★ things that float my boat ★

It’s been a sweltering July in New York City thus far, but a few cool things have been happening that I’d like to share.

A big stack of Things That Float and Things That Don’t arrived in the mail today—a bit earlier than expected, since the book isn’t officially due out until September. Written by David A. Adler and published by Holiday House, it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. 

So if you’re looking for an excuse to beat the heat while learning about buoyancy, this one is for you. For a peek at some of the illustrations, visit my portfolio site. In the meantime, stay cool!

The 600 (with apologies to Lord Tennyson)

The 600 followers of my bird blog Ornithoblogical might have noticed a big milestone approaching — I was about to paint my 600th bird! And then there was a long pause....

My apologies for the delay; brainstorming takes time, and so does execution, but I’m hoping I’ve come up with something worthy of the occasion. 

Speaking of execution, if you’re not familiar with the refrain from Lord Tennyson’s epic poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” here’s some historical background and a link to the poem. Perhaps it’s not the most uplifting subject matter, but it certainly is epic. And at the very least, a challenge for my mostly minimalist illustration style on the blog.

A BIG THANK YOU for all the support to my 600! In celebration, I’m hoping to get my etsy shop back up an running this week, with offerings of prints and other stuff. And there are more birds to come. Meanwhile, below are some details from The 600—Charge of the Egg Brigade.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
    All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
    Noble six hundred.

some birds of paradise

If you haven’t visited Ornithoblogical this week, stop by for my take on a few birds of paradise. I’ve been saving up these crazies for when I had time to do them justice. And I’m fast approaching bird #600, with plenty of ridiculous ideas to go. 

bugs at BEA and other news...

It’s a busy week! 

If you work in publishing, you’d have to be a bug under a rock not to be aware that Book Expo is currently taking place at the Javitts Center here in NYC. This was the first year I participated in the children’s book art auction to benefit the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, and was very pleased that piece Buggy Too, pictured above, fetched a pretty penny in addition to a nice home. 

This weekend, I’ll be dropping off some stuff for the “Picture This!” show at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham, Mass. If you find yourself in New England this summer, stop by for this juried exhibition of picture book illustration. Three of my pieces from World Rat Day, by J. Patrick Lewis will be on display.

And on my way home, I’ll be stopping off at my alma mater, Connecticut College, for an Alumni Author (and Illustrator!) book event. Any camels out there planning on attending Reunion Weekend? Come to the campus bookstore this Saturday, June 1st at 3pm for a signed copy of World Rat Day and/or Sylvia’s Spinach. 

The New York Times - Found Poetry Contest

This marks the third year that I’ve done some hand-lettering for The New York Times Learning Network Blog’s Found Poetry Contest. 

Students around the world are invited to submit poems sampled from articles found in the paper. Editor Katherine Schulten sends me a list of the year’s most popular subjects, and I take it from there.

As you can see above, the subjects chosen this year exhibit quite a range of interest—from heart-breaking and historic, to frivolous yet fabulous. For a look at my past interpretations, check out my website. 

Picture This! at the Danforth Museum of Art

“Picture This!” is an annual juried exhibition at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham, Massachusetts showcasing new work by picture book illustrators. 

I’m thrilled that three images from World Rat Day have been included—flamingoes, and rats, and sloths—oh my! A big thank you goes out to judge Joann Hill of Disney/Hyperion for selecting my work.

The show runs from June 8—August 4, 2013. For more information and directions, visit the museum website.

Things That Float and Things That Don’t

I received a surprise in the mail this weekend—an advance copy of Things That Float and Things That Don’t, by David A. Adler, to be published by Holiday House this fall. This is a fun little non-fiction picture book that presented a few new challenges for me that I’ll go into in a later post. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peek of the jacket and an interior spread. Is it wrong that my favorite part is the spine?