Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch, Illustrated by Sydney Smith– Picture Book Month, Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of READ SHARE CELEBRATION.  Today we are Celebrating Nova Scotia Author Sheree Fitch.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EaOX6dValjY“>http://

• Today’s English Selection is Mable Murple, Illustrated by Sydney Smith.

• And the French Selection is Bisous Bisous Bebe-O!, Illustrated by HildaRose, translated by Jo-Anne Elder [ Board book * 12 pages; 5.50 x 5.50 inches; 9781551096971; NB0830; Publisher: Nimbus Publishing ]
  

---

I would love to say that we have known of Sheree Fitch forever, but we actually just discovered her, and her zany poems.  However since we read Mabel Murple for the first time we were immediately HOOKED.  ( NOTE: IF/WHEN you do read Mabel Murple for the first time…..TAKE IT SLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!  Those tongue twisters are dangerous!!!  lol )

Now for anyone who is familiar with Sheree’s other works, you may already be familiar with the character Mabel Murple….like we discovered while reading Toes in My Nose tonight before bed.

The year 2012 marked the 25th anniversary of Sheree Fitch’s first poetry collection, Toes in My Nose. It launched her career as one of Canada’s best nonsense poets, on par, or even better than, Dennis Lee. Now reissued by Nimbus Publishing and newly illustrated by Sydney Smith, a new generation of children can enjoy Fitch’s unique brand of whimsy and wordplay. 

Here’s a poem featuring one of her beloved characters:

Mabel Murple’s house was purple
So was Mabel’s hair
Mabel Murple’s cat was purple
Purple everywhere.

Mabel Murple’s bike was purple
So were Mabel’s ears
And when Mabel Murple cried
She cried terrible purple tears.

Source – http://inquisitive-kids.blogspot.ca/2013/01/poet-and-storyteller-sheree-fitch.html

The Mabel Murple book was originally published in 1995 and illustrated by Maryann Kovalski.[ Toronto, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-25480-6 ]  This version of Mabel Murple won the Ann-Connor Brimmer Award (Best Book by an Atlantic Author), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Connor_Brimer_Award

A little girl is quietly soaking in the tub when she asks herself, “What if…There was a purple planet / With purple people in it / Would those purple people play / Whatever purple way they wanted?” So begins this rollicking romp through the zany land of purple, where Mabel Murple (who else?) rides a purple motorbike, skis down purple slopes, and rests in a purple bed. The cartoon-like illustrations, drawn with a predominantly purple palate, explode across the page with humour and vitality. They are a perfect complement to the spunky, quirky verse which is used to tell the story. This is a delightful picture book — not to be missed.

Source – http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/015020-6014-e.html

---

25 years later (2010) Mabel Murple was back in print, this time being published by Nimbus Publishing,and Illustrated by Sydney Smith.  [ Age Range: 4 – 8 years; Hardcover: 24 pages; Publisher: Nimbus (Oct. 8 2010); Language: English;ISBN-10: 1551097885; ISBN-13: 978-1551097886 ]

Description

What if there was a purple planet with purple people on it? Sheree Fitch answers this question with a zany tongue-twister of a poem featuring Mabel Murple, a daredevil who rides a purple motorbike through purple puddles, skis on purple snow, and on her pancakes pours maple syrup.

With a rich and vivid purple palette, Sydney Smith’s brand-new illustrations reflect the wild joy in this classic poem. Originally published in 1995, Mabel Murple won the Ann Connor Brimer award for children’s literature.

Source – http://www.nimbus.ca/Mabel-Murple-pb-P58.aspx

In 2011 this new version of Mabel Murple won the Halifax’s Mayor Award for Illustration

---

About Sheree Fitch –

Sheree Fitch’s first two books, Toes in My Nose (1987) and Sleeping Dragons All Around (1989), launched her career as a poet, rhymster, and a “kind of Canadian female Dr. Seuss.” Fitch has won almost every major award for Canadian children’s literature since then, including the 2000 Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work Inspirational to Canadian Children. She has over twenty-five books to her credit, including her bestselling and critically praised adult novel, Kiss the Joy As It Flies (2008). Fitch’s home base is the East Coast of Canada.

 – Source – http://www.nimbus.ca/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=2298&Name=Sheree+Fitch

But I also Love how Sheree describes herself on her own website,

I’m a writer, reciter, a speaker, a teacher, a sister, a daughter, a mother, a wife.
A listener, a seeker, a maker of nonsense, a reader, a leader, a lipslippery fool.
A doctor, a walker, a talk-talk-talk- talker, a giggle-glad Oma, an odd sort of soul.

Yearner and learner
An ever beginner!
Hope is my teacher
Life is my school.

I write books for all ages, speak, give workshops on creativity, literacy education, children’s and women’s issues, storytelling and narrative. I’ve published books in all genres. I also mentor/guide writers one on one—sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee. I’ve lived in New Brunswick, on Chocolate Lake, Nova Scotia, in Washington D. C. We now live in Pictou County, Nova Scotia on the hobby farm Happy Doodle Do. My posts on this site are riffs—what’s most on my mind. I hope you take a look, and in the words of Willam Blake: Kiss the Joy as it Flies.

Source – http://www.shereefitch.com/

For more information on Sheree and her other Books/Projects check out, http://www.shereefitch.com/

About Sydney Smith –

Sydney Smith was born in rural Nova Scotia, and has been drawing since an early age. Since graduating from NSCAD University, he has illustrated multiple children’s books, including the wordless picture book Sidewalk Flowers, and he has received awards for his illustrations, including the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. He now lives in Toronto and works in a shared studio space in Chinatown where he eats too many banh mi sandwiches and goes to the library or the Art Gallery of Ontario on his breaks.

Source – http://groundwoodbooks.com/sidewalk-flowers-a-love-letter-to-toronto-from-illustrator-sydney-smith/

You can also check out Sydney’s website at, http://sydneydraws.tumblr.com/

We hope you enjoy Mabel Murple as much as we do!!!

---

We are very excited that Mabel Murple is also the November Book Selection for Kaelyn’s Book Club.  So check back as we announce our Book Club gathering, and help us share this fun book with your Family, Friends and of course your Wee Ones!!!

For much more on Sheree Fitch, check out my Pinterest Board….https://www.pinterest.com/ralford/sheree-fitch-cdn-kaelyns-book-club/

Children’s Illustrators – Friday Favorites, October 30

Here’s my thoughts, and question of the day for this Friday…….Sometimes as a consumer of books, specifically Children’s Books, I haven’t always paid as much attention to who was drawing the pictures (or creating the art) as I have to who actually wrote the words of the text.  Now sometimes this is easy when the author and illustrator are the same person.  But what happens when there is someone else who is drawing, painting, photographing, etc….  those images.

Do we know who that person is?  ….  ….  ….

In the very recent news, there has been a lot of talk about the 2015 Governor General’s Award winning Children’s Literature – Illustrated Book, Sidewalk Flowers  By JonArno Lawson, and Illustrated by Sydney Smith.  http://ggbooks.ca/books/children-illustration

-cover images courtesy of, http://houseofanansi.com

**This book is also listed on the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/28/books/review/28-new-york-times-best-illustrated-childrens-books-of-2015.html?_r=1

Who are JonArno Lawson & Sydney Smith?

JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith win their first GG award with Sidewalk Flowers (2015). In its first year, this wordless book has sold in 10 countries, in at least eight languages. 

JonArno Lawson is the author of several award-winning books of poetry for children and adults, and is a four-time winner of the Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry. He has been most inspired in his work by his own children, and received a Chalmers Fellowship Award in 2007 to research children’s lap and bouncing rhymes cross-culturally in different communities across Toronto. Born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised nearby in Dundas, JonArno Lawson now lives in Toronto.

Sydney Smith discovered his love of children’s illustration while studying drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University in Halifax. Some of his first experiences illustrating children’s books were for the new editions of Sheree Fitch’s older books (Mabel Murple, There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen and Toes in My Nose). He is mainly known for working with ink and watercolour but changes techniques to suit each project. Originally from Halifax, Sydney Smith currently lives in Toronto.

-source, http://ggbooks.ca/books/children-illustration/english/sidewalk-flowers

Now I have heard of Syndey Smith before, because he is also the illustrator on one of our favorite books (and the November Book Club Selection for Kaelyn’s Book Club), Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch.

-This photo was taken inside the Inquisitive Toy Company, Wolfville, NS [ http://www.inquisitivetoys.com/ ] #supportlocal

So I will ask you this question,

• Who is your favorite illustrator?
• If you don’t have a specific favorite, do you have a book that you love because of the pictures?  (who is the illustrator)

---

Here are some of our (current) favorites:

• Ron Lightburn (Pumpkin People by Ron & Sandra Lightburn, A Poppy Is To Remember by Heather Patterson), http://thelightburns.com/
• Doretta Groenendyk (I’m Writing A Story, Fiddles & Spoons – Journey of an Acadian Mouse by Lila Hope-Simpson), http://doretta-art.com/
• Michael Martchenko (Murmel, Murmel, Murmel by Robert Munsch, Boy Soup by Loris Lesynski)
• Sandra Boynton (Barnyard Dance!, Belly Button Book!), http://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/Introduction.html
• Marie-Louis Gay (Stella and Sam books, Please, Louise! by Frieda Wishinsky), http://marielouisegay.com/

Monthly Book Selection – November 2015

For November we have selected Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch (Illustrated by Sydney Smith) as our Monthly Book Selection.  This is an incredibly fun book to read (although I do suggest you take it slow and easy the first couple times that you try to read it.  Or you’re tongue might get away from you!! 🙂  )Thanks to Miranda and The Inquisitive Toy Company, Wolfville, NS for letting me take this photo with the Sock Monkey’s and friends the other day when we were in the store doing some ‘toy testing!!”

Mabel Murple was originally published in 1995 by Nimbus Publishing.

If you are Local to Wolfville, NS, please think about stopping in at The Box of Delights Book Shop, http://www.boxofdelightsbooks.com/ .  Hilary and staff would be more than happy to hook you up with your own copy of this fun Canadian Picture Book.  And you can save 10% off by telling them you are a member of Kaelyn’s Book Club.

or reserve your copy online, http://bookmanager.com/1680560/?STG=1273360564&q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword&so=oh&searchtype=keyword&qs=mabel+murple&x=12&y=8&qs_file=

To Come……Tomorrow, we are very excited to share the rest of our November project.  November celebrates Picture Book Month, so we have created an English and French calendar highlighting 30 AMAZING CANADIAN Children’s Picture Books.

READ SHARE CELEBRATE – 30 days of AMAZING CANADIAN Children’s Picture Books