123oleary: May 2015

29.5.15

Sadie Reviews & Interviews

A few new shiny things to share. I did an interview with the wonder that is Mr. Schu for Watch. Connect. Read.

And Julie Morstad and I rode our tandem bike over to Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast to talk to the fantastic Julie Danielson.

Julie shared some early sketches from This is Sadie.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the kind words from bloggers and over on Instagram so if I miss anything, do please let me know. Here are a few responses from the past week.

Author Sara O’Leary takes a remarkably common premise –kids have wild imaginations, and can do wondrous things with nothing more than an empty box– and weaves something incredible. Her text harkens back to a day of unforced simplicity in children’s literature, when easy ideas were delivered with just a pinch of poetry to make them go down even easier. Kinderlit Canada

I don’t know if it was seeing Sadie in a box, on a boat, hammering, wearing a fox mask, sleeping in a blanket fort or looking for her wings that felt most like a connection to my younger self. I do know that reading the lines – “A perfect day is spent with friends. Some of them live on her street, and some of them live in the pages of a book” – made me want to give a copy to every family I know. The Book Jam

‘This is Sadie’ by the formidable picture book pairing of Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad is a celebration of creatively quirky characters and positive affirmation of a wild and wonderful imagination. Pictures Book Blogger

In "This Is Sadie" the little girl with a big imagination sees the ordinary as extraordinary. The Waterloo Record

In this story Sara O'Leary has given readers a character to cherish. Through Sara's words we see a girl who looks at her world, making it larger with her making, doing and being. Librarian's Quest

Sadie's imagination is so huge she can go anywhere, be anything, without leaving her room. With soft, whimsical illustrations and spare, lyrical text, This Is Sadie takes us on a sweet adventure and reminds us of how far and wide our own imaginations can go.Staff recommendation, Powell's

Strap on your imaginations and take a trip with Sadie (I think you are going to fall in love with her). This gentle ode to creativity will make a nice addition to storytime. Don’t miss this little Canadian gem, beautifully illustrated by Julie Morstad. Valley Storytime

Earlier reviews and interviews can be found here.

19.5.15

Freedom To Think is an initiative that believes (as I do) that children thrive when allowed the luxury of boredom.

In This is Sadie, it is pretty easy to draw a direct line between boredom and creativity.

art: Julie Morstad

Here's a little about the program from Freedom To Think founder, author Jonathan Stroud:

I believe that:

All kids can and should be creative.
They need time and space to achieve it.
Unscheduled time is creative time.
We can give them this.

Our Freedom to Think website will have a rolling programme of possibilities – but it’s up to the kids to do what they want with the time. Even if nothing tangible comes out of it, they’ve been let off the mental leash for an hour or two, and this very freedom will rejuvenate them.

I hope you will join us in the campaign to give free time back to children. I would love to hear what you think and see any photographs of your children’s creations or ideas. You can upload images or videos to this tumblr site, tweet them to @iamfree2think or email them to freedomtothinksite@gmail.com."

(via Freedom To Think)

18.5.15

Reader Response to This is Sadie (and a favourite reader)

This is Sadie, my latest book with the outrageously talented Julie Morstad was released this week and I thought I'd try to catch up a little on the notice it has received thus far. My very favourite review is the beautiful one that says a thousand words pasted in just below.

Publishers Weekly:

Photo: Rosie Winstead

As in previous collaborations like When You Were Small and Where You Came From, O’Leary and Morstad put forth a playful, imagination-first portrait of childhood, introducing a girl named Sadie who is equally at home in the expanses of her mind as she is in the outside world. Striking an irreverent tone from the first page (“This is Sadie. No, not that. That’s a box. Sadie is inside the box”), O’Leary follows her raven-haired heroine as she sets sail in the aforementioned cardboard box, spends the day with friends (“Some of them live on her street, and some live in the pages of books”), and inserts herself into the stories she reads.

✭ School Library Journal:

This award-winning duo beautifully convey the magic that is to be found in reading or listening to a story. The appealing text is accompanied by lush drawings rendered in gouache, ink, and Photoshop that lend it a fanciful feel in the best way possible. With its leisurely pace and verdant illustrations, this book is a delight for bedtime as well as an excellent storytime choice paired with Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon and Peter Bently’s King Jack and the Dragon (Dial, 2011). VERDICT A wonderful purchase for all collections.

Huffington Post:

Sadie is a young girl who revels in the power of her imagination and is not limited by silly things like traditional gender constructs. The dynamic duo of O'Leary and Morstad have crafted a quiet but powerful celebration of childhood with a heroine that is a role model for boys and girls alike. Readers should be prepared to reserve a special place on their shelves -- and in their hearts -- for the incomparable Sadie.

✭ Quill and Quire:

Morstad's soft-palette illustrations engage perfectly with O'leary's text creating a whimsical kid-centred picture book that will be enjoyed by both children and adults. With something new to discover upon each encounter, This is Sadie is sure to become a favourite bedtime read.

Montreal Review of Books:

With the picture book This Is Sadie, Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad team up to introduce us to a girl of great imagination. Rather than plotting a linear storyline for her heroine, O’Leary offers us a character sketch of a girl uninhibited by adult limitations.

Book Page:

Sadie’s days are never long enough, and readers may feel the same way about this story: It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and every moment is a pleasure. And don’t forget to remove the book jacket to see the surprise waiting on the cover.

Here’s hoping for more of Sadie’s adventures in the future.

Buzzfeed: "What kind of reader is it for? This is a story for those with a deep love of stories."

Canadian Review of Materials:

This is Sadie is an irresistible book filled with a charm that entrances and a heroine that is unforgettable. Sara O’Leary’s fine narrative is sublimely complemented by the exceptional and aesthetically appealing art of Julie Morstad. Don’t miss this one! It is delightful.

This is Sadie's Book Birthday

Today is publication day for This is Sadie and to celebrate I decided to buy myself a little present....

Atelier Caroline

My little Sadie doll was built by the very talented Atelier Caroline. Check out her work here. I couldn't be happier!

I also couldn't be happier with this book. Julie Morstad just gets better and better and given how good she was to begin with, this is really saying something. Working with Tundra Books and its Editorial Director Tara Walker has been a dream. Her belief in the book from the very beginning has been what's brought it to glorious life. Jackie Kaiser of Westwood Creative has been Sadie's literary godmother and I am grateful for this and all other blessings she has brought into my life. The whole Tundra Books/Random House Canada team has been fantastic to work with.