On My Bookshelf: My Dad

"On My Bookshelf" will be a regular post, featuring treasures from our personal bookshelves. If you would like to share a gem from your shelf send a photo and short description to me at seabreezeroad@hotmail.com. Looking forward to finding out what your passions are!

Dipping off "my bookshelf" in time for Father's Day is My Dad by the current Children's Laureate of Britain, Anthony Browne.

When I opened it, there it was: dad's dressing gown, just as I remembered it. It really took me back to being a small boy, thinking of him as a god who could do everything.     -Anthony Browne,  Guardian.uk.co

A great tribute to fathers everywhere and a fine inspiration for children to create a 'my dad' list of their own. -Starred, School Library Journal 

One short video of Anthony in his studio talking about his books, gorillas and where he gets his ideas and a longer more in-depth interview can be found here.

Poetry Friday: Neil Gaiman's Instructions

There are some books that arrive at the bookshop as pleasant surprises and then there are those that you have been teased with for many years, Neil Gaiman's Instructions falls into the later group. I first read the poem on the Journal of Mythic Arts and learned that it appeared in the anthology A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling. The poem has now been transformed into a book, beautifully illustrated Charles Vess.

Instructions
by Neil Gaiman
Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never
saw before.
Say "please" before you open the latch,
go through,
walk down the path.

Read the rest here.

etcetera
Enjoy a visual feast here.
See how Charles Vess develops a sculptural fountain based on ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream'

Neil Gailman reads Instructions
 

Jeremy Tankard Wins OLA Blue Spruce Award!

Congratulations to Jeremy Tankard who won the OLA Blue Spruce Award for Boo Hoo Bird. I love the 'Forest of Reading' awards because the winners are chosen by the readers (aka kids). In the photo above,  Jeremy was visiting our storytime, much to the delight of the children. - Cath

etcetera

Jeremy was the guinea pig for Seven Imp when they created a new format for their interview series called 'Seven Questions over Breakfast' which you can savor here. You may recognize his work in the banner for Shelf Elf and see the posts that lead up to its creation. I think it suits her personality perfectly! A great review of Me Hungry! here. Also, take a moment to enjoy the videos she has posted. 

Amandina by Sergio Ruzzier

A few summers ago, I was in the midst of mounting a production of a musical at the Toronto Fringe Festival when Cathy asked me to read a picture book called Amandina by Sergio Ruzzier. Right Away, I could see why she had put it aside for me. Amandina is the story of a shy little dog who loves to sign and dance. She decides to put on a play all by herself, taking on the roles of writer, director, costume designer, poster designer, and star. Amandina is thrilled with her production, but when the curtain rises, there isn't a single soul in the audience. Sad but determined, Amandina falls back on that old show biz Mantra, "The Show Must Go On." She closes her eyes and gives her best performance. Before her final bow, Amandina thinks she hears the thunderous applause of a spellbound audience, but she is convinced she must be imagining it. Or is she?

Needless to say, this quiet but powerful book struck a chord with me and I was bawling before I reached the last page. Amandina now lives on my personal bookshelf, and I have given it to many of my friends of the artistic persuasion. Ruzzier's illustrations are soft and playful. a perfect compliment to his gentle text. Sometimes life is disappointing, but the important thing is to keep your chin up and carry on; you never know what's waiting in the wings. - Vikki

Read an in depth review of Amandina at Fuse 8 and an interview with more illustrations at Seven Impossible Things to do Before Breakfast.