Welcome to our new illustrator guest post series, Saturday Afternoon Picnics! And welcome to Susan Stockdale, author and illustrator of Spectacular Spots, and our very first guest blogger!

In this series, we’ll turn the blog over to your favorite Peachtree illustrators. They might take you on a studio tour, share an exclusive illustration, or do something completely different!

So pour yourself a glass of lemonade, sit back, and learn all about Susan Stockdale’s process of creating the illustrations that Horn Book called “eye-pleasingly dramatic” and Kirkus called “a feast for the eyes.”

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Illustrating Spectacular Spots
a guest post by Susan Stockdale

 

What kinds of animals have spots, and why do they have them? To hide more easily? To warn enemies to stay away? To recognize animals of their own kind?

I wrote and illustrated Spectacular Spots, a companion to my book, Stripes of All Types, to answer these questions and to introduce young readers to the behavior of all kinds of spectacular spotted animals. Spotlighting (pun intended!) animals with spots allowed me to paint intricate patterns – my favorite activity. Painting patterns calms and soothes me. Looking at repeating patterns also helps me feel a sense of order in a chaotic world.

The illustration process for all my books is the same: create many sketches of each animal; select the one I like best; create a final drawing; submit it to scientists to confirm it is factually correct; revise if necessary; and paint the image in acrylic on paper. Here are two Spectacular Spots illustration progressions:

Welcome to the very first New Book Wednesday!
Stop by every Wednesday to get the scoop on our Spring 2015 titles.

This Wednesday we’re talking about P. Zonka Lays an Egg, written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis.

P. Zonka and her daydreaming ways are getting a lot of attention. If P. wasn’t such a head-in-the-clouds type of gal, I’d be worried the fanfare might make her a little vain. (Read the STARRED reviews here: PW, Kirkus, SLJ)

P. Zonka Lays an Egg is a bright, beautiful celebration of individuality and imagination. But the coolest thing about the book is what inspired it.

Have you ever heard of pysanky?

In short, pysanky is an egg decoration technique, stemming from ancient Ukrainian tradition, closely associated with Easter.

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The sun was the ancient Ukrainians’ supreme god, but the only creatures able to approach the life-giving star were birds. Hoping the winged creatures could fly high enough to intercede for humanity, Ukrainians inscribed wishes and requests to the heavens on birds’ eggs.

These richly decorated eggs are called pysanky.

The pysanky were made as gifts for honored family and friends—talismans meant to bring happiness, fertility, and protection. Each of the elements and colors carried symbolic meaning.

☼ The sun represented happiness, growth, and good fortune.
{Flowers signified love, charity, and good will.
h Waves, ribbons, and belts meant eternity.
Birds, hens, and roosters symbolized fulfillment of wishes and fertility.

Red was the color of love and joy, while pink meant success.
Yellow represented resurrection and spirituality.
Green was the sign of new life, of prosperity and wealth.
Blue encompassed courage, strength, stability, loyalty, and health.

So, what do pysanky have to do with P. Zonka?

Every year, Julie Paschkis’ sister, Jan, and brother-in-law, Greg, throw a big neighborhood party where friends and family make pysanky and eat traditional Ukrainian food to celebrate spring and the Easter season. 

P. Zonka Lays an Egg came out of this experience. (Get it? Pysanka…P. Zonka?)

Want to know more about pysanky, Julie Paschkis, or how to throw your very own pysanky party? Stay tuned!

A New Year always brings two things: well-intentioned [but doomed] resolutions and fantastic new children’s books.

We’re thrilled to announce our Spring 2015 list, which is filled with award-winning talent, mischievous cow-folk, daydreaming chickens, and migrating toads!

Illustrated by Caldecott Honor Book winner Molly Idle, Rodeo Red is a rip-roaring story of sibling rivalry with a cheeky Western twist.

Julie Paschkis, inspired by traditional Ukrainian pysanky, weaves an original folk tale celebrating individuality and imagination in P. Zonka Lays an Egg.

Toad Weather’s lyrical text by Sandra Markle and stunning paintings by New York Times bestselling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez explore a remarkable natural occurrence that, when the weather is just right, happens each spring in rain-soaked Philadelphia.

In Kashmira Sheth’s Sona and the Wedding Game, a young Indian girl learns about her culture when she’s tasked with stealing the groom’s shoes at her sister’s wedding.

Each quirky poem in Random Body Parts poses a puzzle in verse (with a sly nod to Shakespeare) and provides hints for uncovering the answers—all of which are biological.

Love Stanley? William Bee’s hat-wearing hamster is back! Stanley the Farmer invites young children to the farm where they’ll explore processes, colors, and machines in a sweet, simple world.

Spectacular Spots, the charming companion to Stripes of All Types, features bright, beautifully detailed paintings of spotted creatures and their habitats.

For those of you who could not make the trip to Atlanta and who won’t be making the trip to Chicago for ALA Midwinter, check out all the highlights from Peachtree Friend, Elizabeth O. Dulemba!

Will your kids sit still during a P. Zonka storytime? The illustrations have to read well from far away, and  they should tell a story along with the one told through the text.  Submitted for your approval is the Stand-Far-Away-Holding-the-Book-Cover-Test. How’d we do??

PS: Storytimes are even better if you’re willing to do voices 😉

Days like these are very exciting.  What was once an email attachment, “How about this design?” is now realized as a final picture book cover.  Behold the Advanced Reading Copy! Julie Paschkis makes cover design look E-Z.

Guess what?! The inside is just as lovely.

Let’s do a quick montage! Like they do in the movies!

In August we learned all about parrots, and learned a couple of football gambits from Jesse, Jay and Savannah.

In September Stanley had two full career changes! Pig and Small became lifelong friends! And Charlie Bumpers used desensitization techniques to overcome his Halloween fears!

We wrapped up in October with an animal parade, a skiing sock and pup, and a lifesaving dog. 

 
That wraps it up for this season, but we’ve got exciting changes in store for Spring 2015 titles.  In addition to reviews, we’ll also be showing blog tour followers story time ideas, crafts, flannel board patterns, discussion questions, and more extension activities!  You can thank our guest bloggers for that! As always, visit our website for free Teachers Guides.