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Archive for May, 2012
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
Z is for Moose
by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky (Greenwillow Books)
This book is sure to delight all young alphabet-lovers and their parents, with special fun for moose-lovers: and who isn’t one? I had the pleasure of watching a parent and child making their way through the expected choices of apple, ball, and cat, where the young reader found her bearings, but by D the moose jumps in, and gets called out by a zebra wearing a movie director’s hat and carrying a clipboard. The elephant on the E page looks angry at the mistake. Moose keeps hoping for a turn, but when the M page finally comes, Moose is upstaged by a gleeful mouse. Chaos ensues, until the happy and clever ending.
Tags: alphabet books, animals, funny, Greenwillow Books, Kelly Bingham, Paul O. Zelinsky, Z is for Moose
Posted in Books Ages 0-3, Books Ages 3-6, Recommended Books, Top of the Shelf | No Comments »
Monday, May 28th, 2012
Lucy Cousins brainstormed a lot of names for her adorable mouse character before she decided “Maisy” was the perfect fit. Which of the following names was NOT a proposed name for Maisy? Leave your guesses in the comments below and I’ll be back at the end of the week with the answer.
1. Mossy
2. Matilda
3. Minton McMouse
4. Madeleine
5. Marnie
6. Morag
7. Melody
8. Marigold
9. Miriam
10. Mona
Tags: Lucy Cousins, Maisy, picture book puzzler, quiz, Trivia
Posted in Picture Book Puzzlers | No Comments »
Saturday, May 26th, 2012
We had a visit from our favorite mouse, Maisy, today! She stopped by to help celebrate our newest exhibition, Our British Cousins: The Magical Art of Maisy and Friends. A young guest even got her to autograph some of the picture books he just bought in our store. It made his day. You can meet Maisy too, tomorrow, Sunday May 27 at 2:30 and again the weekend of June 2nd & 3rd.
In the meantime, you can browse our Maisy section of our online store. We have books, prints, toys and even fabric! Check back soon for even more as it arrives. Have a great weekend!
Tags: Lucy Cousins, Maisy
Posted in Just for Fun | No Comments »
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
It’s been a bit of a strange spring so far in New England. After a winter so warm I never even pulled out my wool socks, the summery March days we had woke the tulips up ahead of schedule before cooling way down again. Baseball season, however, started up right on time, and this year I’ve been paying a little more attention than usual. In conjunction with the current exhibition, We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Original Paintings by Kadir Nelson, The Carle will be hosting its annual Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, June 9th. It’s going to be a great day, filled with author and illustrator demonstrations, story times, a choral performance, guided gallery tours, games, art activities, and even a special presentation by members of the Negro League Baseball Players Association.
I’m not proud to admit that I’ve been pretty ignorant of baseball most of my life (it was after moving to the Boston area a few years ago, that I learned that Red Sox was spelled with an –x at the end as opposed to the more traditional ‘socks’), but this season has been different. Surrounded by the deep beauty of Kadir Nelson’s paintings and helping to plan the baseball-themed Children’s Book Festival has revealed to me the allure of the sport—the patience, the elegance, the ability to fail but then still succeed. And along with that, I’ve discovered an amazing number of extraordinary baseball picture books—gorgeous books that capture the electric crack of the bat as well as tell stories of the sport’s momentous history and heroes. We’re grateful to have such a host of these illustrators and authors coming to the museum on June 9th to greet fans, sign books and talk about their work. Here is a sampling of just some of these wonderful books. Check them out, read up, and come back to have them signed on June 9th! Go Socks!
 She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story, Written by Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Don Tate
 Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King, Written by Richard Michelson, Illustrated by Zachary Pullen
 There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Written and Illustrated by Matt Tavares
 Satchel Paige, Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Tags: Audrey Vernick, baseball, Don Tate, James Ransome, Kadir Nelson, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King, Matt Tavares, Negro League Baseball, Rich Michelson, Satchel Paige, She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story, There Goes Ted Williams, We Are the Ship, Zachary Pullen
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
Hello friends! I’m sorry it has been so long between blog posts. As we’ve been navigating staffing changes here at The Carle Bookshop, I admit I’ve been having a little trouble finding time to do all the blog posts that I’ve been dreaming about writing. So here to help me out is Carle Museum co-worker (and also fellow Simmons grad!) Emily Prabhaker.
Emily is a Museum Educator here at The Carle where works to develop and present programs and workshops connecting the picture book with the development of visual and verbal literacy. Before coming to The Carle, she worked to coordinate non-profit arts and literacy programming and as an educator with students of varying ages and exceptionalities. She has a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons College.
Please join me in welcoming Emily!
Posted in Musings | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick Press)
The author-illustrator of the lovely Higher! Higher! offers more bright colors, simple text, and a tribute to imagination. A family is having fun, with a girl on dad’s back, mom carrying a baby, and a dog chasing a ball, but by the second spread, the girl is riding that dog instead of dad. Subsequent pages show her urging, “Faster! Faster!” while she rides a bunny, ostrich, horse, cheetah, bird, dolphin, and exhausted turtle, who turns into dad in the final page turns. Tired and happy. The brilliant colors and energy in the book will make readers want to take this ride again.
Tags: animals, Candlewick Press, daughter, fantasy, Faster! Faster!, father, imagination, Leslie Patricelli, picture books
Posted in Books Ages 0-3, Books Ages 3-6, Recommended Books, Top of the Shelf | No Comments »
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers and grandmothers out there!
Do you have a special book that you remember your mother reading to you? That special book for me and my mother is Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney.
You can read about my special bond with my mother over this beautiful picture book here.
Share with us your memories about special picture books to you and your mother. Happy Mother’s Day!
Tags: moms, Mother's Day, picture books
Posted in Musings | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
I’m sure by now you have all heard of the sad news that children’s book creator Maurice Sendak passed yesterday at the age of 83. Maurice Sendak changed the face of 20th century picture book, most notably with his Caldecott-winning Where the Wild Things Are, a book that is now a staple in every children’s bookstore and cherished so deeply in so many homes around the world. We honor him here at The Carle every day in our logo and remember The Carle’s inaugural exhibit of Maurice Sendak’s artwork in our galleries.
As the world mourns this loss, we also enjoy looking back at our memories of Maurice Sendak, whether they are personal interactions or memories created by spending time reading his books as children or to our own children. I asked Nick Clark, our Chief Curator and personal friend of Maurice, to share with us a very special visit with Maurice at his home in Connecticut last June.
Every once in a while you get to do something very, very special in your job. I had such an opportunity last June.
We had organized an exhibition of Tomi Ungerer’s work in honor of his 80th birthday. Tomi’s relationship to the US was complicated, ultimately even very negative, so it was both exciting and daunting to know he was returning for the first time in many years. I think he was astonished by the warm welcome he received everywhere. Like Maurice, Tomi was a protégé of the legendary editor Ursala Nordstrom, and the two young artists had become dear friends. By last summer, however, that had not seen each other in 37 years. After our exhibition opening, I drove Tomi from Amherst to New York City with an important detour to Maurice’s home in Connecticut. There I was privy to the most heartfelt reunion between the two unconquerable artists (and of course there were a few good laughs at other people’s expense). Maurice asked Tomi how it felt to be back in the states and he replied, “I have been able to make a nice wine out of sour grape.” Certainly the visit with Maurice contributed to this lovely fermentation.
 (l-r) Nick Clark, Maurice Sendak, and Tomi Ungerer
 Tomi Ungerer and Maurice Sendak
 Maurice Sendak and Tomi Ungerer, with Sendak's german shephard Herman The photographs of us were taken in Maurice’s lovely yard with his beloved shepherd, Herman.
Please feel free to share your own memories of Maurice Sendak and the impact his books have had on your life in comments below.
Tags: Maurice Sendak, Nick Clark, Tomi Ungerer
Posted in Authors, Illustrators, Musings | 1 Comment »
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