happy halloween!

© AGG, Inc.

Here's a card idea I did several years ago while working at American Greetings. Hope your Halloween is A-MAZING!

psst!

Psst! Since it seems that the word is getting out, I think it's finally safe to share the news myself. Are you ready? Ok. Here it is:

 I haiku you. 

Um (*blush*), I mean, that's the name of my next picture book with Random House.























 I Haiku You is coming this December 26, just in time for Valentine's Day but perfect for any day of the year! This book is very close to my heart, and I hope it can make its way into yours too. It's meant for all ages, and it's a sweet little gift for that special someone.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks as the pub date gets closer!

very hungry caterpillars...

A few weeks ago, during my New England vacation, Jeff and I took a detour to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, where Eric Carle was doing a book signing. Thank goodness I have a husband that "gets" what this experience means to me and actually insisted we go. When it comes to children's book heroes, Eric Carle is "it" for me. And he was exactly what I expected in person—kind, humble, and so willing to share. And what a warm smile! I feel so lucky I had the chance to meet him and to visit his museum (which was wonderful, by the way).

Standing in line at the museum, waiting for my turn, made me realize how many lives all over the world have been touched and made better by Eric Carle's books. All those people that day were there for some reason—to shake his hand, to celebrate his books, to say thank you. His books are woven with universal messages of belonging and perseverance and hope, but I think the story of his own life is perhaps the best example of what each of us are capable of. We are all very hungry little caterpillars, awkwardly waiting to become, aren't we? Thanks to all those moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, teachers, kids, friends and mentors that encourage our hungry appetites for learning, recognize our talents, and inspire us to grow into something beautiful. And thanks Mr. Carle!

special delivery!

Hooray, the day is finally here! Ready, set, GO!...Tons of Trucks (the books, that is) are headed your way for a special delivery.

If you are in the Cincinnati or Cleveland/Akron areas, please come to one of my book signings and bring the kiddos for a story time and truck-related craft.

CINCINNATI
Monday, July 9 at 10:30am
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Rookwood Pavilion
2692 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45208


CLEVELAND/AKRON
Saturday, July 14 at 1:00pm
The Learned Owl Book Shop
204 N. Main St.
Hudson, OH 44236

You can read a few nice reviews here and here.

Special thanks to author Sue Fliess for giving me such a great manuscript to work from and to the whole team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for being such a great support!

icing on the cake

I think one of the best parts about making books is hearing how they inspire people in ways I could have never anticipated. Which in turn inspires me. Right back atcha. It's really so gratifying to be part of this cycle of creativity and see how much talent is out there in the world!

I got a lovely e-mail out of the blue a few weeks ago from Sarah and thought I'd share a few photos she sent along of the cake she made for her daughter Daphne's first birthday.

Isn't it AMAZING?!? I'm so flattered she used art from Haiku Baby in a whole new way, and I think she did such a fantastic job.  I love how each layer has its own scene. And it is not that easy to "paint" in icing—I'm impressed! Thanks for sharing your talents, Sarah!

on my doorstep...

Yay, my Tons of Trucks book samples are here! The rest of you will have to wait until July (sorry). It is so fun to get that box of books. I finished this book about a year and a half ago, so it's great to be so close to sharing it with all of you. Jeff and I are getting started on a fun trailer for this book, so stay tuned for that!

welcome baby collection at papyrus

Yay! I walked out my back door this morning and discovered FedEx had delivered a mystery box. It was product samples for my Welcome Baby collection at Papyrus! It's a woodland animal theme for baby boy and girl, loosely inspired by the style and art of my book Haiku Baby.

The 13-piece collection is available in stores and on the Papyrus website, in case you want to take a peek or stock up for your next baby shower.

win a hoot owl hoot! game

Post your child's drawing of an owl by Monday, March 19 to Peaceable Kingdom's facebook page to be entered in a random drawing for a Hoot Owl Hoot! game. Click here for more info.

Happy St. Patrick's Day...may the luck of the Irish be with you!

in like a lion

This year has been a blur so far. Lots of good things, just so, SO busy. I do kind of hope March goes out like a lamb. I'm hoping for a lull in April, just in time for spring, to help me catch my breath.

Since last fall, I've been mostly working on my new picture book for Random House, which I will be finished with soon. It's different from anything I've done before—I feel like I've grown so much working on this project. I got over a big writing hump with this book, thanks to an amazing editor who sees things in me that I don't even know are there. And I've evolved my art style and process quite a bit for this book as well. And this book is all kid characters, which I haven't done a lot of. I can't wait to share more, but it's not time yet. Maybe just a snippet of what I have in-progress on my studio wall...

In other book-related news, in January I attended the Kindling Words Vermont writing retreat, focused on the art of creating books for children. Three-time Caldecott winner David Wiesner was the illustrator presenter, so you can guess that was uber inspiring. I also found it so motivating and affirming to connect with other author-illustrators doing the same thing I do. It's nice to feel that sense of community and be able to help each other along the way because we are all in this together. I found that some of the things I've struggled with over the past few years are commonalities, and knowing I'm not alone in this journey makes all the difference.

I'll leave you with some new product I've done for Peaceable Kingdom Press, one of my favorite companies. They plan to feature me on their facebook page this week. Thanks Peaceable Kingdom!

welcome 2012

 Hugs for a happy 2012!