Thanks to everyone who came to Little Card's party at BookCourt in Brooklyn on Sunday! We read, sang (well, I did briefly), made Little Cards and ate cookies—not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
Here's…You Are Not A Cat!
Today, teacher-librarian Mr. Schu (aka John Schumacher) unveiled the cover of YOU ARE NOT A CAT on his blog "Watch. Connect. Read." alongside a short interview with author Sharon G. Flake and me. It's obvious that we're both pretty excited about this book, due out in the fall from Boyd Mills Press. And if you are too, it's already available for pre-order.
"Let's Get Busy" podcast
A few weeks ago, Charise Harper and I were interviewed by school librarian extraordinaire, and All the Wonders co-founder, Matthew Winner for his "Let's Get Busy" podcast. We discussed our collaboration for A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD, how the story developed and changed, giving a behind-the-scenes peek at our work processes. Since we live on opposite coasts, Charise and I have yet to meet, so this was the closest we've come. If you've never listened to the podcast before, there's a great archive of interviews with a huge assortment of kidlit folks at All the Wonders.
And as a big surprise for Anna Raff, my friend, the amazing illustrator Lori Richmond drew some of her graphic notes while she listened to the podcast! Lori's first picture book, A Hop is Up will be published by Bloomsbury later this year. Just look at this thing...it's incredible!
It's a Book Birthday!
Today is the day A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD is officially out in the world. Written by Charise Harper and published by Candlewick Press, it tells the story of a rectangular fellow who is sent to birthday card school, only to discover it was all a big mistake. As Kirkus Reviews said, "Check it out!"
If you'd like to meet me and Little Card in person, I have some events scheduled over the next few months. The first one will be at one of my favorite local bookstores, BookCourt in Brooklyn on Sunday, February 21st at 2PM. In addition to reading the story, we're going to get crafty. Everyone will get a chance to make their own Little Card to color, decorate, and take home. There will also be buttons (custom-made by my esteemed author Charise), singing (yikes—that means me—but just briefly, thank goodness!), and cookies.
If you haven't seen it yet, I made a trailer for Little Card a few months ago—but don't worry, it doesn't give away much of the story. Making trailers has become one of my favorite parts of the publishing process. Since my "production" usually takes place long after my illustrations have been delivered for print, it's a nice way to revisit a story, and figure out a way to best share it with readers...without really sharing it. The Booklist Reader had some nice things to say, "As if the book wasn't lively enough…"
Okay, well it's time to party, or at least ask Little Card if he's willing to share some of that yummy-looking cupcake. He's a super nice guy, so I think my chances are good.
Women in Illustration at SVA
I'm thrilled to be part of an exhibition at the School of Visual Arts this month. "Women in Illustration" features the work of nine graduates of the Illustration as Visual Essay program who have authored or illustrated books in the past year. If you look at this list of talent, you'll understand why I'm pinching myself at being included: Dasha Tolstikova, Joana Avillez, Lisel Ashlock, Cecilia Ruiz, Sara Varon, Lauren Redniss, Natalya Balnova, and Yuko Shimizu.
Please join us for the opening reception Wednesday, February 10th at 6PM, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY. If that's not convenient, the show is up from February 6th through March 3rd. For more information, please click here.