Square Dog, Round World

Last weekend, I went to Philadelphia and it was awesome. Melissa and I reviewed our progress on our children’s book and did some very important research at the zoo. Unfortunately it rained the whole time we were at the zoo, but it wasn’t all bad– it probably helped thin the crowds a bit. We bought awesome ponchos in the gift shop and had our fancy cheese picnic as planned under the shelter of a tree. Otherwise, the weather was gorgeous during my stay. We also hit the Philadelphia Art Museum, which holds an impressive collection of early 20th century art. The gift shop was also quite impressive.

I love the architecture of Philadelphia, steeped in history and grandeur. It was kind of surreal seeing shops like Banana Republic and Anthropologie housed in such ornate and stately buildings, and I was fascinated by the gargoyles inhabiting the corners of the UPenn campus.

Melissa and Cory took me to three awesome restaurants, and I had some of the most delicious meals of my entire life. I especially enjoyed our 2.5 hour brunch at Parc, followed by a visit to the park across the street, where we laid in the grass and really enjoyed being alive (and slightly tipsy) for a while. We also ate at Distrito and Han Dynasty. Yummy.

I really enjoyed hanging out with Lou, too. He got in bed with me every morning and we dozed and snuggled for a few more hours. He’s a great morning snuggler.  Melissa and Cory had Spanish class Tuesday night, and I was left alone in the apartment with him. Lou began making funny noises and I felt that he was trying very hard to communicate with me. He almost formed words at one point. I think he was probably trying to convince me that he had not been fed for days. I didn’t fall for it.

Here are a few of the photos I took in Philly. I can’t wait to go back!

I got lost in the bookstore today. Maybe you saw me. I was the girl with the faulty lid on her coffee cup, (as evidenced by the dark stains down the front of both shirt and jeans), reading picture books in the corner. I read lots and lots of books, and I looked at even more pictures. Here are my favorites:

Puff the Magic Dragon written by Lenny Lipton and Bruce Foster, illustrated by Eric Puybaret
Written by the folks from Peter, Paul & Mary (responsible also for the song), this book has GORGEOUS illustrations. Stunningly beautiful, I almost bought it for a baby shower gift, but the story has a bittersweet ending, so I didn’t. It also comes with a 4-song CD, and the latent soccer mom in me cringed at the thought of having to listen to the same four songs on repeat ad infinitum while I slowly lose my mind.

Wave by Suzy Lee
No words in this book, don’t need ‘em. Delightfully simple and playful illustrations of a girl and a playful wave at the beach.

Chick n’ Pug written by Jennifer Sattler, illustrated by Anna Currey
Hilarious. Love these characters– a chick who idolizes a pug. The pug is oblivious to his own awesomeness, he just wants to nap. To paraphrase my two-pug-having friend, Tim:  ”Pugs naturally lend lend themselves as characters in children’s books just by their very puggishness.”

Rocket Writes a Story written and illustrated by Tad Hills
Totally adored this book, especially as someone in the process of writing/illustrating stories. Rocket is a dog who has learned to read (a bird taught him), and now he wants to write a story. I love Rocket. He is very courageous, because writing is like, hard and stuff. And I have thumbs– you’d think I’d have an advantage, but Rocket finished writing his story (to rave reviews) in just under 32 pages. I’ve been working on mine for 16 months… no end in sight.

Bear has a Story to Tell written by Phillip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
Endearing. I hold a special place in my heart for bears (they remind me of my dad), and this guy is sweet, simple and classic. Beautifully illustrated– looks like watercolor and pencil, maybe. Love the circular nature of the story.

We are in a Book! written and illustrated by Mo Willems
This book was hilarious. I LOL’d. I love self-referential humor, and the whole book is about a pig and an elephant who are really happy you are reading their book. My favorite line: “This book is going too fast! I have more to give!”  Also love the way the font size varies for emphasis. I want to get all typographical in my books too.

This Is Not My Hat written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
By the author that brought you I Want My Hat Back, this is the same story told from the other perspective and using different characters (fish in this one). Elegant, simple, direct. This book is pure genius, and I love the voice of the narrative.

Bear Snores On written by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
I didn’t read this one from cover to cover, as my allotted time was running out, but I flipped through enough to get a gist of the story. Really cute bear.

So reviewing this list of books, I have learned a few things about myself:
I prefer stories about animals over stories about people. This goes back as far as I remember. Even when I was the littlest of kids, I didn’t want human dolls– I wanted stuffed animals. I had a vast menagerie, and my goal was to collect every species of animal of which I was aware. Yes, indeed, I *did* have a platypus. What, you didn’t?

Simplicity. I was struck by the elegance and simplicity of these books. Jon Klassen’s book had the simplest of illustrations, varying little from page to page, with lots of repetition. Puff the Magic Dragon had an easily readable yet fanciful style, as if Art Deco had a baby with Minimalism. Mo Willems has a sketchy and naive style- Elephant and Pig look like doodles drawn on a moving bus. Backgrounds in most of them were minimal or non-existent.

In conclusion: I love books! Next time I will go the library, so I can bring them home with me for a bit, but I won’t have to pack them in boxes and carry them next time I move house.

It’s true, when you focus on something and make it a priority, you actually get stuff done. I think it’s a lesson Loupotamus will learn when he learns to skateboard.

I made it to the library again! Here’s my booty:

I had one mission – check out books about animals. Shrek maybe a long-shot, but ogres are like animals right? As much as they’re like onions (obligatory movie reference). Seven new books!

I’m now going to type something that may sounds like heresy….I’ve never read Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak. Yes, you read that correctly.

I read it yesterday, 50 years after it was originally published. What an exciting, simple, imaginative and timeless story. I think my favorite part was that while I loved the imagery, the story was engaging even without the art.

I hope I can create a story that’s powerful enough to engage kids even without Angie’s brilliant illustrations. One that does justice to Angie’s artwork.