Brazilian HAT

Just received some wonderful items in the mail, the Brazilian version of HAT, from Brinque Books (follow the link for a portugese summary of  my story). It is a soft cover, but actually a little larger than the original. Some other, very subtle differences are fun to spot. They took great care with my book and I hope it'll reach many children in Brazil!

Due to the great efforts of my US publisher, Bloomsbury, HAT has been translated into 7 languages now, on multiple continents. Many thanks to Bloomsbury and all the foreign publishers!

THE WOODS in German and HAT in Spanish

I'm happy to announce that THE WOODS have their first foreign language licence under their belt, even before the US edition came out! German publisher Baumstamm, and imprint of major house Bastei, will publish it as Nachts im Wald.

And HAT keeps on trucking as well, the Spanish Edition was just sold to Flamboyant in Spain. That makes 6 foreign editons for HAT– what a thrill!

Meanwhile, THE WOODS had their first public appearance, at this year's ALA conference. Can't wait for the official release in April!

Thanks to Ty King of Writers House for the photo.

HAT Chinese Edition

The Chinese Publisher of HAT, Hsaio Lu has sent some copies of the Chinese edition, and my publisher Bloomsbury was so kind to forward me a whole stack. They turned out really nice, and it's fascinating to see my artwork with the Chinese typography. The colors turned out perfect, the design is great (including UV varnish on the cover!) and I especially love how they appropriated my handlettered title on the cover. It'll be so exciting to see the other foreign editions…

HAT in French

At MoCCA this year, I met Serge Ewenczyk, the publisher of Editions de la Balle, a brand-new publishing house in France. He was interested in my book HAT, and we talked for a while. Just a few weeks later, I'm thrilled to announce that his house has aquired exclusive French language rights, and my book will come out in France in spring 2011. The book will be distributed by Gallimard, France's third largest publishing house.

So MoCCA had a GREAT outcome for me this year, and I'm excited that I personally had a part in initiating this deal!

Apart from the original US publication, HAT now will appear in 5 other languages (German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and French), which is really amazing.

Review of HAT in the New York Times

Here's a highlight that happened when I was in Germany, the New York Times reviewed my book HAT! It was reviewed together with Sujean Rim's Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes.

From the review:
"(…) For those who get worked up about gender typecasting, Paul Hoppe’s “Hat” will give relief. In Hoppe’s universe, what to some might be a decorative object is to others a means of fending off crocodile attacks, sailing the seven seas and performing magic tricks. A little boy named Henry finds a hat on a park bench. He is about to take it — and dreams of the many venues in which he might wear it — when his mother points out that others might need it more than he does. (…)".

Besides some criticisms about my wording (after all, I am a foreigner) the review is quite positive. I am just so thrilled to have been in it, with so many books out there... You can read the entire text about both books here.

HAT in Korean

Another piece of great news for HAT: It will be published in Korean by Foreverbooks! That makes 4 foreign translations. It's a great feeling to know that my story will also be seen by kids in Germany, Korea, Japan and China. I can't wait to see the actual books!

In other HAT news, I'll be at the Brooklyn Museum Children's Book Fair, along with plenty other great artists and authors. I'll be doing my very first public reading of HAT, and I'll be signing HAT and METAL MAN. If you have kids and / or love children's books, and / or live in the area, please come by on November 21st. It should be fun!

HAT Online reviews

After getting back from a little trip, and while I'm getting back into things, I wanted to share these online reviews of HAT. First, here is a review by DDG Booksellers:
"Hat is a truly rare and wonderful book. A young boy named Henry finds a hat on a bench and imagines all the wonderful things he could do with it. His mother then gently asks, "but Henry, what if someone else needs this hat?" Henry then imagines all the troubles someone might be having from the loss of their wonderful hat and chooses to leave it on the bench. If ever a book taught a single, vitally important, but difficult to grasp lesson, it is Hat."

Another great review can be found on Curled up with a good kid's book, where it says:
" … Hat is a charming and whimsical little book. The text is succinct and the drawings are engaging. Hat is an ode to the imagination of small children everywhere."

Thanks very much for the kind words!

HAT at the MoCCA NY Arts Festival

If you're in the city, the MoCCA Arts Festival is this weekend! I'll have my brand-new picture book HAT with me. You can find me at the Rabid Rabbit table 310. It's always a great event with lots of things to see and people to meet.


Also, in the days just before the festival, there are two release parties for wonderful comic anthologies that I'm part of:

Rabid Rabbit#10, this Thursday June 4th at the Beauty Bar, Manhattan
Syncopated #4 on Friday, June 5th at Rocketship, Brooklyn.

Hope to see you there!

HAT in Chinese

Great news: In addition to the German and Japanese editions, my children's book HAT will also be published in Chinese! Great job on behalf of my publisher Bloomsbury who made this all possible. The German edition is already scheduled to come out in Fall 2010. And of course, here in the US, HAT is available already. Do you have your copy yet?

School Library Journal gets a kick out of HAT

This very kind review of HAT just came out on the pages of the School Library Journal. Thanks very much for the nice words, Laura Stanfield and SLJ!

PreS-Gr 2—During an outing in the park, Henry finds a broad-brimmed hat and thinks of all the wonderful things he can do with it, such as catch mice and perform magic. He lets his imagination run wild: "Hat can be a boat, sailing far away." But after his mom reminds him of all the people who might need the hat, he leaves it where he found it. The text is simple but imaginative. The illustrations bring each imagined scenario to life, and the ink drawings have a slightly retro feel with their subdued colors. The story lends itself to being read aloud, and the red hat pops off the pages. Henry and Hat are sure to be a hit. —Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY

HAT in Parenting Magazine

My book HAT was recommended in the April issue of Parenting Magazine. Unfortunately I missed it on the newstands, since the May issue is already out, bummer! But you can see it online here. Thanks Parenting!

HAT is out now!

My children's book HAT is now available in stores and online. If you can't find it in a store, ask for it and they will be able to order it for you. Online you can find it at Tower, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all the other usual suspects. Though I'm a bit tied up with projects right now, I hope to do some events celebrating the release in the near future. Please stay tuned!

Very nice review from Kirkus

Now that the publishing date of my new book HAT is coming closer, Kirkus, the mighty book review journal, has given HAT a very kind review. Thanks very much Kirkus!



HAT
“When he spies a wide-brimmed red hat on a park bench, Henry wants to keep it. Successive illustrations depict Hat’s imagined uses, ranging from the practical (protection from sun and rain) to the fantastic (a wedge in a crocodile’s mouth, a prop in a stage show that makes Henry a star).

Mom asks, “But Henry, what if someone else needs this hat?” Her question prompts her son to imagine his scenarios in reverse—mirrored depictions, but this time, with other unfortunates suffering the consequences of Hat’s absence. An African explorer (who’s fairly far along in that croc’s digestive process), a magician producing a stinky fish skeleton from a trashcan, a sunburned lifeguard and more—this conjured cast induces Henry to leave Hat behind.

Hoppe’s watercolor-and-ink pictures invoke such early-reader illustrators as Roy McKie and Lynn Sweat, and the small trim, short sentences and three-color palette (featuring a gorgeous Caps for Sale blue) underscore the retro reader-vibe. A funny, appealing choice for beginning readers, especially boys.”—Kirkus Reviews

Booklist likes HAT

Yay, HAT received its first official review. Thanks Booklist! HAT comes out March 31st.

“Thrilled when he finds a big red hat on a park bench, Henry imagines all the ways he will use it. He starts off small: it can keep off rain and sun. Then he imagines using it to perform magic tricks on stage, as a boat sailing far away, and as a sled racing through the snow. Even more dramatic, the hat will save his life when he rams it into a crocodile’s jaws.

But his mother asks him, “What if someone else needs that hat?” Henry goes back and revisits the scenarios: a sad magician is on stage without props; an island castaway burns in the sun; and in a hilarious double-page climactic spread, an explorer’s head pushes out from the belly of a crocodile. In his first book as both author and illustrator, New Yorker cartoonist Hoppe stays true to the child’s viewpoint, from the everyday details to the wild imaginative play, and his ink-and-brush illustrations, in elemental shades, add to the fun.”— Booklist

It's a book!

I have received my advance copies of HAT, my first self-authored children's book. The book will come out officially in March. It's an amazing experience to see your "baby" in the flesh for the first time. Thanks so much to Bloomsbury, who put their faith into my project.

Hat in Japan

My forthcoming, self-authored children's book Hat will be published in Japan! I can't wait to see it with the Japanese typography, especially the cover. Hat will come out in the US in March 2009.

HAT listed on Amazon

It's still very, very early, but you can already pre-order my next children's book HAT on Amazon. You can also check out a brief summary, and some other infos about the book over there. It should come out this winter if production goes well. I'll keep you posted...

HAT artwork completed

I have just finished all the artwork for HAT, my very first self-authored children's book, which will be published by Bloomsbury USA in Winter 08/09. Creating this book was a great challenge but also immensely satisfying. I hope that everybody will enjoy how it turned out!

HAT

I'm currently working on the final art for my second picture book, HAT, which is also my first self-authored children's book. I'm trying some new things visually, notably a real watercolor layer that I do with colored inks on Arches Coldpressed. The book is about a little boy called Henry, who finds a hat and imagines what it can do for him. It will be published by Bloomsbury USA in Winter 08/09, and by Berlin Verlag in Germany sometime later.