When I took a picture book writing class two years ago through my local community education program, I had no idea that I would be in the company of talented illustrators. Flash forward two years later, and three of us now have debut picture book out (or coming out).
Jannie Ho has over illustrated over four dozen picture books but her first book that she illustrated and wrote is Bear and Chicken! It’s an adorable story of a bear who finds a frozen chicken in the woods and revives it. The chicken thinks the bear is preparing to eat it, but it turns out that the bear is vegetarian. It’s a good reminder not to judge by the cover.
Jen Betton was also in the class. Her debut picture book is Hedgehog Needs a Hug. It’s out now, but I didn’t have an ARC at the time of writing this post, so I’ll share the publisher’s description:
When Hedgehog wakes up feeling down in the snout and droopy in the prickles, he knows a hug will make him feel much better. But none of his animal friends are eager to wrap their arms around Hedgehog’s prickles, and he’s too smart to fall for Fox’s sly offer.
Then Hedgehog gets a surprise: Another animal in the forest is feeling exactly the same way.
Luckily, both are kind and brave enough for the perfect hug.
Our instructor was Margot Lemieux. She teaches illustration at Lasell so it wasn’t surprising to see a piece of her art hanging in this exhibit. I didn’t see her during the time I was there though.
Katia Wish was also in our picture book writing class but only made the first class due to piles of revisions. Margot announced that we were in the presence of a lauded illustrator as Katia had won the prestigious Tomie dePaola Award!
This is the backstory to say that all these illustrators were on exhibit at the Picture a Story Illustrators Exhibit at Lasell College. My two world collided when I met Jeanette Bradley there. I’m co-organizer of KidLitCon 2019 in Providence along with Charlotte Taylor of Charlotte’s Library.
I was happy to meet Jeanette Bradley in person as she is coming to KidLitCon 2019 in Providence as a panelist. Her picture book, Love, Mama, speaks to love’s ability to cross any boundaries.
I photographed their art at this exhibit in the video below and included some stunning 3-D art as well! I hope you enjoy it!
It was nice to find connections between writing and blogging. It speaks to the friendliness of KidLit community that we all enjoy. Speaking of friendliness and making new connections, I wanted to stress that everyone is welcome!
We are hoping to get parents/guardians and kids who want their books signed, educators, librarians, book reviews including YouTubers, Instagrammers, and bloggers, authors, and illustrators! I hope to see you all at KidLitCon next March!
p.s. My post on the picture book writing class is here.
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BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Wow, your class sounds fantastic!
Hi MaryAnne,
I would not have expected my local Adult Education class to be so impactful!