Tis my Birthday today. I thought I would send out a birthday wish to all those celebrating their b-day this June 14th. Aaand...its a holiday, (sort of) Flag Day!
I admit, when I was young, I used to think all of the flags lined up on main street of my hometown on June 14th were in my honor. (Sigh)

New Picture Book Release !

It is always SO nice when you get a box delivered to your doorstep and inside is your newest book release. My 10th picture book that I have illustrated was recently released by Key Porter Books. The Mischievous Mom at the Art Gallery, is written by Erica Ehm and Rebecca Eckler.

It is a great picture book about a truly modern mom who has a great sense of adventure. Joshua and Jessie's 'mischievous mom' is never afraid of anything. Joshua and Jessie are always trying to get their mom to follow the rules. Mom takes her children to a swanky art gallery party. Although Jessie and Josh think standing around looking at art on a wall is B-O-R-I-N-G, they quickly learn otherwise.

It was a super great project to work on. Enjoy!

Hello Winter

Ahh...the snow is here in Minnesota. Here are a few new illustrations I created for a holiday calendar for Santa's Traveling Workshop, a non-profit organization. They do wonderful work for our military families during the holidays. It was a collaborate project along with illustrators: Barb Bjornson, Cori Doerrfeld, Erik Christenson, Anna Kaiser and Jeff Byrd. I was honored to be a part of it. Check out the work of Santa's Traveling Workshop here... http://tiny.cc/botka

My Mouth Is A Volcano, gets a little plug in the New Yorker

My first picture book that I illustrated, My Mouth Is A Volcano, received a nice mention in the New Yorker in an article by Daniel Zalewski. It is a great article about parenting and how in today’s picture books, the kids are in charge. Too true. Check it out: http://tiny.cc/tA5Qd .


My Mouth Is A Volcano, National Center for Youth Issues, 2006.

New Book Release! The Clock Struck One

My newest picture book that I have illustrated was released this month from Lerner Publishing. It is titled, The Clock Struck One - A Time Telling Tale, written by the talented author, Trudy Harris. It takes the traditional nursery rhyme, Hickory Dickory Dock, and gives it a modern retelling. Mixed throughout the book are an assortment of clocks, to help children learn how to tell time. It was super fun to work on. It has a lot of energy and things flying all over. It was my kind of book. Here are a few images from it.

MN SCBWI Conference - Great Event!

Quick little post, with a photo of me giving my presentation to the MN SCBWI conference a few weeks ago. It was a really great conference. It was so fun meeting the attendees and talking to them about their writing and/or their illustration work. There was creative energy in the air... I was honored to be able to speak at the event.

MN SCBWI Conference

I am so excited to have been asked to be one of the speakers at this years annual Minnesota SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. The conference will be on September 12th, 2009 in St. Paul, MN. In addition to giving a lecture to the attendees, I will be critiquing portfolios and I will be on a panel with my agent, Deborah Warren of East/West Literary Agency. It will be a great time. http://www.minnesotascbwi.org/