Thursday, October 25, 2007

Buffalo Arrival!


This week I received a wonderful surprise, when a bound and final Buffalo Music (written by Tracey Fern) arrived at my house a whole 6 MONTHS early!!! Buffalo Music will not hit shelves till next May, so this early printing took my editor and designer by complete surprise as well. The book looks wonderful, and Kerry Martin, my designer at Clarion, did a fantastic job!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Night at the Society

Last night was the opening of the Original Art show @ the Society of Illustrators, and a good time was had by all! Thanks so much to everyone who came out! Here are a few pictures from the evening:
Me and my piece from What Happens on Wednesdays

My good friend TaeEun Yoo receiving her very well deserved Founders Award!

And a final toast to the evening!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Hurrah! Another star for WEDNESDAYS!

A lovely review appeared in this weeks October 15th issue of Booklist, magazine of the American Library Association:

*What Happens on Wednesdays. Jenkins, Emily (author). Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Farrar/Frances Foster (0-374-38303-0)
Finding the transcendent in the ordinary, this tender picture book imbues the activities of a typical weekday with the hallowed significance they assume in the life of a very young child. The frame of reference never widens beyond immediate, personal experience of the little girl who narrates. Landmarks of the child’s day, which spans pre-dawn moments with mommy to school, nap, swimming, and bedtime, include “the bakery where we got that chocolate croissant,” and “the daycare where I used to go when I was little.” Equally spot-on is her declaration that “today is not a kissing day,” a nod to the playful exceptions to routine that prevent rituals from becoming ruts. In an extremely promising debut, Castillo envelops the young narrator in warm tones, especially deep oranges and reds, and renders figures and settings in a naive style while picking out rich elements, such as a gorgeously patterned bedspread, in a manner consistent with a child’s intense but often selective memory for details. This will partner especially well with other picture books set in contemporary, urban communities (Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny, 2004,comes to mind), but the story’s central emotions about familial love and joyful, daily milestones will speak to children everywhere, particularly those who might need assurances that today’s new schedules can rapidly become tomorrow’s comfortable routines. — Jennifer Mattson

***Also, check out two other wonderful starred reviews from***
Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews!!!



Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Original Art Show


I am very excited to be a part of this year's Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators! (I will have one piece up from WHAT HAPPENS ON WEDNESDAYS.) This is a fantastic show of many wonderful children's book illustrators, and I feel so honored to be a part of it. It is up Oct. 17th - Nov. 21st. If you are in New York, come check it out!

PIGS release date delayed


I just heard word that the release date of my upcoming book THE PIG AND MISS PRUDENCE, written by Linda Stanek, was pushed back and will now be hitting shelves February 2008. Now I'm getting itchy!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

WEDNESDAYS in Newsday



Emily Jenkins and I received a really nice review in Newsday (Long Island NY newspaper) this past weekend for our picture book WHAT HAPPENS ON WEDNESDAYS. You can view it right here.

Thursday, October 4, 2007