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My personal opinion on all things sweet that I encounter.
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Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the release of my new book, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING THREE. It was great to see all of you! I'm very excited about the release of this book as I hope all of you are. This reading was particularly special for me because it was the first time my son, Jackson, was present to listen to his mama read. Thank you to Kate and everyone at the Learned Owl Book Shop for hosting me and supporting my books!
Reading The Importance of Being 3 aloud as my adorable nephew Tommy listens in.
Reading The Importance of Being 3 aloud in The Learned Owl Book Shop children's section.
Jackson and Grandma Haley. So excited he could be at this event! He was happy to be there as long as he had his bah-bah!
Coloring with my favorite Evie Bean.
Photos courtesy of Mike Haley.
I just received these copies of my book, PLEASE BRING BALLOONS, now available in German! So exciting!!!
I had the pleasure of speaking to all the students at Fort Island Primary School in Fairlawn, Ohio this past Friday. When I first walked into the school I was warmly greeted and knew immediately this would be a great visit. And then I saw the artwork...I mean wow these kids are talented. Personally I think their illustrations of the polar bear's adventures are better than the ones I created for my book, Please Bring Balloons. Check out their amazing artwork below:
Thank you to all the teachers and students at Fort Island Primary School for sharing your beautiful artwork, celebrating my book, and such a wonderful visit!
Huge thank you to everyone who came out this past Saturday to celebrate the release of my new picture book, Henry Finds His Word! Special thanks to Main Street Cupcakes and the Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, Ohio for hosting and selling books on my behalf. It was a truly wonderful event filled with books, cupcakes, crafts, and face painting. Check out the photos below courtesy of my step-dad, Mike Haley (thanks Mike!)
My best Vanna White.
My husband Frank, the first to get his face painted.
He's pretty awesome.
Getting a "bunny" painted on my face.
My husband and I with our "dog" and "bunny" faces.
Frank working on a word bubble.
My friend Kate and the owner of the Learned Owl Bookshop.
Thanks for selling books Kate!
Signing books for my favorite librarians (Annie, Tina, and Chris)
This little girl went with the "bird" face painting option.
My mom rockin' it with the face painting skills!
Love this photo!
Reading Henry Finds His Word aloud.
The beautiful and delicious cupcakes made by Main Street Cupcakes for the party.
My nephew Nicky...cute as a button, getting a "dog" painted on his face.
The Kessen Family. If you open a copy of Henry Finds His Word,
you'll noticed it's dedicated to Tyler.
I love that Tyler is wearing stripes in this picture just like Henry.
Tyler.
My dear friend Jen with her baby Audrey.
Main Street Cupcakes in Hudson, Ohio.
Thanks for having me and Henry!!
It's here! Henry Finds His Word comes out today! Happy Book Birthday to Henry!!
I know it has been a while since my last post, but I'm happy to say it is all because of new projects! Currently I'm working on two new picture books, ROSCO VS. THE BABY with Simon & Schuster and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING THREE with Dial Books For Young Readers. Both are scheduled for 2016! I can't wait to share them with you when I can...but until then I'm very excited to release the cover and jacket art for my new picture book, HENRY FINDS HIS WORD, which will be released on February 24th, 2015. I hope you love Henry as much as I do! Happy Reading!
One of my favorite things about working as an author/illustrator is seeing how kids respond to my books. I received an email the other day from Miss Sara and the Kids at Storytime at a Barnes & Noble in Clay, New York, who recently read Please Bring Balloons during Polar Bear Day. Check out the amazing artwork they created:
So cute! I love the fuzz added to show the fur!
Thank you to Miss Sara and the Kids from Storytime for sharing! I'm so thrilled that you loved Please Bring Balloons!
Yesterday, the Huffington Post gave an honorable mention to PLEASE BRING BALLOONS for Best Escape Picture Book 2013!!! I'm so honored to be with such an amazing group of books! Check out the article below:
www.huffingtonpost.com
Hey Michigan, I'm visiting the mitt tomorrow! Join me for story time at the fabulous Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor. Details below:
Who: Me!
What: Bookstore Visit
Where: Literati Bookstore, 124 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan
When: Tuesday, November 5th at 5:30 pm
Why: To celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!
I hope to see you there!
I will be at the Westlake, Ohio Barnes & Noble and Euclid Public Library this week to celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS! I hope to see you there! Details below:
BARNES & NOBLE WESTLAKE, OHIO
Who: Me!
What: Bookstore Visit
Where: Barnes & Noble, 198 Crocker Park Boulevard, Westlake, Ohio
When: Friday, November 1st at 10:30am
Why: To celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!!
EUCLID PUBLIC LIBRARY
Who: Me!
What: Library Visit
Where: Cuyahoga County Library - Euclid Branch, 631 E. 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio
When: Saturday, November 2nd from 2-3pm
Why: To celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!
*Event will include: presentation, story time, and craft. Books available for purchase at this event.
Join me tomorrow at Pinwheel Kids children's boutique for a story time and craft to celebrate my new picture book PLEASE BRING BALLOONS! Details below:
Who: Me!
What: Author visit
Where: Pinwheel Kids Children's Boutique
3469 Fairmount Boulevard, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinwheel-KidsWhen: Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 11am - 1pm
Why: To celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!!!
I hope to see you there!
Join me tonight for a storytime and craft (make your own carousel polar bear!) to celebrate the release of my new book PLEASE BRING BALLOONS! Details below:
Who: Me!
What: Library Visit
Where: Cuyahoga County Public Library, Orange Branch
31300 Chagrin Boulevard, Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124
When: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013 at 7pm
Why: To celebrate PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!!
Books will be available for sale courtesy of the Friends of Orange Branch Library and Mac's Backs - Books
I hope to see you there!
This past Saturday I had a book launch party for my new picture book, PLEASE BRING BALLOONS, which was a blast! Thank to you everyone who came out on a rainy afternoon to celebrate my book, it means the world to me. Also, a huge THANK YOU to Main Street Cupcakes in Rocky River, Ohio for hosting the event. I had such a wonderful time and I know Emma and the polar bear did too!
Check out photos from the party below:
Please Bring Balloons Book Launch Party has officially started!!
Reading the book aloud.
Check out the beautiful case of cupcakes at Main Street Cupcakes!
Please Bring Balloons themed cupcakes courtesy of Main Street Cupcakes!
Emma themed cupcakes!
Photo op with Emma and the Polar Bear!
Emma's red boots cupcakes!
E is for Emma.
Signing books.
Balloon cupcakes!
Polar bear cupcakes (coconut for the fur!)
Signing more books!
Meet Emma! I was so honored to have a real Emma at my party!
Maura colors in her polar bear carousel.
Storytime.
I decorated the white board at Main Street Cupcakes to celebrate the event.
Balloon battle!
I'm pretty sure I'm in mid-chew of my cupcake here :)
Thanks again to everyone who came, I had so much fun!
Happy Reading!
I'm so excited that today is the book birthday of my newest picture book, PLEASE BRING BALLOONS! Since I finished the artwork for this book I have completed another book, which will come out next fall, and started working on a new story. It seems so long ago! I'm thrilled it will finally be released into the wild today!
In honor of my book release I thought I would share some behind the scenes photos from the making of
Please Bring Balloons.
Originally titled
The Balloon Thieves, the first few manuscript drafts were very different from the book as it is today. The irony of it all is that I followed up
When Blue Met Egg with a story about a carousel. I absolutely hated working on the carousel spread revision I did for Blue (I don't like to draw horses), so needless to say my editor was surprised to find my new manuscript focused on one (read more about the making of
When Blue Met Egg here). But this carousel featured wild animals...totally not the same as drawing horses!
In the first draft the polar bear was a real polar bear (not a carousel polar bear) who ends up lost, wandering the boardwalk owned by Emma's family. Emma decides she has to help the polar bear get back home to the North Pole...
Once they get there, they meet a narwhal and a walrus. Sadly both characters never made it into the final book because I took the story in another direction. I am particularly fond of the narwhal, maybe he will have his own story one day...
Color studies sent in with the original dummy:
My editor loved the idea but wanted to see revisions to the storyline. After quite a few more drafts, the manuscript eventually developed into its current version, however it was now titled The Great Polar Escape. My editor and I realized this title was much too close to Chris Van Allsburg's famous picture book The Polar Express. We left the title for the time being, knowing we would be addressing the issue down the line. It wasn't until I began working on the finished artwork for the cover that we decided on "Please Bring Balloons." I love that the title is an invitation.
Once the manuscript was finished I began working on the storyboard and final sketches:
Once the sketches were approved, I started developing ideas about how I was going to execute the finished artwork. When I worked on When Blue Met Egg, I exclusively used cut paper, acrylic paint, and pencil. I felt like Please Bring Balloons needed a lighter touch. I knew I was going to use cut paper again, but I wanted the sky to feel like an expansive space, engulfing Emma and the polar bear in the possibilities of adventure. Watercolor allows for that kind of depth, whereas cut paper tends to create a flat space depending on the textures of the paper being used. I experimented with different shades of blue to get the sky just right:
Then I began to develop my color palette. I wanted this book to be very vibrant, from Emma's red hair to all the patterned saddles on each carousel polar bear. This was the color swatch guide I created for the book before I began the finishes:
Typically I always use paper that relates to the book in some way or another. For Please Bring Balloons I collected vintage maps of the North Pole, sheet music, calendars, board game score cards, binder paper, airmail envelopes, various polka dot patterned paper, old letters, and graph paper.
Here are a few of the finishes as they were being glued together:
Many of the backgrounds were added in during the revision process:
Once the finished artwork was completed we began working on the cover sketches, end papers, and book jacket. Unlike
When Blue Met Egg, which I created 40 cover sketches for (read more about this
here), I knew exactly what I wanted the cover to look like for
Please Bring Balloons. I wanted the reader to feel like they were leaping into and adventure with Emma and the polar bear from the first moment they encountered the book. Here are the original cover sketches:
Which resulted in the finished product...
I have to say how much I love the book designer I work with, Mina Chung, she is amazing. It is part of her job to create the overall design of the dust jacket. Not only did she include lots of polka dots (which I love) and Emma's adorable spot illustration, but there are dancing polar bears holding up the bar code! It doesn't get cuter than that!!
I'm so proud of this book and I hope you all love it as much as I do.
Happy Reading!
Tomorrow is the release of my new picture book, PLEASE BRING BALLOONS, and I couldn't be more excited about it! To celebrate the release I'm giving away prizes!!! Want to win?!!
Be the first person to tweet me a photo of
Please Bring Balloons in your local bookstore when it comes out tomorrow and you could win a signed copy!
All tweeted photos I receive after the first will win a signed bookplate!
For the super sleuth...
Tweet me the page(s) Blue, the main character from my previous picture book
When Blue Met Egg, appears in
Please Bring Balloons and win a signed print (see photo below)!
Follow me on Twitter @lindsaymward
Thank you to Publisher's Weekly for a great review of Please Bring Balloons! I can't wait for it to finally hit book shelves! Click on the link below to read the review:
Please excuse this long overdue post! Since I last wrote I got married and went to Australia...so needless to say my summer has been a little bit crazy!! I'm so excited to be home and starting the fall, my favorite season, with a book launch party for my new book PLEASE BRING BALLOONS!! The book comes out on OCTOBER 17TH, 2013 (which is lucky because it's my aunt's birthday too!). Here is a little bit of a preview...
"Ever wondered what it would be like to ride a carousel right off its platform? As Emma discovers, all it takes is a handful of balloons and a very kind polar bear to show you the way. This soaring story of friendship, between and carousel bear and the little girl who noticed him, will take readers to the arctic and back - in time for bedtime, of course - and remind them anything is possible. Even flying."
Reviews:
"With balloons and a carousel taking center stage, this nocturnal fantasy will provide a pleasurable lift for young audiences." - Kirkus Reviews
"Ward combines prints of maps and colorful paper to lend a whimsical and jaunty air to the pair’s nighttime escapade." - School Library Journal
PLEASE BRING BALLOONS BOOK LAUNCH PARTY!
Everyone is welcome!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2013
1:00-3:00 pm
MAIN STREET CUPCAKES
19265 Detroit Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116
(440) 331-3661
www.mainstreetcupcakes.comEvent will include:
Story reading at 2pm
Books for sale/book signing
CUPCAKES!
Coloring sheets
Please Bring Balloons themed craft
Book giveaway
Photo op with Emma and the polar bear
I hope to see you there!!
This week, in honor of the Ezra Jack Keats exhibit (which everyone should absolutely go see) at the Akron Art Museum, I have been invited to teach a cut paper and collage workshop for teachers. The event will be this Thursday from 4-6pm. Click on the link below to purchase tickets:
www.akronartmuseum.org
I hope to see you there!
This week, in honor of the Ezra Jack Keats exhibit (which everyone should absolutely go see)
at the Akron Art Museum, I have been invited to teach a cut paper and collage workshop for teachers.
The event will be this Thursday from 4-6pm. Click on the link below to purchase tickets:
www.akronartmuseum.org
I hope to see you there!
Last night I went with two of my picture book critique partners to see Jon Klassen and Lemony Snicket speak about their new book The Dark. It was hands down the best author/illustrator presentation I have ever seen! It's so rare to get to see both the author and illustrator together, and these two played off each other so well. The highlight for me was watching a blindfolded Klassen illustrate The Dark on an easel as Snicket was reading aloud, it was hilarious. These two will be touring to a few more cities and if you are lucky enough to have them head your way, make sure you don't miss out!!!
Getting my copy of This is Not My Hat
by this year's Caldecott winner
Jon Klassen!
Today I visited Ellsworth Hill Elementary in Hudson, Ohio, where I met the coolest group of second graders! You may have seen all the fabulous pictures they have been sending me for the past week as I have been posting them on my other blog:
www.whereintheworldisblue.blogspot.com. The whole school totally embraced Blue and Egg, it was amazing. From the moment I arrived at the school I was greeted with this awesome display in front of the library where I did my presentation:
Earlier in the week, the school had a cake auction for Literary Night and Blue was featured on several cakes! Check out how incredible these cakes are:
And I got to take my very own picture with Blue and Egg! How cool is the Ellsworth Hill principal for dressing up like Blue?!!
I had such a wonderful day with all the students, faculty, and parents at Ellsworth Hill Elementary today. Thank you to all of them for such a wonderful day!
I am so excited to be able to release some images from Please Bring Balloons, including the cover (yay!), which will arrive in stores on OCTOBER 17, 2013! And I absolutely cannot wait!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!
Please Bring Balloons (Cover)
A Dial Book for Young Readers
"Emma has never heard of carousel animals leaving notes before,
but she decides to take this one seriously.
And it's a good thing she does.
Soon, she and her polar bear friend are soaring to the Arctic,
where carousel bears from near and far dance beneath
a sparkling night sky. It's a perfect adventure.
Afterward, Emma can hardly believe it really happened.
(But it did!)
For anyone who has ever imagined what it would be like to ride
a carousel animal right off its platform,
this enchanting story is your chance.
Happy Travels!"
- Please Bring Balloons Jacket Flap
Meet Emma...
and her polar bear!
They dance and dance...
But was it all just a dream?
Find out in Please Bring Balloons this October
at a bookstore near you!
Happy February! I have been awful about posting lately...but here is a bit of news to share:
When Blue Met Egg received a Little Bird Award from childrensbookguide.com and made their "30 Best Children's Books of 2012" list!! Yay for Blue! You can read their review of Blue here:
http://childrensbooksguide.com/reviews/when-blue-met-eggor check out Blue and the rest of the fabulous books on their list here:
http://childrensbooksguide.com/best-childrens-books-2012BLUE IS PACKING HER BAGS FOR KOREA! I just found out that
When Blue Met Egg will be available in Korea!! How crazy is that??! I must get my hands on a copy when it comes out!
And last but not least, I finally have a release date for my new book,
Please Bring Balloons, which will be available on
OCTOBER 17TH, 2013! Hopefully, I will have a cover to share soon...
Until then, happy reading!
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Looks like an exciting day! Ms. Hunt is amazing, isn't she?