If you are in Decatur, stop by the Decatur Public Library to see some great original art by member of the Southern Breeze Chapter of SCBWI. The show is free and open to the public~
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Gallery Show
August 17-September 17
Decatur Public Library
The gallery exhibit at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library will feature the artwork of eight Georgia Illustrators: Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Daniel Powers, Rick Anderson, Ami Blackford, Mark Braught, Laura Knorr, Shadra Strickland, and Michael Austin. The show will run August 17-September 15, 2010. So come to the library to enjoy the amazing and award-winning art!
My editor sent over a great review today from SLJ. More great is the fact that the reviewer is from Louisiana and calls APWHH “one of the best books for children to come out of the tragedy of Katrina”. I am humbled and honored.
K-Gr 3–New Orleans friends Adrienne, Keesha, Michael, and Tommy take turns speaking in spare free verse. Their story begins with: “We’re from New Orleans,/a place where hurricanes happen./But that’s only the bad side.” The happier side is illuminated by their close friends and family. Soon the neighborhood faces Hurricane Katrina, and each family copes with it in different ways. Tommy goes to Houston, Adrienne evacuates to Baton Rouge, Michael stays in his home, and Keesha waits at the Superdome for five days to be rescued. The text is lyrical and realistically portrays a child’s point of view, deftly describing in a few words how the children are affected. Michael says: “Tommy’s family packed up and left./And Adrienne is leaving too./I give her the picture I drew yesterday./Guess we’re not playing together tomorrow.” The evocative watercolor-and-ink illustrations in soft pastels and grays limn the devastation but also the good times of the neighborhood to great effect. Perhaps the most striking picture is the spread showing the flooded streets on which the children had played the day before. This is one of the best books for children to come out of the tragedy of Katrina. In a few short verses, it beautifully encapsulates the story of the tragedy in words and pictures that children can understand, without dwelling on the horror, but emphasizing the hope and healing power of friendship and community.
Without further ado, A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN is now available in stores! Congratulations to Renée Watson on her first published book! It’s a book birthday! In honor of today’s birthday of A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN, I am releasing three new limited edition prints from the book in my etsy shop. You can own “Michael’s Tree”, “The Flood”, and “Homecoming” as of today. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist (that would be me).
I check my blog stats weekly to see which pages get the most traffic here on “Living the Dream”. The most viewed page on my site is Bridal Shower Drawing. Go figure…. It gets hits everyday without fail. All you maids of honor out there looking for that special bridal shower invitation, thanks for checking me out~ Good luck with your planning!
On the work side of things, I visited the Central Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Library this week for their summer reading kickoff. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. C. Hope, the children’s librarian there along with Dr. Hopkins, the director of the National Black Arts Festival. The big treat for me was seeing my first bound copy of A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN! It’s already making it’s way to libraries . I had only seen the F&Gs prior to this visit, so to actually hold the bound, color corrected book was a huge and wonderful surprise. Looking forward to becoming more involved with my hometown libraries~
If it missed your inbox, check out the June newsletter where you can find a link to Renée Watson’s teacher’s guide for A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN.
It’s that time of year again. Pat Cummings, author/illustrator extraordinaire, my advisor, and teacher to successful illustrators like Julian Hector and David Ezra Stein, is hosting her annual Children’s Book Boot Camp. Get your applications in by May 22!
Renée Watson, author of my latest book, A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN is hosting a workshop for teachers on May 24th at DreamYard Project in the Bronx. It will be a great opportunity for teachers to learn how to get and use the book in their classrooms. Please RSVP to Ellen Hagan at ehagan@dreamyard.com.
Caroline Kennedy has given us a wonderful quote for the back cover of the book and has really gotten behind the project. She purchased 200 advanced copies and donated them at a fundraiser for DreamYard. The book pubs in less than a month! I am on pins and needles. Book launch anyone?
(Taeeun Yoo, this year’s new illustrator and Tonya Hegamin, this year’s new author)
(Taeeun Yoo and Dr. Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation)
(the crew – Paul, Lauren, Bean, me, Tae, Injoo, and Choi)
Last week I spent a few days in NY celebrating one of my best friends, Taeeun Yoo as she accepted this year’s Ezra Jack Keat’s Award. It was a grand reunion and a fabulous night! Below is Tae’s charming acceptance speech.
I am delighted to be a part of two great projects that promote literacy and the arts. You can see my work in this month’s issue of, Dream Chasers Magazine, edited by Sarah Bash-Gleason and Literacyhead.com, a web site that offers lessons for teaching literacy through art! Tell your friends, family members, creative neighbors, and teacher friends (everyone knows at least one teacher, right?) about www.literacyhead.com!
Thank you to Jan Burkins, Jamie D’Angelo and Sarah Bash-Gleason for including me in these two great projects!
. I had only seen the F&Gs prior to this visit, so to actually hold the bound, color corrected book was a huge and wonderful surprise. Looking forward to becoming more involved with my hometown libraries~
