Big Jump
September 17, 2009
QUIRKY CULTURE
Who says the picture book is a dying art? David
Ezra Stein's magical Pouch! makes its debut at
bookstores today.
David Ezra Stein is pretty happy. He scored a really good deal on walnuts and raisins at Russian grocery store Romashka on Lefferts Boulevard; he and his wife are expecting their first child next month (they don’t know the gender, but it’s “big and energetic”) and they’ve already got the house baby-proofed; and he loves living in tranquil Kew Gardens, hanging out at Bliss Café, hearing his Connecticut friends gush over the neighborhood they think resembles a leafy town they’d typically find in their own state. Oh, and his latest children’s book, the imaginative Pouch! (G.P Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Young Readers Group), arrives on bookshelves today.
“What would make me laugh if I was a kid? I always write from that perspective,” Stein says.
Even if you’re not a kid, Pouch’s tale of everyday courage is sure to make an impression. In this sweet story, Joey, a baby kangaroo, takes timid hops towards independence. Initially scared to leave the comfort of his mother’s warm pouch, eventually he grows brazen enough to navigate the great outdoors by himself. Even more striking, though, are Stein’s designs, created from stencils, watercolors, and a China Pen (“It’s like a big, fat pencil. I needed a robust line to capture Joey’s energy level.”) which he managed to finish in just a month’s time, propelled along by uplifting Bollywood tunes he listened to on an Internet radio station.
Stein experienced his own pouch-jumping moment of possibility while a student at Parsons School of Design, where he was embarking on a career as editorial illustrator. After a children’s book class, that’s when he had an awakening. “My favorite thing as a kid was to listen to stories. I would grab an adult by the hand and say ‘Do you want to come to my room and read me a book,’” he recalls. “It was such a magical experience to enter the world of the book.”
His college professor was in awe of the book Stein turned in as a senior project and instantly became his mentor, helping connect him with editors. That first work has still yet to find a published home but in 2006 he made his debut with Cowboy Ned & Andy. The next year, he churned out three more books: Ned’s New Friend, Leaves, and Monster Hug!, followed by The Nice Book in 2008.
“Each book is different to me but they all look like they’re cut from the same cloth because I made them,” he points out. Throughout all of Stein’s books, readers encounter images that are charming, expressive, and buoyant, revealing a craftsmanship similar to the picture books of yore we once clutched tightly, wanting to read over and over again. With Baby Stein en route, we’re curious to see how life as a dad will inspire his next books.
For now, though, Stein is just psyched for his book launch next Tuesday, September 22, at Manhattan’s kiddie bookstore, Books of Wonder (yes, he yearns for a quality indie bookstore in Queens, too), where he’ll read Pouch!, mingle with fans, and sign copies. Pre-order a signed copy of Pouch! here: www.booksofwonder.com
www.davidezra.com
No Plans Tonight?
Then head over to Hell Gate Social for a special movie night. Well-known environmental group, Sierra Club NYC, is presenting a free screening of documentary The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. Cuban oil and food imports were cut by more than 50% and 80% respectively when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990. As a result, Cuba shifted from an industrial agriculture dependent upon fossil fuel to a green one devoted to local, organic farming where urban gardening now prospers. After the film, chat with Sierra Club NYC’s Chairman, Dan Miner, about New York City and how it can prepare for inevitable climate change. 8 p.m.
www.nyc.sierraclub.org, www.hellgatesocial.com, 12-21 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria, 718-204-8313
