Hi, everyone! Welcome to Uncovered, a feature that I usually do over at our sister site
Nite Lite Reviews. When I feature a YA cover, I cross post it here on RNSL so you all can join in the cover fun. Let's get to is, shall we?
This week I have
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block. I've had my eye on this cover for a little while now and I love it more each time I see it. Butterflies and birds have been pretty popular on covers lately, but I can't complain because I really enjoy the sort of bursting forth imagery they are often used for. And indeed, it does look like something is bursting from the mind of the young woman on the cover. I also really like the woodblock style illustration on the lower half. At first it looks like just water but then I see the house, flower, and an eye, all of which intrigue me. The cover itself tells a story and it makes me want to know more about this book.
I would read this for the title alone (I am a fan of Love in the Time of Cholera), but the cover makes me want to read it even more. Love in the Time of Global Warming will be released until Aug 27, 2013 (Henry Holt & Co).
Are you sick of birds and butterflies yet or do you love them like I do?
I’m thrilled to begin my '2013 Author Interviews' with Children’s Author and Illustrator, Bryan Langdo.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a children's author and illustrator?
I've always wanted to draw, ever since I was two. In middle school I started taking art lessons from children's author/illustrator Robert J. Blake. He held the class in his studio, so we always got to see firsthand the process of making a picture book. Something just clicked in me when I saw all the possibilities in combining storytelling with drawing.
How did you get started?
I started sending book proposals (manuscript plus two or three illustration samples) to publishers in the fall of 1998. I had a list of about a dozen publishers that I focused on. Each time a manuscript came back rejected (which it almost always did), I would put it in a new envelope and send it to the next publisher on my list. While a proposal was making the rounds, I would pretty much forget about it and start on another book idea, always trying to stay busy. I got lots of rejection letters, but every now and then I would receive some advice or words of encouragement from the editors who'd reviewed my work.
When and where do you write and illustrate most often?
Most of my process takes place in my head, while doing everyday things like driving. Once I've got the big ideas worked out, I'll sit down at my computer and get to typing. I draw in my sketchbook pretty much wherever: the dining room table, in front of the computer (because that's where I listen to music), on the couch. I have a proper studio that I only use when it's time to do final artwork. I can't sketch in there for some reason.
Tell us about your book characters, Hippo and Gorilla. What inspired you to write about them?
Hippo lives life to the fullest and isn't afraid to make mistakes. He's a wonderful friend and always means well, but he doesn't always think things through first. In fact, he almost never does. Gorilla, on the other hand, is quiet and so careful that he sometimes misses out on fun opportunities. Each character helps the other. Hippo gets Gorilla to "live a little" and Gorilla reins Hippo in, keeping him from doing too much damage. They're based (loosely) on my two children, who have very different personalities but are extremely close.
Tell us about the concept for your children's eBooks.
My best friend and I (CJ DeGennaro--he did all the sound, music, and technical stuff with these books) wanted to make eBooks that engage young kids without too much interactivity, which, in our humble opinion, takes away from the simple act of reading/listening to a good story. We both have kids and, while we like a lot of what e-readers have to offer, we don't want reading to become like video game-playing. Our goal with "Hippo and Gorilla" is to create a series that is more like the books-on-tape that we grew up with: narration, limited music, and a few key sound effects.
What do you enjoy about the most about the process?
It's hard to say... Recording the talented Billy Bob Thompson (our narrator) was a lot of fun, but I'd have to say that my favorite part of the process is the writing. Imagining ridiculous scenarios to stick Hippo and Gorilla in is a blast.
Have there been any challenges publishing in eBook format?
I'm used to illustrating for print books, so there were a few things I had to get used to, but not much. Most of the real challenge fell to CJ. He spent a couple months learning how to program the books and navigate the e-publishing world. I had it easy; all I had to to was write and draw silly pictures.
What advice would you give other author/illustrators?
Edit like crazy. The Hippo and Gorilla stories all started about three times longer than the finished versions. I spent most of my time just cutting words. And don't get too attached to anything. Sometimes a clever sentence that you're really proud of no longer works with the story you've written. Let it go. If you want to write, make the time. If you have two kids and a full-time job, write at night. You'll be happy you did. And if no publisher will publish you, publish yourself. You can do that these days. It's a wonderful thing!
What's are you currently working on?
I'm working on a few things. More Hippo and Gorilla, for one. We also plan to re-release my first picture book, The Dog Who Loved the Good Life, which was originally published by Henry Holt & Co. a while back. I'm working on a chapter book series too.
Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle
ISBN 10/13: 0805092404 | 9780805092400
Category: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Keywords: Pirates, Diversity, Historical Fiction
Kimberly's review:
A gorgeously written account of the first Caribbean pirate shipwreck in the 1500s. Our hero, Quebrado, is a slave of Taino Indian and Spanish ancestry. He belongs to no one, a child of two worlds, of two languages. He is a slave on the famous Vernardino de Talavera's pirate ship, the first of its kind in the Caribbean Sea, and a very important hostage is on board with them, Alonso de Ojeda.
The story is based on actual events, though Quebrado himself is fictional. After the shipwreck, Quedbrado is taken in by local natives where he befriends young star crossed lovers Caucubu and Narido and their native families. Here, he begins to belong and live as one of them, his old life coming back, before he was a slave. But fate has a mind of her own as Bernardino de Talavera and Alonso de Ojeda also survived the shipwreck, and find Quedbrado and his new friends.
The five characters' voices are strong, swimming in emotion and lyricism. I felt the rocking of the hurricane, the shipwreck, Quebrado's thoughts. No wonder the book's setting is near water. The prose flows gently, waving up and over catching you and pulling you in.
I read it in one sitting and had to re-read this powerful book. (I already have plans to buy it. This is definitely a book to keep on the shelf, recommend it to friends, and pull off the bookcase for a delightful journey.) The magic is there. The strong themes of hope, forgiveness and survival propel this story forward. It's amazing to read in the author's note she is a descendant of the indigenous Cubans, like her characters in this book, who survived after years of genocide.
Do yourself a favor. Get this book. Relax for an hour or two one afternoon and be swept away in a world of pirates, natives and one boy who had the strength to not lose hope.
Visit the author at
http://www.margaritaengle.com
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
ISBN 10/13: 0805076689 / 9780805076684
Category: Young Adult Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover (also available in
paperback,
audiobook, and
Kindle Edition)
Keywords: Futuristic, Memory, Healing
How I found out about this book: Alethea listened to the audiobook for
YABC, and later bought the hardcover when her husband insisted that something so quotable should definitely be taking up shelf space in their library. Kimberly borrowed the hardcover.
Kimberly's review: Who is Jenna Fox?
The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a beautiful multi-layered story of a girl and her search for herself. After waking from a year long coma, Jenna Fox's memory is almost wiped clean. She must relearn how to live, who she once was, and who she is now.
As the novel slowly unfolds, its depth is revealed in waves of prose with scattered poetry. At only 265 pages, it took me a couple of days to read. This book is small but dense and thick, and should be read slowly, savoring every word. Don't miss anything, or you'll be sorry! It's more than a simple identity story, more than a sci-fi YA story, more than a coming of age story. It's a life story, relearning and falling back into who you were and who you choose to be. And who others expect you to be and how you break that mold, or not.
Well written and vivid, I felt a real sense of the characters. Jenna's narration is a teenager struggling, helpless, sorrowful and yet strong and resourceful. She fights. She stands her ground. And she becomes who she was meant to be. Her cast of friends include the sweet Ethan, and the complicated Allys. Her parents are three dimensional, showing all the signs of love, wear and tear. Lily, her grandmother, is a beautiful character, the center of the family. I felt like she had such presence in the story, her voice always ringing with truth.
Alethea's review: I just loved this story! It brims with
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That's a gorgeous cover. I don't mind the butterfly trend, I love them :) And I would totally read the book for the cover and title alone!
glad i am not the only one, ivana. i hope the colors are as pretty in person as they are on the interwebs.