Monday Map ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

From LITTLE AUTHOR IN THE BIG WOODS, A BIOGRAPHY OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER.

Little Author ~ Great News!

I'm so happy to share the news that LITTLE AUTHOR IN THE BIG WOODS has been included in the Children's Book Council's 2015 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People list!

Happy Book Birthday, Little Author

LITTLE AUTHOR IN THE BIG WOODS is officially out in the world today!

Working on this book brought back so many good memories from childhood. (Yes, I wanted to be Laura.**) I was a huge fan of the Little House books and the TV show, of course. (Who wasn't, growing up in the 70's?!)

Here are some very early rough sketches, and a few pieces from the book. Also, there's still time to enter the Goodreads giveaway here.) Enjoy!

(**Me, circa 1976, in a skirt and bonnet made especially for our annual street picnic by my grandmother.)

Reason #2,539 Why I Love My UPS Guy (Hint: Book!)

This arrived last week!

There's a map inside...

And loads of illustrations big and small...

On almost every page...

Including drama! (Grasshopper plague!)...

And in the back there are recipes, games, and instructions for making a corn-husk doll. Fun!...

And under the dust jacket, one of my favorite things– a sweet silhouetted surprise that just about made me swoon. (I LOVE this special detail!)...

The actual book birthday is about three weeks away (September 16th), but you can pre-order a copy now if you'd like. (May I suggest your local independent bookstore?)

Yay! (Also, please excuse the phone-quality pictures!)

Coming in September!

I'm so pleased that Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder  is included in @FuseEight's School Library Journal post (scroll down):


Librarian Preview: Macmillan Children's Publishing
Group (Fall 2014)

Whee!

Oblique Sneak Peek

First Snow

Morning Artmaking...

... because I need all of the hours!

(Confession: I like early morning work hours the best, even without deadlines.)

Transfer

I'm in the midst of transferring sketches to watercolor paper for an awesome new book project.* These will be black & white pieces. (Have I mentioned before how much I adore working in black & white?) It's important to get the bones of the drawing down accurately at this point, and then build it up from there.

Below, sneak peek of a cleaned-up sketch:

More about this book in the coming months!

(*I think I probably say awesome too much. Is that such a bad thing??)

I *Heart* Books With Maps

Hello there, blog, it's been a while! Remember that Cool New Map Project I started working on back in June? As I was catching up on blog reading this weekend, I happened across Macmillan's Spring 2010 Librarian Preview over at Fuse #8, where I scrolled down to see this stunning cover:



















Yay! It's the new Kimberly Willis Holt novel, due out in May of 2010.

And here's the map I did for the endpapers:


















(Click to see a larger version.)

I can't wait to see the actual book.

Book Map-in-Progress

Even though it's not necessary to read the manuscript before working on a book map, I love it when the editor sends the text along. I read it if I have the time, but always at least skim it, to get a "feel" for the map, and to look for ideas for spot illustrations that might add a special touch.

This map will have a lot of lettering and not much room for spots, so I'm thinking I'll play around with a decorative border...

Monday Map: Cool New Project!

No map art to show this morning, other than material for a cool new project-- a map of the Oregon Trail for Kimberly Willis Holt's upcoming novel! (Here's a list of her fabulous books, and she also blogs, here.) I'm trying to restrain myself from using too many exclamation points in this post, but oh, what the heck!! I'm excited!!!

I'll post more as I get farther along with sketches.