Jessixa Bagley
Author of Boats for Papa
Series
Works by Jessixa Bagley
Associated Works
The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (2018) — Contributor — 113 copies, 3 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Washington
Cornish College of the Arts - Occupations
- artist
illustrator - Agent
- Alexandra Penfold
- Short biography
- Jessixa Bagley ('x' pronounced like a 'c') is an American artist and picture-book author/illustrator. She grew up in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and attended the University of Washington and then Cornish College of the Arts where she graduated in 2004 with a BFA in painting and printmaking. She has worked with publications such as: The Chicago Reader, The Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights. In 2007, she was a selected artist for New American Paintings No. 73. In 2009 she received a GAP Grant from the Washington State arts organization Artist Trust for her fine art drawing. Her debut picture-book, Boats for Papa, was released in 2015. The author currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and son. (source: author's website)
- Nationality
- USA
- Map Location
- USA
Members
Reviews
Best friends who have always understood one another, Henry and Bea experience an interruption of their relationship when Henry inexplicably pulls away, insisting that he wants to be left alone. A concerned Bea complies, but watches him from a distance, and when their class goes on a field trip to a farm, she follows him and learns what the trouble is. It turns out that Henry's cat has died, and he has been grieving, something that Bea can help him with...
Jessixa Bagley, the talented show more picture-book author/artist whose previous forays into the form - Boats for Papa, Before I Leave - have tended to feature animal characters, turns to humans in Henry and Bea, exploring the ups and downs of friendship. As with so many of her books, I finished reading with a lump in my throat. The story is poignant and perceptive - what a good friend Bea is! - and the watercolor illustrations are lovely. I appreciated the fact that this is an interracial friendship, but that this is completely irrelevant to the story. Recommended to fellow Jessixa Bagley fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books about friendship and about grieving the loss of a pet. show less
Jessixa Bagley, the talented show more picture-book author/artist whose previous forays into the form - Boats for Papa, Before I Leave - have tended to feature animal characters, turns to humans in Henry and Bea, exploring the ups and downs of friendship. As with so many of her books, I finished reading with a lump in my throat. The story is poignant and perceptive - what a good friend Bea is! - and the watercolor illustrations are lovely. I appreciated the fact that this is an interracial friendship, but that this is completely irrelevant to the story. Recommended to fellow Jessixa Bagley fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books about friendship and about grieving the loss of a pet. show less
Jazzy loves her moms and grandma, but being a witch has never felt that magical to her. But when Jazzy learns about bicycles and cycling, it clicks, and she becomes obsessed with building and riding a bicycle - at the expense of practicing on her broomstick. As the special supermoon parade approaches, Jazzy puts off telling her family that she can't fly...and doesn't know if carrying on the family broomstick business is what she wants to do. Her friend Aggie gives her good advice (and Aggie show more stands up for herself when Jazzy takes her for granted), and Jazzy also gets advice from the mysterious Mimm. Once Jazzy tells the truth, she's able to integrate the magical and non-magical parts of her into something that works for her and the rest of her family and community...putting a bike seat on a broomstick!
See also: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner, Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse
Quotes
"Being honest about who you are will always give you the most power of all." (Mimm, 148)
"We talk about tradition because it's a beautiful thing."
"And we all come to it in our own way." (159) show less
See also: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner, Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse
Quotes
"Being honest about who you are will always give you the most power of all." (Mimm, 148)
"We talk about tradition because it's a beautiful thing."
"And we all come to it in our own way." (159) show less
Yikes, middle school. Cringey and sweet and full of embarrassing moments and unkindness. Also a lot of love in the background and the dreaded learning experiences. I liked that there was resolution and the various characters (including parents) did some real listening. I like that it challenges the monoliths of gender in multiple ways, including a nonbinary sibling.
Buckley and his mother lived in a modest wooden house by the sea, leading a quiet life together. The young beaver liked living by the beach. He liked collecting all the things he found washed up on the shore. Most of all, he like making boats. Buckley made all kind of boats - big and small, long and short. The best boats were always reserved for his absent Papa - launched onto the sea with a message of love, in the hopes that they would somehow reach the beloved paternal recipient for whom show more they were intended. When Buckley discovers that his Mama has been secretly collecting the boats, once they wash up on shore, rather than letting him know that they did not reach their intended target , his response demonstrates both his love for her, and the distance he has come in the healing process.
Boats for Papa was a book I picked up mostly on a whim while at work, not really having much idea what it was about. It was an unexpectedly poignant little gem, one which explores loss, and the grieving process in young children (or beavers). I appreciated the open-ended nature of the language here, as Jessixa Bagley never explicitly states in her spare narrative that Buckley's father has died. Although the beaver and his mother both miss Papa, it is possible that he is simply absent from the home - working as a sailor, serving as a soldier abroad - rather than dead. In either case, the young child will encounter a gentle but emotionally truthful tale about living without a much-loved parent. I was close to tears by the end, as it is revealed that Mama, who is also depicted as missing Papa, is a caring and careful mother, one who has taken great pains to protect her young son. The artwork, done in pen and watercolor, evokes the sun and moon-drenched feeling of the shore, and adeptly complements the narrative. All in all, a beautiful book, both in art and text, one I would recommend to anyone looking for picture-books that address grief and loss in a young child's life. show less
Boats for Papa was a book I picked up mostly on a whim while at work, not really having much idea what it was about. It was an unexpectedly poignant little gem, one which explores loss, and the grieving process in young children (or beavers). I appreciated the open-ended nature of the language here, as Jessixa Bagley never explicitly states in her spare narrative that Buckley's father has died. Although the beaver and his mother both miss Papa, it is possible that he is simply absent from the home - working as a sailor, serving as a soldier abroad - rather than dead. In either case, the young child will encounter a gentle but emotionally truthful tale about living without a much-loved parent. I was close to tears by the end, as it is revealed that Mama, who is also depicted as missing Papa, is a caring and careful mother, one who has taken great pains to protect her young son. The artwork, done in pen and watercolor, evokes the sun and moon-drenched feeling of the shore, and adeptly complements the narrative. All in all, a beautiful book, both in art and text, one I would recommend to anyone looking for picture-books that address grief and loss in a young child's life. show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 11
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 669
- Popularity
- #37,727
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 70
- ISBNs
- 37
- Languages
- 2