Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren and Lauren Childs

Currently reading: 

Oh, I loved this book as a child and when I saw this new gorgeous gift edition (illustrated by Lauren Child of 'Charlie and Lola' fame) I coveted it for a long time before buying it for my daughter for her birthday (kids are often convenient excuses to buy books:))

Except, I kept sneaking looks at it, and accidently left it out two nights ago and it was discovered, so I gave it to my girl early (Carissa will be 7 in two weeks) we have started reading it together and it is oh-so-much fun

Here is Carissa and I and Pippi :)
I bought the cute (more economical :)) paperback edition
Forgive my self-portrait style shot, half the book missing and C staring at her brother...

Anyway, the book is a chapter book, but it is so delightfully, gorgeously, artistically illustrated I had to take some photos and show it off. Afterwards, I realised there are already bundles of much more professional looking photos already on the net :D 

Here are my backyard shots I took this afternoon ~ flipping to any random page

Charming :)

So far, we are only a few chapters in and loving saying Villa Villekulla (multiple times each time it turns up).

It's perfect for reading together. It's very close to Carissa'a reading level, which means she likes reading along while still being read to (my boys still love being read to ~ I am not sure what age kids grow out of it but I read out loud to my year 6 students :))

Anyone else adore Pippi?

Or read Pippi as a child?

Have you seen this new edition around?

I really recommend it

I have even bought two more copies for two of my nieces :D

It is making me rather nostalgic for one of my fave childhood movies:

Oh my gosh, how fun was this movie? 

... which I haven't seen anywhere in Australia :/ Would love to have a copy, hey...

Also today: my son Reuben's 9th birthday. He got 7 new books and my boys* are in reading heaven. Is anyone interested in what my kids read? Might do some more children's books posts :)

That's all for now, mateys. See you around 

x Nomes

*My oldest, Samuel, is ten ~ so he is excited for the new book haul as well :)

Oh! and hello any new followers. Please say hi and comment so I can follow you back

(sometimes I cannot follow your little icon dooby back to your site...) Love, Nomes

Rabbit's Year by Melissa Keil and Jedda Robaard

l 

It was Rabbit’s special year, but Rabbit didn’t feel very special. All Rabbit wanted was a friend — but making friends wasn’t easy for shy Rabbit…

2011 marks the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. This book is a delightful and thoughtful gift for any littlies born this year. Bonus Chinese zodiac guide at back of book!

It was huge but cool surprise to find this book all packaged up in my mailbox. I ADORE kidlit (and majored in it at uni) ~ I teach primary school and have 3 primary aged kids of my own so I am always reading picture and chapter books.

My daughter claimed this straight away :)

Being an arty kinda girl, the first thing that gets me with picture books is the illustrations.

Gosh, I LOVE the ones in here. Rabbit and the rest of the animal gang are gorgeous ~ the illustrations are WHIMSICAL and EVOCATIVE ~emotions captured in a quiet and compelling way. Each little character (from Rabbit to the mischeivious Monkey to the Dragon and Snake) has it's own personality. The animals are just plain CHARMING

As for the story ~ it's about Rabbit who, despite being generous, creative and happy is a lonely little thing. It's through Rabbit playing music that he meets this gorgeous crew of animals who also play music.


The text is simple ~ lending a lot of the story to be told through the illustrations and the readers imagination. I would say this is written beautifully with restraint. 


The coolest thing is ~ as you meet each character, they all take their personalities from the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, I know ~ cute, right? And there's a chart and info about that on the back (FYI, I am a 1980's girl which makes me a Monkey: "Monkeys are very smart, and are gifted at everything they do. They are funny, curious, inventive and they love practical jokes" (from Rabbit's Year). The cute thing was, my daughter is a monkey too (2004) ~ okay, well, she thought it was cute, haha. (My boys are a Horse and a Snake... my daughter looked them up and was quietly smug about "being the cutest animal" haha.)


Soooo... Rabbit's Year has been released in time for 2011 ~ The year of the Rabbit. It came out in February and is available now. 


*also, you can enjoy this book in mere minutes ~ making it a tempting one to revisit at night when you only have a smidgen of snuggle read time...

Black Dog Books has kindly (yay!) allowed me to share some pictures from their blog: behind the scenes ~ the making of a picture book. 

These are some of the design concepts that illustrator Jedda Robaard played around with in creating rabbit:

Rabbit's Year @ Black Dog Books
Author: Melissa Keil
Illustrator: Jedda Robaard 
Publication Date: February 2011
Format: Hard cover
For ages: 2 - 7 (my daughter is 6 and a half :D)

Many thanks to black dog books for this utterly delightful book.

here's my girl @ Questacon in Canberra :D
(picture. just because)

Winner & Cool Book Campaign & Graphic Hamlet

Thank you for entering my Courtney Summers giveaway

There were 111 entries (!) and the winning number was #10 

Lauren
from I was a teenage bookworm

Wahoo!

And now for some completely unrelated things:

Penguin Malaysia recently ran a campaign advertising some of their "unputdownable" classics - in which they painted book covers onto peoples hands. I love this idea, so absolutely cool - The Railway Children is my fave (for the artwork on the boys hand - just amazing).

I also love the back cover details - imagine painting on the text! - so tiny and detailed and exact.

If I could have a book painted on my hands... Hmm... I have no idea which one I'd pick.

Maybe Nicki Greenberg's Graphic Hamlet?

For general coolness and adolescent angst.

Plus, the illustrations take my breath away.

I just love the energy and interpretation of it.

Brilliant.

(And now I will drown you with images b/c i can't choose just one. Click on images for enlarged details)

Love this one below: Hamlet getting all dramatic in the "to be or not to be soliloquy"

If you could have a book painted on your hand, which book would it be?


...and this is a completely different concept to getting Edward tattooed on your body ;)

Cover Art and Graphic Hamlet

Check out a sneak peek @ the soon to be released graphic novel of Hamlet. Awesome, yeah? (Photo courtesy of Alien Onion)

I'm digging it. It's from Melbourne author/illustrator/lawyer Nicki Greenberg, who sold her first series, The Digits, when she was fifteen (& sold more than 380,000 copies).

Speaking of illustrators...

Jason Chan the guy who illustrated the UK/Australian cover of The Hunger Games also illustrated:

Katniss for The Hunger Games

Katniss and Peeta

Eyes Like Stars for Lisa Mantchev

Perchance to Dream - for Lisa Mantchev

For Book of the Order by Phillipa Ballantyne
Makes me think of Nya from Janice Hardy's The Shifter

The Girl Who Could Fly for Victoria Forester

And... Star Wars Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
Love it!

Personally, I love illustrated book covers, especially ones by Jason Chan who is just whoah-talented.

xx

Nomes (and, thank God it's Friday night! Whoo Hoo!)