my neighbor is a dog

Another sensation by Isabel Minhós Martins and Madalena Matoso of Planeta Tangerina is My Neighbor is a Dog, a hilarious and zany story about a dog that moves into an apartment building (which looks almost Le Corbusier-inspired), and how his human neighbors react to his arrival.  Matoso uses a quirky color palette of red, blue, pink and white and her charming and graphic style make the illustrations feel musical and animated.  The take-home message of this book?  Don’t judge a book by its cover, even if it’s furry and has four legs. 

Another amazing book by the same duo, When I Was Born, can be found in this post.

when i was born

"When I was born

I didn’t know what the sea was.

I didn’t know that there were forests

and a world with mountains and beaches."

Avery recently asked if she didn’t know anything when she was a baby, so I thought that question was a perfect segue to this book.  Written by author Isabel Minhós Martins and illustrated by illustrator/graphic designer Madalena Matoso, When I Was Born is a beautiful and poignant book about what it's like to be a child and experience the world for the first time.  I am in love with Madalena Matoso's bold and graphic style, and the vibrant color palette she uses to give the book a lively and playful feel.

It gives children an idea of what's it like to grow up and how much you see, hear, smell, touch, taste and learn as a baby and then as a child.  Most importantly, it gets children wondering about what they were like when they were younger, realizing how much they've changed, how much they can do on their own now that they're older, and how much they're loved.  It reminds us the importance and magic of first experiences and milestones.  This book is a must-have!

You can read more about Planeta Tangerina, a publishing house and a design studio in Carcavelos, Portugal, specializing in communication design for children and young people, co-founded by Isabel Minhós Martins and Madalena Matoso, along with two other friends.  I hope their entire incredible collection of books eventually makes its way to the U.S.!

Also, check out this lovely, lovely baby shower on The Indigo Bunting a few years back (her post might have been how I first heard about this book).

the art lesson

The Art Lesson tells about Tomie DePaola’s life as a young boy and his first encounters with school art lessons.  He is appalled to find out that there are all these rules to follow.  His art teacher finds a way to work around them, and Tomie learns some of his first important lessons in art and life.  There are so many things I love about this story.  I love books about how people came to discover their craft or vocation and I love books that tell about someone's own childhood experiences.  They give another person's perspective of what it's like growing up.  Children always seem to be curious about that.

Avery’s favorite part was "when his cousins said that you’re not supposed to copy."  Avery sometimes talks about becoming an artist.  She’s mentioned in the recent past that she would like to be a book designer or a Hello Kitty artist.  Today she said that she would like to be an “eraser artist.”  She’s been into collecting mini erasers as of late.  We shall see!