Phil and I have noticed a curious thing happen over the last year. Whenever someone local who has read about our crazy few months in a newspaper and then runs into us in town, or the places we were regular customers at suddenly figure out that that couple who ate lunch at odd hours and seemingly didn't have a job does indeed have one....sort of...everyone turns and asks us the same thing.
Buck up, locals. Despite some bad luck and a horrible February and March, this is a pretty good state. In my opinion, one of the best. I did not plan on happily living here. My big plan was to leave and most likely, never come back. But I love my town. And I really love my state.
I am a very buttoned up, uptight person. Me and my inhibitions are very close. There is something about it up there that makes me very relaxed. The nature is very friendly (see also: 200 foot piles of sand and adjacent pine forests). My friends, Philip, and I went to an apple orchard where they grow antique apples. I love food and I feel pretty confident in my knowledge of produce, but I have never seen so many special breeds of apple. A very tiny example below...
And in case you were wondering what else was in this apple paradise, the farmer has a collection of pop bottles.
All in all, it was a very relaxing, inspiring weekend. So get out there Michiganders. It's nice here. There are fall colors left to see.
Soon, I will show some pictures from my book that will come out in February. But for Now, there is very exciting news.
Phil and I have noticed a curious thing happen over the last year. Whenever someone local who has read about our crazy few months in a newspaper and then runs into us in town, or the places we were regular customers at suddenly figure out that that couple who ate lunch at odd hours and seemingly didn't have a job does indeed have one....sort of...everyone turns and asks us the same thing.
"Are you going to stay in Michigan?"
Buck up, locals. Despite some bad luck and a horrible February and March, this is a pretty good state. In my opinion, one of the best. I did not plan on happily living here. My big plan was to leave and most likely, never come back. But I love my town. And I really love my state.
This weekend was a good demonstration as to why, sometimes to my surprise, I love living here. At the very last minute, after some monumentally grumpy weeks on my part, Phil and I and two of our friends (another married couple from our high school) ran up to the
Sleeping Bear Dunes area.
I am a very buttoned up, uptight person. Me and my inhibitions are very close. There is something about it up there that makes me very relaxed. The nature is very friendly (see also: 200 foot piles of sand and adjacent pine forests). My friends, Philip, and I went to an apple orchard where they grow antique apples. I love food and I feel pretty confident in my knowledge of produce, but I have never seen so many special breeds of apple. A very tiny example below...
And in case you were wondering what else was in this apple paradise, the farmer has a collection of pop bottles.
All in all, it was a very relaxing, inspiring weekend. So get out there Michiganders. It's nice here. There are fall colors left to see.
Soon, I will show some pictures from my book that will come out in February. But for Now, there is very exciting news.
After some requests, some juggling, and a lot of help from a good friend, prints from Amos McGee are finally ready. With more help from my friend, there will be a link on this blog permanently...somewhere. For now, though, interested parties should follow this
link!
All the information is at that link for the prints! Enjoy!
Hello! I have a lot of blog post drafts that I have half-started, then became intimidated by how much I could write, and so I just gave up. After ALA, I went on a few road trips and hung out in the barn as much as possible. And I am baking again! The pie on your left is evidence of that. Although I am inexplicably happy about the last busy months, I am also very happy to be home and baking. And starting another book.
So rather than try to sum up everything at once, I thought I would start small and talk a little bit about the present. I am in the beginning of a new book, which means I am walking around with a cloudy head. I live in a college town and today is the first football game of the year. It's a wild week to live in Ann Arbor. The students move back in and the city construction workers dig up all the streets just to make sure the parents don't visit too often. There are no more parking spots in town like there were over the summer and there are U-Haul vans everywhere. For the week the students return but don't have the distraction of classes, their overall presence can seem overwhelming. But it doesn't last very long. The truth is, I like the hustle and bustle of it. It marks fall's return and gives me a little boost of energy in the studio.
The same is true about the first football game of the year. I will tell you something about myself. I am crazy for NCAA basketball. I'm a super fan and a season ticket holder for U of M basketball games. Every year I get a little worse. I also love baseball. The Detroit Tigers, to be specific. Phil and I listen to just about every game on the radio (most of the time while we work in the studio). Football has never sang to me. Living in this town though, it's hard not to put on your letter sweater and join in the festivities. I like living in a town with so much rhythm.
Speaking of Ann Arbor, the Kerrytown Book Festival is next Sunday. Phil and I will be there signing at 1pm in the Children's Tent. It should be a nice day so please stop by. For more information,
click here. The night before the book festival is the
Homegrown Festival in the same pavilion. I love this festival. It's delicious. I recommend attending both.
A couple of comments recently asked me to post my acceptance speech. I'll work on that. I'm not sure you can find it online since it was published in the Horn Book. I promise to post more about the Caldecott next– in pieces. For now, I leave you with an image of Lake Michigan. Phil and I have been there a few times this summer, but it never feels like enough.
Hello! I have a lot of blog post drafts that I have half-started, then became intimidated by how much I could write, and so I just gave up. After ALA, I went on a few road trips and hung out in the barn as much as possible. And I am baking again! The pie on your left is evidence of that. Although I am inexplicably happy about the last busy months, I am also very happy to be home and baking. And starting another book.
So rather than try to sum up everything at once, I thought I would start small and talk a little bit about the present. I am in the beginning of a new book, which means I am walking around with a cloudy head. I live in a college town and today is the first football game of the year. It's a wild week to live in Ann Arbor. The students move back in and the city construction workers dig up all the streets just to make sure the parents don't visit too often. There are no more parking spots in town like there were over the summer and there are U-Haul vans everywhere. For the week the students return but don't have the distraction of classes, their overall presence can seem overwhelming. But it doesn't last very long. The truth is, I like the hustle and bustle of it. It marks fall's return and gives me a little boost of energy in the studio.
The same is true about the first football game of the year. I will tell you something about myself. I am crazy for NCAA basketball. I'm a super fan and a season ticket holder for U of M basketball games. Every year I get a little worse. I also love baseball. The Detroit Tigers, to be specific. Phil and I listen to just about every game on the radio (most of the time while we work in the studio). Football has never sang to me. Living in this town though, it's hard not to put on your letter sweater and join in the festivities. I like living in a town with so much rhythm.
Speaking of Ann Arbor, the Kerrytown Book Festival is next Sunday. Phil and I will be there signing at 1pm in the Children's Tent. It should be a nice day so please stop by. For more information,
click here. The night before the book festival is the
Homegrown Festival in the same pavilion. I love this festival. It's delicious. I recommend attending both.
A couple of comments recently asked me to post my acceptance speech. I'll work on that. I'm not sure you can find it online since it was published in the Horn Book. I promise to post more about the Caldecott next– in pieces. For now, I leave you with an image of Lake Michigan. Phil and I have been there a few times this summer, but it never feels like enough.
Hello, again.
I think I can finally say with confidence that it is spring in Ann Arbor. I do resent that I had to wait until the middle of May to type that, but at least it's finally here. To celebrate, Phil and I recently went to the
Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
I have been chained to my desk this month and the gardens was my release for an hour or so. I have been traveling, falling quite ill, and traveling some more. I am behind. So I'm working very hard on a book right now that is due very soon. Very soon.
Unfortunately, this means we'll have to catch up on all that traveling some other time. All I can say is that everyone should win an award from librarians. It means you get to meet the nicest people and they don't even mind if you're shy.
Tomorrow, though, Phil and I will be at
The Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro in Northville, Michigan at 2pm for a signing and maybe a little question and answer session. Come by if you can! It will be a rainy afternoon! What better place could you possibly be in besides a bookstore?
After the signing, I will be going back to work. For now, though, let's look at some more spring from the Botanical Gardens.
Hello, again.
I think I can finally say with confidence that it is spring in Ann Arbor. I do resent that I had to wait until the middle of May to type that, but at least it's finally here. To celebrate, Phil and I recently went to the
Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
I have been chained to my desk this month and the gardens was my release for an hour or so. I have been traveling, falling quite ill, and traveling some more. I am behind. So I'm working very hard on a book right now that is due very soon. Very soon.
Unfortunately, this means we'll have to catch up on all that traveling some other time. All I can say is that everyone should win an award from librarians. It means you get to meet the nicest people and they don't even mind if you're shy.
Tomorrow, though, Phil and I will be at
The Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro in Northville, Michigan at 2pm for a signing and maybe a little question and answer session. Come by if you can! It will be a rainy afternoon! What better place could you possibly be in besides a bookstore?
After the signing, I will be going back to work. For now, though, let's look at some more spring from the Botanical Gardens.
Where to begin? Winter is just beginning to wind down here, although not as quickly as everyone would probably like. It's still terribly cold but I've noticed the birds are chirping a little differently, so I am assuming they know something I don't.
I am trying desperately to adjust to this new schedule, while also keeping some quiet time so I can make some art. My
correspondence has been lacking, but I'm trying to do the best I
can.
Philip and I have just returned from Madison, Wisconsin where he accepted a Charlotte Zolotow Honor for the writing of A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The winner of the award was Ruckshana Kahn for the writing of The Big Red Lollipop, who we had the pleasure of meeting and sharing a couple of meals with. Philip made a little speech, which was far better than the Caldecott acceptance speech I have been trying to write out. I was envious, but with love and pride as well.
We were hosted by the
Cooperative Children's Book Center. I'm not sure I've met a nicer, more dedicated group of people. They were incredibly generous towards Philip and I, and I hope we made a decent impression. It was obviously an interesting weekend to visit Madison and talk with teachers and librarians. To be honest, it was difficult to see such devoted people having to defend their jobs and positions.
A photo from our sunny, warm trip to Madison.
The kind people at the CCBC showed us the original manuscript for The Westing Game. It was a breathless moment. They were so generous with their time and it was great to just talk about books for a couple of hours.
Well, I am off to draw a little. I'd encourage anyone who loves books to order a copy of the
CCBC Choices publication. It's a great resource, and I think if I were a teacher or homeschooler, this would be an outstanding purchase.
Phil and I will be at Nicola's Books tomorrow night (Tuesday), March 8th, at 6pm for a signing. If you're in the area, please come by!
I've been doing quite a bit of research for my Caldecott speech (knowing full well I won't use it and I'll write something more personal). Luckily, I have a dear friend Oliver, who made a TED speech this past year that I can reference. He's the youngest Design Editor in the history of Nat
Where to begin? Winter is just beginning to wind down here, although not as quickly as everyone would probably like. It's still terribly cold but I've noticed the birds are chirping a little differently, so I am assuming they know something I don't.
I am trying desperately to adjust to this new schedule, while also keeping some quiet time so I can make some art. My
correspondence has been lacking, but I'm trying to do the best I
can.
Philip and I have just returned from Madison, Wisconsin where he accepted a Charlotte Zolotow Honor for the writing of A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The winner of the award was Rukhsana Kahn for the writing of The Big Red Lollipop, who we had the pleasure of meeting and sharing a couple of meals with. Philip made a little speech, which was far better than the Caldecott acceptance speech I have been trying to write out. I was envious, but with love and pride as well.
We were hosted by the
Cooperative Children's Book Center. I'm not sure I've met a nicer, more dedicated group of people. They were incredibly generous towards Philip and I, and I hope we made a decent impression. It was obviously an interesting weekend to visit Madison and talk with teachers and librarians. To be honest, it was difficult to see such devoted people having to defend their jobs and positions.
A photo from our sunny, warm trip to Madison.
The kind people at the CCBC showed us the original manuscript for The Westing Game. It was a breathless moment. They were so generous with their time and it was great to just talk about books for a couple of hours.
Well, I am off to draw a little. I'd encourage anyone who loves books to order a copy of the
CCBC Choices publication. It's a great resource, and I think if I were a teacher or homeschooler, this would be an outstanding purchase.
Phil and I will be at Nicola's Books tomorrow night (Tuesday), March 8th, at 6pm for a signing. If you're in the area, please come by!
I've been doing quite a bit of research for my Caldecott speech (knowing full well I won't use it and I'll write something more personal). Luckily, I have a dear friend Oliver, who made a TED speech this past year that I can reference. He's the youngest Design Editor in the history of Nati
So! Nothing new here. Same ol', same ol'. I barely can think of anything to type.
It's difficult to know how to begin this post. It's been a couple of weeks and, although I do remember my own name now, not much else has settled in. On the other hand, I have a lot of people to write ballads for, but I suppose the beauty of a blog is that I can write multiple posts. The largest thank yous and the sincerest moments of humility still need to be expressed. But I want to to do them right. I hope their absence here can be excused for the time being.
So! Allow me to tell you a little about the week of Jan. 10th (January 10th was the day I received the phone call). Monday morning, Phil and I were getting a pretty slow start because we had worked late the night before. We had very glamourous plans to take the dog for a little walk and buy some milk. It's winter, though, so it takes a while to get out the door with all of the hats and mittens and wool.
Then the phone rang.
And suddenly, we were in New York.
I've had to speak to some reporters who have asked me if this whole award was made sweeter since I won it with a book Phil wrote. I said yes, which is an understatement of gigantic proportions. But what not everyone knows is that I have an extended family at Roaring Brook Press. Without Neal Porter, editor, I wouldn't be an illustrator. And he publishes many of my friends who I met working in a bookstore. In fact, Neal was asking me what I wanted to do for lunch the next day after flying in to the city. Phil and I said we wanted to do something very low key, so we went to the Chinese place around the corner from Neal's apartment. But one of the nicest parts about having the extended family at Roaring Brook is that he invited my dear friend
George (who I met working at a bookstore) to lunch as well. And actually, without George O'Connor, author/illustrator, I wouldn't be an illustrator either.
That's George. And me. Eating Chinese food.
So! Nothing new here. Same ol', same ol'. I barely can think of anything to type.
It's difficult to know how to begin this post. It's been a couple of weeks and, although I do remember my own name now, not much else has settled in. On the other hand, I have a lot of people to write ballads for, but I suppose the beauty of a blog is that I can write multiple posts. The largest thank yous and the sincerest moments of humility still need to be expressed. But I want to to do them right. I hope their absence here can be excused for the time being.
So! Allow me to tell you a little about the week of Jan. 10th (January 10th was the day I received the phone call). Monday morning, Phil and I were getting a pretty slow start because we had worked late the night before. We had very glamourous plans to take the dog for a little walk and buy some milk. It's winter, though, so it takes a while to get out the door with all of the hats and mittens and wool.
Then the phone rang.
And suddenly, we were in New York.
I've had to speak to some reporters who have asked me if this whole award was made sweeter since I won it with a book Phil wrote. I said yes, which is an understatement of gigantic proportions. But what not everyone knows is that I have an extended family at Roaring Brook Press. Without Neal Porter, editor, I wouldn't be an illustrator. And he publishes many of my friends who I met working in a bookstore. Neal was asking me what I wanted to do for lunch the next day after flying in to the city. Phil and I said we wanted to do something very low key, so we went to the Chinese place around the corner from Neal's apartment. But one of the nicest parts about having the extended family at Roaring Brook is that he invited my dear friend
George (who I met working at a bookstore) to lunch as well. And actually, without George O'Connor, author/illustrator, I wouldn't be an illustrator either.
That's George. And me. Eating Chinese food.
Please forgive this brief placeholder of a post as I am only barely regaining the feeling in my extremities after Monday. I just returned from New York and two much longer posts are coming at least...at least.
Sheesh.
I knew before this week that I had a nice family, good friends, and a pretty great publisher. But this week, everyone so gracefully rose to this occasion that I felt was too big for me to properly arrive at myself. I think they covered me beautifully, though.
More on that later but first-
I am so humbled to be sharing space with these two illustrators.
More soon! Thank you for the comments and apologies for this brief placeholder.
Please forgive this brief placeholder of a post as I am only barely regaining the feeling in my extremities after Monday. I just returned from New York and two much longer posts are coming at least...at least.
Sheesh.
I knew before this week that I had a nice family, good friends, and a pretty great publisher. But this week everyone so gracefully rose to this occasion. They covered beautifully for me and my shortcomings.
More on that later, but first—
I am so humbled to be sharing space with these two illustrators.
More soon! Thank you for the comments and apologies for this brief placeholder.
P.S. Three of my favorite frequent blog stops made some nice posts. Check them out! The first shows video of the announcements and shots of the crowd at
100 Scope Notes.
Today Phil has posted the Phildecotts on his blog. You can see the results here. The things I said about the Steadberys apply here as well.
It's hard to me to really summarize how much I love a picture book. I respect them so much I tend to have a nagging feeling I shouldn't be so bold as to make them myself. I've had three really great jobs in my life, and one of them was selling books. Paper books. With pages that you turn.
Some other day, I'll write more about kicking and screaming towards ebooks. For now, a celebration of good books!
I've had a terrible sinking feeling that we are forgetting something- but we have taken copious notes throughout the year. Enjoy!
Today Phil has posted the Phildecotts on his blog. You can see the results here. The things I said about the Steadberys apply here as well.
It's hard to me to really summarize how much I love a picture book. I respect them so much I tend to have a nagging feeling I shouldn't be so bold as to make them myself. I've had three really great jobs in my life, and one of them was selling books. Paper books. With pages that you turn.
Some other day, I'll write more about kicking and screaming towards ebooks. For now, a celebration of good books!
I've had a terrible sinking feeling that we are forgetting something- but we have taken copious notes throughout the year. Enjoy!
At the close of 2010, Philip and I try to pick our favorite books (in a very limited category) for the year. The discussion is ongoing throughout the year. We try, and miserably fail, to read as many new books as we can (while still leaving room for the ones we missed in previous years...or decades). It's not a perfect process. But it keeps us healthily intimidated and inspired. The categories for now are limited to novels and picture books.
I love graphic novels, especially for kids (my friend
George, Aaron Renier, and Andy Runton are some major frontrunners). But this year especially, Phil and I don't feel like we kept ourselves educated and up to date enough to pick favorites. So apologies, graphic novels. Your lack of presence here is not proof of any lack of love or admiration for your work. It's a lack of our own smarts.
And so, without further ad0, Phil posted the Steadbery favorites on his blog. You can see the results
here. The Phildecotts will be posted very soon.
At the close of 2010, Philip and I try to pick our favorite books (in very limited categories) for the year. The discussion is ongoing throughout the year. We try, and miserably fail, to read as many new books as we can (while still leaving room for the ones we missed in previous years...or decades). It's not a perfect process. But it keeps us healthily intimidated and inspired. The categories for now are limited to novels and picture books.
I love graphic novels, especially for kids (my friend
George, Aaron Renier, and Andy Runton are some major frontrunners). But this year especially, Phil and I don't feel like we kept ourselves educated and up to date enough to pick favorites. So apologies, graphic novels. Your lack of presence here is not proof of any lack of love or admiration for your work. It's a lack of our own smarts.
And so, without further ad0, Phil has posted the Steadbery favorites on his blog. You can see the results
here. The Phildecotts will be posted very soon.
Merry Holidays, everyone! I am having a bout of insomnia and a roaring headache so now seems as good a time as any to stop avoiding this blog and instead, avoid drawing for a bit. You'll have to excuse me if the writing today is a little off. I know it's a been a while since I've posted. Every so often I would check erinstead.com to see if a new post somehow magically appeared. It did not.
Our Amos McGee has been working awfully hard these days and I do hope he took a little time off this holiday season. If you saw the previous post, the book was chosen as one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2010. Our publisher generously flew Phil and myself back to the city (we had just been there a few weeks before to turn in a book) and we attended a party.
I am by nature a very shy person. Very shy. It takes me about three years of knowing someone to make a friend. I think my parents did a pretty good job at teaching me how to politely get through situations like parties without completely losing my cool. But a party with a name tag and a framed prize that I have to walk up and accept....this is a nervous situation for me. Which is not so say I wasn't excited and blown away by the whole thing. If anything, that excitement made it worse.
So there I am. I am the person standing up there with my head down looking at the ground to make sure my knees didn't buckle and that I am, indeed, still standing. Everyone else seemed pretty cool and collected up there.
A note on who I'm standing up there with–
Be sure to check out the books on the
list. The professionals in that picture (most are illustrators and some are the edit
Merry Holidays, everyone! I am having a bout of insomnia and a roaring headache so now seems as good a time as any to stop avoiding this blog and instead, avoid drawing for a bit. You'll have to excuse me if the writing today is a little off. I know it's a been a while since I've posted. Every so often I would check erinstead.com to see if a new post somehow magically appeared. It did not.
Our Amos McGee has been working awfully hard these days and I do hope he took a little time off this holiday season. If you saw the previous post, the book was chosen as one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2010. Our publisher generously flew Phil and myself back to the city (we had just been there a few weeks before to turn in a book) and we attended a party.
I am by nature a very shy person. Very shy. It takes me about three years of knowing someone to make a friend. I think my parents did a pretty good job at teaching me how to politely get through situations like parties without completely losing my cool. But a party with a name tag and a framed prize that I have to walk up and accept....this is a nervous situation for me. Which is not so say I wasn't excited and blown away by the whole thing. If anything, that excitement made it worse.
So there I am. I am the person standing up there with my head down looking at the ground to make sure my knees didn't buckle and that I am, indeed, still standing. Everyone else seemed pretty cool and collected up there.
A note on who I'm standing up there with–
Be sure to check out the books on the
list. The professionals in that picture (most are illustrators and some are the edit
More on this later, when I get my head around it a little. For now, though, let's all go to Phil's stamp blog, where he'll be celebrating this news with a
special stamp series.
ps. click on the image! This one gets bigger!
More on this later, when I get my head around it a little. For now, though, let's all go to Phil's stamp blog, where he'll be celebrating this news with a
special stamp series.
ps. click on the image! This one gets bigger!
It's definitely fall now. One night in August an incredibly strong and spooky wind came and blew summer away. It was a little unsettling, but when the wind died down I was happy to see this summer go. Most of that happiness was weather-related. It was uncharacteristically gross in Michigan (hot with a humidity that was off the charts).
But now it is fall. It's a beautiful time to live in Ann Arbor where (I'm pretty sure) the trees outnumber the residents. However, I'm just returning from a very nice quick trip to New York and I am back to my regularly scheduled program of feeling torn. October is one of my favorite months in the city and we were staying with friends who live near Prospect Park. New York City was giving me quite an argument to drop everything and move back.
Still, on the drive back from the big city, I was very happy to return to our big barn in the little city. It is hard to argue with the smell of pine needles and fall leaves and the affection I have come to realize that I possess for this (now a little broke) state. When we accidentally moved back to Michigan, I think Phil and I were defeated (and a little broke) but so was this state. It was the height of the financial crisis. I found myself sticking around and feeling defensive about this place the way you would run to a friend who was having a tough time.
Artistically speaking, it's certainly not a bad thing to have to walk my dog in the woods in the morning. For now, the pace of everything is helping me draw. In New York, I'm not always sure I had enough time to process all of the stimuli and make art out of it.
Right now, I am working on a dummy that takes place in fall (and then spring, later) so I get to steal from my surroundings.
I stole the stamp today from
Phil's stamp blog. The blog is for his book that is releasing in Spring 2011 entitled
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat. I know that's a long time from now, but he's helping us all through it with a daily countdown on the blog.
On another note, thanks to the kind people who have left comments about A Sick Day for Amos McGee. They mean a lot to me. I love hearing about bedtime story experiences or library programs.
Speaking of library programs, if you're in southeast Michigan and feel like hearing a story, Phil and I will be reading at the Pittsfield Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on November 5th from 10-11 am.
Mark your calendar!
It's definitely fall now. One night in August an incredibly strong and spooky wind came and blew summer away. It was a little unsettling, but when the wind died down I was happy to see this summer go. Most of that happiness was weather-related. It was uncharacteristically gross in Michigan (hot with a humidity that was off the charts).
But now it is fall. It's a beautiful time to live in Ann Arbor where (I'm pretty sure) the trees outnumber the residents. However, I'm just returning from a very nice quick trip to New York and I am back to my regularly scheduled program of feeling torn. October is one of my favorite months in the city and we were staying with friends who live near Prospect Park. New York City was giving me quite an argument to drop everything and move back.
Still, on the drive back from the big city, I was very happy to return to our big barn in the little city. It is hard to argue with the smell of pine needles and fall leaves and the affection I have come to realize that I possess for this (now a little broke) state. When we accidentally moved back to Michigan, I think Phil and I were defeated (and a little broke) but so was this state. It was the height of the financial crisis. I found myself sticking around and feeling defensive about this place the way you would run to a friend who was having a tough time.
Artistically speaking, it's certainly not a bad thing to have to walk my dog in the woods in the morning. For now, the pace of everything is helping me draw. In New York, I'm not always sure I had enough time to process all of the stimuli and make art out of it.
Right now, I am working on a dummy that takes place in fall (and then spring, later) so I get to steal from my surroundings.
I stole the stamp today from
Phil's stamp blog. The blog is for his book that is releasing in Spring 2011 entitled
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat. I know that's a long time from now, but he's helping us all through it with a daily countdown on the blog.
On another note, thanks to the kind people who have left comments about A Sick Day for Amos McGee. They mean a lot to me. I love hearing about bedtime story experiences or library programs.
Speaking of library programs, if you're in southeast Michigan and feel like hearing a story, Phil and I will be reading at the Pittsfield Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on November 5th from 10-11 am.
Mark your calendar!
Bored this weekend? Feel like taking a roadtrip? This Sunday, September 12th is the Kerrytown Book Festival! Kerrytown is my favorite neighborhood in Ann Arbor (and not just because I live there). The farmer's market, good coffee, food, and one of my favorite stores, Found, just to name a few things within a 2 block radius.
On top of all that fun, this weekend there are two festivals. The first, Saturday, is the
Homegrown Festival. Phil and I stumbled upon it last year and we were so pleased to have accidently attended. It's delicious.
The second festival is Sunday. It is the
Kerrytown Book Festival. There will be a plethora of speakers and events for kids and adults. Notably, David Small will be doing an interview with Nicola Rooney. Ms. Rooney is the
local indie bookstore owner. She has graciously invited us to sign copies of our little book,
A Sick Day for Amos McGee. We'll be sitting at her table at 1 o'clock.
Head to Ann Arbor this weekend! If you don't want to see us or your tired of Amos McGee, there will be plenty of other books and
things to do. Check out the Hollander's activities. While you're at it, check out their
store.
1 o'clock, Sunday September 12th! See you there!
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YEA!!! We've been waiting! Hope to see you 'round town soon.
YEA Michigan!!! We've been to the pop bottle museum. Congratulations on getting the prints to market.