BOOK COVERS REVEALED: SOME OF THE NEWEST ADDITIONS TO MY CHRISTMAS BOOK RESOURCE PAGE

Artwork by Ruth Sanderson

Tomorrow, November 15th, marks the first day of Advent for those of us who are Eastern Orthodox Christians.  Remember to comment on any blogs I've posted since November 12, 2012 to enter my Advent Calendar Give-away. Enter as many times as you'd like - by commenting here, or on my facebook page.

Here are some picture books I'm adding to my Christmas Book Resource Page this year. I highlighted pictures from the books on yesterday's post, so if you couldn't guess which books the illustrations were from, I've revealed the book covers below...

#1 - Olivia with the Nutcracker from...

#1  Olivia Helps With Christmas, written and illustrated by Ian Falconer.  Everyone's favorite little Pig helps out Mommy and Daddy with Christmas - or does she?

#2 - St. Lucia, from...

#2 The Story of Christmas, by Barbara Cooney, illustrations by Lorett Krupinski.  Cooney relates traditions from around the world that have led us to the Christmas celebrations we have today.

#3 - Writing postcards, from....

#3 Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards, by Kevin Major, illustrated by Bruce Roberts. (my review here)

#4 - Romantic Christmas scene, from...

#4 A Star for Christmas, written and illustrated by Trisha Romance.  If you love all things Scandinavian, you'll love her old fashioned Carl-Larsson-style illustrations. (read about the book here)

Valerie Greeley Interview and Book Give-away!

Cheshire, England is a long way from Orange County, California, and if it weren't for blogging, I probably never would have "met" British author and gifted artist, Valerie Greeley.  

Every time I visit her blog, I am treated to a quick peek into her latest projects or wanderings around England! (Besides writing and illustrating children's books, Valerie is a textile and surface pattern designer.)

I'm delighted to tell you that one of Valerie's books White is the Moon has recently come back into print.  To celebrate, I'm doing an interview with Valerie, as well as a review and give-away of the book!  Leave a comment on this post today through midnight Thursday - for a chance to win the Give-away on Friday, April 20, 2012. (If you're not the lucky winner, you can find her book here on Amazon.) Update 4/20/12: Give-Away over - watch for my new post today.  As soon as I've made contact with the winner, I'll post her name.

White is the Moon is a poetic circle of text and color that takes us on a journey from forest, to sky, to sea - all in one day.  Beginning in the dark, with an owl and a full white moon, we are drawn into a day full of different colorful creatures and their habitats.

Title page.

Each of Valerie's perfectly detailed illustrations shows a peaceful scene as one animal encounters another, while her lyrical text leads us to the next creature's surroundings. The moon sees an owl, the owl sees a fox...

Red is the fox

Sly and fast

Sees a frog

Hopping past

The fox sees a frog, who sees the rising sun, which shines on a bird, who finds a crab...

Pink is the crab

Crawling up

Sees a seal

With her pup

The book ends after coming full circle, as nightfall returns with a full moon being gazed upon by a Puffin seabird.  A perfect bedtime story for ages 2-6. Remember to leave a comment at the end of this post, for a chance to win the Give-away of White is the Moon, on 4/20/12 - Friday! (shipped to an address within the U.S. only, please)

You can visit Valerie Greeley's website, which links to her portolio, Etsy page, and information about her other children's books.  Now that you've been introduced, let me help you get to know this very talented lady a little better...

Valerie, all your artwork is so beautiful.  What inspires you?

I have always been inspired by nature and in particular the sort of environment I am surrounded by. The lanes and woodlands around my home provide endless references, plants, flowers, birds, and bees that all appear in my illustrations.

    

How did you get started illustrating children's books?

I had some Camden Graphic's greeting cards in several high street shops in the UK in the eighties. A young lady with small children liked my cards and thought they would look good in the nursery. She happened to be Rosemary Lanning, the children's book editor at Blackie and Son ltd. She contacted the greeting card publisher and they very kindly forwarded her letter to me. (no email in those days!) 

She invited me down to London to discuss the possibility of illustrating a series of wordless baby board books. The office was in High Holborn, I remember it like yesterday. I waited in the board room, a library style room with a portrait of a kindly Cicely Mary Barker on the wall. I felt she was smiling at me, fortune certainly was that day!

Who are your favorite illustrators?

When I was a little girl my father introduced me to the world of books, and they were few but precious in our house. I particularly remember a Children's Treasury of Classics which he gave me as a Christmas present. There were illustrations by many of "The Golden Age" illustrators like Arthur Rackham and  Edmund Dulac and Heath Robinson. They were my earliest influences. Later I discovered the Pre-Raphealites and fell under their spell and tried to paint every leaf and blade of grass.

I also admire the work of Angela Barrett, Nicola Bayley, Gennady Spirin, Frances Tyrrell, Una Woodruff - and many more.

What keeps you busy, these days?

I am now working with my husband Tony Corrigan, a retired English teacher. We are creating new titles for young children, not only for print but for Apps also. We have been contacted by a publisher in South Korea and are in the process of finalising the contract for a new baby book which we have written together. 

We recently created our first children's App with Mobile Children's Books called The Bird with the Rainbow Tail and are looking at getting a print version to market, whilst working on a new calendar for 2013 and a range of greeting cards. I am also very involved with the study of traditional print making techniques, bookbinding, and hand bound books which is a whole new world of discovery.

Well, I'll look forward to reading about that world of discovery on your blog! Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, and good luck with all you do!
With all good wishes from a very warm spring day here in England! 

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES OF LITERARY LESSONS

I remember the first time I read Little Women, and the impact I felt while reading Louisa May Alcott's description of the March sisters bravely celebrating Christmas, struggling to be happy though their father was away at war.

Jessie Wilcox Smith's Little Women

I'm a bit choked up even now as I re-read the opening words of Chapter Two:  about how Marmee, with her steadfast determination, is wisely trying to raise her girls to become generous and loving human beings.  I recall wondering if I could have given up my Christmas breakfast the way these Little Women did...

Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was crammed so full of goodies. Then she remembered her mother's promise and, slipping her hand under her pillow, drew out a little crimson-covered book. She knew it very well, for it was that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived, and Jo felt that it was a true guidebook for any pilgrim going on a long journey. 

She woke Meg with a Merry Christmas, and bade her see what was under her pillow. A green-covered book appeared, with the same picture inside, and a few words written by their mother, which made their one present very precious in their eyes. Presently Beth and Amy woke to rummage and find their little books also, one dove-colored, the other blue, and all sat looking at and talking about them, while the east grew rosy with the coming day...

"Merry Christmas, Marmee! Many of them! Thank you for our books. We read some, and mean to every day," they all cried in chorus.

"Merry Christmas, little daughters! I'm glad you began at once, and hope you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down.  Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfasts a Christmas present?"

Other childhood favorites that come to mind are O. Henry's Gift of the Magi (which I blogged about HERE last year) and the family Christmas recollections penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I was about five when my mom read aloud Little House in the Big Woods to me, and I remember Laura getting her first doll, made of rags, who she named "Charlotte".  In subsequent books, Laura was always given simple, yet greatly appreciated gifts, such as something homemade by her mother and a candy stick, or copper penny.  It made me thankful for my own presents, which seemed fit for a princess in comparison to Laura and Mary's gifts!

Here are a few more Christmas stories with beautiful messages.  Did I leave out your favorites?

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden with illustrations by Barbara Cooney, is about expectation, love, generosity, and finding a home. A little orphan girl wishes for a family, and for a doll like the one she sees in a shop window. The doll, in turn, wishes for a little girl who can take care of her. There is also a sad couple who wishes for a family. You can probably guess what happens in this sweet and sentimental story, ages 5 and up



The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (click title to read my post), ages 5 and up.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! by Barbara Robinson (click title to read my post), ages 9 and up.