Illustrator and author Ian Beck was born on this day August 17, 1947 in Brighton, England. “Few sounds were to be heard at that early hour, only the drone of the airship’s engines and the mournful mournful moans of the foghorns, which seemed almost to be searching for one another, somewhere along the silvered and …
Category: Books
Jun 22 2022
Astrid Cabral’s Love of Her Home, The Amazon
This World Rainforest Day I am celebrating novelist, poet, environmentalist, diplomat, and mother of five, Astrid Cabral, who sings the songs of her Amazon home in her exemplary poetry. Some of Cabral’s most well-known books include Through Water (2003), Anteroom (2007), and Cage (2008). In Cage, Cabral explores the real and symbolic animals of the Amazon. She …
May 18 2021
Artist Spotlight: Chiaki Okada
Today we are celebrating the illustrations of Japanese artist Chiaki Okada. She has illustrated books by different authors around the world, including a book by her husband, Ko Okada, called Rabbit and Freckle (Кролик и Веснушка). Chiaki Okada has a unique talent for capturing the innocent beauty of childhood home life as well as imaginative childhood themes. …
Apr 28 2018
Illustration: Sydney Smith’s Town is by the Sea
Our inspiration for today comes from children’s book illustrator Sydney Smith and his new book, Town is by the Sea. In the story, written by Joanne Schwartz, a boy spends a pleasant day about the town by the sparkling sea, playing with friends at the playground, going to lunch and the shops with his mom, …



