Happy pub day to ALFIE!

The postman came by to deliver my first copies of ALFIE RUNS AWAY, just in time for publication day~ Hooray!
I had such great time illustrating this text by Kenneth Cadow--it is the perfect combination of sweet and hilarious. That Alfie's got some serious attitude!
This, from Macmillan:
Alfie's mother wants to get rid of his favorite red shoes he's outgrown. So Alfie is running away. His mother points out that he might get thirsty on his trip, and she gives him a bottle of nice cold water. And a flashlight, in case it gets dark. Together, they pack everything Alfie might need. But once he is out in the wide world, Alfie discovers that some very important things can't be packed in bags. If you like, you can order a copy here, or check it out at your local bookstore. Happy reading!

~Make every day Earth Day~

Grow something!

Plant something!

This little guy's kickin off Earth Week right

Big Cat Pepper kindness

There have been a couple nice new reviews for Big Cat Pepper:A spread from WNC Parent Magazine, February 2010 issue (click to enlarge).

Also, a very kind review from the cool Canadian blog, Books r Fun!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Georgia and Alabama like Buffalo Music!

Cool new news: Buffalo Music has been nominated for the 2010-2011 Georgia Book Award! This award was established in 1968 by Sheldon Root, a professor at the Department of Education at the University of Georgia. The award was started to promote a love of reading in the children of Georgia. This month students across the state will vote on which book they feel should win. More info about the award, and a complete list of this years nominees can be found right here.

Also (!), Buffalo Music is being considered for the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Award! The Alabama Camellia Award program (formerly known as the Emphasis on Reading program) selects books from three grade level categories: K-1, 2-3, and 4-6. For the full list of nominees please check out their website.

It is such a great feeling to know that so many little hands will be holding and flipping through the pages of this book. HUGE thanks to the states of Georgia and Alabama for recognizing Buffalo Music and including it on their short lists!

Hooray for Papa's Way!

The Cooperative Children's Book Center has just come out with their CCBC Choices 2010 annual best-of-the-year list, and That's Papa's Way is on it! The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) is a unique examination, study and research library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The complete CCBC Choices 2010 publication will be available March 6th, and will include annotations and recommended ages for all of the books included, as well as an author/title/subject index, and a commentary on the publishing year. Thanks so much to this years panel of ladies, Kathleen T. Horning, Merri V. Lindgren and Megan Schliesman and Tessa Michaelson, for selecting Papa's Way!
*You can check out the complete list of titles right here

ALFIE in Japanese!

My editor just shared the exciting news that my new book ALFIE RUNS AWAY, written by Ken Cadow, is going to be published in Japanese! Holp Shuppan will be publishing the edition in the next 24 months~I can't wait!

p.s. the U.S. edition hits shelves this Spring. More info on ALFIE to come!

brooklyn blizzard

I love that it is snowing today while I'm wrapping up my Christmas book. Perfect timing. And I also love how cute the little green car looks right across the street~~Yay for snow days :)