:: Top 28 Picture Books (+9 runners up) ::

Wow! Time certainly flies! It was a year ago that I created this little collection of my favourite picture books out of Lego. When I'm not reading these titles to my (now one year old) son, they sit proudly on his bookshelf.

The links below also contain some of my written thoughts on each book and why I love them so. Feel free to check them out on my Pinterest board, Flickr set, Tumblr account and/or Facebook page too!

:: Drinking Games ::

I grew up playing 8-bit video games and loved how their basic graphics sparked our young imaginations.

This design salutes those video games of the past with drinking games from the present.

Cheers! 

If you like this design, please feel free to vote for it here!

:: My First LEGO Window Display ::

This weekend was super busy one, but one of the highlights was definitely helping install my very first Lego Window Display. Y'see my daily 8 bit Lego creations (from earlier this year) had opened some doors for me - including membership to The Toronto Lego User Group. ToroLUG is a team of mega talented Lego builders from all walks of life. From artists to engineers, these fine folks have one thing in common - we all love Lego.

They have been super supportive of my designs, despite my rudimentary collection and builds. One person in particular was always encouraging me to build my own store window. His name was Sean Jensen. Sean is not only an amazing dad, but he is also what I refer to as a Lego Super Genius. With his infinite generosity, he offered to help build some of my designs.

In under a week, after a flurry of emails and sketching, our collaboration came to life! Our masterpiece sits proudly at one of the Toronto Lego stores (Sherway Gardens Location). It will be on display for the entire month of June, so if you're in the neighbourhood please go check it out!

In other news, my 23 week old son has started stealing kisses...



Update!I turned my 8-bit Lego design into a t-shirt. Please feel free to vote here.

:: TCAF 2013 ::

Hooray, I have been lucky enough to be accepted into Toronto Comic Arts Festival (aka TCAF) again this year!

In preparation, I have been busy punching buttons, re-ordering my picture books, hand-cutting bookmarks and even assembling a special mini book that collects my "Top 28 Picture Book Lego tributes". Check out the photos below.

TCAF is being held again at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge St.) on May 11-12. This year I am on the main floor at table #122 right in the middle... just follow the ninja balloons!

Drop by, say hi and get a free origami pirate bookmark too!

Hope to see you there :)

:: Lego Picture Book #37 ::

#Lego #PictureBooks Book #37 "The Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss

Some Sneetches have stars on their bellies while others don't. The Sneetches with stars feel superior and look down on the ones without. One day, an entrepreneur named Sylvester McMonkey McBean rolls into town with his amazing contraptions. He charges the Plain-Belly Sneetches a small fee to add a star on their belly. Soon everyone had stars on their bellies. Unhappy about this, the original Star-Belly Sneetches turn to McBean. He charges them even more money to remove their stars. This vicious cycle repeats many times until everyone's money is given to McBean who promptly rolls out of town. Leave it to master story-teller Dr. Seuss to weave a fantastic story that deals with prejudice and racism while doing so in stylish rhymes and his signature artwork.

:: Lego Picture Book #36 ::

Book #36 "It's a Book" by Lane Smith

Monkey is reading a book when tech-savvy donkey joins him. Not understanding what a book is, Donkey asks all sorts of annoying questions. Can the book tweet? Blog? Scroll? WiFi? Text? Monkey repeatedly answers "No, its a book." Donkey then takes the book and reads it for hours. There's a delightful double entendre at the end, that may or may not begin with the letters on Donkey's face above. This "Technology vs. Print" controversy story is cute, cheeky and has stellar art - as always! Check out the amazing book trailer!

:: Lego Picture Book #35 ::

Book #35 "Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World" by Mac Barnett & Dan Santat

A fantastic story about a young girl who wins 1st place at the science fair. Unfortunately her giant robot starts to rampage! Did I mention that the robot also has a superclaw, laser eye and the power to control dogs’ minds? Well, after many failed attempts to stop the ear-less, illiterate robot that can't feel pain, our hero hatches a new plan. This naturally involved creating a giant attack toad to combat the giant robot... Barnett's highly imaginative story is too much fun! And Santat's awesome artwork is chock full of so many delicious details like the brilliant frog montage and robot blue print end papers to name just two... TWO GIANT THUMBS UP!!

Check out the amazing book trailer!

:: Lego Picture Books #34 ::

Book #34 "George and Martha" by James Marshall

George and Martha are two best friends who happen to be hippos. They enjoy doing everything together and learn many valuable lessons from each other too! Important things like practical jokes can sometimes backfire and hiding soup in your loafers is not the best plan to spare the chef's feelings. Make no mistake that these deceptively simple stories and illustrations are masterpieces. James Marshall is a talented storyteller who possesses the gift of whittling great ideas to their basic core. The stories he shares are always warm, funny and sincere.

:: Lego Picture Books #33 ::

Book #33 "Around the World with Mouk" by Marc Boutavant

One early morning, an adorable bear named Mouk packs his things to travel around the world. His wild adventures take him to many beautiful cultures and different countries. During his exploration, Mouk meets many exotic animal friends along the way. This vibrant and colourful over-sized book is packed full of wonderful details on every page (reminiscent of the great Richard Scarry!) This book even includes two pages of reusable stickers - guaranteed hours of fun!

:: Lego Picture Books #32 ::

Book #32 "Along a Long Road" by Frank Viva

A man cycles around town along a shiny yellow path while enjoying all the beautiful scenery. This book is certainly is "about the journey and not the destination" - and what a sweet journey it is! The sparse text helps to highlight the abstract, sleek and stylish design. Possibly most impressive is the fact that this book was created as a single, continuous 35' long piece of art using Adobe Illustrator. Mind. Blown.

:: Lego Picture Books #31 ::

Book #31 "Pssst!" by @MrAdamRex
One day a young girl visits the zoo and has a series of strange conversations with the animals. Each animal requests for a seemingly random item. This curious list included things such as tires, paint, trash cans, flashlights, bicycle helmets, and corn. The baboon even gives the girl a bag of coins picked from the fountains to purchase everything for them. Hilarity ensues.

Adam Rex is a master picture book craftsman with a wicked sense of humour. He weaved a truly special story that starts and ends with, "Pssst!"

:: Lego Picture Books #30 ::

Book #30 "The Happy Hocky Family" by Lane Smith

Meet Mr. Hocky, Mrs. Hocky, Henry Hocky, Holly Hocky, Baby Hocky, and Newton (the dog). This lovable, quirky family enjoys a variety of family activities and they always remain positive. Even when things go wrong, everyone manages to stay happy! Written as an early reader book, the clever, subtle and deliciously sarcastic humour will have readers of all ages in stitches. Beautifully designed by Molly Leach, this book is printed on recycled brown paper to really give it a classic 40's feel.

:: Lego Picture Books #29 ::

Book #29 "My Name is Elizabeth!" by Annika Dunklee & Matt Forsythe

Elizabeth is a spunky and direct little girl. She has a great name that she absolutely loves. What drives her crazy are nicknames, so please don't call her Lizzy, Liz, Beth, or Betsy! One ordinary autumn day, Elizabeth discovers her power to change things once and for all. Both story and artwork are ridiculously cute. There is a beautiful interplay between the delightful text and gorgeous line-work. It's hard to believe that this was a picture book debut for both Dunklee & Forsythe - Can't wait to see what future projects they work on next!

:: Top 28 Picture Books #28 ::

Book #28 "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss

One rainy day, mom goes to run some errands, leaving Sally and her brother home alone. The kids are bored, but then a mischievous cat shows up! Cat and his buddies cause so much chaos that the house ends up in shambles. Will they clean up in time and, more importantly, will the kids tell mom the true story?

This classic tale has all the Seuss trademarks: rhyming ridiculousness for read-aloud fun accompanied by the good Dr.'s signature artwork.

This concludes February's Top 28 Picture Book list, but stay tuned for March's 31 Runner-ups!

:: Top 28 Picture Books #27 ::

Book #27 "The Gruffalo" by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

A clever mouse defends himself from many would-be predators by outwitting them with a tall tale about a mythical beast, The Gruffalo! Ironically the mouse eventually runs into the gruesome Gruffalo and has to outwit him too! Written in iambic pentameter, this cute and clever "brains beating brawn" story also features whimsical cartoon artwork that will have the reader rooting for the underdog!

:: Top 28 Picture Books #26 ::

Book #26 "Grover's Own Alphabet" by Sal Murdocca

Grover literally bends over backwards to show us all the letters of the alphabet. He uses his own lovable furry blue body to contort into every single letter. A charming story with great vocabulary, fantastic artwork and beautiful design that will always hold a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. Five year-old ME would have had this delightful Little Golden Book at #1 hands down. I still own my precious childhood copy which has endured many family outings, car rides and sick days.

:: Top 28 Picture Books #25 ::

Book #25 “Scaredy Squirrel” by Mélanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel is scared of almost everything. As a result, this quirky squirrel owns detailed plans, emergency kits, graphs, lists, and even comparison charts to keep him safe. One day, Scaredy is forced to leave his nut tree and face the big unknown… with some surprising results! This charming book series teaches us about facing our fears, taking chances and discovering new things. It also features scarily cute, clean and stylish art.

:: Top 28 Picture Books # 24 ::

#Top28 #PictureBooks Book #24 "My Friends" by by Tarō Gomi

A super sweet story about a little girl who shares many different things with the reader: all the different things she learns from her animal friends, from her grown-up friends and even her friend, the book. The bright, gorgeous watercolour art across the beautifully designed spreads will win you over right to the last heart-warming page.

:: Top 28 Picture Books #23 ::

Book #23 "Curious George Rides a Bike" by H.A. Rey

Celebrating their 3rd year anniversary, the man with the yellow hat gifted George a new bicycle. Naturally this curious little monkey gets in trouble despite a good heart. Cute adventure story with lovely artwork, but it's the bonus origami lessons that made this book unforgettable! This childhood favourite was also the inspiration for our very own picture book, "The Pirate Girl's Adventure An Origami Adventure" by The Brothers Leung

:: Top 28 Picture Boooks #22 ::

Book #22 "Oh no, George!" by @ChrisHaughton

When Harry steps out for the day, George the dog wants nothing more than to be good. Unfortunately there are just too many temptations around, like an entire cake, the cat and some lovely dirt! Will George's best intentions be enough? The cute open-ended ending will make you smile! The delightful story + hilarious, stylish artwork + bold, gorgeous colours = sheer picture book delight