Tweak Tweak: Booklist Review

 

On a walk in the wild, Little Elephant asks her mother about each creature they see: What is it? What is it doing? And can Little Elephant do that, too? "Can I jump like a frog?" she asks on one spread, and the soft-toned, line-and-wash illustrations show the young animal imagining herself leaping from a cliff. (...) Young children will enjoy following Little Elephant's fantasies, depicted in the uncluttered, double-page spreads, all the way to the story's climax, which celebrates what Little Elephant really is, as well as the big, strong creature she will grow up to be. Along with the imaginative silliness, the nurturing parent-child tenderness is the core of the story. 

Hazel Rochman

Tweak Tweak: Publishers' Weekly Review

In this tender story from Bunting (Will It Be a Baby Brother?), Mama Elephant advises Little Elephant to "tweak twice," by pulling on her tail, if she has any questions while they go for a walk. And at almost every turn of the page, Little Elephant does. Ruzzier's delicate lines and subdued colors match the tenor of the text, as Little Elephant asks her mother to identify various animals (a frog, a monkey, a bird, etc.), then wonders if she can also jump, climb, or sing. "Can I sing like that?" Little Elephant asks. "No, because you are not a bird.... But you can trumpet--like this. RO-OAR!" Ruzzier (Hey, Rabbit!) warmly conveys the small elephant's emotions and the reactions of other animals in fantasy spreads that show the elephant leaping between cliffs, swimming, and soaring through the sky. Despite the quiet plot and gentle tone, ample sound effects give the story pep, and the tail-pulling is a fun elephantine analogue to the way toddlers pull on a parent's pant leg or skirt hem with questions of their own.

Skype school visit

A few weeks ago, I was very happy to welcome to my studio a whole second grade class of Hanna Woods Elementary School, from Ballwin, Missouri. I had a great time showing them sketches and drawings and answering their smart questions. They were so kind to send me a bunch of beautiful drawings, of which I'm happy to share a few.

 

Here is a kind note from Amy Johnson, the Technology Integration Specialist:
The second graders in Mrs. Mask's class at Hanna Woods Elementary had the pleasure of "meeting" Sergio Ruzzier via a Skype video call. After reading several of Mr. Ruzzier's books through an author study in communication arts, the students formulated questions about the books, the writing process, and what it is like to be an author and illustrator. The opportunity to have their questions answered firsthand was an invaluable learning experience. As Mr. Ruzzier sat in his studio in New York, he talked to the students about the craft of writing and illustrating a book from beginning to end. The students continue to make connections based on their learning from the Skype session. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to him for providing such a rich learning experience for our students.

From the Spring 2011 Clarion catalogue

To see the whole catalogue go here.

Original art for sale

powerHouse Arena  and The Book Maker’s Dozen present The Art of the Picture Book.
New York-based children's book illustrators cooperative The Book Maker’s Dozen, which I'm proudly part of, will have original drawings and paintings from some of our picture books on display and for sale at powerHouse Arena. My piece in the show is from my book Amandina.

The show opens Friday, March 4, from 6-8 pm and will go on until May 1st.

The powerHouse Arena is in Dumbo (37 Main St. Brooklyn, NY).

Amandina on the real stage

Noemi Bresciani and her dance company Fattoria Vittadini, based in Milan, are putting up a show based on my picture book Amandina, that is about a little dog who puts up a show. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend, but if you are in Milan on Febraury 21 or in Bologna on February 28, please go see it!

Ho visto una nave navigare

Beni Montresor in the late Fifties

Ho visto una nave navigare is one of the very first books I have ever touched. 

It was published in Italy by Emme Edizioni (that published many wonderful books) in 1967, same year as the American edition (Knopf), titled I Saw a Ship A-Sailing. It's Beni Montresor's interpretation of some classic nursery rhymes. In the Italian edition, there are English words and sentences here and there, which were part of the illustrations, like "Not on me! Not on me!" or "Very new shoe". As a kid I didn't understand what those English words meant, but they stayed with me forever, as did these dreamy drawings.