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Today, I got an exciting email that one of the comments on this blog won a prize in Tilbury House’s Bear-ly There blog tour! Yea! Yea! Yea! Jennifer F. left a comment on the post about Bear-ly There, and she has won an original sketch by Rebekah Raye. Tilbury House will be sending that to her shortly. I want to thank everyone for leaving comments–it is always encouraging to the author and to me as a blogger when we see comments. I also want to thank Tilbury House for a great contest with exciting prizes. Rebekah is an amazing artist!

If you are interested in buying Bear-ly There or any of the other books written or illustrated by Rebekah, please check out the original post!

Thanks for stopping by and reading this Special Sunday post!

I am excited to host author and illustrator Rebekah Raye on Read These Books and Use Them today with her new book Bear-ly There, published by Tilbury House. Along with this great publishing company, I’ve got a lot to share with you today, so let’s get started!

CONTEST! CONTEST! FABULOUS CONTEST!!!!! **First of all, Tilbury House is offering some fabulous prizes for ten winners. You can win by commenting on my blog and on any of the other blogs on the tour. You can also win by participating on Twitter! Here’s more information about the contest:

From Tilbury House: We will draw 9 lucky winners from all of those who comment on these participating blog posts, from October 16-30, to win one of the following prizes:

Winners #1 & 2 = A set of four art notecards (two sets available)
Winner #3 = A signed wildlife art print
Winners #4, 5, 6 = An original sketch from Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals (See www.rebekahraye.com for samples of her gorgeous artwork!)
Winners #7, 8, 9 = A copy of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals, signed by Rebekah.

And, anyone who participates in the Twitter Book Party or posts anything on Twitter about the tour, using the hashtag #BearlyThere from October 15-30, will be entered to win a complete set of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, and Thanks to the Animals, all signed by Rebekah! Winners for all 10 prizes will be announced on Oct. 31. US/Canada addresses only.

Bear-ly There, a beautifully-illustrated picture book, is the story of Charlie and a bear who wanted a snack in Charlie’s family’s storage shed. Charlie figures out how to get rid of the bear and get him back to eating blueberries in the forest like he should. The books shows children in a kind and gentle way that wildlife belongs in the wild where everyone, including the animal, is safe. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview, Rebekah Raye, the author, about her book Bear-ly There.

Margo: Hi Rebekah, thanks for stopping by on your tour. I’m sure many people who read your book wonder this: where did you get the idea for Bear-ly There?

Rebekah: It was really based on a true story. Last summer, I had made an appointment with Tilbury House Publishing to come in and discuss some new concepts and ideas I had about another book. I had a couple of ideas that I really liked. The very night before my meeting, we had an incredible first-time black bear visit in the moonlight just at dawn in our backyard–that was both exciting and frightening. I went into my meeting with Jennifer Bunting, Audrey Maynard, and Karen Fiske. I felt very comfortable talking to them about my new ideas but was still bubbling over with excitement about the bear visit that it seemed to be prominent in our conversation. They were quiet as they listened to all of my story summaries. Then after a pause, they thought we should do the story of the bear visit.

Margo: Well, thank goodness for that bear visit then, or we wouldn’t have this delightful story now! Your illustrations are absolutely beautiful. How do you make your illustrations look so real? Do you use models? Photos? Your imagination?

Rebekah: I seem to be most inspired by events, sightings, and actual experiences that I can express in a painting, sculpture, or story. I have learned so much about the animals I paint. I am fascinated by what they look like and how they act. It is important to me to give the animal dignity and respect and love the animal as it is. So, I want my paintings to be a close likeness. For Bear-ly There, my husband, a photographer, was able to photograph the bear that visited us on several different occasions, and I had lots of reference from his photographs. I also had such a memory of the night he came to visit us. My two geese were always modeling for me; the rest of the critters were from past sightings.

Margo: Your paintings are definitely a close likeness, and I love that your two geese model for you! Please briefly explain your writing process for us.

Rebekah: My dearest older friend, Eggie Razi, once told me, “Just do the pictures first, and then imagine telling your story to your children and grandson, and the words will come.” She was right. I love to think of the images first, the characters. Then I take a tape recorder and speak about what’s happening, and it seems to help me write like I was verbally telling the story. I then sketch out sort of a story board. I can then start to see the story change, build. And thank goodness for editors.

Margo: What an interesting writing process. I wonder if a lot of author/illustrators work that way. I think I found a new question to ask. What are two or three lesson plan ideas that teachers can use with Bear-ly There?

Rebekah: I would recommend doing research about the different foods bears like to eat. It is fascinating to note they eat the very things that are bad for our gardens and trees like cut worms and tent caterpillars. I have always loved to combine art and science, so I would have the children draw the bear eating the particular plants and insects–making a poster of the different plants in a detailed drawing, of course with the bear. Maybe ink markers and pastel pencils. I also recommend everyone to visit www.tilburyhouse.com because they specify classroom activities related to the books under TEACHERS TAKE NOTE.

Margo: Rebekah, thanks for letting us know about the Tilbury House site and their resources for teachers. We wish you much luck with your book, your tour, and your future projects!

Don’t forget to leave a comment below to be entered into Tilbury House’s awesome contest. To enter more than once, go to these other blog tour stops for Rebekah and make a comment!

More blog stops for Rebekah:

Oct. 21 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – http://insatiablereaders.blogspot.com/
Oct. 22 – On My Bookshelf – http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/
Oct. 23 – Nature Moms – http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/
Oct. 24 – Tilbury House on Facebook – http://tinyurl.com/c2cnav
Oct. 25 – Ready Set Read – http://readysetreadreviews.blogspot.com/
Oct. 26 – Mozi Esmé – http://moziesme.blogspot.com/
Oct. 27 – Anastasia Suen’s Picture Book of the Day – http://6traits.wordpress.com/
Oct. 28 – Byron T. Bear Foundation – http://www.byronbear.com
Oct. 29 – Amy Lundebrek’s blog – http://www.amylundebrek.com/blog
Oct. 30 – Get Bear Smart Society – http://www.bearsmart.com/news-room/blog-posts

Maine is the sort of place in which a traveler discovers unexpected delights: a stunning view from an undiscovered spot along the shore, a restaurant serving hot chowder to diners sitting on the pier, a yarn shop that also sells penny candy (!). I found all these when I visited Maine recently to participate in the Bar Harbor Book Festival, but I didn't expect that I would discover a new favorite illustrator. I truly fell in love with the work of artist/author Rebekah Raye. To my delight, Ms. Raye, who works with the small Maine publisher Tilbury House which was recently named publisher of the year by the New England Independent Booksellers Association, was willing to give Jacket Knack an interview.

CB: What things need to be considered when choosing the cover art for a picture book? How does this differ from the interior illustrations?

RR: I have learned from my publisher at TilburyHouse that the eyes of your characters are very important and to make a connection to the audience as if they are really looking at you the viewer. While the interior illustrations contain images of the characters looking at each other to better tell the story. Though I like to have a glance or two of a character looking back at the viewer.

CB: Your publisher is a small one. Does this affect the amount of input you as the illustrator have in the design/images/typeface/layout of your covers? How does the relationship between the art director and the illustrator work, in your experience?

RR: The first two books were designed with the given dimensions and shape of the book and I was told to leave bleed out areas for trimming and cropping. I was given plenty of freedom using the entire page for a spread sheet, just to leave room for the text. I would get approvals of the dummies and all of the stages of the paintings. I would turn in the paintings and the next thing I would see would be the folded and gathered part of the book. This last book due out Oct. 15, Bearly There, was different. I was able to see the full spread sheets laid out and was in a great back and forth conversation with the both the publisher and designer which let me feel like my voice and ideas were still clearly expressed. I have developed a strong and close friendship with the publisher. It has been comfortable and easy to discuss concerns, opinions, questions and she has always been there with helpful responses. I love her editing and philosophy. It has been a wonderful experience from the beginning and I am grateful.

CB: I was taken by the unique layout of the covers on The Very Best Bed and Thanks to the Animals (the latter, authored by Allen Sockabasin). Whose decision was it to use the band of white across the top on these picture books? It's quite an attention-grabber, and yet soothing and simple at the same time. How did the clever idea of the squirrel reclining on top of the lettering come about?

RR: In Allen's book, Thanks to the Animals, the designer Geraldine Millham created the covers along with the publisher. The idea was that the title would be easier to read on a shelf if it was placed at the top. In The Very Best Bed, the publisher, Jennifer Bunting, thought of the title as the shape of a bed since the idea of the story was how the little gray squirrel was in search for that perfect place to sleep at night. They chose the chipmunk from part of an interior illustration and asked me to create a separate single squirrel relaxed enough to be placed on top of the title.

CB: Please share any other stories about your covers, if you like.

RR: I had quite a time creating the cover for my next book, Bearly There. I tried 6 different attempts thinking I had the main character , the bear, the way I wanted him. Finally one came that seemed to fit the personality I wanted to portray. I wanted him to be looking back at the viewer, as if you caught him by surprise or you by surprise and with some feeling that he quickly wants to disappear back into the woods. It just takes a while it seems to get to know your characters. Once I saw those eyes, I fell in love and hope others will to.

CB: You mention your newest book for Tilbury House, Bear-ly There. This cover has a similar design, but the band across the top is blackish and the lettering is a mixture of fall colors. Can you tell us why this one was done differently?

RR: This was the decision of the designer, Geraldine. We wanted the title to still pop out and the black seemed to help with the contrast. The letters were cut out from a previous cover attempt of a bear with a very colorful red background that she liked. So she sort of combined the two. The publisher felt the title disappeared into the back ground without the black furry band.

CB: What, if any, children's book covers by other illustrators have caught your eye lately?

RR: I am drawn to any animal cover that has a mystery feeling,or that fills the page with strong color and has a somewhat simplified design. I love Ashley Bryan's Beautiful Blackbird cover:

and Holly Meade's cover for David Elliott's On The Farm,

and also Goose's Story [by Cari Best, Holly Meade, illus.] cover.