Special Request

Diantres has asked if I could post a decent-sized image of a card of mine in the most recent Magic: The Gathering epansion, Lorwyn. It's called "Horde of Notions," apparently. When I was working on it, it was called "Teeming Host."
Here you go, Diantres:

Another Star!

The True Meaning of Smekday has earned a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, which writes, "Who knew the end of the world could be so hilarious?...Parallels between the Boov and European settlers and their treatment of Native Americans deepen the impact of the story, but the author goes well beyond delivering a single political message. Incorporating dozens of his weird and wonderful illustrations and fruitfully manipulating the narrative structure, Rex skewers any number of subjects, from Disney World to various fleeting fads."
I've also just learned that The True Meaning of Smekday is one of the New York Public Library Best Books of 2007! Hooha!

Character In Search of a Story #8

CHRYSANTHEMITCH

Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty

The kids over at Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty have posted some fan art inspired by my books, and it's just like getting a big box full of candy. Issac (9), Grace (7), and Lily (4) are amazing illustrators already, and will possibly rule the world in ten or fifteen years.

Elephant in a Tree by Lily (from Tree Ring Circus)

Clown Watching a Boov by Gracie (from Tree Ring Circus and The True Meaning of Smekday)

The Narwhal Gets a Turn on the Zoomobile by Isaac (from Pssst!)
It's no wonder the kids are good, I suppose. Check out their Dad.

Come On Feel The Illinoise!

Apologies to Sufjan Stevens for stealing his title.
I had a great visit to the Chicago area last week, thanks to Anderson's Books in Naperville. They set up two of the best school visits I've ever done (to the Crone and Scullen Middle Schools), and also had me to their store for an evening visit with customers and two elementary school classes. Below are pictures of just some of the great people I met, sorry i can't post all of them. That's me with Amy Timberake (author of The Dirty Cowboy and That Girl Lucy Moon) in the upper right.

Thanks also to the GLBA, which is not, as I found out, a support group for altenative lifestyles, but rather the Great Lakes Bookseller's Association.

The True Meaning of Website

I've just launched the official website for my book, The True Meaning of Smekday. It has a puppet show and everything. I would be honored if you visited. Thank you.

Role Models

Possible new feature around here. Portraits of some of the people who've inspired me to make the kind of books I make.

JON SCIESZKA
Around 1990 I was working in a bookstore, and saw some of the antastic picture books that were being produced at the time. Picture books unlike those I'd read when I was a kid. One of them was The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. They of course followed this up with The Stinky Cheese Man. It wasn't hard to see myself making picture books after that.

The 2008 Model T Ford

A recent article on The Onion's website got me wondering what it might look like if Ford reintroduced the Model T in a "new Beetle" sort of way. Or in the way they redesigned their own Mustang to make it both modern and reminiscient of its muscle car glory days. In other words, what would the Model T look like if it had never gone out of production, and had instead been updated year after year? Probably nothing like this:

Drawing mech and tech isn't really my strong suit. Anyone else out there have any ideas? If so, post it on your own blogs or whatever and link back here.

Ask Not For Whom My Horn Toots...It Toots for Me.

Just a random news and self-congratulatory roundup.
My latest picture book, Pssst! has thus far recived TWO STARRED REVIEWS from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Kirkus says it's "[A] gleefully postmodern romp." PW admires my "astringent attitude and a refreshing brake on the cuteness," and calls Pssst! "[a] very funny excursion."
Also, an ALERT TO CHICAGO AREA READERS. I'll be appearing at the Naperville Anderson's at 7PM on September 27th. I'll read, sign, possibly do a little soft shoe, and MOVE OBJECTS WITH NOTHING BUT MY MIND, ARM, AND HAND. I'll also be signing books at the Great Lakes Booksellers Association Trade Show on September 28th.

CONTEST WINNER! Character In Search of a Story #7

Here's the winner of our contest:

AMBIGUGUS, The Remarkably Unmemorable Man, suggested by Jon Harmon
Okay, here's what I was thinking (and if you need to read this section, then I have failed you, reader. I am sorry). I was originally thinking of giving him no features at all, like the old Dick Tracy character, The Blank. Of course, it bothered me that if any of us really saw a featureless man, he would be the most remarkably memorable man we'd ever encountered. So, apart from making his features a little indistinct, I decided to put him in front of three mirrors, each of which is reflecting something entirely different. He's unmemorable because, each time you look at him, he appears as a completely new person or thing.
Ta da.
Thanks to everyone who submitted a name or voted for one! And thanks to Cyril for putting the idea of reflections in my head.

CONTEST! Wooo!

See post below. Thank you.

Character in Search of a Story #6 and CONTEST!

UPDATE!–I've joined with Ironic Sans to hold a contest–a contest to name the next Character in Search of a Story. Click HERE for details. The winner recives the original art!

BIG FLOPPY KITTY
Look at that cat! That's a barn next to him! That's a cow! He's HUGE! What a big, floppy kitty.
I'm really ripping off Totoro on this one.
Here's the last C.S.S..

The Impossible Interview

The good women at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have been ridiculously generous to me this week. Yesterday they reviewed my new picture book and novel, and today they posted an interview so nice I may seriously take a vow of silence now so I don't ruin it. Thanks Jules and Eisha!

Last Night I Dreamt I Sold a Cartoon to the New Yorker

And this was it.

Marvel Sketch Cards

This was fun. The Upper Deck Company is putting out a new Marvel Masterpieces collectible card set, and some packs will include one-of-a-kind sketch cards, featuring original drawings by comics industry artists. Calling me a comics industry artist is a bit of a stretch, but I agreed to sketch on 10 blanks. Here are 9 of them:

9 because it makes a rectangle, and 9 because my 10th card (Captain America) kind of sucked.
I hope someone gives me a good excuse to do a painting of Modok some day.

Nerds With Kids Interview a Nerd Without Any

The blog Nerds With Kids asked me some good questions recently. Have a look if you want to know what I think about Spiderman 3 or Joss Whedon.

Character in Search of a Story #5

MR. BABY, The Boy With No Birthday
See also C.S.S. numbers one, two, three, and four.

Fan Art!

Illustration rock star Rodrigo Avilés has sent some Abraham SuperLincoln fan art:

Go see it on his blog and then follow the links to find out what that spaghetti tree business is all about.
Thanks, Rodrigo!

Character in Search of a Story #4

TINY YETI
And here, as ever, are characters number one, number two, and number three.

Phony Tiny

I was just looking at photos on Brian Biggs' (Biggs's?) site (www.mrbiggs.com) and noticed this photo that looks like a miniature but isn't a miniature. I love these, so I thought I'd post my favorite of those that I've made. This is Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, taken (not by me) from a small prop plane, altered (by me) in Photoshop, and absolutely not a photograph of a miniature.

Character in Search of a Story #3

ROOMBA 2.0
Click here to see Character in Search of a Story #1 and Character in Search of a Story #2.

Robert's Snow

I'm proud once again to create an original, snowflake-shaped painting for The Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The snowflake, and many others decorated by fellow kid's book creators, will be auctioned online to raise money for cancer research this fall. I'll post this again when the auction is underway in November, but here's a preview:

If you'd like to see the snowflake I painted for the last auction, click here.

Character in Search of a Story #2

G.I.(tract) JOE, THE CUDDLIEST TAPEWORM
Click here to see Character in Search of a Story #1.

Home.

Got back this afternoon, after 28 hours on airplanes and in airports and sleeping beneath an escalator with a beach towel under my head. Here are a few pictures from Kauai. There are chickens everywhere on the island, roaming free, getting into all kinds of chickenbusiness.

Kauai Turtle

I'm still on vacation, but I thought I'd post this sketch. It's of any one of the big sea turtles I've been snokeling with here in Kauai–they all look the same to me. That's not an ethnic slur, it's just the truth.
This was drawn strictly from memory, so I'm not claiming a high level of accuracy here. But I'm happy with it.