BookLust

Hug a Penguin!

Did you know that yesterday was World Penguin Day? How did I miss that? But it doesn't matter that I missed it, really – because in my world, every day is Penguin Day. I adore these creatures, and can't stop drawing them. There is something so charming & peaceful about penguins – they don't want to hurt or bug anyone else, they just want to live their life as best they can. They just want to 'be'. What's not to love about that?

Making Cute Lemons Out of Lemonade

As is obvious to anyone who still reads this blog (helloooooo? Anyone out there?), my blogging has been, well, far from frequent. It's difficult to maintain 2 blogs, plus 2 Facebook pages and Twitter account, and well, actually try and get some paid work done from time to time. I'm not sure when it started to happen, but sometime early last year, I dunno, I started to feel rudderless, not sure of where I was going with my career, not sure if the powers that be still wanted my kind of work, not really sure what kind of work I wanted to do in the future.

And let's face it – things are kind of strange and uncertain right now in publishing, and in the past year I have heard far too many stories about beloved independent bookstores closing down all over the world. Case in point: my treasured neighbourhood bookstore, Bloor West Book City closed its doors last month. I still can't quite believe it.

I've lived in the west end of Toronto for 23 years now, and Bloor West BC was my book touchstone in the neighbourhood. I've made lasting friendships with some of the fabulous folks who have worked there over the years, and so much of my books and art was championed and promoted by the most passionate hard-working book sellers you could possibly imagine.

Then last month, my husband's employer, the wonderful Toronto Public Library went on strike. The strike is over now, thank goodness, but that state of not knowing how long the strike would last was stressful beyond words. And so that's the state of mind I've been living in  these days – so much not knowing what's going to happen, what the future holds for me.

But if I really think about it, how is this any different from any time in my life? Nothing in this world is secure, but right now it just feels more uncertain for me, than it's been for a very long time. It's got me thinking about breaking out of my old comfort zones, and taking more risks, trying new things. It's got me thinking that I've got to stop worrying so much, and get back to living, and looking at the world in a more positive light.

Part of that change has meant for me, trying new computer equipment, like working on a friend's Wacom tablet. Throughout this post, you have seen some of my first attempts at digital drawing. Naturally I still plan on drawing the 'old-fashioned' way, but I also want to explore the digital world and see what it has to offer. It's all part of shaking off those negative cobwebs, and looking forward to the future, even though I don't know what's ahead. It's about making cute lemons out of lemonade.

Oh, How I Love TVO!

I can't believe how fortunate I am. Last week I got to speak on a TVOParents panel about children's illustration with the fabulously talented author/illustrator Barbara Reid, and the charming and hilarious Sheila Barry, who is the president of the board at the Canadian Children’s Book Centre and is co-publisher at Groundwood Books. It was another wonderful experience with the very fine folks at TVOParents, made especially enjoyable because of their lovely host, Cheryl Jackson. You can see the video here.

Oh, and speaking of 'O's' – a big fat congrats must go out to Barbara Reid for being named to the Order of Ontario!! Oh my!!

Fly Chirp to the Moon!

Happy New Year! And what better way to ring in 2012 than having Chirp nestled on the moon with his favourite teddy bear at his side? The Jan/Feb issue of Chirp is all about that magical, mystical time of day – the night! Scary things happen at night, that's true, but wonderful things happen, too – like stars shimmering in the night sky, big beautiful moons winking at you, and (hopefully) lots of deep delicious sleepy dreams. You might notice something different about the Chirp cover – yup, that lovely banner at the top, announcing that 2012 is the year to celebrate 15 years of Chirp!! That's something to jump over the moon about, don't ya think? So stay tuned for fun news in the future about Chirp's birthday celebrations, and in the mean time, I wish you plenty of sweet dreams...

Would You...

...jump on its back and fly to Nunavut?

What Would You Do...

...if a raven landed on your head?

Prickly and Cuddly

How can you resist a purple porcupine? I know I can't.

Baa

Of course, I don’t just think about rhinos. I think about sheep, too. ‘Cuz I’m deep like that, you know.

Wish

She made a wish, and opened her eyes...

True Friends

True friends can sit together in a comfortable silence.