Lizbeth Lou Review

With the release of Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe just a little over 2 weeks away we are pleased to bring you another lovely review.

From Midwest Book Review:

"Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe" is a charming, singsong verse story that is entirely illuminated by hand-cut paper silhouettes scenes in shades of sepia, brown, and ivory. The dancing lyrical narrative traces the trajectory of a rock, which is flung by Lizbeth Lou, when found in her shoe, where it just would not do, to where it crashed into a cricket's canoe! The exciting odyssey of the stone becomes the exciting matter of the verse song, and the haunting sepia silhouettes chorus and echo the refrains until the ending comes full circle, with a familiar twist that is both surprising and inevitable. "Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe" is loosely based on the revolutionary notion that what goes around comes around. This message is subtly reinforced by the creative cut paper silhouette scenes in serene sepia shades.

Lizbeth Lou Review

We are pleased to share our first review for Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe, due out May 3. Check out the Publishers Weekly review below:

Howell (The Dragon of Cripple Creek) and newcomer Carr trace the elaborate journey of a rock after it gets stuck in a girl’s shoe: “ ‘Ow!’ Lizzy said. ‘This just will not do!’/ She flung it, it crashed... in a cricket’s canoe.” Playful details pop up throughout Howell’s rhymes (a trout spits the rock onto a duck’s umbrella, and a bird with a spyglass later spots it balanced on a woman’s hat pin), but it’s Carr’s elegant cut-paper dioramas that command attention. Rendered in warm browns and lit by fiery golden light, their whimsy dovetails nicely with Howell’s verse, while out-of-focus trees and grasses create a lovely sense of three-dimensionality. Carr’s trees feel inspired by the art nouveau movement and, along with characters’ formal attire, seem to plant the story in the early 20th century (a wide-angle view of the park reveals an angel fountain and nearby buildings, suggesting New York City’s Central Park as a possible setting). An ending that brings the rock full circle may leave readers considering the unknowable effects of small, spontaneous actions. Ages 2–7. Author’s agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

Behind the Scenes on Lizbeth Lou

Interested in seeing some more behind the scenes work from Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe?

Check out Kathryn Carr's recent blog post to see her sketches before the scissors hit the paper. It's the first in a series of posts her work on Lizbeth Lou.

Ripple Grove Press 2016 Catalog is Ready!

The 2016 Ripple Grove Press catalogs are in. We have some beautiful books coming out this year!

If you are a bookseller or librarian and would like to receive a paper copy of our catalog, please contact us at [email protected].

New year, back to work!

We were so excited to receive our copies of Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe on New Year's Eve! We have some great books coming out this year to add to our already amazing list.

Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe by Troy Howell and illustrated by Kathryn Carr comes out May 3.

Watch for more news from us coming soon! And Happy New Year!

Lizbeth Lou Sneak Peek

We have been working hard to get Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe ready to go to print. Check out these amazing before and after shots of Kathryn Carr's technique for the book. Her illustrations are hand cut paper silhouettes arranged in an illuminated diorama setting and photographed. What do you think?

Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe, words by Troy Howell, paper cut art by Kathryn Carr

Spring 2016 Announcement! →

This weekend Ripple Grove Press will be at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association tradeshow. We will have a table (#34) featuring all of our titles and showcasing 2016 books. This event is only open to book industry professionals. It is not open to the general public. So we thought we'd share our spring 2016 titles here!

Be sure to click on the cover images to take you to our catalog pages for more information.

Salad Pie by Wendy BooydeGraaff, illustrated by Bryan Langdo. Available March 1, 2016.

Lizbeth Lou Got a Rock in Her Shoe by Troy Howell, paper cut art by Kathryn Carr. Available May 3, 2016.

We are very excited for our spring releases and hope you are too. Please share!

And for more information about attending the PNBA event this weekend, check out the PNBA website.