July First is the official release date for Monet Paints a Day, the book I illustrated for Charlesbridge Publishing. Seeing as I started working on the illustrations waaaayyyy back in October of 2010, I am beyond excited to finally be able to walk into a bookstore and find it on a shelf.
    Sharing the story and artwork with friends and family has been a thrill. A good friend of mine is a classroom assistant in a first and second grade class, and she teaches kindergarteners too. During the last few weeks of school, she read the book to her students and they were kind enough to write me notes and letters with wonderful praise and some terrific questions! Here are just a few letters. They all tickled me to pieces, but these especially did:

    If a bunch of letters from 6 and 7 year-olds don't make your day, I don't know what will!

    I've been keeping busy with a few projects and am doing my best to spread the word about Monet Paints a Day. Keep your eyes peeled on the shelves of your favorite library or bookstore come July!

    Today marks the launch of a wacky and wonderful book project that I am excited to talk about. Chocolate Chips and Rocket Ships is a book of 99 1/2 poems by John O'Marra, illustrated by 100 artists.
    Every day, a poem and illustration will be released on the web here. To watch a terrific video about the author and his kids who inspired the poems, to donate to the project, and to purchase a printed copy of the book, visit Chocolate Chips and Rocket Ships on KickStarter.
    John (who found me and my art on 1200 Posters) sent me an email back in March describing his vision, sharing some of his fun poems, and asking if I'd like to jump on board to illustrate a poem of my choice. The silliness and sweetness of his poetry had me hooked! I feel honored to be included in the book and am grateful to John for reaching out to me.
    I picked a poem titled "Bugs" and had a ball filling a painting with things that crawl, buzz, and flutter. I think it is only right to wait until the poem and the art are released with the book before I post them here, but I figure I can share a little sneak peek...