[Monday, March 10, 2014
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Kayce Swigelson is the author and illustrator of The Grand Adventures of Petit Louis, a children's book that follows a mustachioed cat around Paris as he searches for a present for his owner and adds his signature look to the city's landmarks with a flourish of his paintbrush. The book educates as it entertains by introducing readers to French culture and vocabulary as the story unfolds.
By day, Kayce teaches French and art at a private boys' school in St. Louis. She also happens to be my good friend and former college suitemate, so I am doubly thrilled to bring you this interview with her about her debut book. And check back later this week to win an autographed copy of The Grand Adventures of Petit Louis!
Booklicious: What was your inspiration for this story?
Kayce: I've had the idea for a mustache-painting little French character since 2003, but he didn't become the tower of grace known as "Petit Louis" until 2007 when I put together the first (and very poor) draft of the book. I did an overhaul in 2009.
Many forms of inspiration aligned unexpectedly, but I think it's essentially compassion for human imperfection and the mystery (and humor!) of the creative process. The simplest thing can be an inspiration. For me, it was spending time drawing mustaches on models in J. C. Penney catalogs when I was little ... I've just always loved the unexpected and the whimsical. Once the story developed, I knew that I did not want it to be just a chain of events but a relatable journey for the imperfect human being with learning at the heart of it. Petit Louis is a fine example of the unabashed vanity and pride that we all have traces of. He's a seeker like we all are, but it's a bumpy road. However, it all comes back to that mustache, which he manages to turn into his form of love.
B: When did you start thinking about writing a children's book?
K: Books were and are one of the loves of my life. Children's literature had such an effect on me and sent me into a tailspin of love for color and poetry and escape (and they still do!). I can't remember a time when I didn't just love holding and reading books, yet I wanted to be someone who produced them as well. It's an irritating tendency of mine ... I can't just watch, I have to try and do and be a part of everything, even if only behind the scenes. That old joie de vivre is inescapable when you know your passions and when you allow yourself to be as creative as you can be.
B: Which came first, the words or the illustrations?
K: I've always wondered this myself! The only way that I can describe it is that both existed concurrently in my mind as sort of a cloud or a swirl. It was just a matter of making the time to write and illustrate it (or perhaps to "translate") it into something real, readable, and touchable to match what I saw in my mind's eye ... and that takes a lot of editing and re-doing. I've ironed over the wrinkles of this work so many times I'm surprised I haven't burned it!
[Thursday, March 06, 2014
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I'm always blown away by the creativity I find on Etsy. Just when I think I've seen it all — every reclaimed-wood bookcase, dressed-up dictionary page, and typewriter-inspired trinket out there — I stumble upon a shop like GoFollowRabbits.
Its owner, Ashley Berthiaume, designs fun clothing using quirky and unexpected prints. I especially love her use of "novel" material* — from Harry Potter to Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast to Sherlock Holmes, her whimsical skirts run the literary gamut.
I have two especial favorites:
[Wednesday, March 05, 2014
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This unusual bookcase is the work of Dime Mexican Design. Based in Acapulco and headed by Jose Ignacio Lopez Benitez, this Etsy store specializes in minimalist design.
I like how flexible and lightweight this bookcase seems — it'd be perfect for someone who moves around a lot and needs low-fuss furniture. As the product description points out, the bookcase is ripe for customization — you could switch out the fabric with the color or material of your choice, making it a fantastically chameleonic piece. The downside is that it doesn't hold many books, but it's rather hard to find a bookcase that's both lightweight and high capacity — especially for $135, which is the price tag attached to this one.
Check out the listing or browse the rest of Dime Mexican Design's Etsy store here.
[Friday, February 07, 2014
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In a stroke of sheer brilliance, babyGap has released a limited-edition collection of Paddington Bear–inspired kids' clothes. I don't have a kid, but when the email announcement hit my inbox, I started drooling. Firstly, kids' clothes are adorable, and are second only to kids' shoes, which turn me into a cooing, squealing bag of lady hormones. And secondly, I'm a huge Paddington Bear fan. I had one as a kid, and I remember it so fondly that I bought one for a friend's daughter a couple of years ago. She reportedly ended up beating it against her toy stove (or was it the floor, Sarah?), so perhaps the bear from darkest Peru didn't quite capture her heart in the way it did mine. Ah well.
[Wednesday, February 05, 2014
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I'm really digging the industrial chic look that's been creeping into furniture design recently. I've seen the high-end version, the artisanal Etsy version, and now we've finally got the mass-market version.
This is West Elm's Pipe bookcase. Made of mango wood and iron, it comes in narrow and wide versions at $499 and $799 respectively. As both are new additions and they're already on backorder, I'd say I'm not the only one giving them an admiring eye.
[Tuesday, February 04, 2014
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Roger Ebert called artist Terry Border "brilliant." After looking at his Wiry Limbs, Paper Backs series, it's easy to understand why.
Border takes standard paperbacks, adds a bit of wire, and magically transforms them into vivid depictions of the stories that lie between their covers. The results are clever, funny, and even a bit provocative.
[Thursday, January 30, 2014
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I'm not exaggerating when I say I love every single edition that Penguin Classics releases. The black originals. The old-timey cloth-covered versions. The whimsical Threads collection (part 1 and 2). Every single one. So when I read that there's a new release in town, my expectations are high. I've yet to be disappointed.
During my recent blogging hiatus, Penguin added a new release to its roster. (Apologies if this is stale news to some of you, but I'm indulging myself.) Here's a look at Penguin Drop Caps, a series of 26 hardcover classics — one for each letter of the alphabet:
Elda Rotor, associate publisher and editorial director of Penguin Classics, describes the lineup:
For the book lover, the series is a nod to the tradition of printing and the distribution of ideas, stories, and opinions—ranging from paper to digital media. For the writer and artist, the series pays homage to the significance of composition, texture, and form. With Penguin Drop Caps, we are inspired by the timeless tradition and craft of letters and their endless capacity to communicate.
You can browse the Drop Caps collection here. A–P are on sale now, with the remainder scheduled for release through 2014.
[Wednesday, January 29, 2014
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I originally posted this shelf to my Pinterest a couple of weeks ago. But I found myself coming back to it again and again, and decided I needed to know more about this unusual design.
So here's what I learned.
This is the Lifeblood bookshelf. Sold by Lovli, an Italian design site, it's been given one of the most ridiculous product descriptions I've ever read:
Lifeblood is more than just a bookshelf, is touches the sense of a "real" metaphor, consisting of only two essential materials: wood and books.
The sense of its leaf shape is evident when the books are placed in the appropriate spaces, making them essential components of the structure. Books, therefore, act as a lifeblood, able to filter and process existence through a spiritual photosynthesis, essential to the human spirit. A poetic and elegant piece of furniture. [sic]
You can browse more photos of the Lifeblood bookshelf here. To buy it, you'll need about 2,000 euros and have to make the nail-biting decision between light-oak-colored and dark-oak-colored.
[Wednesday, January 22, 2014
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Brought to you by the people who carved the Hulk bookcase. This time, you'll have to cough up $915 to show your sci-fi pride.
[Friday, January 17, 2014
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*Gillian Flynn is rewriting the ending of Gone Girl for the upcoming movie adaptation. This annoys me, but the news has piqued my curiosity to the extent that I'll probably see it now — just as Flynn knew it would. Dammit. [via the Guardian]
*Some Australian dude invented bulletproof bookcases for schools — at approximately $4,000 a pop. That works out to a helluva lot of PTA bake-sale brownies — better get started on that fundraising now! [via the Daily Telegraph]
*Good news, everyone! eBook reading is on the rise — but fear not, traditionalists: so is print reading. [via Pew Research]
*And that good news continues: the University of California Press has made 770 of its titles free to the public via an online library. Subjects include art, science, history, music, religion, and fiction. So, basically all subjects. [via GalleyCat]
*British bookshop owner posts desperate plea for customers on its Facebook page, the Internet responds and boosts his sales 4,000%, book lovers everywhere tear up. [via the Daily Mail]
*As a former copy editor, I'm keenly aware of the importance of appropriate punctuation. And although I've relaxed a bit since moving on from the job, I still get a kick out of this article about famous punctuation marks in literature. [via Vulture]
B: When did you start thinking about writing a children's book?
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