Children's Book Week 2013!

Cuddle up with a friend or two and read a children's book! 

You can find out more information about Children's Book Week here. There's descriptions of activities and stores participating in CBW. You can also get a free bookmark by Grace Lin or order the fantastic poster, by Hugo Cabret creator Brian Selznick:

Isn't it great? It brings to mind one of Selznick's self-professed childhood favorites: Fortunately by Remy Charlip.

And the Winner is....

Jenny Woodward!

Congratulations! I will be sending your lovely prize to you very soon!

Thank you to everyone for participating. It was fun reading everyone's favorite titles, especially the ones I hadn't heard of.

"Luck is preparation meeting opportunity."- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

(This post was supposed to publish last week, but given how many people were participating in Screen Free Week, I thought I'd wait.) 

A few weeks ago on Twitter, Writer's House agent Steven Malk tweeted out something that had me very excited. He said, "In 15 minutes, I'll ask a children's lit trivia question.  1st correct answer gets these books: pic.twitter.com/iepUj3iTTk Sharpen your brain!" The books in question? These beauties: 

Steven Malk's twitpic

And oh, I was excited! I LOVE children's literature, and I love a chance to win books even more! So what did I do? I sat there and waited for the next tweet. I had a feeling I might know the answer to this question. Mr. Malk comes from a family of book lovers, and he has a love of the classic when it comes to children's literature. And sure enough:"Trivia question: "In The Tale of Peter Rabbit, what 3 things does Peter Rabbit eat (in order) right after sneaking into Mr. McGregor's garden?"

I thought, "Are you freaking kidding me?!" I had, not even an hour before, been reading Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" to my sick-at-home almost three year old, and the answer was lighting up my brain like fireworks! I was so excited because I knew. Now I just had to be sure my tweet got out there before someone got on Google and had a chance to tweet the answer!

I was biting my nails and then: 

WOOHOO! I was dancin'! (Did you see the extra 'and?' I was typing so fast my brain almost went blank!) It was ridiculous how excited I was about this, but you guys understand. I mean, a pile of picture books? I was in heaven! And before too long, a special box came to me all the way from the Golden State.

Gorgeous, am I right? 

Needless to say, I was not the only one over the moon about these goodies. My kids saw them sitting on the newly installed shelf in my bookcase and immediately started pouring over them. A few titles (CHU'S DAY, RAIN!, IF I BUILT A HOUSE) are already in heavy bedtime rotation, but I'm sure they'll all get their chance. 

In the meantime, I wanted to do something to pass on the generosity that is constantly making itself known in  children's literature circles. You see, I already have a copy of EXTRA YARN. I bought it last year when Jon Klassen was a speaker at SCBWI's summer conference in Los Angeles. I have it signed and everything (and will get Mac Barnett to sign it this year in LA-yippee!). 

So although the copy that came in my prize package is lovely, and while it would probably find a home in one of my kids' rooms, like Annabelle- I think if I could pass on a little of the joy I experienced, it would make this whole experience that much sweeter. 

Here is what I am going to do. In the comments below, I want you to tell me a beloved picture book title from your childhood. It doesn't have to be a classic, literary, award-winning, or even recognizable to me. If you loved it, and can remember looking at the pages of that book and being happy, tell me about it. On May 10th, I'll close the comments at midnight. Monday morning, I'll announce the lucky recipient of this book. (Sorry, you must reside in the United States.) Sound good? Go!

Spring has Sprung!

I know some part of the country are experiencing some chilly slush, but down here in Texas the bluebonnets and wildflowers have begun blanketing the hillsides. Spring is here!

I did this piece as a slump-breaker. Working on a dummy can stiffen one up. I hope to continue developing these two. They've been around for a while, but don't seem to want to tell me their story just yet. That's okay, we have time.

I know, I know. The dialogue balloons are off. 

Is it Spring in your neck of the woods?

2012 Promos

 I have a bunch of these left over from last year's conferences. It might be time to do a mail-out.

PiBoIdMo 2012

Badge created by the awesome Ward Jenkins. Click here to see more of his work.

Hurray, I'm a winner! Once again, I managed to bang out thirty-plus ideas for picture books. I have so much fun doing this, and it actually helps create a habit. I am much more aware of ideas (especially great ones) when they slide into my periphery and never once think that "Oh, I'll remember that later" because I won't. I write everything down on post-its, scraps, and best of all, the handy-dandy mini notebook I now carry everywhere with me. (I've had it for two weeks, and there are already seven solid ideas in it-yay!)

If you missed the PiBoIdMo challenge this year, never fear! Tara still has all of the inspiring and informative guest posts on her blog here, and the challenge will return next year. Seeing the PiBo hashtag on Twitter (along with the cute twibbon) and getting to chat with other participants on Facebook makes this a wonderful, community event. The best part? How happy everyone involved is. Great support for someone when they are usually working alone.

Did you do PiBoIdMo? How'd it go?

Studio Peek!

I'm taking pictures of my studio to share in a presentation I'm giving tomorrow at our monthly SCBWI meeting, and I thought I'd post here. I don't think I've ever shown y'all where I work before. Keep in mind, I've cut a few areas out of the shots. *ahem*

I know I am super lucky to have an entire room to myself to work. I know some people work in the dining room, or a desk in their bedroom. I've always been fortunate to have a partner who completely gets what I am trying to do and supports me. This ten by twelve room is proof. I painted it one of my favorite colors: chartreuse! I am energized in this room, and it's probably my favorite room in the house. As soon as I walk through the door, I can feel a shift in mood and energy.

Drafting table 

The draft table is an IKEA buy (All of my studio furniture is!) I can adjust the height and angle of the table so it's easier to avoid sore necks or hunching shoulders. It's where I draw and paint everything. It's frequently the messiest area of the studio, and where I spend the most time. I currently have a lot of character studies taped/tacked up. I need to get a better system going. I also think I need another table. I can't spread out much as it is. To the left is a window that shows my street. This is an upstairs room facing north, and I love the light I get in here.

Library

As you can probably see, I've got a thing for elephants. I don't tell too many people, because suddenly you end up with all kinds of "gifts" just because there's a pachyderm on there, and I'm kind of picky. I also have a little collection of Dr. Seuss figurines. The only one I'm missing is Horton in his tree, and I'm always bummed to see him disappear off eBay as soon as I can track him down. *sigh*

I've my books organized by type. On the upper top left shelves are all of my "Art Of" books. The next shelf has all of my children's literature industry titles, as well as a ton of old Goldens and fragile titles. The bottom left shelf is a mix of comic books, graphic novels, early readers and picture books. Behind the doors are a ton of reference books, magazines, etc.

On the center shelves: Top: Pop-up books. Upper: Horn Book Magazines, SCBWI folders/resources, Illustrator resources. Middle: picture books. Bottom: a bunch of F&Gs. To the right, both shelves are full of picture books. I have a variety of titles, those by personal heroes, by legends in the industry, titles that were significant part of my childhood, and best of all those written or illustrated by friends. I can't wait to add more of their titles in the coming years!

You can see the very bottom shelves have puzzles, board books, a coloring tin, paper, etc. Those are the shelves my kids use when they come in. There used to be many more toys, etc. on them, but as the kids have grown, more things have made their way into their rooms-including the drawing tables they used to have in here when they would "work with Mommy."

Work table

This is the table where I write, do my research, and as you can see the computer to the left, do all of my online work and play. The inspiration boards haven't changed too much lately. I'll probably freshen them up in the new year. All of those books (see the elephant bookends?) are craft-related. I have titles on writing picture books, early readers, non-fiction, and two or three word-choice books I love. There are also books on illustration, business of illustration, etc. I am something of a reference junkie. I probably would have made a great librarian-ha!

Can you see the prints? There are Susie Ghahremani owl cards I've framed, an Elsa Mora Alice paper cut (I have a growing collection of Alice art, and bunch of prints waiting for frames) hanging above a Penelope Dullaghan print. I have received a lot of inspiration following the careers of artist like these three on their blogs. Their success gives me hope that I too can achieve my dreams. 

What about you? Where do you work? If you could have a dream studio, what would it look like? I have a Pinterest board full of creative spaces that I love. If you have a picture of your studio on your blog or website, feel free to share in comments. Seeing the spaces of other creatives is always fun!