by Matthew | May 13, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
Not long ago, we sent out Rosie and the Bees, a book written and illustrated by Bobbledy club member Maia Blackie. Along with that book, we sent a drawing sheet, inviting kids to show us what it might look like were they to fly with the bees in Maia’s book.
Here is a drawing from club member Suki.
I’ve never seen a finer bunch of bees. Nor a more lovely collection of flowers.
What makes me happiest is if Maia hadn’t written a story about bees, Suki probably wouldn’t have drawn her bees.
This is how the world works. Every drawing or song or book or idea is based on the drawings and songs and books and ideas that someone else had first. Each of us gets to put our own little twist on whatever we have seen.
Which is why it’s important to make your own drawings and songs and books. So that other people can see them, and change them, and make their own.
by Matthew | May 8, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
A few weeks ago, Robbi wrote a blog post about sun showers, which happen when it’s sunny and rainy at the same time. This is beautiful, of course, but it’s also very rare, which is why all sorts of cultures throughout time have come up with interesting explanations for what a sun shower means. Because, when things are beautiful and rare they must be more than just a coincidence, right?
A lot of the stories had to do with weddings between different types of creatures, such as bears, hyenas, or one-eyed jackals.
Alden was inspired by the Sudanese version, which involves a monkey getting married to a donkey.
Notice that these nuptials may have been of the shotgun variety, given that their monkey/donkey offspring has attended the ceremony.
Regardless of circumstance, this baby is likely to be stubborn and also quite fond of bananas. It is likely to have a big old donkey head and hang from trees by its tail.
Which are two things you’re not expecting to see together when you’re walking through the forest.
Kind of like sunshine and rain.
by Matthew | Apr 27, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
Inspired by the drawing sheet we sent along to with the release of the latest Bobbledy album Absurd is the Bird, Bobbledy club member Lena P. sent us this phenomenal drawing of her rock band.
Lena did not provide any accompanying description, but given that each picture is worth 1,000, I will do my best to extrapolate.
There are four people in the band. Five, if you count the cowbell-weilding interloper in the background. I’m not convinced he has any place with this extremely cool and confident crew. Perhaps he is an eager fan who crept on stage seeking his moment in the spotlight. Perhaps he is someone’s nephew. Let’s put this question to rest for the moment and focus on others.
Clearly, they are incredible musicians. The singer and lead guitar player have the hair to prove it. It has been scientifically demonstrated that tall red hair and bright pink shoes are iron evidence of the ability to play a shredding lead guitar.
Furthermore, tall brown hair and bright pink shirt when worn with bright green pants and bright yellow shoes basically allow one to sing like Robert Plant mixed with Freddy Mercury mixed with Roger Daltry.
Everyone knows that viola players, being somewhat more understated, prefer short blue hair, green shirts, red pants, and orange shoes.
And that drummers usually have really flashy hair (pink with blue stars!), but are otherwise so shy that they have to hid behind Ws.
I would like to know what kind of music this band plays, but unfortunately, in spite of the 1,000 words this picture gave me, none of them were sung out loud.
Perhaps Lena, in collaboration with her dad, who is, we know, a kind of rock star in his own right, will write a song and send it to us to post here on this blog. Was that a gauntlet thrown? Indeed it was.
We know where you live, Josh P.
As for you, Lena, thank you for sending this picture! We can’t wait to see (and hear) where it leads you next.
by Matthew | Apr 21, 2015 | Make Your Own Book, Reader Submitted |
We have told you already, I think, about the great excitement that has erupted in Scotland over Maia Blackie’s winning this year’s Bobbledy Books “make your own book” contest.
We have just received from Maia’s grandmother the latest in her string of media mentions, this time a front-page story on the cover of her local paper, the Kilmarnock Standard.
Here’s a link to the article itself. It’s lovely and sweet, if somewhat hyperbolic and lacking in strict adherence to the facts.
The article begins as such.
A Stewarton girl has made history by becoming the youngest ever Scottish writer to have been published.
At just six-years old, Maia Blackie etched her name into Scottish literary history alongside writers like Robert Louis Stevenson, Val McDermid, and even Rabbie Burns.
And to seize the opportunity, the Lainshaw Primary pupil beat thousands of children from America.
We will leave it to others (and to the years ahead) to ascertain whether Maia will join the Mount Rushmore of Scottish literary greats, but we can (and must) admit that she did not beat out thousands of Americans to win the contest. Though dozens, certainly.
Playing a role in bringing Maia’s wonderful book into the world is truly one of Robbi’s and my proudest accomplishments of our 12 years of making books together.
And heir apparent to Robert Burns or no, Maia should be very proud of her excellent work. If you are so inspired, you can order Rosie and the Bees here.
And if, some day, you happen upon a book by a younger Scottish author, we will gladly refund your money (provided that child actually has bested thousands of American authors along the way).
by Matthew | Apr 8, 2015 | Drawing, Reader Submitted |
This just in: drawings from Bobbledy club member and stalwart prompt-responder Simon, whose latest drawings just happen to be of robotic dinosaurs.
What’s that you say? Did you just think to yourself, “But the theme of the month is supposed to be rain!”?
To that, I have two things to say:
1) you are correct!
2) take a closer look
This is not merely a drawing of a robotic Watrasaurus. Oh no. This is a drawing of a robotic Watrasaurus whose tail is being doused by a suspiciously narrow column of raindrops.
There you have it! Thematic relevance! But…perhaps you are wondering the same thing that the robotic Watrasaurus is wondering: “Who is doing this?”
Lucky for us, Simon sent TWO drawings. The second is an answer of sorts to the question above. Here, a robotic Gadgedon seems to be the cause of the extremely narrow rainstorm.
But questions remain:
1) Why is the Gadgedon raining narrowly on the Watrasaurus?
2) Is it rain at all, or is the Gadgedon thinking of bacon double cheeseburgers and therefore drooling profusely?
3) Does all “rain” fall from the mouths of profusely drooling Gagedons?
4) Has anyone considered letting Simon write the textbooks from now on?
Unfortunately, Simon only sent two drawings, and so these answers must remain mysteries for the time being.
And isn’t that much more fun, anyway?
by Robbi | Apr 4, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
Hello all! We have been a bit behind in awarding our monthly free book. But we’re going to get all caught up now in one fell swoop!
For January, our theme was ICE CREAM. If you don’t remember anything about it, go have a look HERE. You might recall that Everett sent us in a particularly lovely painting of a neapolitan ice cream cone.
For that, we award him this trophy, along with a choice of any book from our catalog.
In February, our theme was TREES. You can read all about them HERE. Everett’s older brother Simon sent in a drawing of an ingenious contraption he named the “Poppler-Planting, Beech Beginning, Redwood Rebuting Robot” – perhaps inspired by our very own Benji McBean’s Amazing Machines?
And so we hereby award Simon his very own trophy and his own free book. I wonder if he’ll get his own copy of Benji McBean so that he doesn’t have to share with his brother…?
And finally, for the month of March, our theme was SNAKES. Though we had some great submissions actually about snakes (thank you, again, Simon and Everett, for being such fantastic contributors!), the one I’m especially pleased with is the one in which Matthew gets chased (devoured?) by hedgehogs and snakes.
You can read more about it HERE. And so we award the March trophy to Mo, for her brazen treatment of Matthew. I like that kid.
CONGRATULATIONS, WINNERS! You can browse the selection of Bobbledy Stuff in the Robbi and Matthew shop, and pick out a book (or an album, or a Bobbledy Blob). Email me and I’ll put it in the mail to you, ASAP! While you’re waiting, feel free to print out your trophy and color it in!
And thanks for sending us such great stuff! We’re always so pleased to see what you guys come up with.