Awesome Opossums in Orono

Author Lyn Smith and I traveled north to Orono on Monday to visit the awesome Asa C. Adams Elementary School. What a warm and welcoming learning place filled with color and history!

The knotty pine halls are lined with fantastic art by students from Pre K to 5th grade.

Librarian Diana Smart and art teacher Nancy Fitch had prepared well for our visit, with an Arts and Literacy celebration prior to our arrival. We were tickled by this decorated door to the library!

Lyn read aloud What Makes an Opossum Tick? to each of the 6 groups who gathered during the day.

I detailed my process of making the illustrations, sharing my storyboard and book dummy, as well as my sketchbook and other books I’ve illustrated. I talked about combining drawing from observation with imagination by keeping my eyes and pencils sharp.

We invited everyone to choose a nature object to draw. Lyn shared her husband’s collection of shells, bones, skulls, feathers, stones, etc. Brian Smith is a 6th grade science teacher and avid collector (and hint: also the naturalist who appears in the book.)

Ms. Fitch, who happens to be the sister of my beloved colleague in illustration, Mary Anne Lloyd, had assembled bouquets of bright pencils and pastels for drawing.

photo by Nancy Fitch

They drew in Nature Journals Lyn made from my illustration for A Porcupine’s Promenade.

Kids liked handling the objects while deciding what to draw.

What great encounters with such inquisitive students!

Here Lyn identifies a turkey feather for future reference.

Each artist found a comfortable posture for observing and sketching, totally activating the library space!

This boy investigated the sounds from his moon shell.

Finley asked me to draw her. I couldn’t do it during the rush of presentations, so I took her photo and sketched from that after I got home. My likenesses are not great, but I keep at it!

Some handy magnifying glasses were useful in examining the inner details. This is part of a deer skull.

Happiness is seeing teachers drawing and writing, too! This one added a dramatic narrative to her sketch.

It’s always fun to meet a fellow Wild Thing, like this girl who was sporting animal tracks when she showed me her drawing.

One class had Pajama Day and this boy brought his plush friend along.

Lyn and I were impressed with the overall culture of curiosity. Kids were engaged and attentive.

They made detailed observations and sharp drawings, too.

This artist drew a real nest and added an imaginary bird and environment.

Several of them found tracing the real object offered a tactile understanding of shape.

This student couldn’t identify his object. Maybe part of a skull? He drew a graphic setting anyway, complete with table and a sunny window.

Kylie generously gifted me this bold and springy drawing. Thank you!

The six sessions were fast and furious, about 40 minutes each to read, present, choose, sketch, and ask questions. Whew!

Once we were done, we visited Ms. Fitch’s vibrant classroom.

I love evidence of art vocabulary!

She toured us through the rest of the school, where each classroom had decorated their door around a theme of Maine Waters, Woodland, and Wildlife. This opossum parade is adorable!

Every single one was a marvel.

The door on the left is inspired by Lyn’s story, A Porcupine’s Promenade, and the one on the right is based on At One in a place called Maine.

Thank you, Asa C. Adams School, we loved our wild encounter with your incredible learning environment, full of energy and creative spirit!