Simply Read Books

Where You Came From



When You Were Small

We're loving these books by Sara O'Leary/illustrated by Julie Morstad... and keep checking them out at the library. Perhaps it's time to make them part of the permanent collection.

Another book...

and perhaps sometime soon I'll actually write something. Until then, enjoy. Again, the illustrations are wonderful!

I LOVE these illustrations.

We picked this up at the library today. By we, I mean me. I couldn't help myself. The illustrations in the book Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu are incredible. I think I may just have to buy it. Take a look at her portfolio at www.tao-illustration.com. Apparently this work is her MFA thesis project from SVA. I'm thoroughly impressed.

Brilliant

I picked up this book for a friend a while back and wish I would have gotten myself a copy... take a look!

pink links

It's been a while since I posted some links. So here goes...

Heart card from Essimar

Leg warmers from the Purl Bee

This Is for You by Rob Ryan

Felt hearts by SewnNatural

Fancussingtastic.

The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox, designed by Pentagram.

Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to see Fantastic Mr. Fox—an absolutely wonderful movie! I was so incredibly impressed by everything—the characters, the story, the set, the art direction. It was truly fantastic. Of course, I am a fan of both Roald Dahl and of Wes Anderson, so I figured I couldn't go wrong shelling out the big bucks to see it in the theater. It's definitely worth seeing again!

Read+see more about it at:
NY Times
The making of... from Wired Magazine
Lots of videos from Apple (I especially like the one on the world of Roald Dahl)

Rainy Days = Frequent Library Visits

Another great find from the local library—Follow The Line Through the House by Laura Ljungkvist

And... yet another book with lovely illustrations—Night's Nice by Ed and Barbara Emberley (it's over 40 years old and still great!)

The Giant Jam Sandwich

Another oldie... brings back memories and the illustrations are great :-)

Dook Bay

I have to recommend yet another Shel Silverstein book that I somehow never read—Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook. This one had us in tears. The illustrations are great, but the book is just fun to read out loud. There are a few examples of some of the stories at shelsilverstein.com. Take a look!

wow.

Night Gathering by Ed Pien

I ran across this today and just had to share...

There's a new(ish) exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC called Slash: Paper Under the Knife and it looks spectacular. The site does a good job of showcasing some of the work, but I'm sure it's even better in person.

Take a look!

Logos

This has been a busy year for branding. I think I've designed more logos in the last nine months than all that I did in all of the years since college. Here are just a few...

A Giraffe and a Half

I'm not sure how I ever missed this book—I have read so many of Shel Silverstein's books since I was a wee one—and this one does not disappoint! It got several laughs from my daughter—yet another one we need to add to the permanent collection.

p.s. It's a fun one to read fast!

Tangerines and Tea

My Grandparents and Me

We actually had to take this one back to the library today... but I enjoyed it so much that I think we may have to add it to our permanent collection. It's a nice alphabet story that isn't overly obvious (no "a is for...") and the illustrations are lovely. Take a look!

Monday is still book day.

Stopped by the library today and picked up this book—Lines that Wiggle. It's a cute story, just enough to keep the attention of a just-turned-three-year-old. The illustrations are great, too! Check it out >

A book... while we're away

We're away for a short vacation in Montana (my home state!). But while we're gone, I thought I'd share one of our old favorites—Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. It's a sweet story of a monster that just isn't scary, complete with fun illustrations. It's my favorite of Mo Willems' books, who you might know from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Knuffle Bunny—also good books... but there's something about this one that just makes me smile.

Illustration Links

A few great illustration links... I think it's time to start doodling again.

Julia Rothman
I LOVE her wallpaper. LOVE. IT.


Tad Carpenter
Creator of such lovely monsters :-)

Virginia Kraljevic
Beautifully intricate drawings

Christmas in August

It's been a long time since my last post, but I wanted to share my latest "book" purchase—Eric Carle's Dream Snow Pop-Up Advent Calendar (I love Eric Carle's illustrations!!!!). I know, it's not anywhere close to Christmas... but I decided to take advantage of Chronicle Books' Friends and Family Sale and buy a few gifts. My daughter is finally old enough to start playing with some really cool stuff, so bring on the tiny pieces!

I hope she likes it as much as I will.

Monday = Bookday

On a recent trip to the library, I checked out You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. I first took a look at this book right after it was published in 2004, but wasn't able to give it the time it deserved. You don't have to be a designer or cartographer to to appreciate this collection of innovative maps. It was definitely worth a second look.

I'll be putting Katharine Harmon's new book, Maps as Art in my queue soon.

Library!!!!!

Another fruitful adventure to the library—we brought back at least a dozen books... but my favorites from this week are Sunny and Windy by Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman. The paper dioramas/landscapes are so fantastic. And the stories are just perfect to keep my nearly three-year-old interested. I absolutely must take some time away from the computer and get back to making things—perhaps creating silly dioramas with my favorite little girl would be a great place to start!

Fabulously French

Happy Bastille Day! I was inspired to share some links in honor of the holiday after listening to KEXP's tribute to French musicians this morning.

Paper Cut Map of Paris from Famille Summerbelle

Famille Summerbelle
Really cool stuff for kids' rooms.

Jean Pierre Jeunet
One of my favorite filmmakers. The visual worlds he creates are absolutely amazing. If you haven't seen Amelie, it's a great introduction to his work (and it has a lovely soundtrack).

Michel Gondry
Another amazing filmmaker. Seen The Science of Sleep? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Watch them!

L'Aromarine
French perfume with beautiful art deco packaging.

Toulouse-Lautrec
Where would graphic designers be without him? I was fortunate enough to see this exhibit... four long years ago.