The Swamp Where Gator Hides written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by me, Roberta Baird is now an app!! Click here to download it at 20% off! Dawn Publications Book App
Preview it now!
Promotion
The Swamp Where Gator Hides
Under the algae that carpets the swamp, near the duck who paddles in ooze, close to the turtle who takes a snooze . . . hides a gator! Still as a log, only his watchful eyes can be seen. But when gator moves, he really moves! What happens to the duck, the turtle, the egret, the deer, and the many other critters of the swamp when gator makes his move!
A great time was had with the kids at The Lighthouse! We learned about the plants and the animals that inhabit the Everglades and studied the layers of swamp water that enables gators and other animals the ability to hide. What a great time we had!
“Here’s a fun tale that introduces young readers to concepts of camouflage and predator-prey interactions. And kids will love searching for the hidden alligator in the beautiful illustrations.”
–Annie Oxarart, Board Member, League of Environmental Educators in Florida Available HERE
Cowboy
There is a young cowboy, he lives on the range,
His horse and his cattle are his only companions.
He works in the saddle and sleeps in the canyons,
Waiting for summer, his pastures to change.
~ James Taylor
I’ve been experimenting with technique, texture and palette lately. This feller came out of my experimenting…. and who doesn’t love a cowboy! :)
New Book ~ Ranger the Reindeer Who Couldn’t Fly
New Book!
It’s Christmas in September! This is one of the book I worked on this year. I love so love Christmas and the the proceeds from this book go to such a wonderful cause.
Written by Alan Salisbury
Illustrated by Roberta Baird
Ranger the Reindeer Who couldn’t Fly
All profits from the sale of this book and related Ranger products will be donated to the Antonia J. Giallourakis Endowed Fund in Art Therapy for Children with Cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital.
(Click to Enlarge)
Take ‘Ranger’ Home: (Coming in October)
The complete “The Legend of Ranger” suite of products, includes the paperback book, the downloadable E-Book, the audio book (with narrated story) on CD and digital, Ranger’s original new song “Dream and Believe” (on CD and digital), the Ranger soft toy, and the complete box set – take it all home!
The Next Big Thing
It’s The next Big Next I tell ya!
What is?
This!
This is THE NEXT BIG THING!
See, it’s like this… it’s a global blog tour that started in Australia.The idea is to bring awareness to authors and illustrators and their current work. I was tagged by the talented Ginger Nielson. At the end of this post you see the awesome authors/illustrators that I’ve tagged…. because they’re The Big Thing!
So on to the questions.
1) What is the working title of your next book?
Actually, I’ve been very busy this year illustrating a couple of books that are due to come out in 2013 and 2014, but that’s about all I can say about them just yet. So instead I’ll talk about one of the dummy books that I’ve been working on. This one I took to the Houston SCBWI Conference this year and had it critiqued by Peter Brown. Having my writing critiqued was a new experience for me but it was so worth it. The book is titled The New Kid.
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
I would love to illustrate a book about a monster or maybe a scary, but not too scary character that is actually quite lovable. That hasn’t happened…… yet! So, I wrote my own. I love to bring the misunderstood to life. With this book we get to experience the little monster inside us all.
3) What genre does your book fall under?
This book is for the 4- 8 range.
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Hmmm….. actors maybe not so much, but animated for sure! Hand drawn please!
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Who is the monster?
6) Who is publishing your book?
This book along with my other one, titled “Ruby’s New Stew” have no homes as of yet. They’re polishing themselves up to go knocking on doors though. Did I mention I’m open for suggestions? :)
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
It started small in one afternoon and bloomed to a full manuscript in about a week. It has been edited several times since then.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I try to never compare. We’re all so different in our writing and illustration. It’s important to find your voice. However, I do love Cinderella Skeleton written by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by David Catrow. Another one that I really enjoy is The Wizard written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Brandom Dorman.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The love of the good story that we can all related to, while knowing that everything is going to turn out okay in the end.
10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
His backpack has teeth! :))
Next on the blog tour are two very talented artists:
Please don’t go
We’ll eat you up we love you so! And Max said NO!
Every year the Houston SCBWI illustrators create a children’s book themed birdhouse. This is mine, a tribute to the late, great Maurice Sendak.
New Postcard
Call me, don’t be afraid you can call me,
Maybe it’s late but just, call me.
Tell me and I’ll be around.