Neil Gaiman urges creatives to “make great art”

It is way too easy to feel discouraged when you are starting out in publishing. Even if you’ve been in it for a while–everything seems to move at snail’s pace.

I found this video in which Neil Gaiman addresses the 2012 graduates of University of the Arts really inspiring and wanted to share it with all of you.  He offers perhaps the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard for a creatives: MAKE GREAT ART. Make that YOUR goal. Make mistakes. Enjoy the ride.

I pulled out my to do list last night–I made it in 1998 when I was an assistant at William Morrow and Company Children’s Books Marketing & Publicity Department. I was filing a lot during those days and creating very little. But jobs like that (of the paper-cut-and-filing-variety) pushed me forward to pursue my dream of designing marketing materials, then books, then art directing books, and eventually becoming a literary agent. The process felt slow, but along the way I have picked up so many invaluable lessons that I carry with me. I have so many tasks to still check off my list–but I am happy to say I am moving closer to my mountains.

Are you moving towards or away from your mountain?

Please share with me below the bits/pieces from Neil’s speech that you connected with the most!

If video isn’t working below, use this link: Neil Gaiman Addresses the 2012 University of the Arts Class

enjoy!

xx, tk

Happy book birthday to WHERE DO DIGGERS SLEEP AT NIGHT?

So excited to wish a very Happy Book Birthday to the sweet and noisy picture book WHERE DO DIGGERS SLEEP AT NIGHT? by debut author Brianna Caplan Sayres and illustrator Christian Slade.

Hooray Brianna!! I totally DIG you and your book!!

The reviewers are digging this book too:

“For the vehicle obsessed kid, this is the perfect combination between GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE and HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOODNIGHT. Taking you from the construction site to the farm to the monster truck arena and more, little ones will be ready to close their eyes by the time they’ve visited each truck!”—Random Acts of Reading blog

“In her first picture-book text, Sayres appeals to preschool truck enthusiasts by imagining the bedtime routines of personified trucks and construction equipment. Where do the dump trucks, fire engines, snowplows, giant cranes, and tractors sleep at night? Are they tucked in, read to, sung to, or rocked to sleep by their moms and dads? The many unanswered questions are likely to intrigue preschoolers long after their charm has worn thin for adults rereading the book, but Sayres, the mother of two sons, plays to the younger crowd. Slade’s colorful, expressive illustrations animate the vehicles and other machines with big eyes, broad smiles, and the occasional yawn. Although most of the scenes take place outdoors, the final setting, illuminated only by a night-light, is a boy’s bedroom, strewn with toy trucks that look curiously familiar. Sure to find an audience among small fans of big trucks.”— Carolyn Phelan, Booklist

“Another good old truck book; they never come amiss.
Newcomer Sayres hits plenty of sweet notes with this tribute to the trucks of our world, singing them off to sleep in comforting couplets. “Where do diggers sleep at night? / Do they dream of holes they dug?” Children’s identification with these beasts of the road and worksite is swift and complete. Dump trucks, fire trucks, car transporters, garbage trucks: “Where do garbage trucks sleep / when they’re done collecting trash? / Do their dads sniff their load and say, / ‘Pee-yew—time to take a bath’?” So there is a touch of low comedy, too, as well as the kind of inclusive generosity that welcomes monster trucks into their midst. Plus a natty tongue-twister to hurry along those nodding off to sleep: “Do their flashing fire-red beacons / make for super-bright night-lights?” Slade’s artwork is dessert rich, with great soupy smiles and droopy eyes, backdrops of small towns here and small cities there, all under blueberry-stained night skies. For all the heavy lifting, this book works well as a lullaby, the illustrations shifting neatly, if predictably, at the end to a little boy’s room and its bevy of toy trucks.
Trucks can be big and noisy and moderately terrifying. Caught right, as here—what’s not to love? (Picture book. 3-6)”—Kirkus Reviews

Order your copy of WHERE DO DIGGERS SLEEP AT NIGHT? today!

 

WHERE DO DIGGERS SLEEP AT NIGHT? coming soon

help me open this box of advanced copies:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(boy do i get the BEST mail!)

coming to bookshelves soon: WHERE DO DIGGERS SLEEP AT NIGHT by Brianna Caplan Sayres, illustrated by Christian Slade > available May 22!

xx- tk

The story of LITTLE DOG LOST continues . . .

What happened to Baltic the dog after his rescue?
Visit author/illustrator Monica Carnesi’s blog to find out what students at St. David’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina are envisioning.

Book People Unite!

Could not resist sharing this video! What a great video for a great cause: Reading is Fundamental.

Join the movement at  bookpeopleunite.org!

Book Birthday: MRS. HARKNESS AND THE PANDA by Alicia Potter

So excited to wish a happy book birthday to this simply stunning picture book!

In 1934, Ruth Harkness had never seen a panda bear.  Not many people in the world had.

But soon the young Mrs. Harkness would inherit an expedition from her explorer husband: the hunt for a panda.  She knew that bringing back a panda would be hard. Impossible, even.  But she intended to try.

With breathtaking illustrations from Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet, Alicia Potter shares the tale of an adventurous woman who was bold and brave—and the unforgettable journey that helped shape American attitudes toward wildlife.

MRS. HARKNESS AND THE  PANDA
by Alicia Potter
illustrated by  Melissa Sweet

March 13. Knopf.

* Starred Review from BOOKLIST
The first lines provide the hook, “In 1934, Ruth Harkness had never seen a panda bear. Not many people in the world had.” When her husband dies in China, Harkness grieves for him and longs for the panda he had promised to bring home to her. Despite dire warnings from friends, the determined tea-gown designer set off for China on her own to find a panda and bring it back to the U.S. Sprinkling in snippets from Harkness’ own writings, this account describes her dangerous journey in an engaging, graceful narrative. The expedition is placed in the context of the time, expectations of women, and attitudes toward animals in captivity. This masterful book design employs multiple panels per page to establish contemporary attitudes and move the story, leading to the dramatic double-page spread revealing the baby panda. Sweet’s Asian style watercolor landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful. Archival postcards, coins, and newspaper headlines add delicious detail that help convey the subsequent “Panda-monium.” Appended matter includes a chronology, a short bibliography, and an author’s note explaining changes in attitudes regarding captured animals. A delight.
— Linda Perkins

Happy Book Birthday for SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR

Want to learn to play air guitar? Wear the coolest rock-star clothes? Sign your autograph for tons of fans? Then rock out with (debut artist) Kirstie Edmunds and (author) Audrey Vernick’s picture book SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR.  ORDER a copy today or visit your local bookstore!

The reviews are in and here’s what the fans are saying…..

So You Want to Be a Rock Star
Audrey Vernick, illus. by Kirstie Edmunds. Walker, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8027-2092-4

“Air guitarists, rejoice! Vernick (Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums) lays down a delightfully snark-free guide to how kids can release their inner spotlight-loving performer. The text invites readers backstage early on: “You want to be a rock star? Let’s see if you have what it takes.” From there, Vernick poses queries about the requisite tools of true rock stars (“Do you have a really cool electric guitar?”) and follows up with real-life substitutions: “That’s okay. Can you hold your left hand out to the side and strum your stomach with your right hand? Give it a try. You rock!” By book’s end, readers will have mastered loud singing, awesome dance moves, proper sneering, and autograph signing. Debut illustrator Edmunds harnesses the energy of kids’ ambition and broad creativity in her angular, pencil-and-digital-paint scenes of a boy and girl jamming with gleeful abandon. The low-tech premise—you can still rock with a mop on your head and family members as backup dancers—is refreshing, and the book’s self-esteem boost is totally in tune with an American Idol era. Ages 4–8. Agent: Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Prospect Agency. (Feb.)” –Publisher’s Weekly

Contests: SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR and LITTLE DOG LOST

Two fabulous book giveaways are quickly coming to an end:

First, author Audrey Vernick of SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR– which is illustrated by Prospect Agency’s very own uber-talented artist Kirstie Edmunds–is hosting a giveaway on her blog with some ROCK STAR swag.  But the interview with Kirstie is the icing on the cake!

Check it out  and enter to win! Contest ends Tuesday Feb 28th so HURRY!

Rock Star Palooza Begins Now: Kirstie Edmunds Interview http://lnkd.in/8RvcGr

Contest #2 is hosted by www.wegivebooks.com a charity funded by the Pearson foundation which donates books to schools. We Give Books is featuring LITTLE DOG LOST in this campaign. Visit the site to read the book. And then go to the We Give Books facebook wall, review the book, and you are automatically entered to w

in one of 150 copies during the month of February so the contest is almost over. Thank goodness its leap year!

Join over 9,700 wegivebook readers who have already read LITTLE DOG LOST– and also, take advantage of the great free picture books available.

I highly recommend the following:

BLUE CHICKEN is a favorite in our house, by Deborah Freeman.
THANK YOU, BEAR and all the BEAR books by Greg Foley.
BELINDA BEGINS BALLET by Amy Young
LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA by Anna Dewdney
NO BUNNYS PERFECT which is total *sweetness* also by Anna Dewdney

I can go on and on….. But if may be more fun if  YOU pick your favorites. Love to hear which books from www.wegivebooks.com inspire you!

Don’t forget to post a review of LITTLE DOG LOST for the chance to win a copy! http://ow.l

Happy Reading!

xx–TK
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Nursery wall art by Elisabeth Zuniga

Prospect Agency artist Elisabeth Zuniga recently paired up with Wallies® Baby to create this whimsical nursery art. FLYING HIGH Peel & Stick Wall Decor is available to order online at www.wallies.com for $18.99.

So You Want to Be A Rock Star > a Daily Candy Book Pick

Listen up Rock ‘n Rollers,

Daily Candy Kids  recently featured SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR (written by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Kirstie Edmunds) in their 19 New Books For Kids post. Click the image below to see the 18 other books chosen.

All aspiring rock stars, get your leather jackets on, and check out Kirstie’s blog to learn more about SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR which will be arriving in bookstores on February 28th.
Click to read the early reviews.

Rock on!