My Blog - It's... ALIVE!!! A brief pictoral history of why my blog hasn't been updated in a long time. PART 1

I've been busy.
Seriously.
I know. I know. It seems like all us authors and illustrators do all day is sit around and write and draw.
Why don't you get a real job, I can hear you asking.
Because, I answer, if I had a real job, I wouldn't have time to write this blog and then you'd have to find some other way to amuse yourself online while you're at your real job, pretending to work.


In March, I went to the Massachusetts Librarian Association Conference in Sturbridge and got to see some author/illustrator friends I hadn't seen in a while. We all need to gather together sometimes and remind ourselves how grueling and difficult this job is.

I set up this sweet display and was ready to woo the throngs of librarians with my amazing powers of book setting-up-ness-itude.

"I'm totally gonna rock this convention center because I brought a tablecloth!" I thought.

And I might have totally rocked it if the organizers hadn't thoughtlessly put me next to this guy.

This is my new friend, author/illustrator/fashionista: Jef Czekaj (pronounced "jef"), sporting the most amazing cat sweater ever created.


Despite being eclipsed by Jef and handicapped by my lack of cat sweaters, many schools still asked me to visit, and visit I did.

I am constantly amazed and flattered by all the cool things teachers do in conjunction with my visits.


Bulletin boards:

 Where they choose only the best pictures from my blog to share.
(Note to self: Don't be ugly.)

Amazing art by kids, who have happily adopted me as "their" author/illustrator. 

Library displays:

 More art by kids, including...

 Someone whose favorite spring activity is to single-handedly save the universe with his light saber.
Sadly, not one of us will ever be as cool as this kid obviously is.

 This kid, whose favorite springtime activity is to destroy the universe with weapons of unimaginable power.

 And, you know, some people just don't care for spring. This kid just wants to stay in his house.
Who among us has not had that same feeling?

And this kid, whose moving Ode to Spring is one of the most brilliant pieces of writing I have ever read. This is wonderful. He likes his bike even better than his brother. Almost. well, maybe not. 

I don't know. 

Seriously. I'm so flattered by all of this. I absolutely love all the creativity here. Thank you so much to all the teachers and students who make this possible.