Arg! Happy Halloween!

The pirate limped, the toddler toddled, and the bunny hopped -- all through the town!

I'm overdue with a post about another fantastic year at the Humbolt County Author Festival. I'll report on that very soon :)

Recommended Reading: Rabitt Hill by Robert Lawson

I don't think I've done a book recommendation before, but reading Rabbit Hill might make this a semi-regular feature. We recently finished this really cool 1944 edition (on lone from my father-in-law) and it was great.

In some recess of my brain, I can recall reading this book as a kid. I know for certain that I would have loved the artwork, but reading it out-loud over the last few weeks of bedtime routine, I am now firmly impressed with the entire package. The cast of characters, the dialog, the emotional swings of the story... It's an excellent read-aloud. Like so many good books, there are real moments of danger, joy, sadness, and elation at play here. When reading aloud, those feelings bubble so naturally into the author's chosen words that you can't help but "act " a bit as you read along.

Plus, the art work is still awesome! Check it out. Hop to it. Etc.!

Wonder Schools! Part 1

My week started off with a 5:30am rousting and just possibly the most gorgeous school visit drive of my life! I sauntered down the Methow under cover of darkness, filled up with gas in the 16 degree chill of Brewster, WA, and rose up out of the Columbia River Valley into early light and long shadows. Some inspiring color in the dryland grain farming NE of Waterville...

... and then a descent into Dry Falls /Sun Lakes -- a canyon carved out by the Ice Age Floods.

The students, teachers, staff, and parents at Grant Elementary School were just simply AWESOME! So friendly, creative and welcoming. Thank you all very much, and keep up the excellent work on your own writing and illustrating!

PS Click the school link above for a few additional photos of the visit -- for as long as they stay on the "News Paws" homepage anyway :)

Illustration Friday: Flying

A return to Illustration Friday! Next week, I promise to create something brand new, but this is from my latest book at least.

Orange County Children's Book Festival

Here's a quick photo from my recent weekend in Orange County, CA. In conjunction with the Orange County Children's Book Festival, and on behalf of Jacketflap.com, I spent the day hanging out with Dan Santat, Ashley Wolff, Joy Allen and several other excellent author types in the chilly Californina sunshine. More to come soon!

A mysterious letter?

A Fall 2009 Methow Arts Interview

Boo and Dinny (from Boo's Surprise) join me on the cover of Methow Arts Magazine.

Some Good News!

About 10 days ago I received word from author Deb Vanasse that Totem Tale had been selected as a Reading is Fundamental (RIF) read-aloud book for "40,000 children in 50 public elementary schools" in Washington, DC. The RIF DC Initiative (“DCI”), is a special program facilitating free book distribution and motivational activities. All children in participating schools get to choose a free book to keep at each of the three book distribution events held during the school year. Totem Tale will be featured in the first book event during November, which is American Indian Heritage Month.

In celebration (and support) of such excellent news, I've just established a separate blogsite for a Totem Tale teacher's guide and other supplemental materials.

And, just because it's REALLY nifty, I'm posting this swanky Totem Tale Music Player right here as well!

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Through the wonders of modern technology and the generous talents of Terry Hunt at Mountain Sound Digital Media LLC, you can listen to a theme song for each of the totem characters in the book. Terry wrote and performed these pieces for a 2006 Totem Tale theatrical production by the Methow Valley Community School. The play was FANTASTIC, and with Terry's permission, I am extremely pleased to share that music with you today!

Fair Enough!

The Okanogan County Fair: A feast of images (and curly fries!)

An experiment with an experiment...

This is old hat for some of you, but on the heels of Summer Reading 2009 I've just uploaded my very first Lulu.com self-publishing experiment. Super Princess Madam Zorony lives!

Each interior page in this serial story was the result of much collaboration and creative input by kids all over north central Washington. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Once I get a few copies of my own, I plan to put them in circulation - back into the libraries from whence they came!

Too Cool!

"Literacy Day" 2009. Octavius Bloom goes to school. Too cool!

Back to Work!

A signed copy of Boo's Surprise to the first person who identifies our photo locale!

My family and I just returned from a 10-day summer trip and we're right back in the thick of things on this fine Thursday afternoon.

I just mailed off several framed Dog Diaries pics for a September/October show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, in Eureka, CA. These images will be shown in conjunction with the Humbolt County Author Festival, and I couldn't be happier about this return trip to northern California.

To top it off, I just learned that David Diaz is going to be there! I met David briefly at last winters' SCBWI NYC Conference, but was a little too shy (as usual) to really make his acquaintance. I'm totally cool when it comes to meeting kids, teachers, librarians etc., but put me in a room full of incredible authors n' illustrators and I shrink: "The agony!" To wit, since so many other fine folks are attending the Humbolt shindig as well, I promise to get out of my shell and make the most of it.

Signing off, I'll leave you with a proof of the Spring 2010 Cat Diaries cover. I've shown the cat image before, but the design is really coming together...

The drawing table awaits!

Grandpa Tomato

This spring, for the first time ever, my wife, daughter and I planted a garden. For a while now, we have been sampling the fruits of our labor, but this last batch of carrots and tomatoes was particularly satisfying. Lots of lettuce too, and a bunch of swiss chard that I neglected to include in the photo.

I've also discovered an nostalgic association for the smell of a tomato plant. It reminds me of my grandfather!

At last!

Yesterday afternoon, I *posted the final page of my summer reading adventure with the North Central Regional Library system.

Just in case you've missed out thus far, library-by-library, kids and assorted other audience members helped me to build this story page-by-page. We'd read the story in-progress, brainstorm, edit, and ask the all important question "what happens next?" The end result is action-packed and lots of fun. It gets a little silly at the end, but the evil Dr. Dexter definitely lands in the right place... for now!

*For some reason I can't post a picture up here right now. Follow the link and you'll get some artwork to accompany this rambling prose.

Boo's Surprise!

Sunday August 9th, 2009 2:00pm

Join me at Trail's End Bookstore in Winthrop, WA
to celebrate the publication of Boo's Surprise.

This sequel to Boo's Dinosaur (2006) has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its upbeat voice, convincing family relationships, child-centered dialog, and engaging double-page drawings.
Meet the illustrator (yours truly!) and get your photo taken with Boo and her brand new dinosaur. Plus, I'll bring treats and a "surprise" drawing project.

Please, please, please, please, please, stop on by!

Summer Reading No. 25 - Chelan, WA

With many thanks to a thoughtful audience member, here is a quick snap shot of the Madam Zorony story in progress in Chelan, WA. Yesterday was the final day of my Summer Reading visits AND the publication date for Boo's Surprise. More on both of these things soon. Tonight I am hosting a kids art booth at the Mazama Market. Still looking forward to a real summer vacation in another week or two. Tally ho!

Face Painting No. 2

Another quick pic of a (hopefully) satisfied customer at the July 4th Methow Arts Fest facepainting booth. We had a line 10-20 kids deep for about 4 solid hours. Too fun!

Madam Zorony page 18

The action is fast and furious over here in Summer Reading land -- evil polar bears, magic zebracorns, vice-like bubbles, and the occassional weak-kneed but well meaning arrow alligator! Pages 1-18 in the Super Princess Madam Zorony serial are posted and ready for your viewing pleasure :)

I'm trying to get the kids to reign things in a bit and resolve a few plot issues, but its definitely trending towards summer action movie status. All in good fun, and not bad for about 20 minutes of brainstorming and sketching per library stop (plus about 30-45 minutes spent on the "final" art images at home).

Stay tuned for 5 additional pages on July 22 and 23. Hope that your summers are equally adventurous!

Boo No. 2

Boo is VERY excited about her new book, Boo's Surprise. Now she just needs to find that purple striped dress that she was wearing for the new cover art...

Methow Arts Fest 2009!

The 4th of July here in the Methow Valley is awesome! We don't do hot dog eating contests or fireworks -- the later being banned completely because we just too hot and dry -- but we DO have a terrific parade and an incredible Arts Fest thanks the amazing efforts of Methow Arts and all of their business partners and volunteers from Pateros to Mazama.
I didn't take nearly enough pictures to do the Festival justice, but for 3 of the last 4 years I've been face-painting at the Festival and simply have a blast. Kids are running everywhere, there is music, food, arts & crafts booths: boat building, bug outfits, bubble wands etc.. Way too great. Come and visit in 2010!