This, That, and the Other Thing

I've been a loyal follower of Miss Marple's Musings since her blog began in 2011. Joanna Marple travels the world exploring children's books that focus on nature, cultural diversity and storytelling at it's best. It was an honor to have her review Baby on Board which just came out this spring and also include me in her illustrator interviews.

Miss Marple's Musings, A young adult and children's author celebrating the natural and cultural diversity in our world

Below is I Spy Blackberry Pie, a book I'm writing as well as illustrating and will be submitting to publishers and agents soon. It's creative nonfiction - reads as a story while being based on facts. The facts are our five senses - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. I got the idea while emailing with my best friend, Ginny. We've known each other since we were four years old and many of our happiest memories revolve around food. Why do we have such vivid memories of being in my grandmother's kitchen, waiting five more minutes for that pie to come out of the oven? That was 50 years ago while I hardly remember what I ate last night. Did food taste better when we little? Which lead to googling about kid's taste buds... and on from there. So far it's coming together pretty well. We'll soon find out what the publishing world thinks.

Black and white rough layout with type in PDF

Full color artwork to show style

Very messy, early storyboard and more refined layout in Indesign

Here are some photos from Storytime in the Dome at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery where I'm a volunteer. Desiree with Photography by Desiree came to my studio as well as the museum and took photos for an article that will be in Where Women Create Business summer edition. 

We read Pitter and Patter with a packed house on the 35 ft digital dome screen!
This is such a fun story time experience. Ben, the Digital Dome Manager animates the page turns, adds sound effects and makes the book big and wonderful. 

Super cute kids making Rain Cloud craft that ties in with the book. Sarah, the Early Childhood and Special Learning Lead at the museum develops the activities and makes story time all come together.

Detail of Pitter and Patter's Rain Cloud activity- cotton ball clouds!

And this came in today's mail - two acknowledgments for Over on the Farm. It received Bronze Medal for Alphabet/Counting books and also was chosen by the International Literacy Association's Teachers' Choice Winner 2017.

Over on the Farm gets some love!

You can click on the images to enlarge them.
Thanks for taking a look!
Cathy