Tree House Lunch

Summer is the perfect time for lunch in the tree house by the pond. Three small friends (grandchildren of a friend) came to visit last week. We had lunch and games, and made turtle puppets. For more on the arts & crafts activity, click here for my Artful Acts blog.

Babies at the Pond

Tadpoles are growing fast! Little legs have sprouted, propelling their bodies around the pond.

I've been searching for other "babies" because Down East Books has agreed to publish my new picture book for toddlers, Pond Babies, next Spring! Ta-da! Should be fun.

I photographed this adolescent loon chick last summer on No Name Pond, about 50 miles north of here. Click HERE to HEAR the loons on my Frog Blog.

turkey prints

Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago, I graduated as a printmaking major in the BFA program at the University of Connecticut's School of Fine Arts. A strong sensitivity to ammonia had driven me away from etching and engraving, but woodcuts and lithographs had stirred the ink in my blood. That same ink became a regular part of my wardrobe and makeup for my student years, but after graduation my only printmaking was done while teaching children's art classes.

Now here I am, decades (wince) later, and I've once again started making prints. A recent series of printing workshops with kids (click here and scroll) inspired me to think about a new approach to my own picture book illustration work, which has been exclusively paper collage. I'm now experimenting with cutting blocks to produce line, and then printing these over the paper collages. Still fooling around with it, but having a grand time in the process!

Word Wizard

I've recently discovered a couple of terrific, creative blog moms who have used my book, Word Wizard, to engage children with word play and anagrams. Here are their sites. Check them out!

Joyful Learner and Mouse Grows, Mouse Leans . (Click to open)

Gobble, Gobble

No....it's not winter. This guy is just here to announce that Dawn Publications will be publishing my new book, Gobble, Gobble, next Spring! Ta-da! More information, and perhap a sneak preview of sketches, coming soon.

Pensive

This guy found a perfect perch today, until a pushy mallard came along. To see

Bully & the Bullfrog: the MOVIE, click HERE.

Chippy Spa

This chipmunk is from SCOOT! Greenwillow Books, 2008.

Silly me....I thought I had created a bird bath!

These guys are cute, but they're sneaky little varmits, too. Spotted one

with a freshly-dug turtle egg in it's mouth last week.