June Bugs

I started this event in 2021 to help illustrators market themselves more effectively during Covid. To celebrate June 4th’s milestone, I suggested a theme of “You, as a kid”. We had about 300 artists participating on Bluesky alone! (Likely more on Instagram) My piece is below. I spent a lot of time outside as a kid, playing with toy cars and trucks, puddles, rocks, usually in the shade of climbing vines, and trees. I’ve collected some of my favorite illustrations here!

I did say June bugs, right? Lobsters (bugs of the sea) are pretty complicated to draw, but this breaks it down so kids can follow along. I made this for a school visit this spring, and the 3rd graders did a great job. I’ve added some fun lobster facts. Below the sheet is a short classic video of a lobsterman you might remember from Sesame Street. Eddie Figueiredo was a family friend and a lovely guy. He would give my dad lobsters all summer. But until I was an adult, I didn’t know that lobsters actually had TWO claws. Eddie gave us the ‘cull’ lobsters - ones that had lost a claw! As always, you can find all of my printable sheets on the printables page of my website.

I am finally working on my next picture book. SNOW DAY WITH DADDY is forthcoming from Christy Ottaviano Books in early 2028. I’m working on character design revisions, creating a map for the setting, and absorbing all the notes from my editor. It’s a bit overwhelming to start, but I’m excited to make the story even better. And hopefully it’ll keep me cool working on a winter story in the summer!

What a whirlwind of a conference in Stamford, Connecticut! I presented two workshops, soaked up a ton of inspiration from keynotes Heidi Stemple, and Nina Crews. I cheered for Casey Robinson winning the Crystal Kite (and loved her class on working with indie bookstores - you are a treasure, Casey!). I chatted with a lot of new-to-me authors and illustrators, and shared my books at the Stamford Children’s Literature Festival.

On Monday, June 22nd at 5:30pm, I’ll be at the Merrimack Library on a children’s book author panel with Matt Forrest Esenwine and Carolyn Watkins. The event is free and open to the public: register here.

Finally, I will be bringing KING, a crown craft, and my big drawing pad to storytime at my local library, North Hampton, NH on August 20th at 10am. Register here.

Reading: Drawing Is… by Elizabeth Haidle (Tundra, 2025). It looks like a long picture book, but it’s listed as middle grade nonfiction. It’s a beautiful homage to drawing, and packed with inspiration, ideas for drawing, references to other artists who draw, and an education on mark-making. I love keeping this in my studio and flipping through a few pages when I need a screen break and a bit of inspiration for my own sketchbook.

Watching: I think we are all watching Widow’s Bay, right? It’s SO good. I genuinely thought it was only an 8 episode series, so imagine my delight when I realized we still have 2 more episodes left. If you aren’t watching this, go go go.

Listening to: Heartwood by Amity Gaige, on audiobook. Featuring several voice actors, this story is told from the perspective of a woman who goes missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail, her trail partner, an elderly woman, and the female game warden in Maine in charge of the search. All fantastic characters, and I love the wandering path of storytelling pushed forward by the mystery of a missing hiker.