Last week, I visited the kindergartners at Friends Seminary in Manhattan for a reading of A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD and a bit of crafting. It's so fun to see where kids will take my "Make Your Own Little Card" activity. After they'd colored and assembled their masterpieces—with many holding Wide Card's glass of lemonade—a few kids drew scenes for their Little Cards. How great is that? And I got a big hug from one little boy while on my way out. Many thanks to their teacher Christine Cincotta for hosting me!
The Case of YOU ARE NOT A CAT!
This fall, Boyds-Mills Press will publish YOU ARE NOT A CAT, the first picture book by multiple award-wining author Sharon G. Flake. In short, it's the story of a duck who wants to let his freak flag fly, and a cat who doesn't quite get it. This book was expertly edited by Mary Colgan, and gorgeously art-directed and designed by the great Sara Gillingham. A few weeks ago, an advance copy arrived in my mailbox, and before I reveal any interior art, I thought it might be fun to share one of my favorite secret things about this book here. Okay, not so secret…but if you don't take off the jacket, you might never know…
YOU ARE NOT A CAT will be officially out in the world on October 4th, but you can pre-order it here.
It's National Library Week!
Have you hugged a librarian today? Not only is it National Library Week, but today is National Library Workers Day! In celebration, the great folks at ALL THE WONDERS have posted my "Make Your Own Little Card" project. With just a few simple supplies, you can party down with Little Card.
If that wasn't enough to ramp up your excitement, today (April 12th) I'm also offering up something special through my Twitter account. I've painted 3 small mixed media portraits of LITTLE CARD that I'm raffling off. Here's the link to the tweet. All you need to do is retweet my post by 6PM today EST. (NOTE: The raffle has ended and the winners have been notified. Thanks everyone for joining in!)
And in other news, it's been an exciting couple of weeks as I've taken two new books around for readings and signings. It's always so wonderful to get kids' books in front of their intended audience. Last weekend, legendary children's bookstore Books of Wonder here in New York City hosted a bunch of bookmakers as we presented our work at their April Picture Book Bonanza. Since I was lucky enough to share A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD and THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED, I got to wear two different costumes: a tiny party hat, and one pink bunny slipper. It was a great thrill to share the stage with my buddy Steve Light, the legendary Anne Rockwell, Melissa Iwai and Paulette Bogan.
First Legs of a "One Bunny Slipper Sort of Tour"
I had a terrific time sharing A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD and THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED with kids in two bookstores this weekend. And a big shoutout of thanks for all the hospitality to Watching Booksellers in Montclair, NJ and powerHouse on 8th in Brooklyn, NY for hosting me and my pink bunny slipper. Illustrating can be a very isolating experience, so nothing compares to sharing a book you've labored over for months...years!...with its intended audience. And these kids were great!
The Wrong Side of the Bed is (almost) here!
It's a book! A box full of copies of The Wrong Side of the Bed by Lisa M. Bakos (and me) arrived on my doorstep from Penguin Random House today. It's always a thrill—after months and months of hard work—to receive finished, bound books, with your name on them…for real! The Wrong Side of the Bed will be in stores on March 8th, but if you'd like to pre-order a copy, you can do so here.
