Come February, without fail, I begin to feel the effects of Spring Fever. My tulips are peeking out, our trees are budding, and my heart begins pining away for warm weather. THEN it SNOWS 8 inches! haha!
There is no complaining on my part. Colorado needs the moisture! Like Peepsqueak, (above) I put on my coat and scarf and set off in our winter wonderland. Spring will arrive as it alway does, but there are sidewalks to shovel and a wood stove to load and lots of indoor activities to keep me busy until snow gives way to rain and flowers.
Filed under:
Peepsqueak!,
Reflections 
In just a few more days it will be officially Fall! My absolute favorite time of year! It feels like the HOT balloon of summer has been pricked and it is slowly releasing all the hot air, giving way to cool mornings and evenings. The studio is a bustle of activity. New dreams and new hopes are coming alive.
You may say, all of that?… just because it is September 12th? Aren’t you depressed because things are dying? No! Not at all. Every season is glorious! All have their pros and cons but for the most part, I love them all and I love being…. ALIVE! haha!
The last few weeks have been busy with preparations for my SCBWI conference (http://www.scbwi.org/). I am a speaker and I am so excited. I love meeting more creative people and hearing about their dreams. The air is charged whenever we meet.
After that it is back to my studio for more fun! There is never a dull moment. Ideas are bouncing off the walls at times and knowing which one to work on is my biggest problem.
So, back to work with me! Happy Fall!
Filed under:
Work is Play....? 
San Francisco, CA—Maya loves the orange marigolds in her garden, swaying on her red swing, and the velvety blue of the night sky. As she explores her world, Maya introduces the littlest readers-to-be to a rainbow of different colors. Based on the award-winning book of the same name, this board book version of
My Colors, My World / Mis colores, mi mundo celebrates the colors that fill one child’s daily life with wonder.
Children will recognize themselves in little Maya, and their own worlds in the colors she points out on each page. Squishy brown mud is cool to the touch, a pink sunset lights up the sky over Maya’s street. Little readers need only to open their eyes and look around to find the colors in their own world.
In
My Colors, My World, Maya Christina Gonzalez offers a simple, reassuring story about finding color and beauty everywhere we look. Her paintings glow with vivid hues and lush detail. The text was developed in consultation with a group of early literacy specialists to match the social, cognitive, and emotional development levels of children ages 1–4 years old.
- The original picture book format of My Colors, My World has sold over 22,000 copies since it was published in 2007.
- Books illustrated by Gonzalez have been honored with the Pura Belpré, Tomás Rivera, and Parents’ Choice awards.
- Nearly 25% of children younger than 5 are Latino. Despite this fact, very few board books about colors are bilingual in English and Spanish.
- The board book edition of My Colors, My World will be the first of many board books to be published by Children’s Book Press as part of its Early Literacy Initiative, a multi-year plan to fill the ever increasing need for quality bilingual books for children ages 0 to 5.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Maya Christina Gonzalez is a widely exhibited fine artist renowned for her vivid imagery of strong women and girls. She has illustrated children’s books since the late 1990s and her artwork has also appeared on the cover of Contemporary Chicano/a Art. She lives and plays in San Francisco, California.
My Colors, My World was the first book she both wrote and illustrated.
ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOK PRESS
Founded in 1975,
Children’s Book Press is a nonprofit publishing house with a mission to promote cooperation and understanding through multicultural and bilingual literature, offering children a sense of their culture, history, and im
It has been busy busy busy in the studio! The place is jammed packed with characters waiting to be famous.
Newton has had his day in the sun with a new Baby Journal out in January.
“Yes You Can Man” wants a bit of the action for himself. He has been waiting in the wings with his REALLY BIG ideas!
Peep Squeak?.… he is always “On the Move!“. There will be Peepsqueak fabric out in February and a Peepsqueak‘s children’s book in the works for 2012..
Lae Dee Bugg is hoping for a July release at Christian Art Gifts for the TWEEN market.
Bitty Bot?… she and her bot friends really wants to be on fabric. They are waiting to hear back from a recent submission.
Hen Rietta fabric is in revision mode. Hen Rietta‘s friend, Grace is serving us up some hot cocoa. She is standing near ……. Shivery the snowman! Brrrrr!!! He has high hopes for a children’s book someday.
There is no forgetting Bea Bunny. She is always trying to get in the picture. She will debut in the Peepsqueak book.
This is life in my studio. Never a dull moment!
Oh NO! did you hear that? It’s Zippy! That little hedge hog came in late and missed the photo shoot. I will not hear the end of that!
“Zippy! Next time try to be on time. Remember, you snooze you lose!”
There are also bears, clowns, birds and more. It is never boring in the studio!
Filed under:
Family Matters... yeah it does...,
Just for fun,
Kicking Around Thoughts,
Work is Play....? 
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I wish I could hear your talk at the conference. Will someone be making a video of it for you?
aaww…. no..no video. wish you could have come too.