I picked up “The Blue Whale” by Jenni Desmond because I was curious to read the story behind this beautiful and intriguing cover. And the book does begin as a story with “Once upon a time, a child took a book from a shelf and started to read.” This …
When we’re little, there’s an awful lot of stuff that’s bigger than we are. And it makes for a very scary world for a little boy named Toby. Toby is quite afraid of heights, and carries a parachute which “was most useful for getting out of bed in the morning, for …
This book just looks magical. The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield looks and reads like a classic fairy tale and I find that really refreshing and appealing. I want to dive into David Litchfield’s gorgeous, light emitting paintings. This beautiful book reminds me of many of the classic picture books of yore ( …
Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine written by Gloria Whelan (in hilarious rhyming text) and illustrated (fantastically) by Nancy Carpenter. Look at this cover??? Absolutely LOVED it! So much so that I was almost afraid to open it and be disappointed. And then, the end pages…
We’ve all heard the famous saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But that’s really hard to do! When I see a beautiful picture book cover, I can’t help myself. I have to pick it up and start reading right away. My hunch is you do too! So for this post I’d …
Here’s something to crow about— Yaks Yak, Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park and illustrated by me hits the bookshelves today! In this fun and funny picture book “Bugs bug bugs”, ” Flounders flounder”, and “Steers steer”! I asked Linda Sue where her idea came from for the book, and …
Night Animals by Gianna Marino, what a hilarious and beautifully designed romp through the very “scary” night woods. Only the whites of their eyes show on the black end pages and set the stage for the “dark” story to come.The premise that night animals are afraid of the dark …
William & the Missing Masterpiece made me laugh. It was smart and silly and… cheesy. The cover alone is hilarious as the author/illustrator, Helen Hancocks has cleverly shown only bits of what we know are famous paintings. The first page opens with William, “international cat of mystery” receiving an …
Stars, by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee. What a beautiful, beautiful book. No names are on the front cover. None. Which made me really want to explore this book and look for the answer to ‘why’ that decision was made? The jacket features just the word, “Stars” brighter at the …
A few weeks ago my family came home to a very grumpy me. Over the next several days my mood worsened. As I explained the magnitude of my situation to my compassionate loved ones, I became aware that most people don’t know the importance of something which is absolutely critical to an illustrator’s vocation— paper. My …