Book Blogger Confession Time

So before I confess something that I really want to get out. I want to give you a little background on what happened to me yesterday that got me thinking about some things. And you know when I start thinking about things it becomes this whole huge thing so bare with me.

First of all I discovered this on twitter: 

Author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds talks about illustrating characters

from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

It's this project where Candlewick Press celebrates picture books through video everyday for how long I'm not sure. And it happened to feature one of my favorite children's books author/illustrator - Peter H. Reynolds. I reply something along the lines of: Oh my God Peter H. Reynolds. I love that guy! (Nerdy I know) on twitter.

And then the day afterwords I get a message that Peter H. Reynolds followed me on twitter.

But it gets better. I actually according to him. Made. His. Day.

Now I know you may not know him or how ridiculously awesome he is but let me break it down for you. Before I was a blogger I would write lists. Lists of books I was dying to have. List of authors and illustrators that I needed to read. Peter H. Reynolds without fail was on about every one of those lists. And I was obsessive about those lists. I was always looking for new authors, new books, and new illustrators. As book enthusiasts I'm sure you know what it is to obsess about books you don't have and really really want. It was like that for me and Peter H. Reynolds' books. For a while there I would look over his books and just stare.They represented something huge. But first I'm going to confess something to you all:

I LOVE ART.

I love looking at art, I love staring at art, I love (here's that word again) obsessing about art. I'm not very good at drawing and I can't create beautiful artwork from my imagination. But, there was a time where I liked drawing so much that I would print a bunch of pictures out of my favorite shows (mostly anime) and I would draw them exactly (or how exactly as I can get them to look like the picture). I could never create something from memory or imagination which is totally fine with me. I'm not that type of person. It's cool. But, it doesn't mean I still don't miss drawing (which I really should pick up again) and that when I see something truly great I don't get antsy to try drawing it - which I do. The point is that Peter H. Reynolds uses his picture books to tell all the little kids of the world that it's okay if you can't draw something exactly the same way as it's pictured. If you draw a vase of flowers and you think it's a bit funky DON'T! Because that's you. Good or bad or in between. Who cares really? I could look at illustrations and envy them but I will still draw whatever my way is and think "Yeah, alright. Not half bad." And have a smile on my lips because I just like art and it's nice to just be doing it. So it made me super happy that Peter H. Reynolds followed me and I made his day with my over enthusiasm with him following me even though I played it cool at least as cool as I can be when now I'm writing this whole post about how I love art and how his art is awesome and how his art and message is beneficial to kids who feel they aren't "good enough". And even though I've only been able to read one of his books that doesn't mean I haven't looked at the words and images in his other books that promotes the same thing. So it made me happy. But all of this leads me to another point that actually has to do with this blog. 

I love my library. But, there are like NO picture books and I love picture books. And if you didn't notice Peter H. Reynolds is a picture book illustrator who also happened to draw the Judy Moody books. There are a couple of books of his in my library which is great but there aren't that many other picture books. At least picture books that capture my eye. I mean sure they have And Then It's Spring and Chocolate Me! but they don't have much. It's also kind of awkward to check out picture books which is sad because I love them. I don't mind taking the awkwardness of it all actually because I'm not afraid to admit I love picture books. Anyways I'm not a very good reviewer of picture books like Books for Kids, Waking Up Brain Cells, and the picture book illustration center of the world! -  Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. So what I can do since I can't really review picture books well and since I don't have that much to choose from is just to show them off. Show off the illustrations and show off random artists if they are great. But, I will probably keep to picture books or books in general. I think I will keep the book discoveries and beautiful covers of teen, MG, and Adult books to my Mondays's post though. While maybe every weekend or possibly whenever I feel like I found some great things to show I will show it off. So to conclude my really long ramble I will be going crazy with picture book art tomorrow and see where it takes me next week and the weeks after that. That's the end of my ramblings... 

Got any illustrators that you just adore?