Book Spine Poem

Book Spine Poems -- a brilliant idea, right? Travis Jonker from 100 Scope Notes is looking for a few good book spine poems to celebrate National Poetry Month.  You can read all about it here and here.

So below, my humble contribution to this month's celebration:

Can you tell I'm a librarian? ;-)

I LOVE Blogs!

January is almost over.  This month marks the third anniversary of Baltic's rescue and one year since the publication of my first picture book based on his amazing adventure.  It's been a great ride! 

Earlier this month the blog The Classroom Bookshelf posted a really neat review of my book, offering ideas and resources for teachers and educators.  Check it out:

The Classroom Bookshelf: Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Nam...: Written and Illustrated by Monica Carnesi Published by Nancy Paulsen Books in 2012 ISBN 978-0-399-25666-0 Book Review...

I simply LOVE blogs.  I started blogging in 2007 in order to participate in Illustration Friday, one of the best decisions I've made.  Through the blog I made new friends in the US and all over the world.  My blog was also instrumental in the launch of my career as a picture book author and illustrator.  Social media outlets have exploded and now there are so many different ways to maintain an online presence: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.  All great, but I'm still partial to blogs :-)

The 2013 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market (a must read for any aspiring author and/or illustrator) includes a piece written by my agent, Teresa Kietlinski, where she talks about the importance of blogs for illustrators:

Really cool reading and very, very true. And while it's hard sometimes to keep blogging consistently, it is definitely worth the effort.  One of my goals this year is to post at least twice a month.

So share a recent picture book you like or a fun sketch, talk about a favorite illustrator or about your creative process.  Yay for blogs! 

Blog to Follow: Chicken Lit

There's a new blog in town!  Chicken Lit: A blog for readers of stories and lovers of books, especially the ones starring chickens was created by Elizabeth, children's librarian extraordinaire at the Free Library of Philadelphia.  Elizabeth kicked off her new blog with a fantastic interview with Matt Phelan, one of my favorite author/illustrators.  And she will be posting Chicken Clips: videos featuring young children reading, singing and interacting with books and the people they love to share them with.  The first of the series is up and it's adorable! 
Check it out!

November is Picture Book Month!

How cool is that?  A whole month dedicated to picture books, with daily posts by some really impressive authors and/or illustrators of this art form.   Hurry to this great site and read up posts already up by Eric A. Kimmel, Kelly Milner Halls, Suzanne Bloom, Dan Yaccarino, Elizabeth O. Dulemba and Marc Tyler Nobleman.

And isn't that the cutest logo?  It was designed by Joyce Wan who is also represented by Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency.

Join the party and spread the word!

Blog to Follow: Illustration Station

©Kim Fleming

Kim Fleming of lil kim's illo blog has created a new and super cool blog geared towards the illustration community:  it's called Illustration Station and it's just brilliant!  It's THE place to find and share information about contests, giveaways, art swaps, projects, etc.

Do you know of any opportunities for illustrators?  Just make sure it's open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and submit the information to be added to the blog.

Link back from your blog and participate!

Kim Fleming do lil kim's illo blog criou um novo blog super legal para toda a comunidade de ilustradores:  chama-se Illustration Station and é uma idéia brilhante.  Um lugar para encontrar e partilhar informações sobre concursos, rifas, troca de arte, projetos, etc.


Você sabe de alguma oportunidade para ilustradores?  Assegure-se de que está aberta a todos em todo o mundo e mande a informação para ser acrescentada ao blog.


Coloque o link no seu blog e participe!

Blog to Follow: 36 Pages

Author/Illustrator Craig Frazier has created a new blog about picture books called 36 pages.

©Craig Frazier

The blog is visually stunning and a treat for anyone interested in "the story on picture books."  Craig provides great insights on picture book design and includes plenty of gorgeous illustrations of both cover and interior art when talking about each book, be it old or new.  I would recommend going through the archives and reading his previous posts.  Fascinating!

Craig was co-founder of Lookybook, which was one of my favorite websites before it had to shut down about two years ago due to the economy.  So glad to see him back!