Love, life, and picture books.

how to get a cool thing for free (sort of), a ten-year anniversary (late), and more (but not much more)

Hello, again! It’s been a year and four months since I sent my last newsletter. It took ten years to get the first one out, so this operation is really cranking up!

TIME-SENSITIVE ZINE THING

On December 28, 2021 (what some people call “the biggest shopping day of the year,” incorrectly), my latest book came out: What Is Love?

I made it with Carson Ellis, whom I love as both an illustrator and a person. Carson and I have been wanting to work together for over a decade, and so, to celebrate, we made a zine.

It’s the transcript of a lively and freewheeling conversation with Jon Klassen, in which we discuss picture books, life, love, death, Kazuo Ishiguro, grandmas, infinity, and The Giving Tree. It’s beautifully printed and full of new illustrations by Carson.

The only way to get one is by ordering a copy of the book from one of the four bookshops below by February 14. Sorry for the short notice. I’m not timely when it comes to newsletters.

Green Bean Books
Blue Willow Bookshop
Copperfield’s Books
Brookline Booksmith

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PICTURE BOOK PROCLAMATION

Speaking of Carson! Ten years ago, frustrated at the picture book discourse, I wrote down some thoughts on how we can publish a better literature for kids. I asked a few writers and illustrators I admired to sign it. Carson Ellis lettered it. We took out an ad in the Horn Book Magazine and put it up online. Ten years. Wow.

(Actually it was ten years last October, but, again, I’m not very timely with these newsletters.)

THE CRUMBS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NEWSLETTER

• I reviewed some new picture books for the New York Times and thought, “This is the kind of thing that might be good to include in my newsletter.” That was a couple of months ago (the whole timeliness thing), but still.

• I enjoyed reading this collection of essays, and if you like thinking about children’s books, you might enjoy it too.

  

• If you want to sign up for another occasional newsletter, Shawn Harris and I started a Fan Club Letter for The First Cat in Space, our Live Cartoon, which is soon to be a graphic novel.

• A lot of links in that last “crumb.” Too many? Yeah, probably.

Thanks for reading this. It means a lot that you signed up, especially because I find sending people emails somewhat mortifying.

Mac