SUN SAILOR NEWSPAPER

YAY! We have an article in the local SUN SAILOR paper covering Minnetonka, Excelsior, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Wayzata, St. Louis Park and Hopkins, Minnesota.

https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_sailor/free/plymouth-author-contributes-to-dual-volume-picture-book-about-pandemic-life/article_89a8fe90-0a30-11ee-b0fc-3b8c74887e72.html

The House We Sheltered In / The Masks We Wore is a dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. Each poem begins at the cover and ends in the middle of the book.

Three Daughters Press, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-9906197-9-6

Written by poet and author Freeman Ng and illustrated by a team of 14 artists:

Alicia Schwab, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Ann Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Juliana Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble.

Buy this book!

Reading Wednesdays

What are you reading? This week, I’ve hauled a big stack of #libraryloot to the studio!

Bizzie Mizz Lizzie, by David Shannon
Beware the Monster, by Michaël Escoffier and Amandine Piu
Bug in a Vacuum, by Melanie Watt
That’s What Dinosaurs Do, by Jory John and Pete Oswald
Dragons Rules, Princesses Drool, by Courtney Pippin Mathur
Pandamonia, by Chris Owen and Chris Nixon
Gator Dad, Brian Lies
What Kind of Car Does a T-Rex Drive?, by Mark Lee and Brian Biggs
Billy Bloo Is Stuck in Goo, by Jennifer Hamburg and Ross Burach
The Snurtch, by Sean Ferrell and Charles Santoso
Bonkers, by Cath Jones and Chris Jevons
All the Wild Wonders, by Wendy Cooling and Piet Grobler
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, by Linda Bailey and Júlia Sardà
Where is my Balloon?, by Ariel Bernstein and Scott Magoon
Gloria’s Big Problem, by Sarah Stiles Bright and Mike Deas

Reading Wednesdays

February is Black History Month. The theme this year is “Black Health and Wellness”. What are you reading? This beautifully written and illustrated book is very inspiring. I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and illustrated by Bryan Collier. “In a beautiful ode to generations of Black sacrifice, happiness, and love, a family tells the story that brought a young boy into being and emphasizes his inherent worth.”

American Library Association Notable Children’s Book of 2021 https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb

All Because You Matter, by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier

Reading Wednesdays

Merry Christmas and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I love learning about different cultures. There are many holidays at this time of year.

I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).

Our Favorite Day of the Year, by A. E. Ali and Rahele Jomepour Bell. “In this charming story of friendship and celebrating differences, young readers can discover how entering a new friendship with an open mind and sharing parts of yourself brings people together. And the calendar of holidays at the end of the book will delight children as they identify special events they can celebrate with friends throughout the year.”

Every year, my mom sends me a Jan Brett book for Christmas. We love her books. And Jan loves Christmas!

Here are some of Jan Brett’s author-illustrator books:

Home for Christmas
Gingerbread Friends
The Animal’s Santa
The Nutcracker
Gingerbread Christmas

Happy Hanukkah, Little Dreidel (Finger Puppet Board Book) by Brick Puffinton, Cottage Door Press and Juliana Motzko. “Mazel tov! It’s time to spin the dreidel! Hebrew school is in session for little dreidels everywhere, and they’re hard at work learning all the game rules and practicing their biggest and best spin moves.”

My Family Celebrates Kwanzaa by Lisa Bullard and Constanza Basaluzzo. “Kwanzaa traces its origins to the American Civil Rights era. Critical thinking questions and fast facts prompt young readers to engage with this fun narrative and learn all about Kwanzaa.”

Jaheem’s First Kwanza, by Zephaniah Martin and Bilal Karaca. “Jaheem learns the importance of honoring his cultural roots. He is introduced to Kwanzaa as a family tradition. African American families gather together to celebrate their culture and heritage.” Martin is just ten years old. His book was featured on the local news segment about the Midtown Global Market holiday event in December 2021. https://midtownglobalmarket.org/new-events/2021/12/26/first-day-of-kwanzaa-live-music-by-elliot-crafts-and-black-entrepreneurial-vendors

Under the Bodhi Tree: Story of Buddha, by Deborah Hopkinson and Kailey Whitman. “Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have experienced enlightenment.”

Reading Wednesdays

I’m reading for research. Look at the #libraryloot I’ve been hauling to the studio!

One Trick Pony, by Nathan Hale

Look Out, Leonard, by Jessie James and Tamara Anegon

Mr Brown’s Bad Day, by Lou Peacock and Alison Friend

I Will Not Eat You, by Adam Lehraupt and Scott Magoon

Dinosaurs Don’t Have Bedtimes! Timothy Knapman and Nikki Dyson

Dogosaurus Rex, by Anna Staniszewski and Kevin Hawkes

My Big Dumb Invisible Dragon, Angie Lucas and Brigitta Sif

Got To Get To Bear’s! by Brian Lies

That’s Not a Hippopotamus! By Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis

If Kids Ruled The World, by Linda Bailey and David Huyck

Begin With A Bee, by Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Phyllis Root, and Claudia McGehee

#Cozytober 2021: Leaf Pile

From the picture book, THE MUKLUK BALL, written by Katharine Johnson and illustrated by me!. “All autumn Karhu swayed, glided and whirled with his new friends.” —Katharine Johnson, Minnesota Historical Society Press. #Cozytober #Drawlloween2021 #drawlloween #witch #ChildrensBooks #scbwiARTober #kidlitart #artistsoninstagram #amillustrating #portfolio #work #multimedia #artistontwitter #Cozytober is a month-long art prompt during October.