Oliver Jeffers

I've been collecting children's books my whole life. As you can imagine, actually having a child of my own now has only matters worse, and the fact that he can't talk yet, much less read, hasn't been much of a deterrent - story time is as much of an important part of our day as playing and dinner.


My hunt for great new picture books is pretty much ongoing, and Oliver Jeffers is an author whose work I was very happy to discover over the past few years, and whose books I've been continually impressed by. This Moose Belongs to Me is my current favorite, but you really can't go wrong with any of his great titles. So for those of you who need an introduction, as well as those of you who are already fans but like short films that offer a glimpse into the creative process of artists as much as I do, here he is, folks, Oliver Jeffers, butcher, baker, picture maker.

Mirim Seo - chomp

Chomp is a brilliant project by Korean designer Mirim Seo that's designed to teach kids about different food chains.

Chomp puzzle books introduce five different ecosystems and their food chains: forest, ocean, arctic, jungle, and desert. Each food chain includes producers, consumers and decomposers, with the completed puzzle showing the role of each of its members through a visual representation of the eating process. While it's currently only a prototype, Chomp is one of those great products that I really hope ends up in production. You can read more about it on Seo's website.


(Via Cool Hunting)

booksee shelf

What a great cool concept! The Booksee Shelf, by the Australian children's product designer, Ubabub, is a clear shelf that allows you to fully display beautiful book covers, inspiring children to pick out their own books. I know that I've been looking for some good wall-mounted bookshelf options, and this is definitely my favorite so far.

Sold as a set for $199 AUD, you can purchase the Booksee Shelf through Ubabub's website.

Yan Nascimbene

 

 

It's always bittersweet to learn about an artist posthumously, especially someone with as much talent as French-Italian illustrator Yan Nascimbene, who passed away on February 1, 2013 at the age of 63. His illustrious career included illustrations for over 50 books, 300 book covers and countless editorial pieces, with many examples of his gorgeous watercolors available on his portfolio website.

(Via Brain Pickings)

Terry Gross interview with Maurice Sendak, illustrated by Christoph Niemann

I came across this very moving, lovely tribute to author Maurice Sendak, who passed away in May 2012 at the age of 83, in The New York Times Magazine's annual The Lives They Lived issue, and immediately knew that I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. Beautifully illustrated by Christoph Niemann, the video features the final few minutes of an interview with Sendak by NPR's Terry Gross from September 2011 that will leave you utterly speechless. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Sarah Dennis illustration

Inspired by themes of nature and childhood, UK-based illustrator Sarah Dennis creates some pretty remarkable works out of cut paper.

With so many beautiful pieces, it was difficult to choose only a few favorites, but you can see more of Sarah's work on her website and blog, and purchase prints in her shop.

(Via Upon a Fold)

moonrise kingdom animated shorts

Did you see Wes Anderson's latest film, Moonrise Kingdom? Like all of the movies Anderson makes, he's incredible when it come to creating an entirely realized world within the film. For Moonrise Kingdom, not only did he do an amazing job with the island of New Penzance, where the film takes place, but it seems that his complete attention to detail extended even beyond the film itself. Throughout the movie, Suzy, one of the main characters, carries around and reads from six of her favorite books. Rather than simply being satisfied with using actual works of fiction for these props, Anderson instead chose to commission six different illustrators to design their covers. And if that in itself wasn't enough, Anderson also decided that he needed to create a short film to better bring these illustrations to life. The result, like everything Anderson creates, is pretty magical.

(Via The Jealous Curator)

Thomas Allen

Michigan-based artist Thomas Allen creates these remarkable works from the pages of old books. It's a combination of creative construction and cinematic eye that brings these stunning illustrations to life. See more of Allen's work, including a whole series of works made from vintage pulp fiction, on his website.

(Via Colossal)

Fideli Sundqvist

I am quite enamored with Swedish illustrator and graphic designer Fideli Sundqvist. With her deft use of construction paper, Fideli creates whimsical animals, alphabets and even towns within suitcases. You can see more of Fideli's work on her website and blog, or purchase her animal kits and adorable children's book about a puppy named Birre in her shop.

(All images © Fideli Sundqvist 2011, Via ali loves curtis)

penguin children's classics

Penguin continues to make me happy with their editions of clothbound classics. This time, they've tried their hand at transforming the covers of some classic children's literature, with some gorgeous results.

Aren't these just perfect? I'm particularly in love with the Wind in the Willows and Peter Pan covers - such beautiful graphics! Available at Anthropologie.

(Via Twig & Thistle)

terrible yellow eyes

"Terrible Yellow Eyes is a collection of works inspired by the beloved classic, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Over the coming weeks and months I'll display a growing collection of works created by invited contributing artists and myself. We share a love and admiration for Sendak's work and the pieces we present here are done as a tribute to his life and legacy." -Cory Godbey

Ruler of the Wild Things by Jayme McGowan

Wild Things by Robin Joseph

Private Boat for Max by Renato Faccini

They're not so terrible by Peter de Seve

Polaroid Thing by Jordie Bellaire

color, color everywhere

Oh my. Does this children's bookstore in Beijing, China make anyone else really happy as well? Designed by SAKO Architects in Japan, multiple layers of color are used to create functional, child-friendly spaces that are visually stunning.

Via Oh Joy!

Jennifer Khoshbin

I came across Jennifer Khoshbin's work the other day on the sub-studio design blog. I've been looking at a lot of artwork made out of cut paper lately, but I was particularly impressed with Jennifer's works not only because of this technique, but also by the ways in which she creates layered scenes. The way she uses old books to create these scenes, drawing upon and utilizing the already existing imagery, is so fascinating. I especially love her manipulation series, some of the images from which are below.