Here is some sand art from my beach. Someone did a portrait of a man with a little “soul patch” made out of seaweed.
Leslie
Seaweed Soul Patch
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Quirks
Goodbye Maurice Sendak
18 Friday May 2012
Posted in Quirks
Maurice Sendak’s death last week brought the world of children’s picture books into the forefront. A friend just sent me an article from The Washington Post about Sendak’s work and one quote is worth sharing: ”Many people think that creating a children’s book must be easy. After all, it’s just for kids, can’t be all that hard, right? In fact, the text of a great picture book calls for the skills of a poet.
When you’re telling a story in a couple of hundred words, every one of them must be exactly right. And when you’re also telling that story in a dozen or so pictures, every one of them must be a miniature masterpiece. For one artist to manage to do both equally well doesn’t happen very often.” Sendak was one of the best.
My favorite of his books was Higglety Pigglety Pop.
Leslie
Pip is here!
08 Tuesday May 2012
Today is a big day in the world of children’s picture books! For the first time ever, Pip the Penguin is available as an interactive ebook on the iTunes App Store. My Pip the Penguin books sold over 600,000 copies in over 60 countries when they first came out as a board book. Now the levels of engagement include the original concept of a lift-the-flap book, plus so much more. The ebook allows a child to draw along and feel as if they are making the page come alive.
It is beyond exciting for me to see the huge amounts of creativity and technical innovation that Skyreader Media put into this book. Everyone who has seen it, no matter what age, is blown away because it is unlike anything that has ever existed before. That is the height of creativity, when one can say that.
I leave today for Canada, as the CEO of Skyreader Media and myself will be interviewed on CANADA AM Wednesday morning at 7:40am. Bon Voyage PIP!
Leslie
“Poison Ivory”
07 Monday May 2012
Posted in Quirks
Do you treat another person as if they might have something to say that is a gift? If one is truly open to this thought, then every conversation holds promise. My tree trimer, from Jamaica, came this morning. He gave me a lesson on “Poison Ivory”. I never knew, as shown in this photo, that poison ivy can start off with 4 leaves, and grow into the 3 leaf variety that is poisonous . He said if you touch the 3 leaves on your palm, you will usually be ok. If you touch it on any other part of your skin, you will get a reaction. I just loved the fact that he calls it “Poison Ivory.”
Leslie
My co-author Alex von Bidder on MSNBC
02 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Quirks
My creative co-author, of our WIGGENS book series, Alex von Bidder, just got noticed on MSNBC for his amazing restaurant ,THE FOUR SEASONS in NYC!. He is a genius at running a world famous restaurant, but he is equally as good at understanding how to create magic for children.
When our ebook, WIGGENS MAKES FRIENDS AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO comes out this summer, you will notice Carlosito, the Macaw. He is all Alex!
Leslie
See the spot here!
http://360mediawatch.com/videos/videos/26536/fourseasonsrestaurantad2msnbc050112.mov
Pip The Penguin and His Suitcase
30 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Quirks
When PIP first came out in the UK, the publishers created this little suitcase for the four books in the series. PIP is such an adventurous penguin, who loves to travel, that it made sense he should have his own suitcase.
Leslie McGuirk
Lifesaver Cactus Flower
28 Saturday Apr 2012
Posted in Quirks
Years ago my mother gave me this Lifesaver cactus, with the weirdest flower. It looks exactly like a lifesaver candy. It almost seems like it should be fake.
Leslie
It’s only ME!
24 Tuesday Apr 2012
Posted in Quirks
The first PIP book was IT’S ONLY ME. That is one of my favorite book titles. Remember as a child, and perhaps you were in the basement making noise, and your mom from the top of the stairs shouts down, “Who’s down there making so much noise?” And you would answer, “It’s only me”. And she knows who ME is. Sometimes when I answer the phone, with really close friends or family, I will still say, “It’s ME”. People laugh that I do this. ME is an interesting word.
Leslie
Pip is Coming!
23 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Quirks
Pip is the coolest dude! He is athletic. He cleans. He is creative. He is adventurous. He is handy. He is like the James Bond of the Penguin World, only better because he will clean his own house.
Pip was born during a trip to London, so I guess that makes him a British penguin. I was at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and there was a little painting in the basement entitled IT’S ONLY ME. I wrote it down in my notebook, and later that day I met with editors at Macmillian, and we came up with the original 4 lift the flap book series on that day….and all because of that one title and my idea of having animals playing music throughout Pip’s house. Pip would ask, “Who is that drumming under my sink?” and the chimp would reply, as you lift the flap, “It’s only me!”
The Pip books sold over 600,000 copies worldwide, in their original format. And the books were translated into french, swedish, japanese, and sold in over 60 countries. Now, in my partnership with Skyreader Media we have created a completely original interactive ebook app for the successful Pip series, and it launches in May 2012.
Leslie
Her name is Pumpkin
20 Friday Apr 2012
My dog Pumpkin went to the vet’s office on Tues and ended up having to have emergency surgery for bladder stones. Check out this xray. The bladder stones are on the right and to the left there is a pumpkin face….like a jack o lantern!
She was a rescue dog from Hurricane Katrina, and when I got her a few years ago from a foster mom, her name was Katrina. She did not like that name. She never answered to it. So I tried out a few names and let her pick her a new name. She picked Pumpkin.
She has always answered to it. And now this is confirmation that it truly is the best name for her! Someone once told me that all dogs have a secret name.
You just have to listen for it.
Leslie
