It's Book Time!

Fuel your mind poster by Shaun Tan

The Bologna Children's Book Fair started today, and tomorrow Seba and I 

are going for our annual pilgrimage, like every Spring for the past 14 years. 

The experience is always interesting, often exciting, generally exhausting. This time 

I am particularly looking forward to it, since we have some new important projects 

to promote and discuss. Say a little prayer for us and enjoy this reading rainbow!

Sneak peak illustration from It's a book by Lane Smith

Illustration from the lovely Roland by André Francois, 1958,

thanks to Le figure dei libri

Galassia Gutenberg poster by Gianluigi Toccafondo

Illustration by Chiho Makino

Illustration by Yolanda Mosquera

Illustration by Henri Galeron for Gallimard Jeunesse

Jungle library, thanks to the ever fascinating Franco Matticchio

Cover of Why you should read Kafka before you waste your life by James Hawes.

Lettering and illustration by Steve Snider, thanks to Rough Front

Vintage reading poster, thanks to delicious industries and doe-c-doe

Bookmark by Lesley Barnes, thanks to the always wonderful Aqua-Velvet

Red Roars and Green Growls

Growling cat, 1970

For a bold, wild and colorful beginning of the new year,

I have chosen the fierce but friendly beasts of Hubert Hilscher (1924-1999).

Portrait for Hilscher exhibition by Agneska Koscisz

I haven't been able to find much information about this Polish poster artist,

except that he won awards and was an AGI member.

He clearly enjoyed playing with lively patterns and simple, strong compositions...

Three Cyrk posters, 1966-70

Plakat Secesyjny, 1971

Three Cyrk posters, 1973–4

Visual art and design, 1974

Lion King, 1975

Circus, 1979

I have been gathering lots of 1960–70s design and illustration for my master courses,

so expect to see more wild colors and groovy animals in 2010!

Pink Elephants on Parade

Cover illustration by Toshiyuki Fukuda

One of the few reasons I did like going to the Circus as a kid,

at the end I got to ride the baby elephant...

CYRK elephant poster by Jan Mlodozeniech, 1966

CYRK elephant poster by Hubert Hilscher, 1964

Circus elephant by Roger Hilton, 1973

Elephant by Naoto Kitamura

Elephant with long trunk by Mieczyslaw Wasilewski, 1974

Skinny elephant with butterfly ears by Andrzej Pagowski, 1979

Carlsberg Elephant Beer by Kjed Nielsen, 1960

La Collina degli Elefanti book cover by Sabrina Lupacchini, 2007

Baby elephant by Sebastiano Ranchetti

Illustration from La Petite Famille by John Alcorn, 1964

thanks to art.crazed's fantastic flickr stream

The Elephant Book cover by Ed Powers, 1963

thanks to Eric Sturdevant's awesome flickr collection of vintage children's books

Red Elephant by Edward Gorey

Calico Elly by Ward Jenkins