Friday, October 19, 2012

Happy Birthday Ed Emberley!

Today is author and illustrator, Ed Emberley's birthday!  I was first introduced to Emberley when my daughter attended a baby and parent storytime (my daughter was about 18 months at the time).  The book the librarian read was Go Away, Big Green Monster!


A different part of the monster face is added as you read the story and turn the die-cut pages.  When the whole monster is put together you yell at the monster, "But you don't scare me!"  Then the reader tells each part of the monster's face to "Go Away!"

The librarian encouraged the children to "blow the monster away".  So when the story read, "Go away long bluish-greenish nose" we would all blow, then the librarian would turn the page.  My daughter absolutely loved it!  When we couldn't get it at the library because it was checked out we went to the bookstore and bought ourselves a copy (which we still own...16 years later!)

And it's not just me who recommends this book!  School Library Journal placed Go Away, Big Green Monster! on its top 100 Picture Books List!

Mr. Emberley has written about 80 other books--20 of them are still in print.  He has 13 drawing books many of which are named after the color of the cover (and the things he shows you how to draw that come in that color).  For example,  Ed Emberley's Big Orange Drawing Book shows children how to draw things that are orange, such as a tiger and a jack 'o lantern.


Emberley often collaborates with his family in the publication of the picture books.  He won the Caldecott Medal in 1968 for his illustrations in the book Drummer Hoff, which was written by his wife, Barbara.


More recently he has been working with his daughter, Rebecca, on such books as If You're a Monster and You Know It.

If you haven't had the chance to see his books for youself stop by the library!  We have 13 of his titles!  Maybe you and your child will want to "blow away" the Big Green Monster!

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