Swim into the underwater world of Dan Yaccarino...

You may not be familiar with the art of Dan Yaccarino on this side of the Atlantic but you may know some of his creations for preschoolers; the charming Oswald and The Backyardigans.

His work has a distinctly retro feel, its like a trip back in time. This trailer for his new book The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau really gives you an introduction to his unique style.

There are two great interviews with Dan on The Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Blog. One talking about his work here. The other is a sneak into his notebooks here.

I don't know about you, but speaking for myself I always love having a sneak peek into other peoples notebooks. It really gives you an idea of how someone thinks and solves creative problems.

Hope you enjoy!

Mini Grey

Here is an interview from Seven Impossible Things that features a great review of Mini Grey's work.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I came across this excellent blog that reviews children's books, it's a mine of information. The link below is a link to an interview with Polly Dunbar. I met Polly a few weeks ago when she was giving a talk as part of the CBI Summer School. If you don't have a copy of her book Penguin, run out and buy a copy now.
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
I'm off to Italy next Monday to Tuscany so I'm wrapping up loose strings this week. Starting with a review of the Summer Picture Books for the Irish Times. Its been fascinating, publishers are getting really creative with the marketing of their books: one book has a blog tour, another picture book has trailers on u tube!
The book worm above is an illustration that I did for the International Research Society for Children's Literature Summer Conference in 2006.