Just One More Book!!

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Natural talent and dedication still need good role models, mentors and a few lucky breaks. In the context of today’s conversation, that applies equally to baseball and being a creator of children’s books.

To continue with the baseball motif, author/illustrator Matt Tavares has all the tools. He’s also a huge fan of baseball, as evidenced by many of his books, and he even has a baseball sounding name. It makes you wonder if his business card features his photo, position and career stats.

On this edition of Just One More Book!!, Mark speaks with Matt Tavares about turning his senior thesis into his first published book, the ageless appeal of baseball stories and a kindergarten teacher who fostered his passion for art.

Thanks to Daniele Rossi and RuthDFW for submitting questions to ask Matt.

Books mentioned:

• Jack and the Beanstalk
• Lady Liberty: A Biography
• Mudball
• Zachary’s Ball [formerly Sebastien’s Ball]

Music: Excerpt of Take Me Out to the Ballgame used as the conversation’s seventh-inning stretch.

Photos for the collage courtesy of Matt Tavares.

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Author: Doreen Rappaport
Illustrator: Matt Tavares
Published: 2008 Candlewick Press (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0763625302

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Stunningly warm, intimate illustrations and eleven candid first person accounts capture the crescendo of Lady Liberty’s creation, from idea to unveiling, and give us an enduring appreciation for the landmark, her creators and the many lives she has touched.

Other books mentioned:

• Taj Mahal
• Pier 21: Gateway of Hope

You can learn more about the process of illustrating this book here.

Auction 2 will begin accepting bids on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. with a starting bid of $50 for each snowflake. All bids must be placed before the close of Auction 2 on Friday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 pm. Remember that 100% of the proceeds from this online auction will benefit sarcoma research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and that all but $25 of the winning bid is tax deductible.

Read about all the illustrators who contributed to this auction at the sites linked below. (The order presented is the same as on the auction page.)

• Ashley Wolff at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Karen Katz at Whimsy Books
• Maxwell Eaton III at Books and Other Thoughts
• Matthew Cordell at Just Like the Nut
• Rick Chrustowski at laurasalas
• Lisa Kopelke at Lisa’s Little Corner of the Internet
• Melissa Iwai at Brooklyn Arden
• Susan Miller at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• Joanne Friar at The Longstockings
• Annette Heiberg at Lisa’s Little Corner of the Internet
• Susie Jin at sruble’s world
• Roz Fulcher at Goading the Pen
• Scott Bakal at Wild Rose Reader
• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining
• Linas Alsenas at A Wrung Sponge
• Ellen Beier at What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Alexandra Boiger at Paradise Found
• Joe Kulka at ChatRabbit
• Kevin Hawkes at Cynthia Lord’s Journal
• Diane Greenseid at Just One More Book!!
• Mary Haverfield at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• Denise Fleming at MotherReader
• Aaron Zenz at Jo’s Journal
• Carol Schwartz at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup
• Theresa Brandon at The Shady Glade
• Janet Stevens at The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Don Tate at The Silver Lining
• Laura Jacques at cynthialord’s Journal
• Sarah Dillard at The Silver Lining
• Teri Sloat at The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Margot Apple at Jo’s Journal
• Rose Mary Berlin at Charlotte’s Library
• Carol Heyer at The Shady Glade
• Cecily Lang at Kate’s Book Blog
• Cynthia Decker at The Silver Lining
• Mike Wohnoutka at laurasalas
• Lee White at Please Come Flying
• Denise Ortakales at cynthialord’s Journal
• Akemi Gutierrez at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
• Amiko Hirao at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Amy Schimler at Please Come Flying
• David Macaulay at Here in the Bonny Glen
• Lauren Stringer at laurasalas
• Greg Newbold at The Longstockings
• Holli Conger at Please Come Flying
• Judith Moffaft at Jo’s Journal
• Lizzy Rockwell at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Matt Tavares at Please Come Flying
• Sheila Bailey at lizjonesbooks
• Sophie Blackall at not your mother’s bookclub
• Steven James Petruccio at Blog From the Windowsill
• Sylvia Long at Whimsy Books
• Timothy Bush at Here in the Bonny Glen
• Jane Dippold at Just Like the Nut
• Jane Dyer at Whimsy Books
• Wendy Edelson at What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Paul Brewer at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Brian Biggs at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Calef Brown
• Timothy Bush
• Barbara Lanza
• Lauren Stringer
• Graeme Base at Just One More Book!
• Cece Bell at Jo’s Journal
• Stephanie Roth at Writing with a broken tusk
• Sherry Rogers at A Life in Books
• John Hassett at cynthialord’s Journal

Happy Bidding!!

A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.

We will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.

In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.

Here is this week’s line up of illustrator showcases and snowflake sneak peeks:

Monday, November 5

• Anna Alter at The Longstockings
• Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!
• Cece Bell at Jo’s Journal
• Denise Ortakales at Cynthia Lord’s Journal

(more…)