Roller Girl

I just finished this graphic novel and I was so impressed!  So many books for children don't really seem for children, but this one speaks to them in their language.  So much to take away from this story and the word and pictures worked together like a perfect symphony!

School Presentation Waaaay Out West

I just got back from a school visit waaaaaay out west in Bracketville, Texas.  What a great adventure! Bracketville is a little Texas town near the border of Mexico and near some incredible scenery.  I have lived in Texas all my life, but I have never seen actual mountains here.  Okay, they were not exactly the Rocky Mountains, but pretty awesome nonetheless.  There are some brilliant, talented kids tucked away in this historic little town and I am so thankful I had the privilege of meeting them and the very hospitable staff at Jones Elementary. I was able to share with pretty much the whole elementary as well as one high school art class.  One of the high school students there has just been accepted into Parsons in New York! My husband and I fell in love with this place!

 Before I arrived, this class had created their own version of the Supermoon cover.  Good thing my publisher did not see theirs first.  I might not have gotten the job!

 The room I presented in just happened to be decorated in a superhero theme.

  They had this nifty jail box that came in very handy.  What else do you do with your performance husband on a school presentation trip?

A Little Peek

A little peek at some work for a recent project.

SCBWI Workshop

I attended my local SCBWI chapter workshop today.  It was basically about how to use mentor texts to learn how to write better.  Several research tools were shared by the first speaker, Carrie Charley Brown,  such as Notebook and Goodreads.  She read several picture books and explained her process of researching.  Her own website looks very helpful as well. Her worksheet was loaded with recently published picture book titles to learn from.  The second speaker focused on middle grade and YA texts, also very informative.  I've already gone online and submitted requests for library books to study.  Always great to hear SCBWI speakers and talk with other writers and illustrators.

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature

I had the opportunity to visit the national Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas last week and view the Jon J Muth exhibit.  How fun and inspiring to walk around and view his paintings!  I have always wanted to visit this museum.  I look forward to seeing another exhibit in the future!

NCCIL 

Caillebotte Exhibit

My husband and I visited the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas recently and viewed a beautiful exhibit!  I have always loved Caillebotte paintings, but this exhibit introduced me to so many I have never seen before.  His wealth allowed him to spend lots of time painting without concerning himself about income.  He also designed sail boats and was a serious collector of stamps. Art museums are such a great way to get the creative blood pumping!

Mother/daughter writers and illustrators

So busy with projects and preparing for school visits, I have not taken the time to blog lately.  Today, I took a little break to tackle a house project, replacing grout that had cracked in one of the bathrooms.  I have never done this before, but I actually enjoyed mixing and applying it. It reminded me of clay.  The only part I did not like so much was the clean up.  I have learned through the years, though, that everything in life has the less enjoyable parts, so the best thing is to just move forward, knowing it is simply all part of the job.  I took another break and read this article about a mother and daughter who both write and illustrate children's books.  Refreshing!  The article, that is, not the grout.
Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy