Seven kickers
1- With yesterday’s news that I am on the New York Public Library’s first Top 100 books of the last 100 years, I am OVER THE MOON. Hooray for Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins! To see what amazing company I am in, see the full list here. This chapter book was my first children’s book published, and Mitali remains an amazing mentor for me in the field of children’s books, leading the way in my first outings at schools and libraries. My portrait barely catches her brilliant smile. 2- Cool news: I will be illustrating another Mitali title, Tiger Boy, still in the...
Read MoreCelebrating whales at Portland Public Library
Once upon a hot Saturday a very happy crowd dove into the ocean at the Portland Public Library in honor of Here Come the Humpbacks! According to Native American wisdom, a whale is like a swimming library, carrying the history of Mother Earth and knowing the memories of ancient knowledge. It was both striking and fitting to see Istar fill the Rines Auditorium, thanks to Children’s Museum & Theater of Maine. (All photos © Greta Rybus) This 15 foot inflatable humpback was crafted for the museum by George York and is 15 years old, modeled after a real whale (named Istar) who just...
Read Morethar she blows
My superhero Marty framed three originals from Here Come the Humpbacks for the upcoming Children’s Book Illustration Exhibit at Charlesbridge Publishing during Children’s Book Week in May. It was worth the hustle: Charlesbridge designer Whitney Leader-Picone was due to arrive on Peaks Island for a quick outing with her parents, visiting from California. What good sports to sail across the bay on a blustery spring day. We gathered at the island cafe along with fellow islanders and Charlesbridge regulars Tim Nihoff and Anne Sibley O’Brien. I can’t tell you how rare such...
Read MoreNew England made
Complaining about the weather is a perennial sport for New Englanders, but I wouldn’t trade the four seasons for anything. These natural shifts are important to my rhythm, and provide endless inspiration. As seasons come and go, spring is definite marker of time. Everybody’s wondering, are we DONE with winter yet? As the snow recedes once again I’m aware how winter has narrowed my hunched and huddled orbits. I noticed a bench in the woods for the first time. It overlooks a small pond, but the path is very hidden. Sitting there, I recalled an early illustration that set my...
Read Morethe life aquatic
Hooray! Here Come the Humpbacks! has arrived. When the box of complimentary copies shows up, it’s official. Since the non-fiction story by April Pulley Sayre is about a mother humpback and her calf’s migration, my dedication is to my daughter, “who crosses water twice a day,” her own six-word memoir, written in a comics class exercise. Yes, we live the life aquatic here on an island, crisscrossing Casco Bay. She headed to the ferry one morning wearing a t-shirt she designed. The same day I hung up a sparkly piece I bought from Maine College of Art student Devon...
Read Morepop up show at Charlesbridge
In honor of Children’s Book Week, Charlesbridge Publishing had the brilliant idea for a pop-up show in the empty office space two flights below theirs, on Main Street in Watertown, MA. I bopped down with Curious Co-Pilot, Kirsten Cappy, in dotty style. Trivia question: what are we holding? I brought along original sketches and my toy polar bear that provided handy reference for A Warmer World. Some framed pieces were part of an incredibly abundant exhibit of children’s book illustration. I’m thrilled by the company I’m in! Here’s one of Rafael Lopez’s...
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