All posts filed under: picture book

MAKIminimag_Listen Listen_Paul Rand_Ann Rand

Listen! Listen! by Ann and Paul Rand

Published by patricia

  The beauty of everyday sounds.  Listen! Listen! by Ann and Paul Rand is a fascinating children´s book just about that, published in 1970. The “Blop” of a raindrop, the “Wham!” of a shutting door, the whisper of the wind in the trees, the “Crunch Crunch” of a toast. Ann Rand collects all those loud and quiet, happy and scary sounds and turns them into beautiful, rhythmic rhymes. Paul Rand accompanies the words with simple, striking (paper cut) forms, bright primary colours and funny little details. Such as the hammer next to the piggybank (Sparschwein/spaarvarken): nothing happens at the end (the hammer is used for building) but in your imagination you can hear the clattering sound of the breaking porcelain pig! But the best sound is….wait! Read, no: LISTEN YOURSELF!   But the noise I like the very best is early morning before sunrise because then (when I keep my eyes tigth shut) I can hear the world wake up. It´s a wonderful mixed-up sound. From far and near From air and ground it comes from all …

MAKI:minimag_Gaston_illustrated by Christian Robinson

Gaston – A bulldog & poodle mix up illustrated by Christian Robinson

Published by patricia

Two dogs, a small bulldog and a little poodle are the main characters in this story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Christian Robinson.  What they learn? That family is truly about love and not looks! The tale is about four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. Gaston does his best at his lessons on how to be a true poodle. He sips—never slobbers! He yips—never yaps! And he walks with grace—never races! Gaston fits perfect with his little poodle sisters. But then an encounter with a bulldog family in the park—Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette—changes everything. Obviously there has been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch their places. The new families look right…but they don’t feel right. Will the puppies follow their noses—and their hearts—to find where they really belong? Another funny, meaningful illustrated gem by our favourite Christian Robinson! In a video about the choices he made for the illustrations Christian Robinson points to the colours that challenge gender norms, the representation of coloured people  and the absence of traditional family structures  – in this case the missing of any father figures …

MAKI:minimag_Seasons by Blexbolex_Summer reading list

Summer reading list #5 : Seasons by Blexbolex

Published by patricia

Today it is already the last book of our summer reading list: “Seasons” by Blexbolex. The illustrations about summer are so lovely and diverse that even if it is a book about all the four seasons we chose it for our summer reading list. On creamy-white paper a world of associative, silkscreen-like illustrations unfolds – about the cycle of nature and the different qualities of the seasons. Every picture is combined with a descriptive term in capital letters. “A picnic, a shadow, a camping”. “Seasons” shows general themes and things such as ice-cream, swimming pool and departure, but zooms in on small details as well, such as a sunburn, a forgotten towel or ant-trails.   Blexbolex is a French author, comics artist and illustrator. He has a special, highly experimental approach to printmaking and book production. His illustrations are quite poster-like, with simple shapes, bold colours and an overall retro-feel. Blexbolex has won prestigious awards as the Best Book Design at the Leipzig Book Fair 2009 and The New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 2010). If you want to know more …

MAKI:minimag_Under the ocean_summer reading list

Summer reading list #4 : under the ocean

Published by patricia

Under the Ocean: That is where number 4 of our summer reading list brings us. After #1 about playing in the sand, #2 about the summer garden and #3 about an ABC of a sailor it is time to go diving. “Under the sea” is a beautifully designed pop-up book that plays the dichotomy between down and under, above the water and in the sea well. While on the top side you can find boats, ships, islands and harbours there is a totally different world under the surface: whales, fishes and turtles, divers and corals, icebergs and seashells. So: Climb aboard the red sailboat Océano and get ready to depart on an exciting expedition around the world! The scenery changes as the boat sails from a busy port to the icy Arctic, through stormy seas, on into an idyllic sunset. But it’s what lies under the ocean that will surprise and thrill you the most. “Under the ocean” combines inspiring pop-ups with cutting-edge illustration and design in a celebration of the splendors of the ocean. Anouck Boisrobert is …

MAKI:minimag_ABC du marin_Virginie Morgand_summer reading list

Summer reading list #3 : ABC du marin

Published by patricia

Today it is time for number three on our Summer Reading List: ABC du marin by French artist Virginie Morgand. A book full of wonderful illustrations, inspired by hands-on printing techniques and 50ies/60ies children´s toys and literature. The Paris based artist uses hand drawn shapes and bright colours to create vibrant images full of life and energy. Anchors, buoys, bulls-eye´s, pirates and parrots, lighthouses – it is all there in this blue, red and yellow sceneries. A perfect book for summer, like a little vacation and a graphic adventure in one. That is why we put it on our summer reading list. Virginie’s background is in animation but, having learnt how to screen print at L’atelier Dupont, she has developed her own visual language as an illustrator working for a growing number of clients. Recent projects include children’s books for book publisher MeMo, illustrations for The Sunday Times, Elle magazine, Barneys in New York, and front covers for Ballroom Review, The Parisianer and Erratum. If you want to see more of her fantastic work look over here. Like …

MAKI:minimag_summer reading list_Im Garten von Alain Gree

MAKI:minimag summer reading list – #2

Published by patricia

We have compiled a little summer reading list with five of our favourite children´s books. Number 1 has been “Backe backe Kuchen”, about playing with sand. Number 2 on the MAKI:minimag summer reading list is “Heidi, Peter und der Garten” (Heidi, Peter and the garden) by French illustration hero Alain Grée. It is about Heidi and Peter visiting their uncle Bertram and his garden. In beautiful colours Grée shows  sorts of flowers in the garden, the different trees, tells about the vegetable garden and how you care for it. It shows the animals that live in a garden and features a little picture story about how an apple becomes a tree becomes an apple again. We love these vintage illustrations in bold 60/70ies  colours and their naivety of form. There are other books of Alain Grée (which are available in English) which are great for a summer reading list. There is “Nature”,  a compilation of books, including, amongst others, ‘On the farm’ and ‘In the forest’. In simple words it tells children about the different flora and fauna they …

MAKI:minimag_Backe, backe Kuchen

Children´s books for summer – Five MAKI:minimag favourites – #1

Published by patricia

As summer has definitely started here in the Netherlands I wanted to show you five of my favourite children´s books for summer – this best time of the year. “Backe, backe Kuchen, der Bäcker hat gerufen” (Bake, bake a cake, the baker called) originally is a children´s song and nursery rhyme about what you need to bake a cake. 20 years ago, writer Anne Geelhar turned it into a picture book verse and a story about a brother and a sister playing in the sandbox. And artist and children´s book illustrator Inge Gürtzig did the beautiful linoleum stencil illustrations. In summer colours and sharp outlines. A happy and simple children´s play scenery, with the girl and the boy serving cakes and cookies to their teddy, duck and Punch. Number one of our five children’ s books for summer is perfect to read to little ones, to learn a new song and to get some inspiration for great sand box cakes:).   Like this:Like Loading…

MAKI:minimag_William Bee_Whatever

Whatever

Published by patricia

Whatever by William Bee is one of the funniest children books. Great illustrations, not a lot of words, And a great, hilarious ending… The original version had much more pages, if you want to see some pages that did not make it into the final version, check William Bee´s blog. “Whatever” says Billy. It doesn’t matter what Dad shows him – whether it’s the tallest giraffe or the smallest butterfly or the world’s curliest trumpet or the steamiest train. Even a trip to outer space yields the dismissive response, “Whatever”. Until, that is, Billy meets the world’s hungriest tiger and is promptly gobbled up. “I’m still in here Dad,” yells Billy. “Whatever,” says Dad! Like this:Like Loading…

MAKI:minimag_ABC der Tiere_Piatti

ABC der Tiere – Animal ABC

Published by patricia

When I stood in the bookshop lately I saw a book. And I suddenly had this memory flashback: me, as a little kid, sitting on a small striped couch, book on the lap, watching these impressive drawings of animals… lots of black lines …strong colours… a kind of intensity and strangeness about them. I am talking about Celestino Piatti´s Animal ABC. What a picture book classic! I will try to find the original book at my parents house. But in the meantime I took some photographs of the new edition (Nord Süd, 2015) at the bookshop. Celestino Piatti (1922-1907) was a Swiss graphic designer, painter and book designer. He illustrated some very famous children’s book, as “The happy owls”. He achieved international success as a designer for the Deutsche Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV). The Animal’s ABC, with its colour intensive, black outline style dates from 1965. It was published just two years after Maurice Sendak´s children´s book classic “Where the wild things are”.         Like this:Like Loading…

MAKI:minimag_Daisy Hirst_The girl with the parrot...

The girl with the parrot on her head

Published by patricia

When I have been to Austria lately I spent hours in the children´s departement of my favourite book store. And there I found this sweet new title „The Girl with the Parrot on her Head“ by British writer and illustrator Daisy Hirst. It is about a little girl called Isabel who has to say goodbye to her best friend Simon because he is moving away. A truly frustrating experience for her, making her angry and lonely at the same time. She tries to cope by organizing her stuff in boxes and embracing loneliness – but nothing helps. Until she steps outside her little world and finds a new friend. The story that seems to be so simple is actually full of metaphors. The parrot represents her boundless imagination, her loneliness is embodied by an imaginary wolf, which she banishes with the support of her new friend. Daisy Hirst captures all these deep underlying themes in simple language and whimsical illustrations. If you want to know more about how she developed the story and artwork, please …