TWO Months until TOO MUCH!

1. Countdown to TOO MUCH! And just like that, a book I had an idea for about a decade ago will be in stores in two months! TOO MUCH! NOT ENOUGH! has been getting some excellent press. You can read reviews on Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, University of Manitoba (I really loved their review), and Story Monsters Ink. I was also recently interviewed on Boston Voyager where I talk about my winding journey to become an author/illustrator. I'll be blogging quite a bit more in the next two months - sharing sketches and videos about the making of TOO MUCH! Stay tuned!

2. In today's mail I've been squirreling away swag for just this moment. I'm finally sending out these boxes to independent bookstores across the US. If you are a bookstore owner, send me an email and I'll make one up just for you! Some of you will get a Moe box, some will get a Peanut box, and just one of you will get a Moe AND Peanut box! But who!

3. My To-Be-Read Mountain I've been incredibly busy at this time of year for the past few years. Which inevitably leads to a huge pile of books I desperately WANT to read but have no time for. I dream of a book vacation and until then will humbly share most of these books with the kids who are burning through books at a fierce rate. Also, there are a dozen books I want to add to this pile but I am barely restraining myself (Mary's Monster by Lita Judge will land there soon, I know it.)

4. Father's Day Shopping If you follow me on social media, you'll notice I've shared IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD quite a bit in advance of Father's Day. I had so much fun creating the illustrations for this book, and it's a little uncomfortable for me to hawk books aggressively but I really think more families need this book! You still have time to order from uh, that place with prime shipping and have something for Dad to cuddle up with on Sunday morning while you finish making breakfast (or getting dressed to go out!) ***But if you live near Exeter, Water Street Bookstore has a few copies left AND a million other awesome books - I dare you to leave with just one. I know I can't do it.

5. But I'm listening! Don't feel too sad for my lack of reading time. I am plowing through a lot through my ears while I work. Recent audiobooks I've enjoyed: Wild, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and have just started Genuine Fraud. For podcasts I've burned through a ton of Hollywood Crime Scene (my new fav!) peppered with weekly listens to Westworld with Jay, Jack & Mike, Wait, Wait, and How I Built This.

April Five

1. SMALL is a Bank Street Books Best Children's Book of 2018 selection. Wow! I am so honored to have my debut make this esteemed list. I hope that it brings a bigger audience to SMALL. I just enjoyed a lovely book event at Wellesley Books this weekend, and was reminded once again how this book can empower all types of kids. A big thank you to my agent, Teresa Kietlinski and my editor, Jenna Pocius for believing in the power of SMALL and helping it become a real book in the world.

2. TOO MUCH! NOT ENOUGH! won't be out until mid-August, but a review is out today from Publisher's Weekly. It actually has a lovely reviews from Story Monsters Ink (p55), University of Manitoba, and Picture Book Sleuth as well. I have lots of surprises up my sleeve to celebrate Peanut and Moe's launch into the world, just you wait!

3. GIVEAWAY! To celebrate the one year anniversary of IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD in the world, I am hosting a giveaway on Amazon through Friday at midnight. It's super easy to enter - I hope you'll go check it out, here. P.S Happy Unicorn Day! (Thank you for the cute graphic, Tundra!)

4. On my desk I am working on another book for Tundra books (dream life, I swear!). When the time is right I will reveal the title, but for now I will just tease it by saying it's so much fun to be drawing these two friends again... I'm also doing a fun Halloween-y assignment for Highlights and waiting on a few last bits from the middle-grade project to wrap up. Happy to be busy!

5. Still spinning! One of my 2018 resolutions was to try a spin class (I know, I'm like a decade off trend). I started in February and it's totally my jam. I think it's the combo of a childhood love of bikes, a great instruction who pushes us every class, and blaring music. I'm often sitting at my desk for longer work stretches because I'm afraid to get up for the leg pains!

March Friday Five

1. Spring Author Festival - Tomorrow! Just when I thought my week couldn't get any more action packed, I have this to look forward to tomorrow. I can't wait to meet new author friends and share SMALL with lots of young readers. Come join the fun at Barnes & Noble in Framingham, MA from 12-4pm tomorrow, March 17th.

2. Back to School Today I got to visit a local school, Kensington Elementary. The teachers and students were so gracious and fun - we made a few wild mixed-up animal drawings and I also got to see some amazing drawings they had done earlier from my How-To drawing sheets. So much talent! I love seeing how many ways kids can draw the same thing. Special thanks to the school, staff, librarian Cheri Eastwood, Stef at Water Street Bookstore and the school PTA. It's wonderful to see schools support bringing authors and illustrators in for visits. I would have loved an experience like that as a young child!

3. TOO MUCH? Peanut and Moe's debut, TOO MUCH! NOT ENOUGH! won't be out until August 14th, but they would love for you to pre-order their book. Visit my book page for links to pre-orders from your favorite booksellers. While you are waiting, you can download the activity kit now, here! The page above is my favorite - you know I love making fortune tellers (cootie catchers!)

4. Wrinkle in Time (plus origami link!) One of my favorite childhood books made a gorgeous, glittery splash onto the silverscreen last weekend. My children loved it. I loved it. I want everyone to go see it. And after you do, check out this video on how to make the folded object we see Meg with at the start of the movie. It's a LOT harder than folding my cootie catchers, but I'm up for the challenge. Thanks to Diandra Mae for finding the link!

5. A spark! Let's just say that my plate is more than full right now. I'm finishing up illustrations for a middle grade book, revising the manuscript for my next picture book for Tundra, plus a major life change in the works, but... when inspiration strikes you HAVE to catch it. A spark found me this week and I made time to keep it burning and build it into a story idea that I can revisit when I do have time. Special thanks to Dr. J for listening and encouraging me!

February Friday Five

1. TOO MUCH! NOT ENOUGH! A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have Mr. Schu interview me and host the cover reveal for my next picture book. Too Much! Not Enough! comes out August 14th, 2018 from Tundra Books. It's going to be SO hard waiting for this release. Peanut and Moe are very old friends of mine, and sharing them with readers everywhere is going to be EPIC. Much like Peanut's kazoo-leaping skills! Look for a peek at ALAMW this weekend.

Downer's Grove, Illinois Elementary: They had all read SMALL before and gave me a big cheer for reading it again. Love the crown they made to celebrate the day, too!

2. World Read Aloud Day 2018 What an amazing day I had last Thursday. I had never done a Skype visit before - what a treat to sit in your own home and talk to a classroom halfway across the country! I met with three amazing groups of students from South Windsor, Connecticut,  Downer's Grove, Illinois and the Schenck School in Atlanta, Georgia. They had such wonderful questions, were very patient and polite, and gave me some great book ideas as well. I will happily look forward to every World Read Aloud Day and hopefully set up some information about doing short and free Skype visits year-round. Special thanks to author Kate Messner who coordinates the authors and illustrators for this special day.

Love all the hands up for doing the monkey bars at the Schenke School in Atlanta, Georgia. My funny face and pointing is to share that I can't quite do the monkey bars (like my heroine in SMALL)

3. Love those Roses If you're not watching Schitt's Creek you are missing out on all the fun of Eugene Levy, David Levy (yes, father and son play father and son!), Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy and a whole cast of hilarious townspeople. Season Four is airing now on POP, the other seasons are on Netflix. If you ARE watching it, read this Mental Floss post for the inside scoop. 

4. Wrinkle in Time fever! I can not WAIT for the movie to come out on March 9th. But until then, I am super excited about another graphic novel of Madeleine L'engle's Time Warp series, Intergalactic P.S. 3 illustrated by Hope Larson.

5. It was a foggy night on old Cape Cod... As a kid I was truly obsessed with 'old time radio' stories. I even had a cassette player that looked like an old radio and each night I would pop in a tape of The Shadow, The Green Hornet, or a murder-mystery series at that time (the 1980's!) called Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater. I kept all my tapes and recently bought a little cassette deck and have been listening to them as I work. It's amazing how well I remember all these stories. And amazing that I liked such dark bedtime stories. 

Sunday Five

It's been MONTHS since I've blogged - how did that happen? Like all work, we sometimes need a long break. But even though it's Sunday, I'm back to it!

1. Doodle style, coming 'atcha! A few years ago I picked up a super cool doodle zine from fellow kidlit illustrator Zara Gonzalez. It really sparked something in my sketching and I have been building up this 'doodle style' for my portfolio since then. Thanks to my fabulous agent, Teresa Kietlinski and the lovely team at Random House, I'm illustrating part of a middle grade novel in this style! Look for more details later in 2018. This project will be keeping me super busy for the first few months of 2018. Above is one of the images I used to round out my portfolio for this style - and it now has a whole section on my portfolio. 

2. All will be revealed... Too Much! Not Enough! is my 2018 book baby. We've been keeping the cover under wraps until this week! Look for the reveal on Mr. Schu's blog this Wednesday, January 24th. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!!!!

Perry School presentation ready - just waiting for the kids!

Wow! These kids were GREAT at the mixed up animal drawing game. HUGE imaginations!

Phew, I did it! Love their playground with a view of the water. Thanks for having me, Perry School!

3. It's all about the kids. One of my goals for 2017 was to take on one or two school visits where I formally presented my career path and how I work. This is a whole other aspect of being an author/illustrator involving a LOT of preparation. I spent a day this fall at the Perry School in South Boston. I got to meet with students from preschool up to third grade. It really filled my heart to feel their enthusiasm for art and reading. It was utterly exhausting - I've no idea how teachers manage to do it day after day! I also visited a 3rd grade class at Little Harbour School in Portsmouth, NH. They asked SO many questions during my presentation! It gave me a lot to think about, and sealed my interest in doing more school visits in 2018.

4. Resolutions! I still haven't recovered from all the book events from 2017, so I could only handle personal things to tackle in the new year. Donating blood regularly, trying a spin class, visiting the Isles of Shoals again, being less attached to my darn phone, getting back to my regular exercise routines, and eating healthier. I've started to tackle most of these already - I'll have to wait until the summer to visit the Shoals.

Hmmm. What should we call this creature? Look at all those raised hands. I love it!

5. The Last Event of 2017 Just after Christmas, my family and I took a mini-break out to Northampton, MA for my story time event at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. My family had been to many events with me this year, but it had been awhile since the last one and this felt like the perfect way to end 2017. We had plenty of time to explore the museum before my scheduled reading. It gave me time to absorb how amazing this moment was for me on my long journey to becoming a published author and illustrator. My last visit here was on the way to the annual NESCBWI conference in the spring of 2012. I had a copy of SMALL then, but it was just a dummy - mostly drawings, a few paintings, and not quite ready to submit to publishers. It was my first weekend away from my youngest child who was just 11 months old. Fast forward five and a half years. SMALL was on the counter as you entered the museum, and they filled a whole display rack in their amazing gift shop with my books. It was just very surreal. The staff were welcoming and kind. The sub-zero temperature had driven lots of young families there - it was such a fun and active audience for story time. There are rituals to being a guest at the museum - a tote bag to sign, a sketchbook to contribute to - and I think I lost my nerve for a few minutes realizing the last visitor before me was Caldecott winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe. It was also, shockingly, my children's first visit to an art museum. They loved the art, the interactive exhibits, and the classroom activity. I think we are all finally ready to explore more art museums together. We had a chance to explore the hotel pool (hello, the kids #1 favorite thing!), and Northampton before heading back the next day. My husband knew I didn't want to miss it, so despite the sluggish kids, we stopped in the R. Michelson gallery. It's such a marvelous place - of course we all enjoyed wandering and finding childhood favorites and new wonders. We stuffed ourselves with a delicious brunch at Sylvester's and headed home. I'm not sure what 2018 will bring, but I know I am thankful for the chance to find out.

Wednesday Five

1. Buttermilk and New Work! These postcards went off in the mail a few weeks ago. I hope they found homes as sweet as their waffles! (I love their story, it's one of my favorite projects that I've been developing!) And I finally put together another section of my portfolio for another style I've been working in - I had so much fun making these Tween samples this week:

2. Friday with friends at Kennedy Gallery From 5-8pm this Friday I will be sipping ginger ale, nibbling on crudité, and chatting with friends, surrounded by artwork from a fine group of local children's book illustrators (and authors). You can pop into G Willikers to buy a book and we will happily sign them! Bring the kids, and come meet: me, JoAnn Adinolfi, Tess Feltes, Ryan Higgins, David McPhail, Robert Squier, and Teri Weidner.

3. Saturday at Strawberry Banke Then on Saturday, bring the kids to Portsmouth for the Children's Author Festival. It's my first year participating but we brought the kids last year and they had a great time. I'll be signing books - hope to see you!

4. Sally Jones I've been reading this amazing, older middle-grade novel called The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius. I was fairly intimidated by the length of this book (I love a quick read) but my local bookseller gave it high praise and a compelling book talk (you are pretty amazing, Jill!). The premise is so unusual, but the story is just packed with travel, adventure, heart, and mystery. Bonus: the illustrations, by the author, are pitch-perfect. 

5. The Best Kind of Five: Keene's Children's Literature Festival Last Saturday I set out in the dark pre-dawn hours with my friend Vita Lane for Keene State College's final Children's Literature Festival. It was a day full of inspiration and books. We got to hear the following five authors and illustrators speak on their craft, their current work, their starts in the field, and the things that inspire them: Daniel Salmieri, Grace Lin, David Elliott, Sophie Blackall, and Brian Floca

Wednesday Five

1. International Day of the Girl Today is a day for the girls. For reminding them that they can do anything. For getting out of their way so they can get there on their own. This Saturday morning at 10am I will kick off the POWERful Potential event at Barnes & Noble in Burlington, MA. A group of all female authors will be reading or talking about their books, all meant to empower girls and women. A portion of proceeds will go to Taly Foundation for Early Childhood Education. Other authors include: Alice Finn, Erin Mahoney, and Sandra Elaine Scott.

2. Stop. Break it down. Joanna Marple interviewed me a few weeks ago for her blog, Miss Marple's Musings. It's easy for me to plow forward with goals and projects, and this interview was a good excuse to spend some time reflecting on my past and how I arrived at this amazing spot in my career. She also posted a wonderful review of SMALL on her Perfect Picture Book Friday series. Thank you, Joanna!

3. You Can Go Home Again. Last weekend I traveled down to my childhood home town library in Weymouth, Massachusetts. I hadn't been in the Tufts library for probably 25 years. It was a beautiful day on a holiday weekend so I was truly surprised to have such a big group of kids - they made some awesome butterfly crafts, were excellent listeners, and made the whole day a joy. Special thanks to Amy for working with me to set the event up, and to Chris who was generally amazing, took great photos (see above!) and provided extra butterflies when I ran out! And extra special thanks to my sister Michelle and mom for spreading the word about the event and sharing lots of copies of SMALL in the Weymouth public schools.

4. Missile Toe and butterflies? This Saturday at 3pm, Marty Kelley and I will be reading our latest books at Toadstool Bookshop in Milford, NH. Marty's latest illustrated book is Missile Toe: A Very Confused Christmas by Devin Scillian I'm excited to see Marty crack the kids up and I'll be bringing a hefty pile of butterflies (look for a bandaid on my thumb from all the scissor time!). 

5. Mmmmm. Yellow Dinner. I love to cook but I battle the reality that is, 'Will my kids eat it?'. It's down to my 6yo daughter being the picky eater in the family. She wouldn't even try new jelly on a cracker this morning. sigh. But! She (and the rest of us) love this yellow rice recipe. I am a total rice cooker junkie, but I pulled out the pot for this recipe and it's totally worth it. I pair it with Nom Nom Paleo's easy tandoori chicken recipe (I use coconut milk, breasts not thighs, and grill it) If you pick corn or summer squash for your veggie, you'll have an entirely yellow dinner. If you have a family of color geeks like mine, this is sure to get you bonus points (but really, we just want them to eat what we cook, right?)

Monday Five and Two Giveaways!

1. Wearing Two Hats and a Giveaway! Thanks so much to Kim Chaffee for the interview on Writers Rumpus. Giveaway closes September 15th - go read and comment for a chance to win a copy of SMALL!

2. Up in the Loft I finally made it to an event at The Writers Loft in Sherborn, Massachusetts. I attended an excellent panel presentation titled "Behind the Bookshelves: A Panel on Building Relationships with Bookstores. It was a packed room, and the content was so helpful and relevant. Book promotion has been overwhelming, and I learned some new and valuable gems. Thanks to everyone on the panel and the moderator: Sarah Berman (of Concord Bookshop), Carter Hasegawa, Josh Funk, Peter Sherman (Wellesley Books), and Alison Pottern Hoch. If you live near the Writers Loft it is absolutely worth checking out. Jannie Ho will be presenting on Tuesday: The Illustrator Who Writes

3. Double-Dad Giveaway! I really enjoyed interviewing Chana Stiefel about Daddy Depot. It's a sweet and funny picture book about exchanging your not-so-perfect Dad at a very unique store. Chana and I are each giving away a copy of our Dad-themed books to one lucky winner. There are 6 days left in the giveaway!

4. I'll Meet You at the Library I will be reading SMALL at the Weymouth Public Library on October 7th at 2pm. This is my childhood hometown library and I'm really looking forward to stepping into that magical place after so many years. I hope any friends and family nearby can make it - we'll make it a fun time for all the kids - reading, drawing, talking about being an author/illustrator.

5. Working on the Go I've been talking about getting an iPad Pro and pencil all year. I have an awesome work setup at home between my Mac and my Cintiq. But I have long hoped for a way to write and draw while I'm away from home - whether it's during kid activities, or on vacation, or just escaping to the coffee shop to work. I've also known that I need a device to start doing school presentations. I can be a real slow-poke to make big purchases, but my husband thought this was the perfect birthday gift and I think he was right. He's always been very supportive (and knows how cheap, erm, practical I can be with equipment). I've only had it a few days, but I loved bringing it to the Writer's Loft event and TYPING my notes on my lap. I'm playing with Procreate and trying to find the brushes and settings that feel just right. If anyone has recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

P.S. I'm so thankful for all the kidlit friends, new and old, who have supported me this year.
P.P.S Check out this cool SMALL review on Missy's Product Reviews - thanks, Missy!