The Book Show

November 24, 2025

This past spring, I stepped down from my teaching position in the Illustration as Visual Essay MFA at the School of Visual Arts. It was a heart-wrenching choice given that I am a graduate of the same program. Years ago, I was asked to join the faculty by its founder, the late Marshall Arisman, who was a mentor to me and countless others. It has been an honor to be a small influence in the careers of so many burgeoning artists over the years. But I’ve struggled to find the time for my own work, so this year’s “Book Show,” now on view in the SVA Gramercy Gallery, is my last.

And what a show it is! The Class of 2026 created a diverse array of picture books, children’s books, comics, visual essays and we’ve even got one pop-up book. I hope you get a chance to see it before it comes down on December 13th. Also on view in the front room is the work of Lillian Ansell, who was my student a few years ago.

The SVA Gramercy Gallery is located at 209 East 23rd Street. For more information on the exhibition and the MFA Illustration program, click here.

Images from left to right, beginning with top row: Bernardo Bagulho, Casey Grenier, K Downs, Mansai Patankar, Kailee Finn, Nancy Xi Nan, Yiou Zheng Miki, Yuan Peng, Sitong Liu.

4 sketchbook pages, diagraming various characters' features of an elephant, dog, cat and rat. — Samples from my character “dossier” for PARTY ANIMALS.

Guest Blog Post for Storystorm

January 30, 2025

Each January, author Tara Lazar organizes Storystorm, a month-long brainstorming challenge for children’s book creators eager to jumpstart their creative engines. Participants write down a story idea every day in a ritual that results in 30+ new ideas that may or may not become books. Much like a muscle-building exercise, it’s a tune-up for our brains as the year kicks off. It’s also a wonderful event for the broader kidlit community with excellent blog posts by authors and illustrators who share a peek underneath the hood of their processes. (Hmmm…how many exercise and car references can one person slip into one paragraph?)

Tara, has written several books for children—most utterly hilarious—including our own collaboration, PARTY ANIMALS which is out March 11th. I was honored when she asked me to contribute the post for January 30th. I reveal how I immersed myself in the inner lives of our motley crew of characters, including the “dossiers” pictured above. I hope you enjoy it! Here’s a link.

PARTY ANIMALS—Now Available for Pre-Order!

July 11, 2024

At long last, I’m pleased to share the cover of Party Animals, the first of two new picture books by the wonderful Tara Lazar and me, to be published by Disney–Hyperion in March 2025. I had a blast with this book, immersing myself into the characters and their whacky, partying personalities. While the book won’t officially be out in the world until March 11th, you can pre-order a copy today from your favorite bookseller.

I’ve been a fan of Tara’s and her books for a long time. I feel so fortunate that the lovely folks at Disney–Hyperion thought of me for this motley crew. (Thank you Art Director, Joann Hill and Editor, Sylvie Frank!) This might be the funniest book I’ve done yet—it really hit a sweet spot.

Recently, Tara interviewed me about my process behind the scenes. We discussed my thinking about the characters, and shared a few surprise nuggets hidden in the art. To read more and for information about a givieaway(!) and information about Tara’s other books, click here.

In the meantime, party on! 🎉

YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE Book Trailer!

December 20, 2023

Acchoooooo!…I mean, Yippee! My book trailer for YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE! just went live! Feel free to watch and share. :^)

Written by Sharon G. Flake and illustrated by me, SNEEZE is the sequel to YOU ARE NOT A CAT! featuring the same kooky duo of Cat and Duck as they navigate the world and the hiccups (sneezes?) that friendship can bring. Written completely in dialogue, it’s perfect as a read aloud, and for kids who are starting to read on their own. YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE! is available for pre-order now, and will be out in February 2024.

If you’d like a sneak peek at some of the interior art, I’ve posted some images in the books section of my site.

Speaking of YOU ARE NOT A CAT!, Astra Publishing House is also releasing a paperback edition to coincide with the publication of SNEEZE. And guess what? It’s also available for pre-order. Many thanks for my editor, Rebecca Davis and art director, Barbara Grzeslo and the whole team at Astra for bringing our book to life. And a special thanks goes to the amazing Sharon Flake for her wonderful, hilarious words!

Coming soon: YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE!

June 30, 2023

ACHOOooo!!! I’m excited to share the cover of my latest collaboration with the wonderful Sharon G. Flake, You Make Me Sneeze! featuring Cat and Duck, the same hilarious duo from You Are Not a Cat! So the cat’s out of the bag…or is it? For answers to this question and more, you’ll have to pre-order a copy for yourself or that comedy-loving, picture book reader in your life. You Make Me Sneeze! will be out February 20, 2024—just in time for allergy season. But if you’re like me, every season is allergy season, so no time like the present! Get it?…present!🎁