The Library with David Small	The Last Elegant Bear with Dennis Kyte

Children’s illustrated books let us hold the magic of childhood in our hands. It’s honestly impossible to track all of the good ones because there are just so many fabulously illustrated tales told to growing minds. I’ve collected children’s illustrations all of my life because they are endless sources of wonder. And if you’re like me, and your library still holds a lot of new and classic stories that can entertain us even now as we tell our favorite stories to the next generation (or remind the current generation of necessary morals). So, I thought that I’d put up two that I came across while browsing my library (which is also my inspirations museum), though they’re not even close to being the only ones that I hold dear.

What’s Under the Bed by Joe Fenton

What are some of your favorite children’s books that still make you smile in wonder?

Wow, I finally know who drew this amazing piece of artistic gorgeousness that has been my wallpaper for forever. I got lucky when I stumbled into this and more at some wallpaper sites, but could never figure out the artist. Well, I finally did thanks to Piccsy…Zhang Xiao Bai. This piece is called “Secret Melody of the Peonies”, and how can you not love this when this beauty has a tattoo that gives this piece an edge that captivates. Show her some support on her Etsy page as well, so that she can keep creating more beautiful art like this one. She really does have an amazing talent!

Yes, comics are a lot of fun and full of creativity, which is why I still read and collect them at my age. When you find inspiration that lets you bust through the mundaneness of logic, you’re not about to give it up. Well, Boing Boing just shared a new comic book by Jon Chad called Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through The Center of the Earth, and I was caught by the details within the frames that were shown. As Leonid travels down the layers of Earth mantle, we get to see all of the hidden treasures that time past had buried. Dinosaur bones and treasures galore are just waiting to be uncovered so that we can meet our past. I’ve got to say that this one caught my eye, and I’m once again thankful that Boing Boing is on the prowl for amazing creations to share with us all!

You know when you look at an image and you see the perfect reflection of yourself? Well, I’m always looking for that whenever I go out to search out those little graphic treasures that speak to my heart and soul. And today, on this isn’t happiness, I think I found the perfect image that is a pretty close to perfect description of me:

As a writer with non-stop curiosity, my bookshelves do closely resemble this intrepid writer’s who is banging away on his typewriter. As I said, almost perfect, except that I use a computer and I collect much more than books. But I can tell you that I finally had to slow down my collecting because 1) I’m not independently wealthy, 2) there are just too many inspirations out there, 3) I’d need a house that’s the size of the Library of Congress if I wanted to really collect everything I admire, 4) I want to treasure each item in the way they deserve. So, I’m continuing to collect through my blog diary as this will be the closest I come to achieving those goals I listed above.

What image would be your perfect description (or would only 1 even be enough)? Hence, almost perfect…

I have found a new favorite writer through the squirrely goodness of Reddit. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and I can honestly say that I feel pretty darned good after reading a couple of entries on Hyperbole and a Half. Well, I would if I could stop giggling. I walk away for a few minutes, when suddenly an image that Allie Brosh (she’s the genius behind this site) drew for one of her stories just makes me dissolve into laughter all over again. Don’t even get me started about the actual stories, because they are simply gut-wrenchingly hilarious. I can’t stop….mmpphh….mmmppphhhh….bwaaahaaahaaa…..laughing.

Take this melodramatic image of how it feels to move:

Or the time when she decided to become an adult (isn’t this how we all feel on the Internet?):

Do yourself a favor and go read some of her stories, so that you too can share in this awesome feeling of unstoppable laughter. HAHAHAHAHA, she really is genius at describing the humor in life. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Reddit, for pointing me to her site. I can’t wait until her book comes out (Fall 2012)! Because I just realized that my day will never be quite like this.

….But why do I find out about such amazing people (and things, events, etc.) so long after everyone else????

On a side note: Send her your well wishes, because it seems like she’s going through a tough time right now with depression. If you’ve been there, then you know what it’s like. Frankly, it royally sucks. I know because I’ve been there before and it lasted a long time because I got through it cold turkey. It’s why I like martial arts, because it helped me get out of my funk. I hope that she gets better soon, because she sounds like an awesome person!

Thanks to Boing Boing, I’ve found another new band to go crazy over. Metric is now more than a measurement, because it’s an incredible Canadian indie band that has the most AMAZING sounds! Listen to this and see if you agree. Then go thank Cory and his gang at Boing Boing for sharing this treasure.

Gold Guns Girls

Sick Muse

I caught this video on the ever amazing Zealous.co, and was naturally curious when I saw the title “How To Start A Riot” along with Zealous’ hook asking if we missed the London riots. Now, in this day and age, anything that has this content would not get far against those ever-vigilant eyes that seek law and order (the actions, not the show). But once you get through the first few seconds, you know that this isn’t going to be your everyday instructional video. It’s cute and it’s hilarious, as the two leads are the modern day equivalent to Abbott and Costello. The creator, Richard Brooker, obviously has a great sense of humor while “attacking” a topic that is just a bit popular nowadays. Take a look, and get ready to laugh at the slap stick.

p.s. Check out more incredible artists at Zealous.co. You’ll be glad you did.