Thanks for joining us for the third day of our virtual book tour, celebrating the release of Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci. You can buy the book online and in bookstores everywhere. If you’d like an autographed copy, consider buying online from the indie bookstore in my neighborhood. The details are here on my Buy page.

Today, Wednesday, we celebrate the art of the book.

John O’Brien, a talented cartoonist whose work appears in the New Yorker magazine, created the masterful images in Blockhead. Almost everyone who’s seen the book raves about the illustrations.

Thanks to John, you get a very real feeling that you are traveling back in time to the Middle Ages, walking through the cobblestone streets of old Pisa and later the streets of the old Algerian city of Bugia. John’s style gives the book’s images a very lush, fine art look that will captivate kid and adults alike.

So who is this guy?

Well, today we find out. Writer-illustrator Carolyn Croll is hosting the third stop on our blog book tour. Though Carolyn has never met John, the two share a special bond. They both attended the same art school in Philadelphia, and no doubt had some of the same instructors. I’m delighted that Carolyn was kind enough to post a Q&A with John today. After you read their chat, I hope you’ll take to time to investigate Carolyn’s work—her books and jewelry—as well. 

Again, here are the stops along the tour...

On Monday, March 29: You read a Q&A with me at the blog of Sarah Campbell, author of Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature.

Yesterday, Tuesday, March 30: You read a Q&A with me at the poetry blog of Gregory K, originator of "Fibs," Fibonacci-inspired poetry.

Today, Wednesday, March 31: Enjoy a Q&A with John O'Brien, Blockhead's illustrator, at the blog of writer-illustrator Carolyn Croll.

Thursday, April 1: We’ll visit I.N.K.—Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids—to learn about the origin of the book and its long genesis. 

Friday, April 2: Check back at my blog for an exciting multimedia surprise!

Saturday, April 3: "Saturday Sketch" at Henry Holt's blog: I’ll be talking to John O’Brien, and you’ll be able to see his amazing before-and-after art of the book.

It’s shaping up to be a fun, action-packed week. I’ll be posting each morning as well, so you can learn a little about my friends as well as reminders about the schedule, in case you forget where you need to go.

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci. Coming March 30, 2010. Follow us here.

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