Another 30 ideas. Now to finish something!
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Saturday, October 08, 2016
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
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Saturday, October 01, 2016
Inktober Day 1 – Fast
#Inktober, #Inktober2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sunday, July 03, 2016
It's Kidlit Summer School Time!
Funny how things change - when I was a kid, summer school is not something to get excited about. But now I look forward to this opportunity to hone my writing skills by learning from some awesome kidlit authors.
This year, the focus is on heart and humor - perfect. While you're out soaking up that summer sun, hop on over to Nerdy Chicks Rule and soak up some writing knowledge, too.
Saturday, May 07, 2016
RhyPiBoMo Week 4
Books I read the week of April 25-29:
LEAPS AND BOUNCE by Susan Hood and Matthew Cordell. A story filled with fun, humor and rhyme with a little science on the side. This is basically a lesson in how frogs grow from tadpoles into frogs. It's told as an adventure story with lyrical language and humorous, cartoony illustrations and several open-the-flap pages. And it uses a few of my favorite words: rumpus, hullaballo and shenanigans! It has amphibians rhyming with shenanigans - not a perfect rhyme, but it's so fun, it works.
TINY RABBIT'S BIG WISH by Magarita Engle and David Walker.
MAMMOTHS ON THE MOVE by Lisa Wheeler and Kurt Cyrus.
WATCH YOUR TONGUE, CECILY BEASLEY by Lane Fredrickson and Jon Davis.
NINJA RED RIDING HOOD by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Dan Santat.
I AM COW, HEAR ME MOO! by Jill Esbaum and Gus Gordon.
ROOM ON THE BROOM by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
TYRANNOSAURUS DRIP by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts.
CATS NIGHT OUT by Caroline Stutson and John Klassen.
BOO-LA-LA WITCH SPA by Samantha Berger and Isabel Roxas.
LEAPS AND BOUNCE by Susan Hood and Matthew Cordell. A story filled with fun, humor and rhyme with a little science on the side. This is basically a lesson in how frogs grow from tadpoles into frogs. It's told as an adventure story with lyrical language and humorous, cartoony illustrations and several open-the-flap pages. And it uses a few of my favorite words: rumpus, hullaballo and shenanigans! It has amphibians rhyming with shenanigans - not a perfect rhyme, but it's so fun, it works.
TINY RABBIT'S BIG WISH by Magarita Engle and David Walker.
MAMMOTHS ON THE MOVE by Lisa Wheeler and Kurt Cyrus.
WATCH YOUR TONGUE, CECILY BEASLEY by Lane Fredrickson and Jon Davis.
NINJA RED RIDING HOOD by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Dan Santat.
I AM COW, HEAR ME MOO! by Jill Esbaum and Gus Gordon.
ROOM ON THE BROOM by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
TYRANNOSAURUS DRIP by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts.
CATS NIGHT OUT by Caroline Stutson and John Klassen.
BOO-LA-LA WITCH SPA by Samantha Berger and Isabel Roxas.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
RhyPiBoMo Week 3
Books I read the week of April 18-22:
UNCLES AND ANTLERS by Lisa Wheeler and Brian Floca. This book has it all: rhymes, humor, Christmas and counting. Very fun book that you can read any time of year.
ALL WE KNOW by Linda Ashman and Jane Dyer. Another instance where the whole book is an "Awwww" moment. Very sweet and beautiful book by this dynamic duo.
WHAT PET SHOULD I GET by Dr. Seuss. Typical Seuss book – fun and silly!
THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle. I had to read this one since it was the big winner at RhyPiBoMo's first Best in Rhyme ceremony. Love this book! So, so funny, wacky and clever with great illustrations – I can see why this book won. For a bonus, see the author reading it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LNW6HQ8_yY
MONSTER NEEDS A PART by Paul Czajak ad Wendy Greib. Cute story with lots of things kids like: friends, pirates, monsters, amusement parks and birthday parties!
BEAR SNORES ON and BEAR WANTS MORE by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. Love these from the dream team of Wilson and Chapman. Love the stories of friendship and the illustrations.
SHEEP IN A JEEP by Nancy Shaw and Margot Apple. Cute little board book about five sheep's misadventures with a jeep. Lots of great rhyme and sound effects.
I CAN FLY by Mary Blair. I love the illustrations in this classic Little Golden Book with very simple rhymes.
OH THE PLACES YOU"LL GO! by Dr. Seuss. The perennial favorite is all over the stores, since it's a great graduation gift. It was nice to re-read it, as I do most years to remind myself, There's fun to be done."
UNCLES AND ANTLERS by Lisa Wheeler and Brian Floca. This book has it all: rhymes, humor, Christmas and counting. Very fun book that you can read any time of year.
ALL WE KNOW by Linda Ashman and Jane Dyer. Another instance where the whole book is an "Awwww" moment. Very sweet and beautiful book by this dynamic duo.
WHAT PET SHOULD I GET by Dr. Seuss. Typical Seuss book – fun and silly!
THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle. I had to read this one since it was the big winner at RhyPiBoMo's first Best in Rhyme ceremony. Love this book! So, so funny, wacky and clever with great illustrations – I can see why this book won. For a bonus, see the author reading it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LNW6HQ8_yY
MONSTER NEEDS A PART by Paul Czajak ad Wendy Greib. Cute story with lots of things kids like: friends, pirates, monsters, amusement parks and birthday parties!
BEAR SNORES ON and BEAR WANTS MORE by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. Love these from the dream team of Wilson and Chapman. Love the stories of friendship and the illustrations.
SHEEP IN A JEEP by Nancy Shaw and Margot Apple. Cute little board book about five sheep's misadventures with a jeep. Lots of great rhyme and sound effects.
I CAN FLY by Mary Blair. I love the illustrations in this classic Little Golden Book with very simple rhymes.
OH THE PLACES YOU"LL GO! by Dr. Seuss. The perennial favorite is all over the stores, since it's a great graduation gift. It was nice to re-read it, as I do most years to remind myself, There's fun to be done."
Saturday, April 16, 2016
RhyPiBoMo Week 2
Books I read from April 11-15:
I read four books written by Linda Ashman this week.
1. My favorite is MAXWELL'S MAGIC MIX-UP which is illustrated by Regan Dunnick. Both the story and the illustrations are hilarious! And the rhyme is perfect, of course. One of my favorite lines from the book: "... and there sat the birthday rock, Louise." So, so silly and fun!
2. BABIES ON THE GO is cute and full of gorgeous illustrations by Jane Dyer of how animals carry their babies. And it ends wih an 'Awww' moment.
3. JUST ANOTHER MORNING illustrated by Claudio Munoz follows the exciting day of a little boy and his wild imagination.
4. SAMANTHA ON A ROLL illustrated by Christine Davenier follows Samantha as she tries out her skates after her very busy mother tells her to wait. But she doesn't and we follow her rolling adventure!
NELLIE BELLE by Mem Fox and Mike Austin reads more like a song, with a lot of repetition of Nellie Belle's name. A very cute look into a life of a little dog. I think younger children would love this and want to sing along.
JAZZ BABY by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie is along a similar vein. Very lively song-like words and illustrations. I would have to say it's very jazzy!
OUR LOVE GROWS by Anna Pignataro. This book is different than most rhyming books I've seen in that it starts out NOT rhyming, then turns into rhyme. I don't think that's bad, but it breaks all the rules that I've learned about books written in verse. There's one verse that just didn't set well with me, rhyming 'palms' with 'arms,' but otherwise pretty good. Maybe those two words actually rhyme in Australia, where this book was published. This one also ends in an 'Awww' moment.
STICK AND STONE by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld is a warm story about friendship.
I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Alison Brown. This WHOLE book is an 'Awww' moment! Sweet story about a parent's unconditional love. The illustrations are over-the-top adorable, showing different animal pairs in each spread.
LLAMA LLAMA GRAM AND GRANDPA by Anna Dewdney. Llama Llama is spending his first night away from home with his grandparents (or grand llama?) When Llama Llama realizes he forgot his fuzzy toy, Grandpa saves the day.
I read four books written by Linda Ashman this week.
1. My favorite is MAXWELL'S MAGIC MIX-UP which is illustrated by Regan Dunnick. Both the story and the illustrations are hilarious! And the rhyme is perfect, of course. One of my favorite lines from the book: "... and there sat the birthday rock, Louise." So, so silly and fun!
2. BABIES ON THE GO is cute and full of gorgeous illustrations by Jane Dyer of how animals carry their babies. And it ends wih an 'Awww' moment.
3. JUST ANOTHER MORNING illustrated by Claudio Munoz follows the exciting day of a little boy and his wild imagination.
4. SAMANTHA ON A ROLL illustrated by Christine Davenier follows Samantha as she tries out her skates after her very busy mother tells her to wait. But she doesn't and we follow her rolling adventure!
NELLIE BELLE by Mem Fox and Mike Austin reads more like a song, with a lot of repetition of Nellie Belle's name. A very cute look into a life of a little dog. I think younger children would love this and want to sing along.
JAZZ BABY by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie is along a similar vein. Very lively song-like words and illustrations. I would have to say it's very jazzy!
OUR LOVE GROWS by Anna Pignataro. This book is different than most rhyming books I've seen in that it starts out NOT rhyming, then turns into rhyme. I don't think that's bad, but it breaks all the rules that I've learned about books written in verse. There's one verse that just didn't set well with me, rhyming 'palms' with 'arms,' but otherwise pretty good. Maybe those two words actually rhyme in Australia, where this book was published. This one also ends in an 'Awww' moment.
STICK AND STONE by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld is a warm story about friendship.
I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Alison Brown. This WHOLE book is an 'Awww' moment! Sweet story about a parent's unconditional love. The illustrations are over-the-top adorable, showing different animal pairs in each spread.
LLAMA LLAMA GRAM AND GRANDPA by Anna Dewdney. Llama Llama is spending his first night away from home with his grandparents (or grand llama?) When Llama Llama realizes he forgot his fuzzy toy, Grandpa saves the day.
Saturday, April 09, 2016
RhyPiBoMo Week 1
Here are the books I read April 4 -8:
I love QUEEN VICTORIA'S BATHING MACHINE by Gloria Whelan and Nancy Carpenter. The story is really interesting, and I love the fact that a non-fiction story is told in rhyme. And the illustrations are really fun.
MILES OF SMILES by Karen Kaufman Orloff and Luciano Lozano is really cute, too. It's about how a smile goes on a journey and can be a gift to someone else, and that they can pass it on.
CALLING ALL CARS by Sue Fliess and Sarah Beise is a list book. It's for a really young audience, so its rhyme is very simple. The illustrations are SO adorable – very bright with cute animals in different kind of cars – totally fun!
I LOVE DOGS by Sue Stainton and Bob Staake falls into the same category as CALLING ALL CARS. Really simple rhyme and bright, adorable illustrations showing a lot of different types of dogs – I have always loved Bob Staake's illustrations.
MAXI THE LITTLE TAXI by Elizabeth Upton and Henry Cole is a made for a tad older audience and has more of a story and more complex illustrations. There's lots of fun onomatopoeia in this little romp of a story.
THE SNATCHABOOK by Helen and Thomas Docherty came in a really close second for my favorite for the week. This one has the most complex story and rhyming scheme. Love the little Snatchabook creature!
SNOWMEN AT NIGHT by Caralyn and Mark Buehner is a fun story about the secret lives of snowmen. The lighting in the illustrations are luminous.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DUCK by Eve Bunting and Jen Brett is a cumulative story – his friends give him gifts and I like how it unfolds into a big party.
MOOSE TRACKS by Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis is a silly, fun story.
PARIS UP, UP AND AWAY by Hélene Druvert is a very interesting book – I saw it at Barnes & Noble, and it was the only one of this book there. The story is cute, nothing special (the Eifel Tower is a character and I really don't like that here) but what's so interesting about it is its illustrations.
It is full of really beautiful cut paper illustrations made out of black or white intricate papers. I would be afraid that kids would destroy the delicate cut-paper pages.
I found some photos of some of the inside pages on Amazon to show you a little of its beauty:
I love QUEEN VICTORIA'S BATHING MACHINE by Gloria Whelan and Nancy Carpenter. The story is really interesting, and I love the fact that a non-fiction story is told in rhyme. And the illustrations are really fun.
MILES OF SMILES by Karen Kaufman Orloff and Luciano Lozano is really cute, too. It's about how a smile goes on a journey and can be a gift to someone else, and that they can pass it on.
CALLING ALL CARS by Sue Fliess and Sarah Beise is a list book. It's for a really young audience, so its rhyme is very simple. The illustrations are SO adorable – very bright with cute animals in different kind of cars – totally fun!
I LOVE DOGS by Sue Stainton and Bob Staake falls into the same category as CALLING ALL CARS. Really simple rhyme and bright, adorable illustrations showing a lot of different types of dogs – I have always loved Bob Staake's illustrations.
MAXI THE LITTLE TAXI by Elizabeth Upton and Henry Cole is a made for a tad older audience and has more of a story and more complex illustrations. There's lots of fun onomatopoeia in this little romp of a story.
THE SNATCHABOOK by Helen and Thomas Docherty came in a really close second for my favorite for the week. This one has the most complex story and rhyming scheme. Love the little Snatchabook creature!
SNOWMEN AT NIGHT by Caralyn and Mark Buehner is a fun story about the secret lives of snowmen. The lighting in the illustrations are luminous.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DUCK by Eve Bunting and Jen Brett is a cumulative story – his friends give him gifts and I like how it unfolds into a big party.
MOOSE TRACKS by Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis is a silly, fun story.
PARIS UP, UP AND AWAY by Hélene Druvert is a very interesting book – I saw it at Barnes & Noble, and it was the only one of this book there. The story is cute, nothing special (the Eifel Tower is a character and I really don't like that here) but what's so interesting about it is its illustrations.
It is full of really beautiful cut paper illustrations made out of black or white intricate papers. I would be afraid that kids would destroy the delicate cut-paper pages.
I found some photos of some of the inside pages on Amazon to show you a little of its beauty:
Monday, April 04, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Saturday, December 05, 2015
Little Red Riding Hood
My entry for the Tomie dePaola Award.
The assignment is simply to illustrate a moment from the following passage from Philip Pullman’s version of “Little Red Riding Hood” from FAIRY TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM (Viking, 2012).
Once upon a time there was a little girl who was so sweet and kind that everyone loved her. Her grandmother, who loved her more than anyone, gave her a little cap made of red velvet, which suited her so well that she wanted to wear it all the time. Because of that everyone took to calling her Little Red Riding Hood.
One day her mother said to her: ‘Little Red Riding Hood, I’ve got a job for you. Your grandmother isn’t very well, and I want you to take her this cake and a bottle of wine. They’ll make her feel a lot better. You be polite when you go into her house, and give her a kiss from me. Be careful on the way there, and don’t step off the path or you might trip over and break the bottle and drop the cake, and then there’d be nothing for her. When you go into her parlour don’t forget to say, “Good morning, Granny,” and don’t go peering in all the corners.’
‘I’ll do everything right, don’t worry,’ said Little Red Riding Hood, and kissed her mother goodbye.
Her grandmother lived in the woods, about half an hour’s walk away. When Little Red Riding Hood had only been walking a few minutes, a wolf came up to her. She didn’t know what a wicked animal he was, so she wasn’t afraid of him.
Sunday, November 01, 2015
Let the Ideas Begin – PiBoIdMo is Here!
If you create children's stories (or want to), join this fun writing challenge for picture book writers and illustrators. The idea is to come up with one picture book idea every day in November, so by the end of the month you'll have 30 new ideas to help you throughout the year!
Don't miss the daily posts on Tara Lazar's site from authors, illustrators and picture book professionals to help you along on your 30-day idea journey this November.
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Nerdy Chicks Rule Art Contest
Over at Kidlit Summer School, they are having a little art contest: to draw a new nerdy chick. Here is my entry. Look up #NerdyChicksDraw on Twitter or FB to see all the super cute chickies.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Kidlit Summer School
Are you ready to delve deeper into your book plots? Join me at Kidlit Summer School!
If you haven’t registered yet, click here to do so by July 20 to be eligible to win prizes, participate in special webinars and a private Kidlit Summer School Facebook community!
What is Summer School?
The brainchild of authors Kami Kinard and Sudipta Bardhan-QuallenHere is a little about it (from nerdychickswrite.com):
"Kami and Sudipta both enjoy writing, and teaching writing, so their idea was to create a program that offers in-depth writing advice on a particular topic each summer. The 2014 focus was on character development. The 2015 focus will be on plotting in children’s literature.
Daily blog posts by authors and writing professionals will offer inspiration and help you hone your craft. Our “faculty” includes award-winning PB, MG and YA authors!
Kidlit Summer School is for anyone one who loves to write children’s literature, from accomplished writers, to those just starting out."
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Draw This! SCBWI Illustrator prompt - Adventure
Sunday, May 03, 2015
RhyPiBoMo Week 5
My reading material from this week:
My favorite for the week is WHEREVER YOU GO by Pat Zietlow Miller illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. Love, love the illustrations!
Here is my poem for the Golden Quill Poetry contest:
KITTY'S QUEST FOR FREEDOM
I must sneak out, I must sneak out,
this kitty wants a walk about.
I’ll duck out when Dog comes in –
if I fail, I’ll try again.
Now I’m out, now I’m free!
I’m scared – it’s way too much for me!
I should be glad ... to my chagrin,
now I want to sneak back in!
Here is my poem for the Golden Quill Poetry contest:
KITTY'S QUEST FOR FREEDOM
I must sneak out, I must sneak out,
this kitty wants a walk about.
I’ll duck out when Dog comes in –
if I fail, I’ll try again.
Now I’m out, now I’m free!
I’m scared – it’s way too much for me!
I should be glad ... to my chagrin,
now I want to sneak back in!
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