Monday, April 20, 2009

The Warmth of Candlewick Press




Do publishers have a smell?




Wow - that sounds entirely ridiculous as I write it, but I do think that if we could associate a certain scent with a certain publisher, then Candlewick Press would smell like homemade cinnamon rolls, just as they come out of the oven (rather than melted wax as the name might suggest).




When I pick up a Candlewick book, I know that I am always in for a treat. Sometimes the scent may be so powerful that it makes me catch my breath*, and other times, that perfume is the equivalent of a snuggly blanket and a kiss on the cheek from your mom.




A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker and illustrated so warmly by Kady MacDonald Denton is just such a treat. Bear's home looks like the English cottage of my dreams (as does Angelina Ballerina's abode, if truth be told), but we know, as Bear will learn, that a cozy house is cozier if there is a friend to visit. Denton's bear, a cross between David McPhail's bumbling creatures and James Stevenson's whimsy, is huge and dainty all at once, but his bulk isn't enough to fill his home. The appearance of Mouse makes all the difference - and suddenly the white framing around Bear decreases, and Bear and his home take up more and more of the page, as though Bear's life is fuller with Mouse in it.




*Have you still not read The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing - published by Candlewick (really these editors are amazing)? What are you waiting for?

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