it was only a matter of time

Congratulations, David Rees.  It's a runaway hit.

Tsia Carson's Side by Side

It's out and it's great!  Tsia Carson's new craft book, Side by Side, a book of craft projects that you can do with your kids while making your own.  

This was a super fun project to work on (because Tsia is awesome) and the photos are used wonderfully big and lush.  Thank you Tsia!

steve macdonald

I have admired Steve MacDonald's work for quite some time.  Here's his latest.  More info here.

ps - I did not take these pictures.

david rees, artisanal pencil sharpener

 

Alright folks, here it is, the long awaited, definitive book on how to sharpen pencils. The beauty of this book (aside from its very lovely design and, of course, the photos) is that it does not answer the question of whether it is serious or comedy.  I think that comedy is funniest when based on reality and spending a few days shooting this book with author David Rees, was a wicked combination of both.    

Case in point:  Chapter 13 of the book entitled:  How to use an electric pencil sharpener.  David breaks into a house to educate its residents about electric sharpeners and without spoiling it, I will say that we got to see the insides of the sharpener.  This was the moment that I realized I had been converted into a complete pencil geek because I looked over at David and said with surprise and respect: "The electric sharpener has only a single burr?"  David nodded wisely, as if to say, "Yes, Grasshopper". 

 

farewell summer

Charlotte's Web is one of the best books ever written.  It's one of those books that was written for children but is really just a vehicle to pass on wisdom to adults.  I cannot read it without crying.  The novel travels from spring to autumn and so, no matter what season of year I pick it up, I always feel as though I have picked it up at the perfect time and that it is speaking directly to me and my current experience.

My two boys are eager to read books that contain more action than Charlotte's Web and I guess it's true that when I read it to them, I am doing it in an act of selfishness.  Still, I do think that they absorb some of the sweetness and insight that the book offers.

I have been trying to read it to them this most recent time since the spring and I finally had to do it by trapping them on an hour long train ride with only that book available.  By the second chapter my older one was begging me to continue, and last night, the day before their first day of school - the surest sign that summer is over, we picked it up again and read chapter 15 (see above).  Of course the tears came.

another good one about dirt

The Known World, Edward P. Jones

dirty life

I just started this book.  It's perfect for Spring.  I love when people write about dirt.

In a dark, dark room

This illustration by Dirk Zimmer really tickled my funny bone.