Baby on Board

I'm working on a new book scheduled for Spring 2017. It's by Marianne Berkes and published by Dawn Publications. I'll post more as I go along. If you haven't guessed by the illustrations it's about how animals carry their young. How did somebody carry you when you were just a tiny baby?

This baby chimp is cradled in a "sleeping" nest.

Baby clings on mama's hair. 

This mom is like a living raft as she transports her pup.

The illustrations above are known as works-in-progress or WIP. They change as we continually tweak, refine and research. What you see now may look very different by the time the book goes to press this fall. I work directly with the art director and editor then they show the art to the author. There's a lot of collaborative feedback - all this behind the scenes tweaking goes into making the book that much better. After we're all happy with it then it goes to vetters, professionals in their field, who might make more suggestions. We want the final outcome to be a fun and imaginative picture book that's based on reality in nature. Here's a great article by Tania Lombrozo, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley who explains why kids love books based on nonfiction!

Check back for new babies as I continue to draw; maybe a cub, a joey, a pup, a spiderling, who knows? And there will be at least one spread showing a special father who's the caregiver for his young. Can you guess which animal that could be?

And I'm totally honored to be a part of Fulcrum Publishing's 3rd Third Series. Patty Maher is in charge of this program. She was my art director for Ignacio's Chair and we've been friends ever since. She didn't mention this in the flyer, but Patty will be doing a presentation on the Caldecott Award. Hopefully I won't be too nervous about my presentation to enjoy hers.

3rd Third Seminar

As always, thanks for taking a look! You can click on the images for an enlarged view.

Spring Time in the Colorado Rockies

Second Star to the Right Children's Bookstore Event!

Spring is in the air in Colorado. It will be in the 70's this week, but no doubt we'll have several big snow storms before we can really call this winter "done!" 

On March 4 please drop by Second Star to the Right Children's Bookstore, where we'll be celebrating spring as part of Tennyson Street First Friday Art Walk. I'll be reading and signing books. And my very favorite part is making a bird feeder craft with the kids. It should be a lot of fun, very messy fun, the best kind.

Below are the instructions for the bird feeder along with some other activities from The Prairie That Nature Built. This should keep away Spring Fever for now. You'll find plenty more fun activities here.

Build Your Own Bird Feeder

Worms & Dirt Cupcakes

Be an Animal Tracker

Happy New 2016!

Yes, I'm working away on artwork for new picture books, but it's a little too early for show-and-tell. In the meantime, I hope to see you at some of these art and book events happening the first half of 2016.

Gallery Bleu's "Support Local Culture, 1st Anniversary Commemorative"

Please drop by Bas Bleu's Art Gallery for their "Local Culture, 1st Anniversary Commemorative" featuring local artists; painters, poets, multimedia artists, furniture makers, print makers, performance artists, sculptors, even a children's book illustrator. The show is up all of January and February. Artists will be there for "First Friday Gallery Walk Reception", February 5th, 5 - 7pm.  

Old Town Fort Collins

Local Authors Showcase at Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library

Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library is having their first Local Author Fair. Please stop by to meet book creators, buy signed books and enjoy the day.

11am - 2pm at MDE Library in Broomfield, Colorado

Colorado Council International Reading Association

CCIRA's Conference is February 3 - 6 in the Denver Tech Center. The Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators has an exhibit table where book creators can meet and chat with teachers, librarians, and people passionate about children and books.

Second Star to the Right Bookstore

If you haven't been to Second Star the Right Bookstore in Denver you should drop by on March 4 from 6 - 8pm. As part of "First Friday Art Walk On Tennyson", the store always hosts a local children's book author or illustrator. This month I'll be there to read and sign books. Also, I'm working on some children's art activities that should be a lot of fun to create with the kids.

21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference

I'm so excited and honored to be a part of the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference in New York this summer. I'll have more details soon!

The last couple of years I've been busy researching and illustrating creative nonfiction picture books. I have two new books coming out this spring, Wild Ones, Observing City Critters by Carol Malnor and Over on the Farm by Marianne Berkes, both published by Dawn Publications. So I'm very happy to be getting out, being more involved with the community, and meeting people. If you're in the area during any of these events please drop by and say hi.

Thanks for taking a look and Happy New Year!

"Wild Ones, Observing City Critters" is off to the printers

Wild Ones, Observing City Critters goes to press this week. I'll miss illustrating Scooter's adventuresome day in the city chasing after a squirrel. It was fun adding little glimpses of animals we see and a lot of times miss in our daily lives who live amongst us. Next time we see Scooter he'll be running through bookstores Spring 2016.

Wild Ones, Observing City Critters by Carol Malnor, published by Dawn Publications and illustrated by me, Cathy Morrison. Click on the image for a bigger and better view.

Thanks for taking a look!

Fort Collins Magazine, Celebrating Life in Northern Colorado

Fort Collins is a great place to live and we're fortunate to have Fort Collins Magazine supporting and celebrating local artists.

Fort Collins Magazine, Fall 2015

Below is an interview with Rachael Coon about being a children's book illustrator.

Natural Wonder, News and Notes

Here's a photo of my grandson, Konnor and Crowley, our big brown dog who pop up here and there in illustrated form in several of my picture books. Konnor posed for If You Love Honey, Nature's Connections. They're both in The Prairie That Nature Built.

Konnor and Crowley

And I have to give a shout out to Laura Pritchett in the same fall edition. I met Laura at a holiday party last year and just finished her book, Stars Go Blue. I can't wait to pick up her latest book, Red Lightning.

5 Minutes with Laura Pritchett

Thanks so much to Cara McDonald, the editor of Fort Collins Magazine and Rachael Coon who did a great job with the interview.

Sneak peek at Spring 2016 Titles

Over on the Farm cover

So they galloped in a field where the corn plants thrive.

"Waddle, " said the mother.

"Roll," said the mother.  "We roll," said the ten.

 It's always fun to get the first look at pdfs from a book I illustrated after the designer has finessed the layout with type and design. It's also fun to work on a book for very little kids that rhymes, can be sung, is a counting book and has a surprise rooster ending. This will be the fourth book Marianne Berkes and I have done together and my fourth book for Dawn Publishing as well. Over on the Farm comes out spring 2016.

I'm working on a second book that will come out the exact same day, so here's a few images from that book as well. The working title is Wild Ones: Critters in the City. The author, Carol Malnor has several nature books for kids and I love her story about animals living among us.  I'll post more details in a bit.

He darts off to investigate.

Always curious about what he might discover, Scooter follows the bird.

Meanwhile, while Scooter is discovering city critters, his family is looking for him.

He wanders over to check it out.

Please click on the images for a larger view. And as always, thanks for taking a look!