Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Mary Ann Fraser - Illustration Tip of the Day

My good buddy, illustrator/author Mary Ann Fraser, is one busy and prolific girl, with over 60 books to her credit. I tracked down Mary Ann to give us an Illustration Tip of the Day.

Marla Frazee Illustrator - Blast from the Past Interview

Here's a Blast from the Past with an interview from Marla Frazee...

Marla Frazee and I attended Art Center together many years ago.  She was then as she is now, funny, kind, generous and very talented.  As an award winning illustrator/author, she fills her books with mirth and joy. This year at the SCBWI National Conference, Marla, with her editor, Allyn Johnston, gave an entertaining presentation on the process of creating a picture book.  I am so pleased that she agreed to be interviewed.

When and why did you start illustrating and writing for children?

I've wanted to be a children's book writer and illustrator since I was a little kid.

Rosa's Bus - Jo S. Kittinger - Steven Walker

Books to review come to me in different ways: sometimes from the author, sometimes from a librarian and sometimes from the publishing house.  That is what happened here when Calkin Creek sent me this book. I was tickled when I opened the envelope and found not only a great picture book, but saw that it was written by one of my SCBWI buddies, Jo S. Kittinger. Just when I thought there was no way to give the story of Rosa Parks a fresh new twist, Jo came up with one.

Rosa's Bus tells the tale of bus number 2857: how it rolled off the assembly line in 1948 and made it down to Montgomery, Alabama around the time the civil rights movement started. The bus had a moveable sign on the seats that indicated where colored people could sit; f they did not obey the bus rules, they could be arrested.

Jim Benton - Illustration Tip of the Day

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of listening to Jim Benton speak. He gave a hilarious presentation, which he ended by asking for ideas from the audience and drawing sketches that were later auctioned off. I highly recommend Jim to any region in the SCBWI looking for an entertaining speaker. Jim was kind enough to give us an Illustration Tip of the Day.

You can help the animals of the BP oil spill - Kelly Light

I met illustrator Kelly Light at the SCBWI National convention last summer.  We both have the same agent, Mark McVeigh.  Over this past year we have kept in touch.  I was moved by her commitment to stand up to the horrors of the oil spill and do something about it.  So I asked Kelly to guest blog and tell us about her project, Ripple to house the effort.

On June 3rd, the 44th day of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, I was supposed to be finishing up my book dummy. Two thirds of the way there.... my lovely agent nudging me along... my pencil stopped. I sat in front of CNN--frozen--watching footage of a pelican with its wings outstretched and its huge, suitcase sized beak gaping, trying to take off and fly. It couldn’t fly because it was stuck in the oil soaked marsh. Its feathers were too heavy and clumped together. It looked so confused, and it broke my heart.

Kristi Valiant - Illustrator

Sometimes when I am checking the blog traffic I will find a site that interests me. This is how I came across illustrator Kristi Valiant. Her art was brilliant, so I asked her for an interview. As it turns out, Kristi has a recent picture book out that she illustrated, Cora Cooks Pancit. I give you Kristi Valiant.

When and why did you start illustrating for children?

When I was little, I was fascinated with the illustrations by Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone in Dean's Mother Goose Book of Rhymes. God gave me the talent to draw, and those Mother Goose illustrations gave me the desire to work in children's books.

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

When I visited my relatives in Boston, I decided to travel a hundred miles south to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The Very Hunger Caterpillar illustrator/author Eric Carle and his wife Barbara founded the museum in 2002. It is a fabulous museum honoring illustrators past and present who have worked in children's literature.  With a library, galleries and hands-on art studio for the kids, this is a wonderful place for families.  Here is the mission statement for the museum:

"The mission of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is to inspire, especially in children and their families, an appreciation for and an understanding of the art of the picture book.