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Good morning!  I’d like to begin today by thanking the good people of Foundation 65 for allowing me to moderate a panel discussion last night with Duncan Tonatiuh, Grace Lin, Matt de la Pena, Janice Harrington, and Steve Sheinkin.  Foundation 65 has created this cool program where these authors are visiting every single child in the Evanston, IL public school system this week.  I helped kick it off, which was lovely.  In this image you’ll see me in a rare moment of not lolling all over the podium (there was no seat high enough for me to sit on, and my heels were killing me).

Travis just offered a fascinating look at the recently released Follett statistics of what children around the country are checking out.  It’s simultaneously unsurprising and disheartening.  If you’re into that feeling, check the list out here.

Gotta hand it to Bookriot.  When they came up with a list of 9 Kids Books That Should Be In Print, they did their due diligence.  No mention of Hey, Pizza Man, but otherwise impeccable.  I have a copy of Trouble for Trumpets of my very own, so I can attest to its awesomeness, and The Church Mouse should definitely find a new audience.  Well written, Danika Ellis.

Two Harold and the Purple Crayon related posts appeared around the same time last week.  The first was from The Ugly Volvo (a.k.a. my replacement for The Toast) called Harold’s Mother and the Purple Crayon.  The other was Phil Nel’s piece How to Read Harold in which he reveals the possible subject of his next book.  There are also some pretty keen links at the end.  Go to it!

This one’s neat.  Middle school teachers Julie Sternberg and Marcie Colleen have collected short audio clips in which storytellers share memories from their childhood.  They write,

“For each memory, we propose writing prompts for students as well as questions for classroom discussion.  Topics range from moments when storytellers have experienced bullying or been bullies themselves; to the first time they remember doing something they knew to be wrong; to difficulties in their home lives; to the effects of keeping secrets.  We hope each story helps kids think through issues that can be difficult to address but impossible to avoid.”

The site is called Play Me a Memory and contributors include everyone from Sarah Weeks and Kat Yeh to Michael Buckley and Matthew Cordell.  If you’re looking for writing prompts to share with kids, this site may prove inspirational.

This is neat:

It’s like fanart for a really recent picture book.  Cool stuff, Migy.

I know Dana Sheridan says that artist Aliisa Lee’s illustrations of classic folktale characters are “manga characters”, but I think the adaptations go a bit further.  These creations look particularly Pokemon-esque.  I could see me capturing one in a public space.  Couldn’t you?

Now for a double shot of espresso/adorableness:

Thanks to Marjorie Ingall for the link.

I outsource some of my knowledge of children’s literature to those better suited than I.  For example, if you were to ask me what the best Christian books series out there might be, I’d probably hem and haw and then excuse myself to the ladies room where I would attempt to climb out the window.  Author/illustrator Aaron Zenz, however, knows his stuff.  Recently he said that the best series is Adam Raccoon and that the books are now officially back-in-print.  FYI, Christian reader type folks!

Just the loveliest piece was written recently at the Horn Book by Sergio Ruzzier about his time looking at the work of Arnold Lobel and James Marshall at the Kerlan Collection.  And though I might take issue with the idea that Marshall’s humans were less charming than his animals, the piece is an utterly fascinating look at the process of the two men.

Daily Image:

And for our last image of the day, we turn once again to good old upcoming Halloween:

Reminds me of the time I went to the Dan Quayle Museum and saw the Fabergé Egg that showed him being sworn in as VP (<— all that I just said is true).  Thanks to Marci for the link.

The first book in Mike’s series, Little Elliot, Big City, debuted on August 26th, 2014 and was the winner of the 2015 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor. I had briefly met Mike a year ago in one of those … Continue reading →

Title: A Letter for Leo Written and illustrated by: Sergio Ruzzier Published By: Clarion Books, New York, 2014 Themes/Topics: postmen, friendship, letters, birds, weasels Suitable for ages: 3-5 Fiction, 32 pages Opening: Leo is the mailman of a little old town Synopsis: Postman Leo … Continue reading →

You know, it’s been a while since I showed you some of the fan-freakin’-tastic Wild Things videos we’ve been playing on the old Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature website.  I know some of you haven’t gone over to it lately so I’ll make it easy for you.  Here’s a quickie synopsis of everyone since the last time I wrote them up on this blog.  In order:

Dan Santat on Beekle:

Tom Angleberger on The Qwikpick Papers:

Andrea Davis Pinkney on The Red Pencil:

CeCe Bell on El Deafo:

Duncan Tonatiuh on Separate Is Never Equal:

Barbara Kerley on A Home for Mr. Emerson:

Kate Milford on Greenglass House:

Nikki Loftin on Nightingale’s Nest:

Sergio Ruzzier on A Letter for Leo:

And finally, Candace Fleming on The Family Romanov:

There are a couple more coming and then we’ll be kaputski!  Woohoo!

Hey all!  Before I dive into the oddities of the world in which we live, I just wanted to give a bit of a shout out to two distinct groups that allowed me to sprawl my librarian self all over their respective gatherings.  First up, credit and love to Nancy Castaldo and all the folks who made this weekend’s Eastern NY SCBWI Regional Conference the success that it was.  I’m mighty appreciative that I was able to offer the dessert keynote on Saturday.  Moreover, thanks to everyone who came out to see my censorship panel on Saturday at the Brooklyn Book Festival with David Levithan, Francesca Lia Block, and Lauren Myracle.  It’s always nice to moderate something that hardly needs any moderation at all.  Extra thanks to anyone who stayed around for my picture book reading later.  David Maybury I be looking at you.

And now, because the weekend was so darned exciting, I’m going to do some super quickie round-ups of the recent news.

• What’s that you say?  Beautiful posters inspired by the work of Roald Dahl?

Don’t mind if I do!

• I have dealt with difficult reference desk requests in the past, but Benji’s story on dealing with a student looking for Effie?  That takes the cake.  Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the link.

• All right.  Love this look at what the voices behind Disney’s Winnie-the-Pooh looked like when it first came out and what they look like today.  Had no idea Clint Howard was Roo.  That’s gonna take some reconfiguration in my noggin.  And I thought Thurl Ravenscroft was the first Tigger!  No?  Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the link.An

• Though it falls squarely into the Couldn’t Be Published in America category of European picture books, Sergio Ruzzier’s remarkable The Birds is WELL worth reading through today.  And not just because I like the name.

• Ever been curious about the history of children’s theater in New York City?  Well, you lucky ducks, I just found a post that’s gonna make your day.

• Confused as to where exactly I work and what exactly I work for?  My job has gotten a bit more complicated since I became part of BookOps.  This interview with my colleagues by Booklist should clear up any and all confusion, though.  At least I hope it does.

• Take one look at this image and tell me what you think it is:

If you said it was an Anne-of-Green-Gables-inspired-wedding-shoot you would be correct.  Sadly it wasn’t a real wedding, but you can tell it’ll serve as inspiration to a lot of folks.

• The title probably says it all for this one: Reading for pleasure puts children ahead in the classroom, study finds. Yup.  Thanks to Amie Wright for the link.

• Hooray!  The good Elizabeth Bluemle has collected The Stars Thus Far for 2013 and they’re a doozy.  A bunch of five stars are up, but not a single six star book has appeared so far this year.  Whodathunkit?

• Looks like we have a bookless library on our hands.  Now the only question is whether or not we’ll be seeing the community clamoring for print or not.  Not so sure I agree with the statement that “it will take more than 100 years before all libraries are paperless” (so that’s inevitable, eh whot?) but we can all watch this site with some interest.

• Daily Image:

Yup.  That’s gonna be the walls of my house someday.  Though the books will undoubtedly be thinner.

Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link!

Okay. News of a double quick time fashion today, folks. Let’s see what you can do with these yummy numbers:

Maurice Sendak as hot young man. Now that I have your attention I will now direct you to this magnificent interview with Phil Nel. As you may have heard he has a helluva biography coming out about Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss publishing this fall and Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has the season’s must read interview with the man on the topic. If you follow no other link today, follow that one. I wasn’t kidding about the Sendak photo (Jules thinks he looks more like a superhero, so you make the call).

• Jealous at all of those folks who can afford to buy original art from great illustrators? Wish you had the means? Well, here’s a solution I wish more people considered. Sergio Ruzzier was cleaning out his desk drawers and decided to just sell the extra stuff he found in there. Whether it’s a map of Thailand or some seriously laconic bees, Ruzzier’s got the goods. Just saying.

• Things that make you say, “Awwww”. I am thinking specifically of this lovely little piece from Horn Book called The Secret Garden’s Perennial Wisdom . . . for Parents. Yes, the title sounds schlocky yet Ms. Andrea Fox’s writing is anything but. It’s just good honest goodhearted honestness. Honest (and it’s good).

• It’s back! It’s back, it’s back, it’s back! Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!!

• Well, I’ll be hornswaggled. I’m fairly certain that the Parents’ Choice blog has never linked to me before. First time for everything! And I’m just pleased as punch that they’re highlighting this year’s 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Remember folks, any kid can enter a video. Go to it!

• That nice Travis Jonker guy has been busy. First he ends up on the cover of SLJ talking about eReaders in comic form (love it). Then he’s up and bought by SLJ! That’s right folks. 100 Scope Notes will soon be joining the happily family here. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer, smarter fellow.

• Here’s the deal. If you were me would you go see Eric Carle Museum curator Jane Curley speak on the topic of ILLUSTRATED BOOKS IN THE AGE OF VICTORIA: BRITISH PICTURE BOOKS, 1837-1901? In a word: Duh. It’s free. It’s December 11th at 6:00 p.m. I am so there.

• I think my mom asked if anyone else had sent me this link to educator reformer Jonathan Kozol talking about the children’s books he’s been reading. That would be a definite nope. I’m glad she took the initiative though since Kozol’s great. He expounds on many fine points. Just listen to this description of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse: “It’s a delectable story of an irreverent girl.” I am now claiming this description for my eulogy someday. Dibs!

• I’m very pleased to announce that the very first winner of the PEN/Steven Kroll Award Honoring the Author of an Illustrated Children’s Book has been chosen by a distinguished panel. Kudos to Carmen Agra Deedy, Susan Kuklin, and Vera B. Williams for selecting the magnificent Never Forgotten by Patricia McKissack. Just such a lovely work. Well played!

• Ugh. Reading articles like this just remind me that I need to do another critical review soon. Fortunately I found the perfect candidate recently. Stay tuned.

• FYI, our wonderful blogger turned author Gwenda Bond has a new book out and it’s getting reviews of the rave variety (and SHE doesn’t need to pay for them).

• Daily Image:

Book fountain, book fountain, book book book fountain!

Thanks to Aunt Judy for the pic.

So I’m reading through my weekly edition of AL Direct and I notice that no matter what worldwide occurrence takes place, librarians are always there. Whether it’s damage to two libraries in Egypt, stories from the librarians in Christchurch, New Zealand, or how the Wisconsin Library Association delayed Library Legislative Day due to the protests, the profession is there.  That last story was of particular interest to me, since I had wondered whether any school librarians were amongst the protesters in Wisconsin lately.  According to the article, they most certainly are.  You go, guys!!  Seriously, I want to hear more about it.  If any of you know any school librarians marching in WI, send them my way.  I’d love to do a full post on them.

• Speaking of folks in the news, I have to give full credit to author/illustrator Katie Davis for consistently locating the hotspots in children’s literature and convincing folks to talk to her about them on her fabulous podcast.  In the past she’s managed to finagle everyone from the editor who wanted to replace the n-word in Huckleberry Finn to James Kennedy on the 90-Second Newbery.  Now she’s managed to get Bruce Coville to talk about what went down when he and fellow children’s author Liz Levy got stuck in Egypt during the protest period.  That Katie.  She’s got a nose for news.

• I’m having a lot of fun reading How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely these days, and I can’t help but see echoes of the plot in this story about the man behind the Hardy Boys novels.  We hear about the various Carolyn Keenes all the time, but why not the Dixons?  After reading this old piece in the Washington Post from 1998 (The Hardy Boys The Final Chapter) I feel vindicated.  I reread some of my old Three Investigators novels not too long ago and they STILL held up!  I always knew they were better than The Hardy Boys.  Now I have proof.  I was going to save the link to this essay until the end of the Fusenews today, but it’s so amusing and so delightfully written that I just have to encourage you, first thing, to give it a look.  Thanks to The Infomancer for the link.

• Fun Fact About Newbery Winning Author Robin McKinley: She’s learning to knit.  Related Sidenote: She also has a blog.  Did you know this?  I did not know this.  And look at the meticulous use of footnotes.  McKinley should write the next Pale Fire.  I would
  10 Comments on Fusenews: “The Hardy boys were tense with a realization of their peril.”, last added: 2/25/2011
  Display Comments
  Jonathan Auxier said, on 2/23/2011 11:21:00 PM
  

  I’ve been meaning to pick up HOW I BECAME A FAMOUS NOVELIST ever since John August mentioned it on his blog. He tells the story of optioning the book in his usual charming fashion here: http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/how-i-became-a-famous-novelist. I’m gratified to hear someone dumping on the Hardy Boys. I hated those books as a kid … along with all the other series in which nothing actually happened to the characters. Why read a book that ends where it starts? (I will make an exception for Beckett.) That bias is probably the same reason I don’t watch procedural dramas today.

  Elizabeth Bird said, on 2/24/2011 6:04:00 AM
  

  I’m probably reading the book for the same reason you’ve been meaning to pick it up. Which is to say, I think Matt read the John August piece, got intrigued, read it, and passed it on to me. It feels so up-to-date and contemporary too. I have to wonder how well it will age, or if the books that are blockbusters now will continue to remain the same kind of blockbusters ten or twenty years down the road.

  Three Investigators 4-Evah.

  Julia Karr said, on 2/24/2011 10:58:00 AM
  

  Ah, I was always a Nancy Drew fan and only read Hardy Boys comics (put out by Walt Disney when they were airing The Hardy Boys on The Mickey Mouse Club.) However, my tender young writer’s heart was crushed when I found out that Carolyn Keene was a psuedonym for a stable of writers. *sigh*

  Jean said, on 2/24/2011 11:48:00 AM
  

  “You go, guys!!!” How about a little objectivity? How about a Wisconsin public school where the librarian’s job description, according to the principal, was “to provide release time for the teachers”, which they were entitled to in their union negotiated contract? Yes, I went – to a non-union charter school (at half the pay), not to protest in Madison.

  Dan McCoy said, on 2/24/2011 1:41:00 PM
  

  >bites his lip, Jupiter Jones-style and nods approvingly<

  Sondy said, on 2/24/2011 1:57:00 PM
  

  I am SO with you on the 3 Investigators! Jupiter Jones rocks!

  Hey, I’m planning to do a little piece of Library Advocacy this weekend with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. I’ll post about it on my blog, and then will try to get a little attention… We’re supposed to be happy that they aren’t planning any further cuts this year, after they cut 30% the last two years. I am glad to have a job back, but it’s still rotten for the people of the county….

  Tracey said, on 2/24/2011 4:18:00 PM
  

  I LOVED the 3 Investigators!

  I was in first grade when the childrens librarian introduced me to the Hardy Boys. I didn’t like them that much, but I could read them very quickly, which mattered to me for some reason. And then, I found Nancy Drew and I never picked up another Hardy Boys again. To this day, I wonder why the librarian showed me the Hardy Boys but not Nancy Drew.

  Lisa Yee said, on 2/25/2011 8:30:00 AM
  

  L is for Lisa who loves your blog.

  I’m in Boston this weekend, signing at Peter Reynold’s Blue Bunny bookstore on Saturday. When I saw on your blog that there’s a Gorey exhibit in town I was soooooo excited. Can’t wait to see it!

  Sergio Ruzzier said, on 2/25/2011 8:36:00 AM
  

  Thank you Betsy! I should get images from the show in a week or so.

  Joanne Fritz said, on 2/25/2011 7:12:00 PM
  

  The entire first chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE on a bathroom wall? Some people have waaaaay too much time on their hands.

  Great post, Betsy!

  Add a Comment

("A big castle full of cheese!")

Picture book author and illustrator Sergio Ruzzier has sent an online postcard entitled “Picture Book Scare” to his friends, reminding us why picture books will never fade away.

Click on the image to enlarge. Ruzzier is the author and illustrator of The Room of Wonders and The Little Giant and other books.  Here’s more about Ruzzier: “From 1989 to 1993 he created a series of comic strips for Linus, the Italian comics magazine, and later for Lupo Alberto Magazine. In 1995 he moved to New York City, from where he’s been working for national and international magazines and book publishers.”

Follow this link for a refresher course on recent debates about the uncertain future of the picture book.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

James Preller has an idea.  An awesome idea.  We’ve all heard that boys are reading far less than girls these days.  To combat this lack of laddie reading, folks have come up with booklists or websites or what have you to inspire the male masses to pick up a book.  Preller, however, has taken a rather practical approach.  As he explains on his blog, “I’ve reached the conclusion that one of the most powerful, positive factors to encourage and inspire boys to read is, very simply, to see their fathers read. Look, there’s dad sitting down with a book. Any book. Fathers don’t just chop down trees, fix door jambs, and watch football. We read, too. It’s a valid male activity, like burping. Think of the power of that simple image. There’s Dad with a book in his lap.”  As a result he’s calling upon the menfolk to contribute photos to the cause.  Show us some dudes with books.  I know of one website that does something similar, but the results are pretty different.  In any case, help James out.  See more here.

• Okay folks!  It has happened.  They’re trying out eReaders for small fry.  I thought we had another year to go before any of this finalized, but as of right now Barnes & Noble is advertising their color NOOK for kids on their website.  There’s nothing particularly new about it (plenty of apps do similar things for kids) except potentially the size.  After some digging I found that the new NOOKcolor is going to be about 7-inches.  Something to ponder.  One wonders what the Christmas sales (and post-Christmas sales) will be looking like this year . . . and if they’ll meet expectations.  Thanks to Nina Crews for the link.

• The Brown Bookshelf has offered a challenge unto you masses out there.  Here’s the skinny: Each February (Black History Month) they make a point to highlight the accomplishments of twenty-eight African-American authors and illustrators who work in the field of child and YA books.  Right now they want the best “new and unnoticed works by African-American authors” for 2010.  And they need them very soon too!  So if you’ve a chance, submit your too little known and appreciated favorites by October 31st to The Brown Bookshelf and shed a little light on some unsung gems that caught your eye.

• I’m still bummed that I didn’t get to go to the KidLitCon this year.  I find solace in reading the recaps instead.  In fact, you can find a nice, big, beautiful recap encapsulation (or ReEnCap if you want to be cute) here.  A hearty tip of the hat to Tea Cozy for the link.

• 10 Comments on Fusenews: Give it what you’ve got, last added: 10/27/2010
  Display Comments
  Meghan said, on 10/27/2010 6:15:00 AM
  

  Thanks for mentioning Eva Ibbotson on here. I didn’t know she had passed away, but I am a huge fan of her writing. She will definitely be missed.

  rockinlibrarian said, on 10/27/2010 6:58:00 AM
  

  Seconding Meghan’s comment. Eva Ibbotson had a way with words for sure. RIP, and thanks for letting us know!

  Kate Coombs said, on 10/27/2010 6:59:00 AM
  

  I’m thinking Barnett’s new book should be called Mackingjay, actually.

  Ilsa J. Bick said, on 10/27/2010 7:00:00 AM
  

  I didn’t know about the Nook reader for kids, but Velocity is also working on a kid-friendly storybook reader. See it here: http://www.cruzreader.com/story.php.

  While this is all interesting, I still think that a crucial interaction between a parent and kid will be lost with a reader. Call it my prejudice, but being a child shrink means I think about child development and human interactions–particularly between parent and child–all the time. That kind of human interaction is just as important as manipulation of the environment. There’s something about holding and manipulating the actual BOOK that’s dovetails with the development of a kid’s spatial-recognition skills. In a way, this is why older teens haven’t much liked ereaders and don’t find them all that useful as textbooks (I believe it was Princeton that tried the experiment and concluded that readers were a no-go). Spatial skills develop very early on and go hand-in-hand with acquisition of object permanence: that something continues to exist in three-dimensional space (and memory) even if a child can’t see it. It’s why very young children will look behind a mirror to see where something’s gone; why peek-a-boo works so well with infants but bores a toddler. The toddler knows you’re there; the infant is delighted to see you reappear; and the kid in-between will eventually reach out and take your hands away to reveal your face–> a key realization that utilizes both object permanence AND a knowledge of HOW an object occupies space.

  This is also a highly adaptive survival skill. If this were a cave-kid, this would translate, eventually, into an understanding that the wolf about to eat you is hiding behind that rock; it’s not gone and if you don’t realize that, you don’t survive. So these kinds of skills are very old: not primitive, just essential.

  In the same way, think about how people find information in, say, a book. The book exists in multiple dimensions, not the least important is 3-D: as an object with width, length and depth. Depth (and not just depth perception) is extremely important in terms of accessing information. If you talk to kids (and older teens and adults), many can tell you approximately how far *along* in the book a certain tidbit of information might be; this is how people find things in books (and space, in general; it’s why you can recall not only the layout of your cluttered desk, but how you also remember that the paper you’re looking for is third pile over, about halfway down). Similarly, kids can also describe the look of the page and its layout, as well as what comes before and after.

  While the ability to recall the look and layout of a page might translate through a reader (and I’m still not sold on that), there is no 3-D in a reader and no opportunity to exercise spatial skills that might compensate if, say, your ability to recall WHAT the page looks like isn’t as advanced. Spatial skills are also something that many boys are better at by adolescence than girls.

  Just some food for thought. While there may be gains with readers, I wonder, really, what will be lost: which skills might not develop as well or be capitalized upon. Conversely, would some kids develop different skill-sets? Possibly. Only time would tell–but, again, I’m not sure that neglecting innate abilities in favor of new tech is a good thing.

  Cheryl said, on 10/27/2010 7:09:00 AM
  

  I *love* that TV movie of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER — it caught the tone of the book pretty close to perfectly. I hope this new one does it as well.

  Elizabeth Bird said, on 10/27/2010 7:15:00 AM
  

  And Kate Coombs wins the Mac naming contest. Fer sure.

  Sergio Ruzzier said, on 10/27/2010 8:09:00 AM
  

  Thank you Betsy! I can’t wait to receive your list.

  Brooke Shirts said, on 10/27/2010 8:26:00 AM
  

  The link to Travis Jonker’s trip to 1992 doesn’t seem to be working. Any help? I’m a-dyin’ for some hip ‘92 action.

  Elizabeth Bird said, on 10/27/2010 9:29:00 AM
  

  Oof! That’s no good. I think I’ve worked out the quirks in any case. Should be up and running now!

  Genevieve said, on 10/27/2010 11:45:00 AM
  

  Aw. I’ve just discovered Eva Ibbotson this year and have been devouring her books. I’ll definitely miss her!

  Add a Comment

image: Sophie Blackall – Big Red Lollipop

As is now routine, I moseyed through the park and did my weekly grocery shopping at the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket on Saturday.  This time, though, I wasn’t too loaded down with pickles and goat cheese, and actually had the energy to stop at the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

I’d been meaning to hit the BPL because, though I’ve always been a huge library supporter (it’s in my blood, thanks mom and dad), lately I’ve been in the bad habit of buying books instead.  But with student loans looming this November (it’s been nearly 6 months already?!), it is time to tighten the finances and catch up on my reading – for free.

I was disappointed that I didn’t find anything super fresh and exciting in the YA section… but I guess it’s good that teens are checking them all out. Next time, I’ll have to bring a bigger list. I DID get the chance to see the Drawn In Brooklyn! exhibition of children’s illustration – and that, in itself, was worth the trip.

Drawn In Brooklyn! is a 4-month long festival of 34 local artists, celebrating the borough with the largest concentration of children’s book illustrators on the planet. In close proximity to Manhattan, illustrators can network with the publishing and art worlds first-hand… but then find both community inspiration and a bit of creative peace back here.  No wonder Brooklyn is home to, well, almost everyone I admire.

image: Peter Brown – Chowder

In the vast display of work in the Grand Lobby of the BPL, there were many, many familiar names, including personal heroes (Leo and Diane Dillon, Ted and Betsy Lewin, Paul O. Zelinsky), current favorites (Sophie Blackall, Peter Brown) and former professors (Pat Cummings, Megan Montague Cash). Also, a few illustrators I’d never heard of before: both Daniel Salmieri and Sergio Ruzzier‘s whimsical, quirky characters made me smile.  Here they are below!

image: Daniel Salmie