Saturday Stories at the Society of Illustrators

Ever wonder how a picture book gets made? On Saturday, July 17th, I’ll be giving a free, kid-friendly, virtual presentation at on of my favorite New York institutions, the Society of Illustrators.

Presented monthly, Saturday Stories invites guest illustrators to lead children and their adult companions in a read-aloud Zoom workshop related to the wide range of materials and processes that illustrators use to create their picture books.

Join me at 10:30 AM–noon EST, on Saturday, July 17th for a workshop about children’s publishing, including a behind-the-scenes look at my illustration process, a read-aloud, and a character-building craft activity. I’ll present what happens when I first receive a story idea to illustrate, and how I get to know the characters through brainstorming and sketches, long before I put paint to paper. Focusing on the main character from A Big Surprise for Little Card, I’ll do a reading, followed by some step-by-step crafting using common household materials.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Little Card character:

• 1 letter-sized piece of paper cut in half (to approx. 8.5” x 5.5.5”)

• 2 pipe-cleaners (or 2 strips of paper, approx. 11” x .5”)

• drawing materials (crayons, markers, pencils—your choice!)

• scissors

• tape

• a pom-pom and glue (optional)

The program is free, but an RSVP is required. You can register online here.

If I Were a Kangaroo at some Book Events…

Spring is finally here, and I'm happy to announce some events in the coming months, where I will be reading and signing copies of IF I WERE A KANGAROO:

On Saturday, May 6th, look for me at the Picture Book Bonanza at Books of Wonder in New York City.

On Saturday, May 13th—the day before Mother's Day—I'll be at one of my all time favorite stores, R. J. Julia in Madison, CT where we'll be reading and crafting!

And on Saturday, May 27th, I'll be participating in Children's Day at the Queens Books Festival.

At each event, I'll have some giveaway goodies like coloring pages, bookmarks, stickers, and such. We'll even make some kangaroo puppets, if you're game. For more information on these and other upcoming events, please go to my events page. Thanks, and hope to see you!

Queens Museum Children's Book Celebration

Yesterday was the second annual Children's Book Celebration hosted by the lovely folks at the Queens Museum, and what a great day! It was a whirlwind of books, readings, and activities, with appearances by a bunch of my kidlit friends and heroes: Dasha Tolstikova, Jen Hill, Sara Varon, Ruth Chan, Tim Miller, Melissa Iwai, Neil Swaab, Isabel Roxas, Ame Dyckman, and more.

My table was a Make-Your-Own-Little-Card factory and by my estimation, we made nearly one hundred Little Cards! That's a lot of library cards who know all about birthdays out in the world. Thanks Queens Museum!

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!

A BookCourt Party for Little Card!

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.