One of Cynthia Rylant’s many picture books of Christmas, Christmas in the Country (Blue Sky Press) 2002 with exquisite line and watercolor wash illustrations by Diane Goode reminds us what is really important about the season and life.
Author and elementary school teacher Julie Lake takes us through Rylant’s heartfelt world-building based on her, the author’s childhood memories of living with her grandparents in Appalachia. I talk about the one-point linear perspective Goode uses to unify her compositions. She gives as much attention to supporting ‘characters’, details and their parallel stories as she does to the first person narrator and the main account!
In a more comical vein, but from a Turkey family’s perspective, we have Turk and Runt: a Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler and illustrator Frank Ansley. (Atheneum 2005) The story published by Scholastic is performed here by Ring’s Read Alouds. Nobody listens to or believes little Runt who knows exactly what’s in store for the turkeys being purchased at Wishbone Farms.
Lastly, sharing the same theme as Christmas in the Country, in heralding the true meaning of this enchanted time of year, we have the ultimate caper cartoon, and the ultimate villain (he’s a mean one) in this classic story starring the voices of the wonderful Boris Karloff and note (and nuance) perfect singer Thurl Ravenscroft, and partnered by the quintessential picture book author-artist (Dr. Seuss) with the ultimate comic cartoon animator (Chuck Jones.) Did you know those two worked together making funny training cartoons for the army during World War Two? May it bring a nostalgic tear to your eye, and brighten your holidays.
And, finally, this…
After many months of preparation, we’ve just launched the new 2019 version of the Make Your Marks and Splashes course on children’s book illustration and we’re excited.
Through January 10, we’re offering a special holiday\sale with a stocking full of extra bonuses, like the workshop video series Going Pro with the Girllustrators and a package sale for the video series Drawing Children for Children’s Book Illustrations .
You can check out the promotion details here.
