plunge into the new
2013 is off to a brave and busy beginning, full of stories, students, and creatures with white fur. Charlesbridge donated a stack of books for the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s Polar Dip and Dash on the last day of 2012. Sunny but cold, it was a glorious day to sign books about climate change for the top ten kid winners. There was a great crowd, including a polar bear looking a bit out of his element, a fitting metaphor for the whole deal. Wait, what’s the bride doing here? Oh, it’s Beth Dimond, Public Affairs Coordinator for the NRCM, who decided to take the...
Read Morepolar dip n’ dash!
The time is here! Can you take the plunge? The Natural Resources Council of Maine is once again hosting a Polar Dip and Dash tomorrow at East End Beach. I’ve sponsored my brave neighbor, Jeanne Gulnick, braver than I, who will dash and then run into the chilly Atlantic at high noon. The NRCM advocates on behalf of Maine’s natural resources, so they have my support. There are many charity dips like this; find one near you!
Read Moremaking merry
I’m getting back to my Sketchbook Project today. Yes, I really am. I showed this sketch done a month ago to my colleague, Anne Dennison, at Maine College of Art. I’d put her adorable niece into my Sketchbook Project 2013, eating a cookie from Katie Made Bakery. My theme this year is favorite shopfronts around Portland. It gave her the idea to commission me to do a portrait as a gift for her sister. So I did, in pastel. Kyler is one very, very cute girl; hope I have captured even an ounce of that. Thanks, Anne! It was my last “to do” before beginning the whirl of...
Read Morelighting the season
This past week has been a heavy one. I walked the dog this morning past the island church to hear the bells toll for the Sandy Hook tragedy. There’s talk about new angels in heaven, but that no doubt brings cold comfort to grieving families. Here is an angel drawn years ago. We can all use some heavenly peace. The best I can do is be alive to my countless blessings. I noticed beauty in many forms on an early morning walk, heading to Maine College of Art for my final day of the semester. These polar bears painted on the window at Company C make me smile. I love how the winter light is...
Read Morechilly illo news
Wow! I love receiving my book in a language I can’t read! A Warmer World has now been published in Korea. That totally warms my heart. My illustration from this book also graces Charlesbridge Publishing‘s holiday card: With winter on my brain, I was inspired to draw a snowy owl for my own holiday greeting this year: I’m still in the process of mailing out my warm and wild wishes so let me know your snail mail address! I’ve been busy with the culmination of the semester at Maine College of Art. My class once again participated in the Holiday Sale, a very practical...
Read MoreScience rocks
Wow! A WARMER WORLD is on the National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2013 list! AND it’s on the 2013 Elementary California Collection list! Cool stuff for a warmish book. I’m eager to see a new film, Chasing Ice. Even diehard skeptics of global warming are getting the picture. It’s a documentary from the Extreme Ice Survey and sure to send chills down anyone’s...
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