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WORK TITLE: SHARKBLOCK
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CITY: Brooklyn
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
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PERSONAL
Born in New York, NY.
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CAREER
Publisher, editor, and children’s book creator. SmartInk packaging company, director; Handprint Books, director.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Christopher Franceschelli is a publisher, editor, and children’s book creator. The New Yorker runs the SmartInk packaging company, as well as the Chronicle’s Handprint Books imprint. Franceschelli has frequently collaborated with artist and illustrator Peskimo on a series of board books for young readers.
The minimalist picture book, Oliver, presents a single photograph on white background to narrate the life of a chick. A Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that “the presentation feels wholly adult, and children will find little here to recommend more than a single read.” However, the same reviewer labeled the photographs as being “perfect.”
In the board book, Alphablock, letters are paired with corresponding objects to teach young readers the alphabet. Pages are also shaped. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a visually captivating delight for careful little ones.”
Countablock uses shaped pages to aid readers be able to count. Numbers from one to ten are featured before pages go by intervals of ten to 100. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “an inventive and extensive counting experience that will delight youngsters.”
Dinoblock introduces young readers to a range of dinosaurs across ninety-six pages in this board book. Twenty-three dinosaurs are compared to simple concepts for children. A Kirkus Reviews contributor estimated that “the age-appropriate new vocabulary and the clever design will prompt hours of study by aspiring paleontologists.”
The board book, Cityblock, first uses queries to show children how one can move about a city. Then it switches to some of the different things that can be done there and the types of foods to expect. A Kirkus Reviews contributor recorded that “children in urban settings will recognize this city’s feel, while suburban or rural children will be equally happy to join in the adventure.”
Franceschelli translated Herve Tullet’s picture book, Say Zoop!, from French. Different-sized painted dots on the page represent a range of sounds that young readers are supposed to vocalize. A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that “Franceschelli’s translation renders Tullet’s French in easy, natural English.”
In Buildablock, children are seen being curious about what happens at a construction site. Equipment and vehicles are shown in action. A Kirkus Reviews contributor insisted that Buildablock is “sure to inspire calls of ‘read it again!’”
The board book, Hello New York!, uses shaped pages to take young readers around New York City. Attractions include the Empire State Building, Times Square, Chinatown, Harlem’s Apollo Theater, the New York Public Library, and the Statue of Liberty. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the book offered “playful and inviting armchair travel for conscientious youngsters.”
Loveblock introduces new vocabulary for young readers as they learn about the power of love. Different animal pairings are shown to illustrate their love for each other. A Kirkus Reviews contributor took note of the “fun format,” but found the text to be “bland.”
In Sharkblock, visitors to an aquarium go to the shark exhibit. There, they learn about the diversity of sharks in the ocean and their range across various underwater ecosystems. A Kirkus Reviews contributor admitted that “the book does a wonderful job of highlighting the interconnectedness of species and the importance of environmental stewardship.”
In Spookytale, two friends venture toward a scary-looking house. While the journey to the house frightens the two friends, they are relieved to find a Halloween party occurring when they arrive. A Kirkus Reviews contributor said that the board book offers “a haunted journey worth taking.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2011, review of Oliver; January 1, 2014, review of Alphablock; January 1, 2015, review of Countablock; July 1, 2015, review of Dinoblock; January 1, 2017, review of Cityblock; January 1, 2018, review of Buildablock; July 1, 2018, review of Hello, New York!; January 15, 2021, review of Loveblock; August 15, 2021, review of Sharkblock; November 15, 2021, review of Spookytale.
Publishers Weekly, June 5, 2017, review of Say Zoop!, p. 50.
Christopher Franceschelli
Christopher Franceschelli is a seasoned publisher, editor, and creator of children’s books. He currently runs Chronicle’s Handprint imprint and the SmartInk packaging company. A born and raised New Yorker, Franceschelli lives with his family in Brooklyn. David Partington is an illustrator based in Bristol, UK. His influences range from mid-century design to Saturday morning cartoons. As part of Peski Studio (formerly Peskimo) he enjoys screen printing, a process which often informs his approach to illustration. David’s work can be seen in kids’ books, food packaging, and jumbo floor puzzles around the world. He especially enjoys creating characters, drawing friendly robots, and sending them on incredible adventures.
Franceschelli, Christopher OLIVER Lemniscaat USA (Adult Picture Books) $12.95 3, 1 ISBN: 978-1-935954-01-9
Picture-book minimalism is taken to an almost unnatural extreme with this avant-garde presentation of a very familiar concept.
Against a pure-white background sits a single photographed image alongside large letters reading, "Oliver was an egg." Readers see him in his pre-hatched state from all sides, together with the text. Oliver remains an egg until the book opens to reveal a thick ribbon threaded between the pages. On the first of these spreads, the egg sits on the ribbon. Turn the page, and the ribbon pulls open to reveal a sweet yellow chick next to a simple legend: "everything changed." The book indulges in an urbane kind of humor, and there is admittedly something sublime in its matter-of-fact, "There was really nothing he could do about it," when discussing Oliver's situation. The photographs in this book are also so perfect in detail that it's impossible not to want to feel the chick's downy fluff. That said, it's difficult to see what besides the novelty of the ribbon will appeal to children about this story. The presentation feels wholly adult, and children will find little here to recommend more than a single read.
The back of the book proclaims that what happens in this story is "[b]ecause miracles happen." Children may not be so sure. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: OLIVER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2011. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A256559460/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8708230d. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher ALPHABLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 8, 6 ISBN: 978-1-4197-0936-4
In this ABC book, shaped pages lead readers to corresponding objects. The usual alphabet objects are presented here in the straightforward text: "A IS FOR... // APPLE." The graphically appealing design devotes two double-page spreads to each letter. In the first spread, the right-hand side is a full-size, die-cut letter, while the left depicts a scene. A portion of the object, animal or person the featured letter stands for peeks through the die-cut openings; a cheery, red octopus smiles through the hole of the "O," and the tail of a fish is visible from behind the "F." Once the letter/page is turned, the background from the previous left-hand page blends seamlessly with the full double-page spread that's revealed. The visual hints provide a playful guessing game for young readers, with a nice balance of the easily recognizable (the nose of a train emerges from behind the "T") to the slightly more challenging (the handle of a pair of scissors sticks out from the middle of the "S"). With a pleasing, retro feel, Peskimo's art uses bold colors in a slightly muted hue and the weathered look of woodblock prints. The book's construction is the only real concern, as 104 board pages are a lot for any binding. Will the die-cut letters survive the vigorous page turns of doubtless eager readers? While the likely answer is no, this offering is still a visually captivating delight for careful little ones. (Board book. 2-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: ALPHABLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A354178277/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6dba89c6. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher COUNTABLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 8, 5 ISBN: 978-1-4197-1374-3
Shaped pages help youngsters count to 10 and beyond. Two stylish double-page spreads are devoted to each number one through 10 and then, counting by 10s, to 100. In the first spread, the right-hand side is a page-high, die-cut numeral that spills off the page; to its left, a squirrel holds an acorn. With the turn of the page, there's a transformation. "One acorn becomes... / one oak tree!" A portion of the object, animal or person being altered is visible through the die-cut openings; a sand castle peeks through the "0" of the number 10, for instance. Once the page is turned, the background from the previous left-hand page merges with the full double-page spread. As in the earlier Alphablock (2013), the helpfulness of these visual hints is uneven. After 10, 20 caterpillars become 20 butterflies, 30 baskets of cucumbers become 30 jars of pickles, and 40 eggs become 39 chicks and one dinosaur. The whole shebang ends with 100 puzzle pieces fitting together into "one big puzzle!" in the book's only double gatefold. Peskimo's muted color palette and droll cartoon style works well with the playful concept. The same worries about the binding that arose with Alphablock are an issue here, but the conceit will likely appeal to older children anyway. An inventive and extensive counting experience that will delight youngsters. (Board book. 2-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: COUNTABLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2015. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A395222322/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a7ac2b64. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher DINOBLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 6, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4197-1674-4
At a hefty 96 pages and 2 inches thick, this dinofest will be a challenge for little hands to lift, but the subject matter is sure to intrigue for longer than most board books."Meet the Dinosaurs" announces the banner across the opening illustration of a museum entrance. Then gatefolds open over 20 inches across with the questions "Who are the dinosaurs? Where are the dinosaurs?" below a museum diorama. Subsequent pages provide the answers using an effective formula: a one-line simile comparing a dinosaur to something a child might recognize, a die-cut page that highlights a characteristic of that dinosaur, then a page turn that reveals the name of the dinosaur and its phonetic pronunciation. The final gatefolds open to reveal the skeletons of each of the 23 dinosaurs introduced. A blonde Caucasian girl and a dark-skinned boy serve as the museum tour guides. Some of the comparisons are rather obscure; the spikes of a stegosaurus are compared to tents on a hill, for instance. The book will raise as many questions as it answers--for example, the dinosaurs are portrayed in varied colors, yet there is no explanation as to how scientists have determined their coloring or other features--paving the way for investigation of the topic in greater detail as readers age.The age-appropriate new vocabulary and the clever design will prompt hours of study by aspiring paleontologists; the sturdy construction ensures the book will survive them. (Board book. 2-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: DINOBLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2015. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A419698566/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c8600c15. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher CITYBLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 9, 6 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2189-2
The latest addition to Franceschelli and Peskimo's (Dinoblock, 2015, etc.) collection of very thick board books exploits all the possibilities of the format. The initial foldouts reveal a question--"How will we get around?"--and hint at modes of transportation to come: subway, taxi, bus, ferry, foot, and helicopter. That would be enough for most board books, but the story continues with "What can we do?" and "What should we eat?" before the final 20-inch panorama of the city at night. Along the way, the design team Peskimo varies its retro palette depending on the image. A carousel is bright and lively, while the view from an observatory is more muted. Shades of blue and turquoise on almost every page act as a visual throughline, and die cuts keep young children turning the pages. The story follows a white-haired, spectacled elder (who looks rather like Albert Einstein) and two children--one white, one brown--through a busy day in a diverse city. They visit dinosaurs in a natural history museum, a soccer game, a flea market, and more. That they visit a bookstore instead of a library and shop for souvenirs suggest that perhaps they are tourists. Their day's menu includes common treats: an apple, pizza, nachos, sushi, and ice cream. Children in urban settings will recognize this city's feel, while suburban or rural children will be equally happy to join in the adventure. (Board book. 1-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: CITYBLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A475357242/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2363b389. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Say Zoop!
Herve Tullet, trans, from the French by Christopher Franceschelli. Handprint, $15.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-4521-6473-1
Tullet adds to his collection of books (Press Here, Mix It Up!, etc.) in which readers interact with dots on the page. This time, the painted dots designate sound: small blue dots for small sounds ("Now put your finger on the little dot and say a little oh!") and larger ones for louder sounds ("Then put your finger on the big dot and say a huge oh!"). The narrator makes helpful suggestions but never turns bossy: "Make a shivering oh! (You could even shake the book a little bit.)" Activities and ideas come thick and fast as red dots join the blue ones: they make animal noises, argue, and then make up. With the addition of yellow ("Hi! Say waahoo! With your finger"), noises and frantic activity proliferate, and the pages grow more beautiful as well, with a Mondrian-like palette of basic primaries. Franceschelli's translation renders Tullet's French in easy, natural English. Parents and young children will enjoy going through the pages of sound experiments together--it's a book that's all about play, the noisier the better. Ages 3-5. (Aug.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Say Zoop!" Publishers Weekly, vol. 264, no. 23, 5 June 2017, p. 50. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A495538386/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9e2d916b. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher BUILDABLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's Fiction) $16.95 9, 19 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2569-2
A chunky board book with ingenious gatefolds, flaps, die-cuts, and construction trucks galore.
Like its series predecessors, this title has ample toddler appeal. Not only is its construction-site theme a passion for many children, its bold colors and thoughtful design will engage little hands and eyes as they pore over the pages. After the first two spreads show a wrecking ball smashing and crashing to open the book, two children peer out, asking, "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" and "CAN I LOOK, TOO?" Their pages open up as side-by-side gatefolds to reveal a vast scene with "SO MANY TRUCKS! SO MANY WORKERS!" Subsequent spreads home in on individual vehicles plied by racially diverse workers and their respective roles in building up a city block. Layout includes gatefolds that open vertically up and down as well as horizontally left and right, and many pages are shaped to visually echo the vehicles and objects depicted. While such familiar fare as a bulldozer, dump truck, and a crane appear, less-common vehicles and equipment emerge as well, with some of the more dramatic gatefolds and die-cuts revealing a tunnel borer, a massive bridge builder that spans valleys, and sky cranes hovering above like superpowered helicopters. The book culminates as workers take a lunch break and then throw themselves back into work to "BUILD, BUILD, BUILD ALL OVER TOWN!"
Sure to inspire calls of "READ IT AGAIN!" (Board book. 1-3)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: BUILDABLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A520735611/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4e5e967b. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher HELLO NEW YORK! abramsappleseed (Children's Informational) $12.99 5, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2829-7
With shaped pages and a fold-out map, this is a guide to the landmarks of the Big Apple.
Many NYC tourist sights are illustrated, including the expected (the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Times Square) and the too-rarely depicted (Chinatown and Harlem's Apollo Theater), often in paired double-page spreads, with the die-cut page on the recto becoming a different vantage point (or inside) of the tourist attraction on the verso. Cleverly, the rectangular windows of the facade of the main building of the New York Public Library become the spines of shelved books when the page is turned and readers enter. Cosneau's flat, graphic images in muted, cool colors adeptly capture the busy energy of the city, presenting a diverse cast of people with stylized skin tones of warm gray, chalk white, mustard yellow, and salmon pink. Franceschelli peppers the art with a few brief lines that set the scene: "GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL / People rushing. People running. // Where's my train? Time to GO!" The first spread is a fold-out map that provides a key to the 10 featured landmarks, though it is not scaled for navigation. It is incorrectly labeled as a map of New York City (Staten Island and the Bronx are nowhere in sight, and Brooklyn and Queens are gray spaces on the margins). The companion title, Hello Paris!, takes young readers across the pond with a similar format and illuminates landmarks in the City of Lights, such as the Louvre, Montmartre, and Notre-Dame. With thinner-than-normal board pages sporting die-cuts, fold-out maps, and spines that could easily give way, both titles are best suited to readers already accustomed to books.
Playful and inviting armchair travel for conscientious youngsters. (Board book. 2-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: HELLO NEW YORK!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A544637749/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5700600f. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher BUILD! Chronicle Books (Children's None) $17.99 8, 11 ISBN: 978-1-4521-7871-4
Put on your hard hat and get ready to build by moving construction-themed puzzle pieces about the page in this French import.
In a conversational narration, a pair of builders with black hair and tangerine skin congenially chat with each other and readers as they detail the many stages involved in building a home. After detailing how the duo erects the house, it warmly concludes with a new project: a baby so they might now “build [their] family.” As there’s a fair amount of text, studded with rich vocabulary like balcony and joists, it’s most suitable for older toddler and preschool listeners. Deneux’s signature style shines, with abundant white space and graphically simple renderings of people and equipment made primarily of bold, unlined geometric shapes in a cohesive palette of olive, crimson, goldenrod, and black. Where the book stumbles is in its interactivity. Conceptually, moving the pieces from a recessed area on the left page to a recess on the right to help the duo complete a building task is ingenious, as a square and rectangle become bricks or a triangle roof is added, but in practice, this requires some serious manual dexterity. Pieces designed to fit tight require prying to remove, and sometimes, placing the correct pieces into the slot is tricky. Caregivers will bemoan the many tiny parts as they disappear into bottomless toy boxes.
Creative—but doesn’t quite nail it. (Board book/novelty. 3-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: BUILD!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A641314182/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b8f35bc9. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher LOVEBLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's None) $16.99 12, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4197-3153-2
A hefty board book filled with ruminations on the nature of love.
While love is the topic of this board book, it’s the inventive gatefolds and charmingly vintage illustrations that readers will fall for. Brimming with sweeping declarations along the lines of “Love is / strong. // You have my back and I’ll always have yours,” the text sounds like a series of greeting cards strung together. It’s benign enough, but are most toddlers interested in generic proclamations about love? Some statements, like the ones on “unsinkable” hippos or a panda parent holding a cub “steady,” could introduce new vocabulary. At least there’s plenty of winsome critters to fawn over as the surprisingly sturdy flaps tell dramatic little ministories for each cartoon-style animal species. A downcast baby giraffe looks longingly up at a too-high tasty branch; lift a flap to bring an adult giraffe—and the delicacy—down to the baby, or watch an adventurous young fox retreat into a fold-down–flap burrow to learn that “my heart will always be home with you.” At points, the pages are tricky to turn in the correct order, but clever touches, like a series of folds that slow readers down to a sloth’s speed, make up for it. The book concludes with a gatefold revealing a vibrant playground populated with racially and ethnically diverse humans; two are wheelchair users.
Fun format; bland text. (Board book. 2-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: LOVEBLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A648127012/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=85d1ca0f. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher SHARKBLOCK abramsappleseed (Children's None) $14.99 5, 4 ISBN: 978-1-4197-4119-7
Catering to young scientists, naturalists, and Shark Week fans–to-be, this visually arresting volume presents a good deal of information in easily digested bites.
Like others in the Block Books series, this book feels both compact and massive. When closed, it is 5.5 inches across, 6.5 inches tall, and nearly 2 inches thick, weighty and solid, with stiff cardboard pages that boast creative die cuts and numerous fold-out three- and four-panel tableaux. While it’s possible it’s not the only book with a dorsal fin, it certainly must be among the best. The multiracial cast of aquarium visitors includes a Sikh man with his kids and a man of color who uses a wheelchair; there they discover the dramatic degree of variations among sharks. The book begins with a trip to a shark exhibit, complete with a megalodon jaw. The text points out that there are over 400 known types of sharks alive today, then introduces 18 examples, including huge whale sharks, tiny pocket sharks, and stealthy, well-camouflaged wobbegongs. Reef sharks prowl the warm waters of the surface, while sand tiger sharks explore shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Bioluminescent catsharks reside at the bottom of an inky black flap that folds down, signifying the deepest ocean depths, where no sunlight penetrates. Great whites get star treatment with four consecutive two-page spreads; their teeth and appetite impress but don’t horrify. The book does a wonderful job of highlighting the interconnectedness of species and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying. (Board book. 3-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: SHARKBLOCK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A671782911/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=97bf1a74. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.
Franceschelli, Christopher SPOOKYTALE Abrams Appleseed (Children's None) $14.99 8, 3 ISBN: 978-1-4197-5019-9
Two friends and their pup trek through a dark wood toward a haunted house.
Spooky but not-too-scary moments abound in this lift-the-flap board book. Each turn of the page or flip of the fold reveals the friends moving closer to the house in the distance; the opening spread looks like a map displaying the path to the house. During their journey, they cross a rickety bridge (complete with a troll), trudge across a dismal swamp, and tromp through a graveyard. When they arrive at the house, expecting a scare, they discover a raucous Halloween party. The rich vocabulary includes words like dismal, deserted, and rotting. There is plenty for eager eyes to observe and linger over on each page. Cutouts allow for animal faces to peek through pages that have been turned, and even the dog has its own experiences with critters and slightly frightening moments. All of the creatures of the night are nonthreatening--even adorable--which makes for age-appropriate scares. The illustrations are eye-catching, and the gatefolds allow for a playful approach to vertical space and height. One child has pale skin and red hair; the other, light-brown skin and dark hair. The suspense inherent in the journey, coupled with the positive relief of tension at the end, makes this a fun Halloween tale.
A haunted journey worth taking. (Board book. 2-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Franceschelli, Christopher: SPOOKYTALE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A682168433/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=843b2ad1. Accessed 30 Mar. 2022.