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Yes, within reason. I don't think that all kids are ready to deal with whatever subject matter we want to lob at them obviously. My five-year-old is wild for horror. He loves scary stuff so I read him scary stories (I love horror too). But I won't read him Otto in the Tomi Ungerer anthology I just bought because it's about the Holocaust and we're Jewish and he's five. I don't think it's time for that conversation yet. For some other five-year-old and his mom it wouldn't be time for horror yet either. We're all different and we're entitled to set our own boundaries and make our own judgement calls. So it's probably too simple to say that kids "get it" and we should be exposing them to more difficult stuff. But, yes, I do think in general we tend to shelter them more than they want or need when it comes to books. I also think that in general we expect books for kids to have some kind of moral takeaway, some lesson to learn and I think that's a bummer. Books are art and when we make them for children they should reflect what makes literature and visual art wonderful to us, as adults. Of course some books should teach lessons. But some shouldn't. The handwritten type in your books add to their style. Though not strictly calligraphic, the source is evident with your distinctive art. How did you come to that choice and do you anticipate always using your own hand-drawn type? A dreamy, painterly meditation on the diversity and range of dwellings around the world and across time and imagination. … The text encourages the reader to participate (“But whose home is this? And what about this?”), and the cover illustration further extends the options of where we can live. All the choices are warmly inviting.

Author/illustrator Carson Ellis adds many little informative features to let you know about life in each type of home. The picture of a Russian home, for instance, includes a samovar on the table and an onion-domed church out the kitchen window. She also cleverly shows you how the very same home can look quite different, as with her comparison of a “clean” home versus a “messy” home. All the pictures convey the author’s sense of wonder with both the natural and the magical. A simple yet deep look at homes... This is a great vocabulary builder as you talk about all the homes — what makes them the same and what makes them different. April 26, 2018 Since a picture book is often the first exposure to art for many children, we appreciate your commitment that the work deserves to be of the highest quality. Do you have some key points for aspiring illustrators or authors to keep them on that path?Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.” The same way that people come in all shapes and sizes; as do the homes that they live in. Carson Ellis attempts to expand acceptance and preclude any judgments towards the classification of homes in, “Home”. Arrestingly illustrated… Ellis, in her picture-book debut, draws with simplicity and precision, yet there are often so many fanciful details that second and third looks will come naturally. … The whole effect makes the pictures seem like frameable art. A dreamy, painterly meditation on the diversity and range of dwellings around the world and across time and imagination. ... The text encourages the reader to participate (“But whose home is this? And what about this?”), and the cover illustration further extends the options of where we can live. All the choices are warmly inviting.

There is a show of your personal work at The Nationale Gallery in Portland, Oregon. We're interested in how your art supports and complements your illustration work for picture books. Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.The homes follow one after the other in a related progression with simple lyrics that have a Dr. Seuss-like feel. They convey all that is necessary. Ellis’s artwork, evocative of folklore and fairytales, may seem familiar because of her illustrations for the book series "Wildwood Chronicles," written by Ellis’s husband, Colin Meloy. (One of the pictures - of a home in an apartment - shows some graffiti: “I love CM.”) From an aesthetic perspective, I enjoyed Home immensely. I appreciated Ellis' subtle but appealing color palette, and found that her use of stylized figures and objects helped to create a charmingly retro-vintage feeling. That said, I wasn't quite as impressed with the narrative, which felt random to me, and not in an appealing way. I found that while I appreciated the individual homes beings portrayed, somehow their juxtaposition just didn't work for me. Still, this is a worthy first endeavor, and I look forward to seeing what Ellis does in her second picture-book, the recently released Du Iz Tak?. Recommended to fans of Ellis' artwork, or to those who have enjoyed Jon Klassen's books, which have a very similar visual feeling to them.

Carson Ellis, an illustrator known for her work on her musician/author husband Colin Meloy's album covers and novels, makes her solo debut with this picture-book, which profiles a variety of homes, realistic and imaginary. From houses in the country to apartments in the city, from living underwater to living on the road, a diverse range of homes is profiled here: identified in simple statements, and depicted in lovely folk-art illustrations. You created the illustration for the Picture Book Proclamation, which we featured in our interview with your friend and author Mac Barnett. We asked him the following question: Have you observed any changes that make you hopeful about the creation of children's books going forward? Carson, what are your thoughts on this? Enchanting and accessible, "Home" is an instant classic for the K-3 set and a thoughtful Northwest-grown gift.With its rich illustrations and stunning design, this picture book pays homage to the intrinsic beauty of this art form and is a treat for children and discerning parents alike. -- Simona Ciraolo * Inis Reading Guide 2015, Children's Books Ireland * Ellis presents a dreamy, painterly meditation on the diversity and range of dwellings around the world and across time and imagination. -- Sarah Ellis * The Horn Book Magazine * stars. This is a beautiful book full of different types of homes. We loved the cover which shows homes such as a yurt, a barn, a caravan, a geodesic dome, a shoe with a roof, a snail shell....if my children were younger we would have loved to sit and look at this and decide which one we liked best and who we thought would live in each one.