105 Ways to Give a Book
Showing posts with label Robert's Snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert's Snow. Show all posts

Robert’s Snow

Posted by MotherReader at 10:44 AM
As you know if you’ve been visiting any children’s book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert’s Snow is an online auction that benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. More than 200 children’s book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert’s Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far — diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here’s the schedule for the past week. As previously, this schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa’s post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 12 Tuesday, November 13
Wednesday, November 14Thursday, November 15 Friday, November 16
Saturday, November 17 Sunday, November 18 Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause. The auction begin Monday, November 16th.
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Robert’s Snow Week in Review

Posted by MotherReader at 8:55 PM
As you know if you’ve been visiting any children’s book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert’s Snow is an online auction that benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. More than 200 children’s book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert’s Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far — diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here’s the schedule for the past week, so you can go back and see the features. As previously, this schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa’s post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 5
Tuesday, November 6
Wednesday, November 7
Thursday, November 8
Friday, November 9
Saturday, November 10
Sunday, November 11

Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

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Robert’s Snow: Mo Willems

Posted by MotherReader at 12:01 AM
I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten used to the cute and cuddly Mo Willems. The one who brought us the Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny. The one who gave us Elephant and Piggie. The man who worked on Sesame Street animation for years and took home those Emmys. The man who looks all cute and cuddly himself in his new blog header from his (apparently GQ) photo shoot.

But Mo is a man fighting monsters. Or at least creatively expressing monsters. Perhaps the darkness within fought to escape and having no place in the growing Elephant and Piggie series, worked its way into this Mo-riginal snowflake for the Robert’s Snow project.

Mo Willems’s SnowflakeAs has been mentioned all through the kidlit blogs, artists from all over the children’s book illustrating community have created special snowflakes to be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting sarcoma research at Dana-Farber. These snowflake auctions became known as the event “Robert’s Snow.” As a participant, Mo was kind enough to take a few minutes from his busy schedule of writing, touring, and being fantastic to answer a few questions for MotherReader.

How did you get involved in the Robert’s Snow project?

Honestly, I can’t remember. Jarrett K. may have threatened not to talk to me if I didn’t do one, or he may have threatened to talk to me if I didn’t do one. Either way, it’s fairly easy to say yes to organizations that do actual good.

While most of the snowflakes feature winter or Christmas scenes, yours is kind of, like, a monster. What’s up with that?

I have always been terrified of snowflakes. I distrust their uniqueness and they way they lurk.

I’ve noticed some monster themes cropping up in your work — the Monsters in Underpants guide, some sketches on your blog, and now your snowflake. Are monsters ready to make another appearance in your books? (Rumor has it that Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, has been very lonely.)

Leonardo may return, but not for a few years and not how you expect him… (hee hee).

I’ve been lucky to have broken news about your upcoming books. I heard about your early reader series at your speech here in Northern Virginia. We talked about your work on Knuffle Bunny Too at the National Book Festival. Well, both of those have come out now and I’ve got no inside track. Nothing. Bubkes. Care to make any announcements about what’s next for you?

There will be a new Pigeon book in Spring 2008, but we’re only revealing the first 4 words of the title: “THE. PIGEON. WANTS. A. __________ !”

If you think you can guess what he wants, then (starting in December) you can enter a contest on pigeonpresents.com to win a school visit from me.

Extra added bonus: the titles of the next Elephant and Piggie books (due early summer 08):

I LOVE MY NEW TOY!

I WILL SURPRISE MY FRIEND!

Everyone’s asking: What are you going to be for Halloween?

The All-American Hero: Captain Dad!
Powers: Napping, Sending Villains to Their Room
Weakness: Adorable Daughters in Costume

If you’re interested in owning the Mo-flake (listen, I can go all day with these), the 2007 online auctions for bidding on these hand-painted snowflakes will take place in three separate auctions, open to everyone, from November 19–23, November 26–30, and December 3–7 (this is when you’ll find the Mo creation!). You can go to the event site for more information and to participate in the auction.

This year, more than 200 well-known children’s book illustrators from around the world have been given a five-inch wooden snowflake to decorate at will. Many, but not all, of the snowflake-making illustrators will be featured across sixty-five blogs. An updated list of snowflake and illustrator features is available at Seven Impossible Things, along with more information about the push behind the bloggers’ involvement in the project and the original call to action. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa’s post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.
Here’s the schedule for features this week:

Monday, October 29 Tuesday, October 30
Wednesday, October 31
Thursday, November 1
Friday, November 2
Saturday, November 3
Sunday, November 4
Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

Oh, and Happy Halloween!
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Robert’s Snow Schedule

Posted by MotherReader at 8:59 AM
I’m posting the Robert’s Snow schedule at the end of the week so you can go back and see what you missed. It has nothing to do with the fact that it’s Poetry Friday and I don’t have a poem. Nothing at all.

Next week — on Halloween to be precise — I’ll be host to Mo Willems. I’ll dare to ask the question on everyone’s mind about his unusual snowflake — namely WTF?

Monday, October 22

Tuesday, October 23

Wednesday, October 24

Thursday, October 25

Friday, October 26

Saturday, October 27

Sunday, October 28

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Robert’s Snow: Denise Fleming

Posted by MotherReader at 10:06 PM
Mama Cat Has Three KittensWow, Denise Fleming. I’ve loved her books since I first read Mama Cat Has Three Kittens to my daughters. That silly, sleepy kitten Boris cracked us up. Then I discovered the wonderful Time to Sleep, which doubles as both a seasonal and a bedtime story. Afterward, I was hooked on a Fleming and high on believing in her amazing work. I’ve read her books to my daughters. I’ve used them in storytimes at the library. I’ve urged my library to include them in summer reading lists.

Time To SleepFleming images are so vibrant and vivid. Her illustrations are the visual equivalent of running across a wide green grass field on a bright summer day with a blue sky overhead dotted with white puffy clouds. Well, before I got old and overweight and running made me short of breath and slightly nauseous, but you get my point.

Beetle BopHer newest book, Beetle Bop, came out earlier this year and takes readers into the world of brightly colored bugs with a rocking reading rhythm. Beetle Bop is Fleming's fifteenth — fifteenth! — book, sticking with her basic book-a-year plan, starting with the publication of In the Tall, Tall Grass in 1991.

All of her books are listed at her fantastic website. Along with that list of all of her books — with their various accolades — she also has activities related to each of her titles and information on papermaking. I had planned on asking her about her process, but couldn’t do any better than the question-and-answer section she had on her site. (And, ahem, couldn't get around to writing her.) So if you were curious as to how long it takes her to make a book — and, by the way, what’s involved in that — you might find this helpful:
I work on a book for about a year. Now, I don’t work each and every day and at certain points I may put the book away for a week or two so that I can look at what I have done with fresh eyes, but from start to finish a year passes. Some pictures I do quite quickly — 3 or 4 days, other pictures may take longer. Making a picture requires quite a few steps: design the page, transfer the design to foam board for the stencils, cut the stencils, dye the cotton fiber, pour the picture using cotton fiber, flip off the finished picture, sponge excess moisture from the picture, put picture in vacuum table to get out even more moisture, then put the picture in the drying press for 3–5 days, once a day I change the blotter paper in the drying press…WHEW, I am exhausted just thinking about it!
 P. S. and of course I have to write the book… that comes first :-)
Now I have the great fortune to profile her snowflake for Robert Snow. Isn't it lovely? (Click on the picture to make it larger.)

Denise Fleming's SnowflakeAs has been mentioned all through the kidlit blogs, artists from all over the children’s book illustrating community have created special snowflakes to be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting sarcoma research at Dana-Farber. These snowflake auctions became known as the event “Robert’s Snow.”

This year, more than 200 well-known children’s book illustrators from around the world have been given a five-inch wooden snowflake to decorate at will. The 2007 online auctions for bidding on these hand-painted snowflakes will take place in three separate auctions, open to everyone, from November 19–23, November 26–30 (this is when you'll find the Fleming snowflake!), and December 3–7. You can go to the event site for more information and to participate in the auction.

Many, but not all, of the snowflake-making illustrators will be featured across sixty-five blogs. An updated list of snowflake and illustrator features is available at Seven Impossible Things, along with more information about the push behind the bloggers’ involvement in the project and the original call to action. The past week of snowflake features follows:

Monday, October 15
Tuesday, October 16
Wednesday, October 17
Thursday, October 18
Friday, October 19
Saturday, October 20
Sunday, October 21
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
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