Meet Jessie!

My new book, Subway Story will be coming out October 11th!
From Random House:

"Never was there a subway car who loved her job more than Jessie. From morning to night she carried all sorts of people all sorts of places—to work and school and World's Fairs, over bridges and through tunnels—sometimes she even took a pigeon along for the ride! But as time passed, sleek new silver cars began to take over the tracks, banishing Jessie to an abandoned lot. What will she do with no passengers to carry? And where will she go now that she's no longer welcome on the tracks?

Based on the true story of 1960's-era subway cars that are now being used to create artificial reefs in the Atlantic, this stunningly illustrated second book from Julia Sarcone-Roach is sure to delight scuba diving historians and kids alike."

Preorder it here!

Batten and Hatch

The day before Hurricane Irene was set to blow through New York, we found two more Black Swallowtail caterpillars on the anise plant in the yard, and brought them inside. They were named Batten and Hatch.
As the rain came down in fits and spurts and heavy winds whipped the trees outside, Batten, the largest one, went calmly about turning into a chrysalis while Hatch watched, and I drew. Here's our hurricane day:

Japanese Prints

I've been drawing some Japanese prints lately in the sketchbook for a extracurricular project. The pictures bled between the pages a bit, as the sketchbook and I received a good soaking in a downpour. It was a week before we both dried out and one of us ended up all warped and wrinkly.

(I Heart) We Heart Books Online

Here's an old picture to celebrate a nice new review. This was the view of my desk while I was working on a page of The Secret Plan, and my helpful cat model, Holly.


Here is a wonderful review of The Secret Plan by We Heart Books Online from Melbourne, Australia:

"Bedtime always gets in the way of the fun stuff!

Milo, a baby elephant and his kitten friends Henry, Harriet and Hildy love to play but mum saying 'Bedtime' always ruins their games. 'Bedtime! Had to be stopped!'

They need a plan - a secret plan to overcome bedtime and play all night. They try hiding, going undercover, blending in and sneaking out but are foiled by clever mum at every turn. Then they remember a certain pair of furry monster feet and Milo quietly makes a break for the attic to meet up with the kittens. 'It was the perfect late-night no-bedtime-ever hideout'

After some play and a late night feast however everyone starts to get a little drowsy - perhaps it's not such a good idea to stay up late after all?

Time to hatch a new secret plan - after a little rest!

This beautiful playful picture book is the perfect bedtime read. It's funny and engaging as well as ending on the best note of everyone falling asleep dreaming of the day ahead.

Julia Sarcone-Roach's amazing acrylic illustrations are vivid and intricate. She includes cross sections of the house showing the characters moving around carrying out their various plans and the delightful end papers are blue prints of the town house - designed by 'House by Mouse'.

There are many picture books about children avoiding bedtime but none as clever and funny as this one. The illustrations are warm and snug, enveloping you like a big quilt. The illustrations and the text fit perfectly making this a comforting bedtime story that I have no doubt will become a classic."

Thank you, We Heart Books Online, for the kind and thoughtful review!

Butterfly Birthday

There's a little spot of garden that I help keep up with some neighbors. Recently, our parsley had been mysteriously disappearing.

After several days of patience, the parsley thief was caught in the act.



It was a Black Swallowtail caterpillar (also known as a "Parsley Worm" or "BS cat" to those hip to caterpillar slang.) This is the caterpillar stage of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. Here are a few sketchbook drawings of our BS cat (named Lieutenant Pinkerton) who ate a small forest of parsley before turning into a chrysalis inside a pickle jar in the studio.






And here is the Lieutenant right after turning into a butterfly:


(Photo thanks to Adam Kesner.)

Both male and female Black Swallowtails look identical as caterpillars, and it isn't until they reach the butterfly state that their sex is revealed. The deep blue spots on the wings reveal that the Lieutenant was a lady!

Moments after this photo was taken, she was released and fluttered off into Greenwood Cemetery.

Morse, the Man and the Code.

As far as I know, The Secret Plan is the only picture book about bedtime that heavily features kittens communicating using Morse code.
What I didn't know was that Samuel F. B. Morse, the man who invented the telegraph, as well as the Code, was a painter before he turned to inventing. I saw one of his most famous works, Gallery of the Louvre at the National Gallery in Washington, DC.



Here's a visual way to remember the Morse alphabet (based on A.G. Reingold's chart.)
Useful when plotting your next sleepover.



For those more curious about Morse and his code:

A short biography of Morse is here.

There's also an interesting article from the New York Times here about a recent event called the Night of Nights, when the air was once again filled with "the music of Morse." (The article was also my first introduction to the term "radio squirrel.")

Lucca Night

A painting from the sketchbook.

Penny Arcade Cameo

Penny Arcade is one of the most popular and longest running webcomics about video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. Besides the comic, the Penny Arcade guys have also created games, books, podcasts, a gaming convention and a reality show based on their adventures.

I'm lucky to have two eagle-eyed, Penny Arcade fans in the family. My cousin Jon Stauder and his wife Heidi were watching the deleted scenes on the Penny Arcade: The Series - Season 1 DVD, and happened to spot The Secret Plan on a table in the foreground! Heidi is an elementary school teacher and has used the book in her classes, recognized it immediately and leapt up and started pointing at the screen and yelling! Jon emailed me and I was surprised and proud.

Here is Jerry Holkins (aka Tycho) and The Secret Plan:



I was also very excited to learn about another of Penny Arcade's endeavors, Child's Play, a charity founded in 2003 that has raised over 7 million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world. The issue of children, (and their families) dealing with hospitalization is one that hits home for me. To learn more about the organization or to make a donation, check out their site.

At Last...

I've managed to combine my love of terrible puns with my enthusiasm for art history. Please enjoy the cheeky baptistry.

They Don't Let You Have Bees In Here...

Some bee and wasp drawings and Carl Sandburg poems from the sketchbook.