shadrieka As an illustrator my life generally revolves around deadlines and collaboration with others. While this works pretty well for me, sometimes I need to take a step back and make art for myself. It is usually never planned; my life is super busy between teaching and book-making. Those flashes of inspiration are stolen gems and it … Read more
Sadly, I missed the Philly book festival three weeks ago due to school commitments, but I did make it to Philly afterwards for a presentation with second graders sponsored by PECO Energy in conjunction with Philly Reads. It was a great day of book and art talk. Each student took a signed book home and got … Read more
White Water on TVOne Check out White Water’s screen adaptation this Saturday, FEBRUARY 7th (and throughout February) on TVOne at 8PM. Starring Larenz Tate, Sharon Leal and introducing twins Amari and Amir O’Neil, White Water is the imaginative tale of Michael, a seven-year-old black child in the summer of 1963 who becomes obsessed with the desire … Read more
I am writing this on the train heading back from a daytrip to NY to pick up my art from the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Originally I had planned a quiet day where I would see only a couple of people, spending most of the day alone in the city. Last night I realized that … Read more
On January 5th, I started a fun game (because I am a genius at productive procrastination) on Instagram and Facebook and asked people to share their creative weapons of choice. A few folks participated- sending selfies and art supplies back across the webosphere. I am obsessed with art supplies and creative processes of creative folk. … Read more
My editor at Lee and Low e-mailed me a coupla weeks ago to let me know that SUNDAY SHOPPING has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection! I was super surprised to hear the news because our book just went to press back in October, but JLG chooses books based on previews before the books … Read more
Last week I posted on facebook a bit of my frustration in the way that reviewers miscast ethnicity in picture books. A good friend of mine had a reviewer identify her family as “Caucasian”, when it was a mixed race family. I posted and then edited a statement (a few times) about that conversation which … Read more
I didn’t work this weekend. On Saturday I posted my usual facebook mantra of “coffee . . . work . . .”, but only accomplished hauling the reference books I need for my next book upstairs to my bed from couch island. I am out of half-and-half and for the last couple of days, have been … Read more
I was tagged by Tao Nyeu to answer four questions on my working process. Tao is an incredibly talented author/illustrator known for her extra cute animals in books like Wonder Bear and her most recent, Squid and Octopus, Friends for Always. Check out her working process here. And follow the blog tour backwards to get sneak … Read more
When Selma Levi, children’s librarian at Enoch Pratt Central Library, e-mailed me last June about joining forces to celebrate Maurice Sendak’s 50th anniversary of Where the Wild Things Are, I had no idea what would come of it. Typically, these types of things blow in the wind once people get busy with their lives. Selma and … Read more