Best Book for Young People

The Washington Post named Leaves as one of its Best Books for Young People, 2007, and called it "The most engaging lesson ever on the seasonal cycle." Yow.

See you at the newsstand,
David

Robert's Snow Auction

You can bid on your very own piece of original art by a professional children's book artist at the auction at
Robert's Snow. My snowflake, "The Mane Event," is on the auction block right now, along with many other wonderful snowflakes. Best of all, the proceeds go to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Center, for cancer research. Place your bid now! A perfect gift for any children's book fan.


See ya at the auction,
David

DES at New York Hall of Science

Well folks, the leaves are finally showing their glorious color here in the city, and what better time to announce that I am privileged to be doing three days of Leaves-based readings and crafts this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadow, Queens. Come make leaf crowns, hear (and buy signed copies of) Leaves and Monster Hug!; celebrate the season!

For more info, visit the NYHOS homepage and click on the picture of the dancing bear.

See you at the Hall,
David

Leaves a School Library Journal Best Book 2007

Here is a link to SLJ's 63 best book picks (out of the 4500 books they received this year!). You might notice a familiar title about a familiar bear under "S" for Stein.

Happy turkey,
David

Leaves a Publishers Weekly Best Book

Leaves has been named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly! It is also a Kirkus Best Book of 2007 and a New York Public Library Best Book of 2007. Hey, ya write three books in '07 and you have that much more of a shot at it!

See you in the magazine aisle,
David

Leaves is a NYPL Best Book 2007

Here is the latest News of the David:

1. Come visit me and authors like Arthur Yorinks and Elise Primavera at Books of Wonder this Sunday, Oct 28, from 1-3 PM for a special Halloween author event!

Books of Wonder

2. Vivian Lee Mahoney (a.k.a. "hip writer mama") has interviewed me in depth for her blog. It will be posted this Friday, the 26th.

hipwritermama

3. Leaves has been selected by the New York Public Library as one of their best books of the year. Art from it will hang in the central children's library. I will give more details when I know them!

Happy Wednesday,
David

Leaves review by Karma Wilson

Fabulous children's book author Karma Wilson (Bear Snores On, Frog in a Bog, and many more) has reviewed Leaves on her blog:
Good Karma

Apparently she brings it to schools as a companion book to her bear books. We love this. This is absolutely a very sweet thing to do. Hooray for Karma!

See you in the classroom,
David

LEAVES at Society of Illustrators

Hi! I am pleased to announce that artwork from my book Leaves will appear at the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan as part of their Original Art show. This is a juried exhibition of original picture book art, where you can view quite a concentrated amount of extraordinary imagery under one roof. The show opens October 18.

See ya in the gallery,
David

Painting Journal 9/10-9/14

This week, I had a chance to paint in Central Park and at the Riverdale train station. It was a race against darkness and the arrival of my train. I also did some squinting and scribbling in my own kitchen and bathroom.

David

South Street Seaport

Today I went drawing at the South Street Seaport. Here is my painting journal for the day.

Cape Cod

Here is a painting journal of my recent trip to Cape Cod.

Leaves: 4th starred review

This one will be in the September 1 issue of Booklist, a magazine of the American Library Association. I won't run the whole thing here till then, but here is a tiny excerpt:

Leaves. Stein, David Ezra (Putnam 9780399246364)
"Wonderfully simple and simply wonderful for sharing with children."

*Please note that these reviews are unedited; the final reviews will appear in the issue stated above.

-DES

Two huge reviews

Well, Leaves has done it again. A few days before its August 16th release, it has garnered a third starred review, this time in Publishers Weekly, and a very sweet review by Elizabeth Ward in the Washington Post!

Here are links: Washington Post review
Publishers Weekly review


Wow. I gotta go take a cold shower or somethin'.
David

August BOOK PAGE interview

Hey folks, just thought I'd drop a line to let you know I'm in this month's Book Page magazine/web site. They have a special way of interviewing artists, and I had a blast doing it!

You can pick up a hard copy at your local library or bookstore, or just:

CLICK HERE FOR INTERVIEW

All the best,
David

Time Out NY KIDS interview published

Well, last night was the first time I actually dreamed I was giving a book signing. Yep, the past few months have been all about publicity, and here's something that ought to help a great deal: I'm in Time Out New York KIDS this issue (August)! Carolyn Juris has written up a sweet little interview in which she covers all the books and delves into my mysterious past. And future.

So run out and buy a copy. I think I might get a new copy, too -- the cat walked on mine.

Cheers,
David

http://www.tonykids.com/

LEAVES: second starred review

Leaves has just garnered its second starred review, this time from School Library Journal. Here it is, in all its glory. Yippee!

*STEIN, David Ezra. Leaves. (Putnam 978-0-399-24636-4)

Simple, declarative sentences and expressive small-scale pictures blend beautifully in this sweet story about a young bear experiencing his first full cycle of seasons. Bamboo pen and earth-toned watercolors are used to great effect to depict the setting of a tiny island with a few trees. The serene scenes and streamlined story line reflect perfectly the gentle passage of time. The bear dances gracefully and happily as he picks flowers and absorbs the warmth of the sun: “Everything was going well.” Then the first autumn leaf drops, and he asks it, “Are you okay?” As leaves continue to fall, he leaps around trying to catch them; he even tries to reattach them to the branches. When he becomes sleepy, he carries a bunch of leaves to a hole and uses them to cover the entrance while he hibernates. Snow falls and blankets the ground; a fox trots by and a white rabbit peeks over the hillside. As yellow tones return to the sky, birds scratch for food in the melting snow. The bear looks out of his warm den and, when he sees the new green buds on the trees, he jumps out crying, “Welcome!” This introspective little gem exudes joy.

Can't wait till this comes out on August 16th!
– David

Cowboy Ned & Andy on iTunes

Howdy, buckaroos! Now you can hear Cowboy Ned & Andy, narrated by voice actor Ed Sala, right in your iTunes! Just go to the iTunes store and search for David Ezra Stein. It's too easy.

See ya round the ol' mp3 waterin' hole.
David

LEAVES gets starred review

My editor, Nancy Paulsen, just sent word that Kirkus Reviews has given LEAVES a starred review!

Here's the review in its entirety (from the July 15, 2007 issue):

*STAR* Stein, David Ezra. LEAVES. (Putnam 9780399246364)

A young bear observing his first autumn is captivated by the leaves as they change color from golden to amber. His exuberance and wonder change to worry and consternation when he is unable to replace the first leaf and those that follow to the bare branches. Instinct overtakes him as he gathers a paw full of leaves, finds and fills a hole and burrows in for the winter. When he awakens the following spring, he observes, to his relief, that the leaves have returned to the branches. Seasonal change and animal behavior are simply and freshly conveyed through a young child’s perspective with single-phrase captions and direct, vibrant watercolor illustrations. Bowed, listless branches echo little bear’s down-turned curved shoulders and eyes as he gives up his battle to replace the fallen leaves. Stein does not tread on ground where others often do in over explaining a complex concept. He understands and honors the young, curious mind and allows readers to share the joy of a discovery in text and illustration.

Woo hoo! Now I have to go out and hug some trees to thank them for their inspiration.

See ya in the woods,
David

Star-Studded Evening Featuring Cowboy Ned & Andy!

I have been invited to the American Academy of Arts and Letters next Monday, June 25, 2007 at 7 PM to have my book Cowboy Ned & Andy read to me by Chris Chalk, an actor from Philip Seymour Hoffman's LAByrinth Theater Company.

The evening also features Jules Feiffer, Sonia Manzano ("Maria" from Sesame Street), and master puppeteer Marty Robinson, also from Sesame Street.

At some point during the evening, I will be called to the stage to show how I draw "The Emotions of Cowboy Ned, as Demonstrated by His Mustache."

The event is part of a benefit for the Hamilton Heights School, an elementary school in West Harlem/Washington Heights.

It's bound to be a thrilling evening!

August Interview in Time Out NY Kids

Hi folks. Mighty glad to report two upcoming interviews that will hopefully create some buzz around my three new books coming out this year!

Look at the August issue of Time Out New York Kids for an interview with yours truly, moi.

And check out the August issue of Book Page, a children's book review site to see my handwritten (and drawn) answers to their questionnaire.

Vive la buzz!

http://www.tonykids.com/
http://www.bookpage.com/

Cowboy Ned & Andy at Pottery Barn Kids

Pottery Barn Kids stores are now carrying Cowboy Ned & Andy alongside books by Eric Carle and other notables.

The Manhattan location is:

1311 Second Ave
(69th Street and 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 879-4746

There's one in Westchester:

125 Westchester Ave.
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 949-4947

And Long Island:

Roosevelt Field Mall
1 Old Country Road
Garden City, NY, 11530
(516) 739-2688

For more locations, click here

Cowboy Ned & Andy Audio Available

Happy Spring!
A company called Recorded Books has produced an audio version of my first book, Cowboy Ned & Andy. It is read by voice-over artist Ed Sala.

To purchase a CD, click here

Ed has a good hardboiled-cowboy voice. Can't wait to get a copy myself!