A blue-sky day, a sunshiney day, a fine day for a drive…

Many women start careers in their 20’s and then choose to take a break and raise small children in their 30’s. When the kiddos are older many of those women choose to return to the workplace. Get this… it’s not that easy. Have you ever noticed how most applications have sections that say, please explain any gaps in employment. It is so negative. And, if you are like me, and trying to change fields (not even whole careers, just from one field to another within the same industry) it is even harder. Add to that a crappy economy and 10% unemployment… just let me say that it is difficult to keep your spirits up. I wasn’t feeling so great when my last application ended with no interview. This news definitely started the week on a downer. Well I’m here to tell you that I’m on the brighter side of things today.

No. No day job. No contract. No agent. HOWEVER… I spent a lovely day with my husband on a road trip to the wonderful town of Belfast. We went to deliver my painting for the Maine Farmland Trust show and auction. (More about that in the next paragraph.) While driving, we feasted on fall foliage shining in sea and stream. We talked, we listened to The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock…

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… I absolutely love the Wisconsin accent that the audiobook actress uses

and we loved, loved, loved Belfast. I guess Belfast is one of those towns that is easy to skip. We’ve lived in Maine 15 years and manage to drive right by it on Route 1. As we go over the bridge we always look down and say, "We really should stop and look around that cute town." I’m so glad we did. In addition to the Maine Farmland Trust gallery there are 20 other amazing art galleries. We were lucky to get a recommendation to eat at Chase’s Daily. Definitely get off Route One to go to Chase’s.

If you are in Belfast between now and November 16th, stop at the Maine Farmland Trust gallery and look at the art. If you are a member, you get to attend the Tenth Anniversary Celebration Show and Auction. Don’t miss it. Membership is reasonable. The student rate is only $20 and the Family membership is only $50. The trust protects farmland by matching farmers with lease and buy opportunities that keep America farming.

Ten on Friday

This has been a busy week so I guess we’ll get right down to it:
1. I went to the Yarmouth Art Festival opening last night and was amazed by the showing. St. Bartholomew’s church in Yarmouth was packed with art lovers. The show will be up through Saturday if you’d like to see it. Also, you can preview the works in the online catalog.
2. I had a great visit with my parents who came up to leaf peep this past week. They enjoyed the maples and the grandchildren and gave hubby and I chance to go out on the town for our…
3. Sixteenth Anniversary! Every year is better than the last. How long have you been married?
4. My son I. tried out for travel basketball and didn’t make it. There were enough kiddos there for two teams but they could only have one. It got me thinking that the kids who DID make it, are automatically the Varsity team for highschool. That’s it. Decided in 5th grade. The kids who made the team get better coaching, a team with more skillful team members to learn from, and more experience with challenging games. Of course the 5th grade travel team becomes the 6th grade travel team, and the A-team in Jr. High and then high school. What a shame we don’t give all kids the chance to succeed. (This sports situation is of course true for music and academics as well.)
5. I did not get an interview for the teaching job I applied for.
6. Had to ask for an extension on my MFA packet because things have been so busy. Must complete.
7. If you have a MG or Picture book fiction or nonfiction) coming out this year, I’d love to review it. Tell me in the comments or contact me at anna at annajboll.com
8. Must work on image for the Maine Illustrators’ Collective Classics Reimagined show!
9.Brrr… I think winter is right around the corner. Windy and cold enough to turn on the heat.
10. Looking at puppies.

Book Review Wednesday: Pennies for Elephants

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Judge, Lita. Pennies for Elephants. Hyperion. New York, 2009.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that Lita Judge is a dear friend who I met when she was just starting in the world of children’s book illustration. In the following years, she illustrated covers, and picture books written by others. Most recently she has had a string of amazing, award winning picture books published (see awards listed here) that she both wrote and illustrated. Lita comes from a background of fine art which is crystal clear from her command of color and composition. She also comes from a science background and knows how to research a subject. Pennies for Elephants, shows-off Lita’s command of research and painting technique.

Pennies for Elephants is based on the true story of the children of Boston in 1914 who purchased three elephants for the Franklin Park Zoo. The story follows Dorothy and her brother Henry who earn and save pennies, nickels, and dimes to help make the purchase of the elephants a reality.

One of the most interesting editorial and design decisions for the book is the use of newspaper clippings to update the reader on the fundraising developments and provide information about the sale of the three elephants. These bits of newspaper are masterfully painted gray scale reproductions of the Boston Post by the author. This is where Lita’s research really shines. The newspaper clippings throughout the book and on the endpapers contain wonderful old ads (Children’s 49¢ rompers at 29¢, The Grant Car $495) that pull us right into Boston at the turn of the century.

The reader is immersed in setting and mood through the vibrant full color watercolors of Dorothy, Henry and their neighbors as they navigate Boston and the purchase of the elephants. I know that as reference for the people, Lita had a costume party for local kids in her New Hampshire community. The cityscapes reveal Lita’s research of clothing, style, automobiles and transportation, economics, and architecture.

The prose, told from Dorothy’s point of view is well written and engaging. While the text in the news clippings adds to the content, I found that while reading the book aloud, the clippings sometimes hindered the flow of the story.

The book recently received the 2009 New Hampshire Literary Awards as an Outstanding Work of Children’s Literature. Pennies for Elephants, like Lita’s One Thousand Tracings, and the newly released Yellowstone Moran, is a wonderful example of a literary nonfiction for children. Teachers and parents should make sure to visit the Pennies for Elephants webpage with young readers for wonderful activities, a book trailer with a Scott Joplin soundtrack, and old photographs from the era.

Thank you for such wonderful book, Lita!

Let’s talk about art- baby.

I want to talk a little about art. Specifically about buying art.
In a recession, it is difficult to imagine consumers spending money on something they don’t really need. However, I would argue that everyone needs a little beauty and creativity in their lives. Those who spend the big bucks on art are still buying and those of us who don’t have big bucks can find other places to buy more reasonably priced art. Many Maine organizations have art shows that benefit both the artist and the organization.

Just think of all the good you can do when you purchase an original piece of art from one of these organizations. First, you support the artist. Second, you support the creative economy of Maine. Third, you support the organization. Fourth, you give the viewers a never ending gift. Finally, you are making an investment. Sure, the piece you purchase at the local art auction may not be a Picasso, but who knows what greatness is in each artist’s future.

A piece of art comforts us, touches our emotional core, challenges our aesthetic. Art communicates visually. When we buy art, we validate this type of communication and the people who create. We tell those around us (especially children) that art is an important part of living and being human. Art inspires us to create more beauty in the world. That is something we all need.

Here are some art shows I’d like you to know about. I’ll have pieces in three of the shows.

The New England School of Metalwork is having an art show and fundraiser. The online silent auction is going on now. You can also view the pieces in person at The Center for Maine Craft: located at the West Gardiner Service Plaza and accessible via Route 126, I-95 South (Exit 103), I-95 North (Exit 102) or I-295 (Exit 51). (No, I don’t do metalwork but my dad does so I have a soft spot- molten iron?- in my heart for blacksmiths.)
The Maine Illustrators’ Collective will be showing pieces at the Freeport Library for the show "The Classics Reimagined- Maine Illustrators Revisits Your Favorite Stories!" The exhibit goes up November 2nd. Watch this space for more info about the exhibit opening.
The Maine Farmland Trust is having an art show and auction. All the pieces will depict some aspect of "Harvest." Come to the opening on October 23rd from 5-7pm. The gallery is at 97 Main Street in Belfast and will be up through the 10th Anniversary Celebration and Auction on Novemeber 16th.
The First Yarmouth Art Festival is happening next weekend October 15-17 at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal church. The opening will be from 6-9pm on Thursday, the 15th. Click the above link for the online exhibit catalog which is being posted this weekend.

It’s still Friday!

Okay. If I’m going to get my five on Friday in, I’m going to have to do it quickly.
1. I’m extremely excited to tell you all that two of my fine artworks have been accepted into a juried show. The first annual Yarmouth Art Festival will take place Oct. 15-17.

Forty-five artists are slated to display and sell their work – including photography, painting, etching, sculpture and digital media – at the inaugural event in the church’s bright, post-and-beam space in a wooded setting about a mile from Cousins Island.

The jurors were Chris Thompson, an associate professor at the Maine College of Art in Portland; and Kevin Tierney of Falmouth, a longtime art enthusiast and founder of the online marketplace www.maineartcollectors.com.

The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Admission is free each day, with donations accepted. Sponsored by St. Bart’s, the festival will open to the public with an artists’ reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, that includes music and refreshments. I’ll be there! I hop to see you then.

My piece are: Rhododendron, which is an oil painting,and Patriot Reflected, a pastel.

2. Another oil painting of mine will hang in the Harvest Show and Auction to benefit the Maine Farmland Trust. That show will be in Belfast. The opening reception for the HARVEST show at Maine Farmland Trust Gallery is set for October 23rd, 5-7pm. The 10th anniversary celebration with the silent auction has been scheduled for November 16th. MFT Gallery, 97 Main St, Belfast ME 04915.

3. I spent an amazing day at the Art Educators conference. My gosh, I didn’t realize how lonely I was. (Writing and illustrating is a lonely business.) It was great and I learned a ton from the VSA maine outreach educator. Thank you Rachel!

4. (Ack. I only have 15 minutes until Saturday and 15% power.) My parents are coming to visit this weekend!

5. Hubby comes home tomorrow after 2 weeks of single parenting. Just in time to celebrate our 16th anniversary! Hooray!

Book Review Wednesday: Kittens and Wombats, Oh my!

And now for a quick update in book review land… I’ve reviewed two books this week. However, this is the third week I’ve written book reviews and while I’m enjoying it and keeping up, my other work (critical essays and my novel for my MFA program) is falling behind. Therefore, I’ve decided that each week I’ll only do one review and it will either be a picture book or a book for middle grade kiddos. I’ll try to alternate but I don’t want to promise anything.

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Newbery, Linda. Illo: Rayner, Catherine. Posy. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. New York, 2008.

Posy is a delightful picture book for the youngest children in your life. Linda Newbery’s sparse, rhyming text describes different situations that Posy the kitten gets into. “She’s a whiskers wiper, crayon swiper…”

Catherine Rayner has created a sweet-faced kitten to embody the text. The mixed media illustrations have a lovely texture. Heavily applied, metallic, acrylic paint makes up Posy’s fur and is paired with a fluid India ink line that captures the playful gestures of the kitten. The design of the book is simple and classic with a brown serif font and plenty of white space.

This is one of those books that, if it was picked off the slush pile, an editor might call “slight.” However the author’s history as an award-winning novelist probably helped make this manuscript into a book. Young children don’t always need complex and they don’t always need story, sometimes play: word play, and image play is enough. This is one book that your toddler will ask for over and over and you will be happy to oblige.

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French, Jackie. Illo: Whatley, Bruce. How to Scratch a Wombat: where to find it…What to feed it…Why it sleeps all day. Clarion Books. New York, 2009.

How to Scratch a Wombat: where to find it…What to feed it…Why it sleeps all day is the perfect book for all of the animal lovers and “infokids” out there. Infokids like to find out how, and why, and they hang out in the nonfiction section of the library. While the book is a republication of an Australian edition published by Harper Collins in 2005, this edition features a humorous word list in the beginning so that you can translate between the Australian bum, pong, rubbish, scat, and torch to the American bottom, stink, trash, dung, and flashlight.

The book keeps kids reading and laughing with funny sidebars: “Are you a wombat?” and “Who’s the greatest- you or a wombat?” French has made her home on the edge of the bush in New South Wales and she intersperses nimbly written information about wombats with wonderful stories of the personal relationships she has had with these wild creatures who live around her home.

If your kiddos are anything like mine, they will be acting like wombats for days, trying to bite each other on the bum and head butting you in the stomach. Enjoy!

ARGH!

Friends locked just to say (I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before) that applying for teaching positions is one of the most frustrating, time consuming, idiotic waste of paper, jumping through hoops sort of process around. I think that’s it.

Five on Friday

1. We are wrapping up "Banned Book Week" but the challenges continue. Challenges often ramp up at the beginning of each school year. See for more info on books under attack. I’ve ordered 100 of these buttons…

from the ABFFE (American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression) and I’m itching to hand them out at PTO meetings, potluck dinners and the like.
2. In the same vein, has a wonderful collection of haikus over in the comment section of her blog this week in support of free expression. Take a look. Here are my contributions.

a.
rooted deep in fear
censors dictate their one truth
micro-manage youth

b.
If all books portray
people who link and think the
same as me? Boring

3. I have completed my sketches for the book I’m illustrating for The Telling Room, in Portland and turned them in yesterday. Yea, me! The project, Fufu & Fresh Strawberries, seems much more real now. The pub date is May of 2010. Would you like a sneaky peaky? Okay, you talked me into it. Here are a couple of sketches…

4. So now I’m going to go work on an oil painting for a harvest show that is calling for entries.
5. Then I need to buckle down and write my critical essays for my MFA, packet number 3, the over the hump packet! Have a great weekend!
(By the way, no one has left any comments in the last three posts, so for my piece of mind, could someone just say "hello" so I know these are posting? Thanks.)

Book Review Wednesday

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I am thrilled to review fellow Maine illustrator, Chris Van Dusen’s, new book The Circus Ship. You may already know Chris from his illustrations of Kate DiCamillo’s, Mercy books. He is also the author of the rhyming Mr. Magee books, and If I Built a Car. I happen to know that Chris did some circus posters for Barnum early in his career. The story of The Circus Ship is based on a true story and is also told in rhyme. When the mean and selfish Mr. Paine, the circus owner, runs into bad weather while transporting the circus off the cost of Maine, he abandons the animals and saves himself. The animals, all bedraggled, end up on an island of Mainers not too thrilled with their new guests. A heroic act by the tiger endears the animals to the island residents who then cleverly fool Mr. Paine so the animals can safely stay with them.

The illustrations for this book are so lush and vibrant that you will be mesmerized by each spread. Incredible sunrises with gradients as smooth as silk will have you reaching for your sunglasses. This is one good reason to read this book with a child who will nudge you after a few minutes and remind you to turn the page. The other good reason is to share the intense emotions with some one you love. From Mr. Paine’s yellow toothed screams, to the weary and worried expressions on the animals’ faces, to the look of surprise and relief of the island folk when one of their own is saved, Chris Van Dusen connects with the core of the reader/viewer. Finally, you will need a small friend to help you find all the animals when Mr. Paine comes to town to claim them.

Chris is an expert of exaggerated angle and point of view. If you are a Van Dusen fan like me, you may remember the impossibly large waterfall in Camping Spree With Mr. Magee. In Circus Ship, when the ship carrying the animals crashes, Chris puts the viewer in the middle of the action. Mr. Paine and the circus animals are propelled overboard and right into the reader’s lap. (click to see this image on Chris’ blog) The reader is treated to this in-your-lap 3-D action in the image of the tiger leaping from the flames and when Mr. Paine strides into town to claim his animals. Both times, Chris uses elongation so that the subject of the illustration straddles the spread creating movement and tension for the reader.

As with many beautiful books that feel like a work of art, this one is published by Candlewick and includes many lovely design elements. The end papers are a lovely two-toned gold stripe that mimic the tents of the big top. The book starts right after the title page with a lush spread and the front matter is in the back. The back matter page contains an author’s note that let’s us know more about sadder true story that sparked The Circus Ship, the sinking of the the Royal Tar in 1836.

On the flap text, Chris says, "I’ve focused on light sources and textures in the artwork for this story– on details like paint peeling off the clapboards of the houses. This makes the book more complex and richer overall than my previous work." The reader is the richer for The Circus Ship. Congratulations, Chris!

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Colfer, Eoin. Half-Moon Investigations. New York, NY: Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children, 2006.

Doubtless, Eoin (pronounced Owen) Colfer does not need me to help him with marketing. However, I could not pass up a review of Half-Moon Investigations. Fletcher Moon is a kid with curiosity coursing through his veins and an eye for details. After graduating from FBI Detective Bob Berstein’s online investigators course, Fletcher has the know-how and a badge to prove it.

Colfer uses the old-time, hard-boiled detective as his mold for Fletcher Moon, but he makes it accessible to kids with a theft mystery that is completely believable to his readers. The language in this style is so fun to read but sometimes authors overdo it or use similes that don’t mean anything to kids. Colfer gets it right.

The book is filled with the usual cast of characters: bullies, princesses, and nerds, but Colfer manages to use the stereotypes to the advantage of the mystery– leading the reader and Fletcher down various paths of inquiry and surprising them with a twist of character. Colfer’s Artemis Fowl books are far from tame but the violence in this book is minimal and propels the plot.

If your reader enjoys connecting to other on-line resources connected to the books they read, this Puffin Publishing sponsored website has plenty to offer. There is a web comic version of some of the cases in the book as well as a newsletter with cases your young detective can crack.

Half-Moon Investigations is an engaging book to offer boys ages 10 and up but the book is great for any mystery or an adventure fan at home.

Five on Friday

1. My husband and I were talking about Banned Books and commenting that if a child/teen really wants to get their hands on information they want or need they will do it with or without their parent’s permission. I think my job as a parent is to make the information and myself accessible at the same time. This way I am available to discuss my children’s questions when they arise. Looking at the banned book list on the ALA website (use the sidebar to navigate these lists) I’m surprised by how many of the books are nonfiction books about puberty and sexuality written for children and teens. As an educator, I know that this is information vital. Along with the information, though, they need the support of their parents to help them learn about responsible and respectful relationships.

2. Hubby and I enjoyed a long and lovely bike ride from our home, looping into the farmland near the coast and back to home again. Sometimes it is great to have him at home while I work, but I’m afraid that I take too many breaks when he’s here.

3. Working on inking those sketches for my September 30th illustration deadline.

4. If you live in my area, check out the new Lion’s Pride restaurant. The place has only been open for about two months and is sort of tucked into a mini-mall setting but inside the oversized labels and amazing blow glass tap pulls create a cozy atmosphere. An awesome pub for the over 30 set. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive. I had a great glass of wine and Chris tried a local brew. The food was great (fish and chips, the Philly cheesesteak, the belgian frittes, and the Capitole salad). Portions were huge so sharing is definitely an option.

5. Five, hmmm… time to write!