My niece, Helena, recently visiting Cedar Fairmount for the holidays– Thanks so much Apple Tree Books for prominently displaying and including Giving Thanks in your Thanksgiving window!
Giving Thanks at Appletree Books
Delivery Day!
Delivery day! Giving Thanks is now available! Have been sharing a lot about this book and have so appreciated your excitement for it and support. Denise Kiernan’s message of gratitude, tradition, and unity feels meaningful as ever. Hope you enjoy too. Thanks so much for the collaboration Ellice Lee, Pat Lindgren, and Piper Smith!
Giving Thanks (Dedication Landscape)
Giving Thanks (Owen cameo!)
My amazing and kind Art Director, Ellice Lee, let me ‘sneak’ Owen into the scene.. Ha! Even gave him a place at the table❤️
Giving Thanks!
Giving Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday comes out Tuesday!
At the center of the history is Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1878), editor of Godey’s Ladies Book, the first woman to sit at the editors desk of a magazine. Hale eagerly promoted the works of fellow women writers, advocated for women in higher education, and introduced the country to a custom, few outside her native New England had ever heard of, the feast day of Thanksgiving.❖
Angels on Earth Magazine–
For the September - October 2022 Issue. Never, ever, ever, give up!
Connie Christoph Art Room
Hillcrest Elementary, Lake Wales, FL
Mom would be preparing materials for the day with her ‘morning helpers’ right about now. mixing up tempera in every color of the rainbow, placing paint brushes on the tables, soaking giant bags of clay in the sink, or maybe she would be out front of the school, welcoming kids on bus duty? She chose to teach up until the last 6 months of her life, her love for the kids and their art kept her going– kept her dancing and singing, from I want to Hold your Hand to Peanut Butter Jelly Time! It’s why she was so dear, why so many still miss her, feel lucky to have known her.💜
Moosehead Lake, Maine
Publishers Weekly–
Happy news! Best company you could ever wish for too📚
RSAD Class of '02
With Mom at my own Senior show, 2002. My Dad gave me this pic, apparently Mom kept it in her wallet. Of course I’m thinking of her today and these sweet memories–
CIA Class of '22
Our graduating Seniors presenting their thesis work this week at Cleveland Institute of Art. As you can see, it’s been a gift getting to work with this talented, thoughtful, and inspiring group of illustrators. Three grads told me they are in the interview/hiring process for their first jobs!
Giving Thanks
New picture book collaboration with author Denise Kiernan and Philomel Books - Penguin Random House coming out this fall! Giving Thanks explores the origins of our national holiday and beloved Thanksgiving traditions, and concepts of gratitude all around the world as well.
Sarah Josepha Hale was the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book Magazine. She loved Thanksgiving and the holiday featured prominently in her magazine and in her novel, Northwood A Tale of New England. Later, it became her goal to see Thanksgiving celebrated as a national holiday. Sarah lead a letter writing campaign, reaching out to 5 U.S. presidents.
President Lincoln loved the idea and saw it as a chance to bring together a country torn apart by Civil War.
Learn more about this inspiring history and the origins of the traditions we still observe today in our book, Giving Thanks– available fall 2022!
Spring '22
The ‘Cleveland’ Flowering Pear tree we planted a few years back is in in full bloom! It seems determined to reach ever higher, helping lift spirits a bit here too–
January 2022
The New Year has been a very busy and snowy one. Here’s a few pics from our little world. Thanks for checking out my site and posts, lots of love folks!❤️
Local Collaboration (a year in the making!)
I’m packing up these books with my markers, crayons, and paper and heading to the Carnation Festival in Alliance, OH today August 5, at 6:30 pm. Come out and join in the fun with Early Childhood Education Alliance! We’ll be reading and drawing trains together and each kid in attendance will receive a complimentary copy of Clackety Track - special thanks to Arts in Stark for making this event possible - for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/539314023931502/?ref=newsfeed
Special Delivery
Special delivery from Colchester, England - Trains: A Ladybird Book written by Elizabeth Jenner. Available in America, August 8.
Trains, A Ladybird Book
Arrival status: on time
Our next book, Trains, written by Elizabeth Jenner and published by Ladybird Penguin Random House, releases in the UK May 8, in America August 8!
https://www.penguin.co.uk/.../a-ladybi.../9780241417171.html
President's Day 2021
A fav page from Bones in the White House, by Candice Ransom, on this President's Day–
Happy accident– as I was scanning in and recoloring my drawings of the old Sage of Monticello, I noticed a duplicate version of his eye, positioned on top of the other, made for a perfect deep-set eye lid. : )
Merry Christmas!
The Bluebird by John B. Tabb and my illustration–
I found this sweet poem and made the accompanying drawing for Brad’s mom, for Christmas. She loves birds and especially her Bluebirds that come every summer, I thought it might be fun for her to have one year-round.
Meet Teddy
We’ll never forget driving to that little farm in Ravenna to meet Teddy, it was 7 months ago today. He was there with his foster family and Brad and I were coming down with Jack to test the waters, would the two brothers get along? It ended up being a perfect reunion, almost as if no time had passed between them. At one point we were all standing together talking and I kneeled down to meet Teddy at his level. He lit up and seemed to smile as he walked over, tail wagging! I’m not sure if that’s the moment our little adventure began, but he’s been at my side ever since (when not chasing squirrels).