A friend of mine sent me this video today, it’s so wonderful! Santa’s Greatest Secret was written (and narrated here) by Lyndon Jeremiah with illustrations created by Jennie Harmer.
We may be floating around in Crimbo Limbo right now, but please keep the book in mind as a present for the younger kids next Christmas.
Happy 2023 everybody. Every, single year, I get caught out. I keep meaning to buy one of Valériane Leblond’s exquisitely illustrated calendars, but by the time I remember, she’s already sold out. I’ll have to set myself a reminder for next year!
Valériane Leblond is a French-born artist brought up in Angers. She moved to mid-Wales around 2007 and is currently living in an old farmhouse near Aberystwyth with her 3 sons, several cats and too many chickens.
My style is influenced by folk and primitive art, and there are often stories happening in the detail. The kitchen or the hearth, the washing drying on the line, the attended garden are often present in my paintings and illustrations. My pictures convey the idea of home, and show how people inhabit the land.
The sea is not far from where I live, and going for walks in the hills or on the beach is always an inspiration. The landscape plays a big part in my work, with the passing of the seasons, the variations in colours and lights, and the ever-changing sea. credit
Valériane was short-listed for the prestigious Tir na n-Og Award annually between 2015 & 2019. Two books illustrated by her won the Welsh-language primary category; Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi (2016) and Cymru ar y Map (2019).
I also admire country folk, fishermen, housewives, and those who live off the land and the sea; especially their efforts and perseverance. credit
The list of her books include The Quilt, Little Honey Bee, Wales on the Map and Four Branches of the Mabinogi.
Valériane Leblond has also illustrated books for other authors and poets including Alison Acheson, Peter Stevenson, Siân Lewis, Caryl Lewis and Elinor Wyn Reynolds.
She sells a small selection of limited editions prints on her Etsy shop or in Oriel y Bont in Aberystwyth town centre.
You’ll find many of these books on Amazon and Abe Books. In addition, there is a selection of her greeting cards available for sale on Green Pebble.
Initially, when we saw the artwork of Greg Paprocki we assumed it was vintage 50s or 60s. Well, we were wrong, Greg’s work is from the 21st century!
Perhaps Greg’s own words can explain our misconception:
As my technical skills evolved, so did my interests and influences. I was exploring commercial, editorial and children’s book art from the 1940s and 50s. Abstract artists like Picasso were having a large impact on commercial art and produced the kind of highly stylized work that is still influencing the art world today.
Greg Paprocki is the author and illustrator of a series of BabyLit alphabet books. They set out to introduce toddlers (and the odd adult) about cultural & historical subjects such as Hanukkah, the Wild West, the Industrial Revolution and Medieval Europe. Each book is illustrated using a different font to reflect the given subject.
He beautifully illustrated another educational children’s book series, ‘Little Leonardo’s Fascinating World…’, by authors Bob Cooper and Bart King.
Many of his beautiful books can be found on Abe Books and Amazon.
As well as books, Greg has designed food packaging. Firstly, labels for High Rise Vodka, bottles that wouldn’t look out of place on Dan Draper‘s drinks trolley. And, my favourite, limited-edition boxes for the Famous Aretha Frankenstein’s pancake and waffle mixes!
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Maurice Sendak (1928-2015) was a children’s book illustrator and author. Born in Brooklyn to Polish immigrant parents, Sendak insisted that his books weren’t strictly for children. In a radio interview with Terry Gross in 1989, Sendak shared:
Despite the fact that I don’t write with children in mind, I long ago discovered that they make the best audience. They certainly make the best critics. …When children love your book, it’s ‘I love your book, thank you. I want to marry you when I grow up.’ Or it’s ‘Dear Mr. Sendak: I hate your book. Hope you die soon. Cordially…’
His first book, from 1956, was entitled Kenny’s Window. However, it was for Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that he first gained widespread recognition. The latter must have had some influence on the appearance of The Gruffalo (published in 1999).
He wrote and illustrated over 100 titles; amongst them: (The frequently censored) In the Night Kitchen, Bumble-Ardy, Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water: Two Nursery Rhymes, Nutcracker, Swine Lake and the posthumous Presto and Zesto in Limboland with long-time collaborator, Arthur Yorinks. He won numerous awards for his writing and illustrations including, in 1964, the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal.
As well as all the books he authored and illustrated, there are numerous books about the man himself and his creations. These include Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and His Work, Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to Present: v. 1 and v. 2, Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak’s Designs for Opera and Ballet and Conversations with Maurice Sendak. In their Sendak obituary, The New York Times deemed him, “the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century”.
The Maurice Sendak Foundation has produced a lovely mini-documentary about the man and his work; watch it below.
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