-16T15:06:00.002-05:00

Marcellus Hall—STAR POSITION

2010-12-12T22:25:00.002-05:00

Marcellus Hall

STAR POSITION

(slow version) & sketches

Unreleased rough mix slow version of "Star Position" by Marcellus Hall & The Hostages with sketches by Marcellus Hall 2010, New York City. Look for Marcellus Hall's solo album "The First Line" on Glacial Pace Recordings February 2011.

The first copy of The Crows of Pearblossom just arrived!

2010-12-02T12:22:00.004-05:00

Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

The Book Maker's Dozen

2010-12-01T15:21:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder what children's book illustrators have to say about their work and the industry? How do they get work? How long does it take to finish a book? Come out, sip wine, and hear not one or two, but thirteen illustrators discuss their work and answer your questions.

Panel discussion will be moderated by illustrator/author John Bemelmans Marciano.

The Book Maker's Dozen: Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, Sophie Blackall, Brian Floca, John Rocco, Aileen Leijten, Peter Brown, Dan Yaccarino, Brett Helquist, Sergio Ruzzier, Boris Kulikov, David Gordon, and John Bemelmans Marciano

*Oh, and did I mention books and limited edition prints from the book makers will also be for sale.

Hosted by PowerHouse Arena
Map & Directions

Thursday, Dec. 2nd 7-9pm
Powerhouse Arena (DUMBO)
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-666-3049

How was your Thankgiving?

2010-11-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

Wimpy Kid Handlers at Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade

2010-11-29T10:07:00.010-05:00

Mishaps and Adventures

There is Nothing Like a Real Book

Hopeful Monsters: Chad Beckerman, Design Wunderkid

My Aunt's Chicken Coop

Fake Mustache type

LAUREN MYRACLE’S WILD RIDE

So that happened . . .

Peter Nimble Book Trailer

Meet Tom Angleberger!

The Evolution of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes Jacket

Margi Preus speaks about Heart of a Samurai by Bookpagedotcom

Chad Portraits

To Market, To Market Nikki McClure visits NYC Farmer's Markets

New Orleans, My first ALA

Abrams Books For Young Readers Fall 2011 Preview

BREAKING NEWS! DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER

GUYS READ panel at BOOK EXPO

Lilly Look Here

Page by Paige —Self Portraits

Amulet Books Fall 2011 Preview

NERDS 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom is almost ready to be sent to the printer

Office hilarity!

Jack Ferraiolo made his first author video/book trailer. Check it out if you have exactly three minutes...

Music Video Monday

Evolution of LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE cover

Morning design enhancing delights

David McPhail stops by for a chat

Evolution of the SIDEKICKS Jacket

Coming soon!

∞ Quote of the Day:

∞ Quote of the Day:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda *WINNER* of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

What I did today.

Out with my ladies at the Eddie Trunk Book Release Party

Zach Gordon aka the Wimpy Kid at my desk

Charles Kochman(editor), Zach Gordon(actor), Chad W. Beckerman(art director)

Jacket and Case

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK

Drawing

TYPE!

George Bates discusses his process

So You Want to Make Children's Books?

Werner Herzog Reads Twas The Night Before Christmas

Marcellus Hall—STAR POSITION

STAR POSITION

(slow version) & sketches

The first copy of The Crows of Pearblossom just arrived!

The Book Maker's Dozen

How was your Thankgiving?

Wimpy Kid Handlers at Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda WINNER of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award