… before the series was even published, or, “A lesson on pushing back when your editors have bad ideas.” Most people know that Cozy Classics was originally published by Simply Read Books in 2012, and re-launched with Chronicle Books in 2015. What most people don’t know is that Cozy Classics was actually signed to another publisher—a small independent Vancouver press… Read more →
A behind-the-scenes, close-up sneak peek from “Great Job, Mom!” It’s been a while since I’ve blogged—and for good reason! I’ve been working hard to finish my two new picture books, Great Job, Mom! and Great Job, Dad!, which I’m thrilled to say were finished up last week with the delivery of the final art! But I haven’t crossed the finish… Read more →
Holman was thrilled to be on The Candy Palmater Show on CBC Radio today! He talked about Cozy Classics, reading, and his daughter’s new favorite picture book. Check out the audio and the CBC blog post here! Why breaking bedtime rules might get kids excited about books: https://t.co/Kthmiq1tIq &more tips from @CozyClassics pic.twitter.com/3QclaG8ZJt — Candy Palmater Show (@cbccandy) August 18,… Read more →
Interesting Vancouver is a fascinating gathering of the curious and unexpected. More than another “sage on the stage” lecture series, Interesting Vancouver is an event that celebrates the uncelebrated, expands the collective vision of what is uniquely possible, and gives people an opportunity to discover interesting new creative pursuits they can apply in their own lives. Holman had the very… Read more →
Before the publication of Cozy Classics: Pride and Prejudice, some suggested that our image for “dance” wasn’t historically accurate. However, Lisa Brown of JASNA Rochester, an expert on English country dance, confirms that Jane and Bingley are doing a figure called “arming.” While dancers didn’t typically raise their arms, nothing would have prevented them, she says, from raising their arms… Read more →
We went to sleep with gum in our mouths and now there’s gum in our hair and when we got out of bed this morning we saw an absolutely scathing review of Cozy Classics. Replete with phrases such as “pass on this snake oil” and “breathtaking opportunism”, the review is, well, breathtaking. The bad news is the review is by… Read more →
We make many artistic decisions when we create Cozy Classics. Given that we only have 12 words and 12 images to work with, each word and image choice is critical. We consider a number of factors when deciding on our words and images, such as the child-friendliness of the word, whether the word can be appropriately dramatized through an illustration,… Read more →
It’s the start of a new year, and many of us have made resolutions to improve our health: drink less, exercise more, stop smoking, cut out sugar… maybe even do a little yoga? Even if you aren’t going to commit to a yoga regime for yourself, why not expose your toddlers or older children to this fun and healthy lifestyle… Read more →
Sometimes, as the old saying goes, all that is old is new. That’s certainly the case with Cozy Classics, as well as with the “new” book by acclaimed cut-paper artist Nikki McClure called Apple. It was, in fact, her very first book, originally self-published and sold in a limited edition of just 200 copies. Now, 16 years later, it is… Read more →
Long before Cozy Classics found a home at Simply Read Books, our children were already in love with another series from the same publisher: the “Henry Books” written by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Julie Morstad. The three titles in the series, When You Were Small, Where You Came From, and When I Was Small, have been described by Quill… Read more →