THE POMEGRANATE WITCH  made the Amazon’s ‘Best children’s books of 2017′ list — and to make it extra sweet, it sits alongside illustrator friends’ books; THE ANTLERED SHIP by The Fan Brothers, and THE BOOK OF MISTAKES by Corinna Luyken. Congrats to all! Check out the full list here: Amazon.com: Best Children’s Books of 2017 …

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 A new book that I illustrated, written by Denise Doyen, came out last week; THE POMEGRANATE WITCH. It’s here in time for the fall season coming up, and is such a fun romp between a group of neighborhood kids from the suburbs, and the old Pomegranate Witch who guards a legendary pomegranate tree. This release kicked off…

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For those illustrators making last-minute shifts to their portfolio for the SCBWI National Conference, I have 3 pieces of advice: I was recently asked to judge portfolio applications for a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators award. It was an eye-opening experience being on the other side of the table, in the judge’s seat. Here’s what…

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Guys…have you seen this book trailer yet?? My husband, Adam, made it. My friend, Nick, did the music. They are so awesome! Anyone recognize the song he covered? Please help me share this video with the Tolkien fans that you know! Get JOHN RONALD’S DRAGONS at your local indie bookstore -or- Order from Barnes and Noble…

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  Over on the Picture Book Builders blog, I shared some highlights about illustration research I did for three weeks in England in 2015 for the new picture book biography JOHN RONALD’S DRAGONS: STORY OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN, by Caroline McAlister. I had a great question come over Twitter recently about traveling for research, but couldn’t seem…

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In case you missed it! : Check out this nice feature on Elizabeth Dulemba’s blog, where I discussed my two newest books, THIS IS OUR BABY, BORN TODAY by Varsha Bajaj and THE LEFT-HANDED FATE by Kate Milford, and on the difference between working on picture books and middle grade novels.    

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My new picture book, with author Varsha Bajaj and Nancy Paulsen/Penguin Books, came into the book world today! THIS IS OUR BABY, BORN TODAY celebrates the birth of a baby elephant. Over the course of one day the jungle family and friends rejoice the baby’s arrival. The book is set in the lush wilds of India…

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I have illustrations in two picture books releasing this year. The first is TELL ME A TATTOO STORY, written by Alison McGhee and published by Chronicle Books, came out this spring. In TELL ME A TATTOO STORY, a father tells his little son the story behind each of his tattoos, and together they go on a…

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