Coraline Creators visit JPL

With all of the buzz following author, Neil Gaiman’s receipt on the 2009 Newberry Award for The Graveyard Book (check out this video tour) and the release of the motion picture adaptation of Coraline, it’s a good time to be a Neil Gaiman fan as new editions of his wildly popular, imaginative books  will surely follow.    Check out a few random things Caroline;  Wired Magazine blurb about Coraline in 3D which features a clip from the film,  Craft magazine article “Coraline brings Craft to the Big Screen” .  Don’t miss the local events listed below.

Though I certainly hold a close place in my heart for Coraline, my favorite Gaiman book is The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish.    For fans of Coraline, however, in case seeing the screen adaptation wasn’t thrilling enough, this month we have an incredible opportunity for you to meet two people who helped bring Gaiman’s nightmarish vision to life.

There will be two events:

Conversation with the Coraline Creators-  Saturday, April 25th  7pm @ Downtown Library

Coraline puppet creators Georgina Hayns and Mark Gaiero will discuss the making of the movie Coraline and their role as puppet creators for the animation.  

Caroline Workshop- Sunday, April 26th 1-5 pm @ Douglas Library

A 4-hour hands-on workshop making simple puppets, working with professional armatures and learning the basics of stop motion.  Film experience is suggested.  Registration is required as space is limited.  There will be a $10 materials fee.  To register contact JUMP at 586-3440 or email pat_at_jumpsociety_dot_org

You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons

You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons: The World on a Cartoon a day by Mo Willems.  Makes me wish I could sum up all my elaborate and wordy journal entries from my time spent in Nepal with a haiku a day, which is essentially what children’s book writer Mo Williams has done. What a journey! You won’t regret picking this up, a great on the toilet or a few pages before bed read.

Collect Raindrops

Collect Raindrops: the seasons gathered, is a collection of cut-paper art by Washington graphic artist Nikki McClure. The collection evolved out of calendar projects and the illustrations are arranged into four seasons each preceeded by an essay alive with the sounds, smells and other sensory associations of the season. As a poet I felt that each page read like a poem, a short but vivid tribute to the natural surroundings out of which McClure takes her insipiration. To view sample pages from Collect Raindrops, go here.

Reviewed by: Jonas