Books of Wonder & Uri Shulevitz

My beloved book store had a lovely holiday party for authors and illustrators this week. It's always nice to meet other creative people and see the faces of some of your favorite authors. Peter Glassman is such a spirited and enthusiastic bookstore owner and I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of a panel when my first book debuted. It's such a special space.

the crowd in back

me with my friends Doreen and Melissa

And the biggest delight of the night...MEETING URI SHULEVITZ!!! He is a legend. Of course, I love his book "Snow" but for some reason, I kept talking about his guiding book "Writing with Pictures". He seemed a tad surprised that that was the book I was focusing on, but it was such a key tome when I was first embarking on this career. He was so nice. And not everyday you meet a Caldecott winner!

Then, toward the end of the evening, I walked down the main picture book aisle and saw my two books on the shelves. It is still surreal. But so wonderful to see! I hope I write many, many more.

experimenting...

Sometimes I want to get away from coloring on the computer and create more illustration completely by hand. This was drawn and painted, but then I couldn't help myself and brought it into the computer to add a little something-somethin. lol! I love to layer in photoshop and am happy with the trees on this piece. 

CBIG, NYC, LOL

Had my annual portfolio day in Manhattan yesterday. Always so fun to see all the other writers and illustrators in one place! I enjoyed chatting with friends and also looking out from the 16th floor windows while waiting to see different publishers. I could look out the windows all day. The clouds were amazing and constantly changing- and it is so cool to see the tops of buildings you can't see from the street. Here are a few pics.

And of course we celebrated after the event! 

A kinder, more loving nation.

No matter what your political affiliation, I think we can all agree that no child needs to live in fear because of their race, religion or orientation. We must focus on being a kinder, more loving nation...

This piece was part of a movement by creators in the kid lit community. The safety pin sends a message to kids that they are safe from the bullying that is going on. 

Little Read

I recently participated in Montclair Public Library's Little Read event-the 8th annual read-aloud marathon, bringing Montclair community leaders and citizens together in a celebration of literacy and community. Such a great event and it benefit the Children’s Department of the Montclair Public Library. (which I would be LOST without!) Here I am reading The Grumpy Pets at participating Montclair Art Museum. Great event!