Polkabats.com

Satellites

2010-05-28T11:05:00.001-07:00

Satellites know of our whereabouts.

Within a few inches, or thereabouts.

Is this something anyone cares about?

They'll tell us, I hope, when there's bears about.

Polkabats and Octopus Slacks - The Music!

2009-11-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

Polkabats and Octopus Slacks - The Music!
Songs by Clementown (Chris Beaty and Kate Lynch)
from Poems by Calef Brown.
Now available for purchase at CDBaby.com
or download on itunes.

28 Songs from all the poems in

Polkabats and Octopus Slacks

and Dutch Sneakers and Fleakeepers.

Highwire 66!
Eliza's Jacket!
Moon Reunion!
Dutch Sneakers!

First review on Zooglobble.com is a good one. (date of the review on the site is Oct. 26th)

A Poem for Halloween

2009-10-31T09:57:00.001-07:00

The Hawthorn Berry

Let’s take a trip
to East Londonderry
and pay a visit
to The Hawthorn Berry –
the last old gothic apothecary.
It’s a gathering place
for weary undertakers
to relax and chat
over nightshade boilermakers
and other odd toddies.
They talk about funerals
and dead bodies–
the tricks of the trade,
how crypts are made,
and helpful hints
like which tints of makeup
make cheeks appear rosiest.
Which headstones are costliest.
Which coffins are coziest.
Even the nosiest
eavesdroppers, gawkers,
and local loud talkers
find the atmosphere calming.
it must be the candles
and herbs for embalming
down at Hawthorn Berry –
the last old gothic apothecary.

© calef brown 2009

TV Taxi

2009-09-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Television Taxicab, what a way to travel!

Another poem from Flamingos on the Roof.

Also on Youtube.

Dooce.com

2009-09-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

A very flattering and kind mention

of my book Polkabats and Octopus Slacks

here on the well known blog Dooce.com

Thanks to my sister Phebe

for introducing me to Dooce, one of her favorite blogs.

The Crystal Bowling Ball

2009-09-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

A short video I made of the poem The Crystal Bowling Ball

from my book Flamingos on the Roof.

Read beautifully by John McDonough.

The Audio CD is available too, from Recorded Books.

Also on youtube here

School Visits

2009-07-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos, as well as wonderful artwork

created by students at schools I visited this spring.

Thanks to everyone at Woodland, Arrowhead, Worcester,

Audobon, Eagleville and Forest Park elementary schools,as well as Springside School.

Greece! Rome! Monsters! Art!

2009-01-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

I recently received a wonderful email from Rainier,who created this amazing wall hanging
for her son Gabriel. The project was inspired by his interest in Greek mythology,
and by extension, the book that I illustrated titled Greece! Rome! Monsters!
Check out the beautiful bead and fabric renderings of my paintings. I'm very flattered
to have such fantastic skill and effort put into bringing them to life in another medium.
Thanks Rainier, for sharing this cool project!

Don't be a

2009-01-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

couch 'tater. You'll regret it later.

The Yggyssey!

2009-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

I just recieved my first hardback copy
of The Yggyssey by Daniel Pinkwater.
It's the sequel to his amazing novel The Neddiad.
I did the cover art , as well as a small ink illustration for
each of the sixty-nine chapters.

School Cafeteria Food.

2008-12-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

Some things never change. Gross school cafeteria food for instance.
Will, a local poet, artist, and all around cool kid sent me this
awesome poem and drawing. "The Mac n' Cheese is made with...
glue! "–you'd think they'd at least use wheat paste,
but Nooooooo!

The Holiday Elephant

2008-12-11T08:59:00.001-08:00

December eleventh is traditionally the day when the Holiday Elephant
makes his yearly appearance. Brandishing a pagoda tree
and a bucket of candy canes, he meanders through every town and metropolis
delivering pickled licorice to the fickle populace. Hooray for the Holiday Elephant!

Speaking of Birds...

2008-12-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing done for a project called
Los Pajaros del Arcoiris – Rainbow Birds - created by
Foi Jimenez Jurado and Charles Glaubitz.
It's a coloring book that will be sold to raise funds to donate to a
charity of poor and orphaned children in Tijuana, Baja California,
where both artists live.The book will be printed in an edition of 1000,
distributed and put on sale in various locations and art exibitions.
I will post more information when the project is complete
and books are available.

Sketchbook – Birds and Creatures

2008-12-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Two sketchbook drawings with color added. Where are they headed?

Cool House

2008-11-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

This is my dreamhome. I didn't dream about it, it's just a cool house.
It wasn't designed by Rem Koolhaas, but he's cool too.

From Reginald to Marjory

2008-11-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

I first saw this note on the stair tread of an escalator at the mall.
I was afraid to pick it up, however, because one should
never go near any of the moving parts of an escalator with one's hands.
I don't even hold the moving banister-belt thing. I surf escalators.
Luckily, when someone brushed past me, the note stuck
to the bottom of their shoe. It was angrily shaken from said shoe a few moments later
just opposite SpatsUnlimited, which was, coincidentally, my destination at the mall.
I had just finished watching the World Butler Championship,

or WBC, as they call it, and wanted to get a pair of those sweet
Nike Sportspats endorsed by Albert "Chives" McGinterly.
Anyhow, I digress. The note. Yes. It sounds like an awkward situation, I hope
that everything worked out.

Happy Day !!

2008-11-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

November 5th 2008 !

Go Skeleton, Go !!!

2008-11-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Animation & music by Mr. Will Amato.
Drawings by yours truly.

Mockingbird, Chickadee, and Egret

2008-10-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Birds seem to figure in somewhere in all my books,
either in the text or the paintings or both.
Always wonderful to draw or paint, and
bird names are so much fun
to play around with in poems.
This is a spread from my book Tippintown : A Guided Tour
concerning The Tippinfeather Choir,
Tippintown's premier avian A capella ensemble.
(Well, not completely A capella, because the mockingbird
plays the lyre. This is a little joke about how
a mockingbird plays the liar, when it imitates other birds.
Maybe liar is a bit strong. Plagiarist? Or maybe the mockingbird
is just sampling sound. In Pasadena we had a local mockingbird
that would imitate a car alarm.)
And the poor loon. He can't seem to remember
the words to the song even with sheet music.

This is a Poem called The Egret, from Soup for Breakfast.
It was inspired by the doodle and the little five line poem,
above, in a sketchbook.
Sparrows and swallows, cuckoos and cockatoos,
and whippoorwills on windowsills. I'll continue to
bring birds into my writing and art,
even if they get sick of me.

A Halloween Poem

2008-10-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Leprechauns

Every Halloween
it's always the same routine –
a couple local leprechauns
causing a noisy scene.
All this raucous ruckus
over a rotten nectarine.
Hector wants to squash it,
but Pierre is being mean.
Neither one is wearing any green.

© Calef Brown 2006

Soup and Grandpa's Mustache

2008-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

My new book Soup for Breakfast is available now,
a couple weeks ahead of the official publication date.
This is one of my favorite poems in the book.
It concerns my nasally hirsute grandfather.

Eschew the Stew

2008-10-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone,
and I mean everyone,
tried to tell Sue
to eschew the stew
at Chez Snafu.
So what does she do?
She orders it anyhow.
It doesn't seem as funny now.

A Swarm of Snails

2008-10-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

I was in Providence last weekend, reading
and signing books at the
Rhode Island Festival
of Children's Books and Authors,
which was wonderful, lots of fun!
When I sign copies of Polkabats and Octopus Slacks
I usually draw a snail along with my signature –
a nod to the poem Snails, in the book.
As I was dooding the aforementioned creatures,
I reflected on how satisfying and easy they are to draw.
When i returned home, I pulled out a jar of india ink
and some brushes, and drew a swarm of 41 snails.
Catsnails, Dogsnails, even a Calaverasnail.
Halloween is coming, after all.

My Great Grandfather Taught Me To Skateboard

2008-10-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

True story.
"Grab yer rollerplank!", he bellowed.
"I'll tow ye down the post road with my velocipede"!

R is for....

2008-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Randomly Rearranged Robot Remains
and Rhinoplastic Rejects!

Kick it Funky Pumpkin

2008-10-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

My pal Jackson did this drawing of MC Jack 'O Lantern.
Yo Yo Yo! It's October! Halloween is coming!
Hotrod businessman Frankenstein is also excited about the
imminent arrival of All Hallows Eve.He uses his laptop
to monitor a realtime hourglass counting down the days to his favorite holiday.
Hotrod businessman Frankenstein likes that oldschool/newschool combination.

A Question

2008-10-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Why are some creatures so cautious around cheese slices?

The Basilisk Worm

2008-10-10T12:42:00.001-07:00

The Basilisk Worm is very grouchy,
because unlike a regular Basilisk, it can't fly.
But unlike a regular worm, it has legs.
Is the Basilisk Worm thankful for that? No.
It mostly meanders along roadways, mumbling to itself.

Snakes Like Hats

2008-10-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was taking a stroll through the park last week,
and I couldn't help but notice that this snake was following me.
I'm not afraid of snakes, I actually like them a lot,
but this was a tad annoying.
I took a few abrupt turns, and sped up a bit,
but when I turned around to look, there were three snakes
on my tail.Then it was four, then five, and before too long,
a baker's dozen serpents are trailing me like
elongated scaly bloodhounds.Not wanting to look panicked
I decided not to run, but started speed walking.
Then all of a sudden, my favorite pork pie hat went flying off my head.
Before I knew what was happening, the snakes snatched it up,
and disappeared into the underbrush.
Snakes like hats. Who knew?

From Claws to Paws

2008-10-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

A while back,
I wrote a poem called Claws,
and did a sketch featuring a boy who
seems to prefer them to hands.

Claws

What if hands were claws?
Most of you would only see the flaws.
But I would have to pause
and do the math.
Imagining the jolly fun
of snapping sticks of chewing gum
in half.
And crouching like a lobster in the bath.

Something didn't seem right about it,
maybe the saying "do the math",
which is an annoying phrase used by annoying adults,
and doesn't relate to the idea of the poem.
I did like the image of snapping sticks
of chewing gum in half , though,
which sounds like fun.

Later, I rewrote the poem with bear paws instead of claws,
and the poem became about how words with the same
pronunciation have different meanings.
It appears in Soup for Breakfast, coming out next month.

Bear Paws

I wish I had bear paws
instead of hands.
No one understands.
Yes, there would be flaws,
but I could use my claws
to open cans,
and giant clams.
I could catch salmon
with my bare hands–
I mean my bare paws.
My bear paws.

King Lion, King Tulip, King Prawn!

2008-10-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Finally!

2008-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Government scientists, working diligently
over the past decade, have finally developed
an ice cream cone capable of battling
oversized evil insects. They have not , however,
perfected the piece of cake which can thwart warts.

Ray's House

2008-10-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Poem Ray's House began as a comic
about a guy named Bill
in one of my sketchbooks.
I couldn't get the last line for a while.
At first the poem centered on a play on the phrase
"bridge of the nose" as well as "just for a lark".
I decided that it was much more of a complete idea
about friendship if the lark was living in a home
on Ray's Nose, not just perching on a
little "bridge to nowhere".

The Poem:

Ray built a house on his nose.
Just for a lark I suppose.
The lark is content there.
It even pays rent there,
and shovels the stoop when it snows.

Hello, Bugman.

2008-10-03T10:22:00.001-07:00

Poems Take Time

2008-10-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

I wrote the first version
of the poem Soggy Circus
back in 1996. It was inspired
by the song Fixing a Hole by the Beatles,
which for some reason created
a picture in my mind of a circus
carrying on after a deluge of pineapple soda.
I wanted the poem to be about making the best
of a bad situation, and I liked that idea, but knew
that the poem wasn't there yet. I tinkered with Soggy Circus
from time to time over the next nine years until finally
I felt it was finished, and was happy to include it in Flamingos on the Roof.
The image of the strongman playing with an origami canoe
is one of my favorites from all my books,
and didn't change much from the original sketch.
The final version is as follows:

Soggy Circus

The circus was flooded.
It happened so suddenly.
What would they do?
Nobody knew.
The ringmaster shouted
“It’s part of the act!”
Some of the spectators
started to boo.
A clown got some laughs
with his kicking and splashing.
The audience followed his cue.
The strongman just played
with a toy that he made–
A green origami canoe.

Storyop Photo Op

2008-10-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a photo from an event at
the old Storyopolis on Roberson Blvd.
in L.A. Diedrich Bader and Kathy Kinney
read from various kid's books
including my own. They did a fantastic job.
The backdrops based on art from
Polkabats and Octopus Slacks
were painted by the Storyopolis staff.

Fun 2 Paint & Draw - Part 1

2008-10-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Trains.
Old steam trains, green trains,
or what i call "Dreamtrains".

Hello, Caterpillar.

2008-09-29T13:39:00.001-07:00

Beware!

2008-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hey kids! Be careful not to watch
too much TV, or you will end up
like the poor lad in this unretouched photo.
Seriously.

Soft Polkabat

2008-09-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

My sister Eliza (of Eliza's jacket)
made this awesome plush polkabat.
Possibly the only one of it's kind
in existence.

Hello, Paintbrush.

2008-09-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

Soup for Breakfast

2008-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

My new book, Soup for Breakfast,
will be out on November 4th.
Rather than describe it, here's
a formal introduction from me,
printed on the front flap:
Let’s enjoy a bowl of soup to start the day.
What do you say? I, Calef Brown,
will be your host as we create a masterpiece
on a piece of toast, and build a world of building blocks
alongside future architects– the smart and savvy “Architots”.
Speaking of being brainy,
did you know that kindness towards elephants
is a sign of intelligence?
The same goes for other creatures, however silly or odd.
Look for an egret with a secret, fuzzy wuzzy cod,
even a 2-D cat. Imagine that!

That about sums it up.
Pre-order a copy here,
or at your local bookstore.

Hello, Dodo.

2008-09-24T11:55:00.001-07:00

Kids Who Love Reading...

2008-09-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

...Live Happier Ever After!

Five illustrators besides myself

created art for this billboard campaign

including beautiful contributions from

Jessie Hartland and Nate Williams.

Birdcard

2008-09-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is a birthday birdcard I made for my friend Lou.

Hello, Snail.

2008-09-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Mona Cyclops

2008-09-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

Nick Jr. Magazine decided to have a bunch
of artists give their interpretation
of da vinci's famous portrait.
My version is the famous lady as
a one-eyed space creature. Possibly Venusian.

The Saxophone Troll

2008-09-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was digging through some old sketches
and I found this cover drawing for the dummy of what
would be my second book – Dutch Sneakers
and Flea-Keepers. Luckily, my editor nixed this
poem about a diminutive toll-collecting troll who
lives in a saxophone blow-hole. I should revisit
it though, maybe he will make an appearance
in a future tome at a future time...

Mr. Doggenhopper

2007-06-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

A small painting now in the collection
of gallery owner Marsea Goldberg.

The Neddiad

2007-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Daniel Pinkwater's amazing new novel The Neddiad is out. It's a fantastic tale starring Neddie Wentworthstein, son of a shoelace magnate on a wild
adventure featuring a sacred turtle, a shape-shifting shaman, interstellar policemen (like their earthbound comrades, they enjoy donuts),
a phantom bellboy, trains, planes and speeding Packard cars, an evil Hollywood mogul,(redundant, I know, but this guy is really evil).
I did the cover art , and seventy nine small ink drawings , one for each chapter. Check it out.