Book Recommendations: Back to School!
I love these two back-to-school books, because they focus on the mothers’ love for their child, and how that can help their child get through the nerves of the first day. (This reminds me of 1 John 4:18.)
We read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn every eve of the first day of school, and we have for years now! In this book, the mother gives her child a kiss on his hand, and tells him to use it whenever he needs it during his school day. Now we give each other Kissing Hands, and my kids laugh and laugh that I can never resist “using it” right away.
Love by Corrinne Averiss is a new book that we read this year. (My son didn’t like it, but probably because it’s about a little girl instead of a little boy!) But it is a sweet idea and one that I think can help calm nerves about the first day of school. It reminds me a lot of The Kissing Hand. The idea of Love is that we all have strings that connect us to the people we love, and it is comforting to know the string is always there.
So for anyone starting school this week, or who has started school already, or starts school sometime soon, I hope you know you are so loved!
Musings on the Fear Mountain
The fear is like a mountain, only it’s like a living mountain with arms that reach out to me in my weaker moments. I think the mountain can shrink over time. In fact, if I’m reading the Bible correctly, I think that’s what happens eventually. The fear shrinks and shrinks and then disappears. I’m not sure if that ever happens completely this side of heaven, though. In my experience, limited though it is, the mountain never goes anywhere. It’s a mountain. It doesn’t move. It doesn’t get smaller.
It’s just a matter of whether I look at it or not.
It’s a matter of whether I give it space in my thoughts or not.
It’s a matter of me saying “God is good.” And then realizing if I really believe that, then fear can have no room in my heart.
It’s a matter of saying “Do I trust God or not?” If the answer is yes, then I cannot look at that mountain. I can’t even glance that way. My only response is to stare into the face of Jesus and never look away.
Someone once asked me about the fear. I’m sorry to say that my response sounded callous. It is because I have realized that even talking about the fear gives it room in my heart sometimes. But later I revisited the conversation and said “I didn’t mean to sound callous. The fear you mentioned is heavy on my heart. But I just cannot give it room anymore.”
The fear is still there, and it’s a mountain. A mountain of fear. A scary mountain with rampaging arms and gnashing teeth.
But it’s getting easier not to look at it.
Do I trust God or not? Even with the most precious things in my life, do I trust him?
Before having children, “trusting in Jesus” was a completely abstract idea for me. I could say that I trusted Jesus, but I was never put to the test, so I’m not sure I actually did. I’m struck that in order to actually trust Jesus, I had to be left feeling completely helpless first. And if having children enter the world doesn’t do that to a parent, I don’t know what will. (I know it’s not just having children that teaches trust, that’s just how it worked for me.)
So do I trust God or not? Even with the most precious things in my life, do I trust him?
That question has become my mantra.
It never occurred to me before how much this sounded like Peter walking on water. He had to keep his eyes on Jesus or he would fall. And he did fall.
I guess I should admit that sometimes I do glance over at the mountain. That is my fall. I imperfectly keep my eyes on Jesus. But I also can see how far I’ve come.
Maybe that’s a better metaphor. Maybe I am walking and the mountain used to be looming above me, obstructing my path. But walking with Jesus in the helpless moments gave me the way around it, and I am slowly making my way towards him, away from the mountain. Maybe that’s why the mountain never shrinks, it just is easier not to look at it all the time because I have taken steps away from it. But it’s still there, and if I give it room, it can take up my whole heart again.
I guess the metaphor falls apart here.
Nevertheless, the fear is a mountain and it hasn’t gone away. But the question “Do I trust God or not?” has made all the difference. That simple, terrifying, surrendering question has made all the difference and I am a new person because of it. Because I can say that yes, I do.
What's on the Book Pile? Summer Edition
This picture sums up my summer reading very well. Mostly a mix of fiction, from middle-grade to popular adult. There’s always a Harry Potter in the mix and maybe one or two non-fictions. As always, if you’d like a complete list, follow me on Goodreads, where I have lapsed in writing reviews, but still try to count and rate each one finished. I am also 19 books behind schedule, according to my goal set back in January, and I think that is also very telling about my summer reading (or lack thereof).
As to these specific books, I’ll discuss from top to bottom:
The Jaguar’s Jewel (A to Z Mysteries) by Ron Roy. This is a series I am working through with my 7-year-old son and he is very into them. They are all mysteries, so he gets excited at the end of each chapter and wants to continue reading. I count that a success! He could easily read these himself (if you are curious about the reading level of these books), but I choose to read them out loud to him.
Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison. This is an amazing book about racial reconciliation by a compassionate and wise Christian woman. We read this book as a church and then came together to discuss once a week. I would definitely recommend. It’s still on the book pile, though, because I have yet to read the last few pages!
Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood. This was recommended to me by my 10-year-old daughter, and when she asks me to read a book, you better believe I’m going to read that book! This is not a chore, though, because as previously mentioned, I really do love middle-grade fiction.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. I have recently joined an unofficial bookclub with my two cousins! We talk on the Voxer app about which books we are reading and which ones we love. This one came highly recommended by both cousins, so I am anxious to get into it more. So far it is sad. I hope the payoff is coming! (I think it is.)
The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer. I am a huge fan of the Artmis Fowl books (yes, more middle grade fiction), so I was happy to see another book in the same universe! Have yet to start it, but check Goodreads for it’s rating once I finish. (And read the Artemis Fowl books if you haven’t. Actually, listen to them because the reader, Nathaniel Parker, is phenomenal.)
Children of Exile by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I have yet to read this one, but I discovered this author this summer and have read a couple others of hers and she is so good. The books of hers that I have read I would call Science Fiction Lite (is that a thing?).
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. I am reading this one with my daughter and we are enjoying it together. It’s so fun sharing some of your interests with your kids and having them be interested, too!
Not pictured (audio books):
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This book was sad and sweet and was a story of healing. And while I would recommend the book and the narrator, I do not recommend listening in the middle of the night, because there were some parts that the narrator portrayed as quite creepy!
The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riodan. Another book by Rick Riordan about the Greek gods. This one is from the god Apollo’s perspective, which is not my favorite, but still humorous and entertaining.
Book Recommendation: Spiders?!
This book is an all-time favorite in this house. We found it at the library years ago and kept checking it out over and over again. Finally I caved and just bought a copy! And guess what, it’s still a favorite! My kids are older now, but will still pull this book out occasionally and just laugh and laugh.
(I need to warn you, however, that the title is a bit misleading. I am not now, nor have I ever, tried to love spiders. And though the book is entertaining and has convinced me of their usefulness, I still feel no affinity for the crawly creatures!)
I’m Trying to Love Spiders, written and illustrated by Bethany Barton. She has some fun printables on her website to go along with her books!
We’ve also enjoyed her other books on Bees and Math, though I’m sorry to say we still do not love either of those things either.
Paper Dolls
These three girls remind me of paper dolls, so look for them in my activity pages soon! It was just fun practicing different eye types, hair styles, and dresses.
Artwork Update
I have not been posting much because I have completely lost control of my summer schedule. You know how in the beginning of summer you put together a “Summer Bucket List” and a daily schedule and you have such high hopes because this summer is going to be different? Well it’s only July 9 and I have given up on the daily schedule or getting any of my own work done!
But just because I haven’t been posting or illustrating (either for my upcoming book or for Instagram), doesn’t mean I haven’t been art-ing. First of all, I have been taking an art journaling course with my friend Farrell called “Take Heart”. I highly recommend this course! It has been so fun to just completely let loose and be free of expectations in my art! And it is geared towards anyone - you do not have to have any prior artistic knowledge (or be local, as the lessons are on YouTube and the meetings are over Zoom).
I’ve also been playing around with different digital art, as seen in the gallery below. I love to support other artists and one of them creates beautiful brushes for Procreate (the app I use for most of my illustrations). Her brushes are the ones I used for these, and I just love how they turned out. I will be adding all of these to my shop on Society6.
So that’s my summer so far! What about you? Have you lost control of your summer, too?
Book Recommendation: Last Stop on Market Street
I absolutely love Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. It is the story of CJ and his grandmother taking the bus on a Sunday afternoon. We don’t know where they are going until the end (which is a very sweet surprise, so I won’t ruin it), but most of the book is about the journey and the community on the bus. CJ’s grandmother helps him to see the good, the exciting, and the beauty in the mundane.
My favorite part of the story is this:
He reached for his Nana’s hand.
“How come it’s always so dirty over here?”
She smiled and pointed to the sky.
”Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, CJ,
you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.”…
He wondered how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.
Can I just say that I want to be just like CJ’s grandma?
And if you didn’t believe me about our love for my last book recommendation, I snapped this picture this morning. My son and his Dino were reading about the goldfish and once again so worried about whether they got the right fish!
Even so, it’s a fun read.
Book Recommendations, Summer Vacation
It’s officially summer and I hope many of your are thinking about, and planning(!), your vacations! My pick for a book about summer vacations is Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Leo Espinosa. This is a true story about a city fountain being the temporary home of New York City’s pet goldfish population! I love this one because the children never actually leave the city, but just having their goldfish go on vacation is enough to bring so much excitement to the summer!
The big question in my house is “How do they know they got the right goldfish in the end?” My answer is “They just know their fish.” If you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book!
A quick note about the author and illustrator links I’ve been including: They are worth visiting! The illustrators’ especially have beautiful pictures up on their homepages and it’s been so fun to see all the different styles and subjects. Also, Sally Lloyd-Jones’ site in particular has a lot of good resources for parents and children!
Some Fairy Sketches
A few weeks ago, I introduced you to my newest character: a fairy named Lucy. While I’m not ready to show you any of my actual finished illustrations of her yet, I thought it might be interesting to see some of the sketches that got me to my final product. Do you have a favorite?
Animal Illustrations
I have been practicing illustrations that I think would be more appealing to children, so they mostly include animals doing human things. Here are my first two, and I’m taking suggestions for other animals and/or activities you’d like to see them doing!
Book Recommendation, World Ocean Day
I missed World Ocean Day yesterday (June 8), but I thought I’d post this today anyway! This is my 7-year-old son’s current favorite book. It’s very funny and has lots of interesting facts about sharks.
Misunderstood Shark: Friends Don’t Eat Friends by Ame Dyckman and Illustrated by Scott Magoon.
This is actually a sequel to Misunderstood Shark, which we have not read yet, but I imagine is just as good!
Book Recommendation, Just a Favorite
This is one of my absolute favorite children’s books. My kids like it, too, but I’m not even sure they get how clever it is. It makes me laugh every time!
If you are a fan of fairy tales and humor and beautiful artwork, you need to pick up this book!
The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmet. Illustrated by Poly Bernatene.
(Check out both of their websites, they are great!)
Book Recommendation, Pentecost
To be honest, I was going to recommend this book this week even if it wasn’t Pentecost this coming Sunday (May 23) because it is one of my absolutely favorites. Not only is it just beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written, but it tells the story of the most beautifully family, of my family, the worldwide church. So the fact that it coincides with Pentecost makes it even better!
Pentecost on the church calendar marks the beginning of the early church. It is when the Holy Spirit descended on the early church leaders and they were able to tell all about Jesus in all different languages! As my friend, blogger, and writer Tamara Murphy says,
“At Pentecost, we get to act out with our everyday lives what the Holy Family embodied at Epiphany, the good news that the gift of Christ is for all people. All of the longing, doubt, grief, and the sins of the world we held up in the dark nights of Advent and Lent, all of the bright hope and relief that resurrected to life with the Risen Christ is channeled into this great movement of Spirit and Church at Pentecost.”
If you want to know what that means, then pick up this book. It is excellent, it is beautiful, and if you are a Christian, it is about your family, too.
God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia J. Newbell
(The other books in this series are amazing, too.)
Book Update and Illustrating Scenes
Friends, I am so excited to say that I am close to being done with my next children’s book! But I am also very nervous, because that means I actually have to start sending it out for other people to read, and even worse… critique. In the next couple weeks, I will share a few sketches and maybe even some complete illustrations that I will be submitting along with the manuscript. So keep checking back here!
For now I’ll say this: the story is about a fairy named Lucy. I’ve gone back and forth with the idea of a fairy as my main character. Have fairies been overdone? Is this too much like Tinkerbell? But there is just something so appealing to me about fairies, and this character in particular being a fairy, that I just couldn’t have her be anything else. I hope that when you read the book, you’ll agree with me that she couldn’t have been anything else.
And now I will leave you with a few scenes that I have illustrated, mostly for practice in drawing full-page spreads. Thank you for joining me on this journey!
Book Recommendations, Dinosaur Day
Did you know that National Dinosaur Day is celebrated twice annually, on May 15 and June 1? I guess that’s just how important the dinosaurs are (were?)! So in celebration of this important day, I am recommending some of our favorite dinosaur children’s books.
All the Dinotrux books, by Chris Gall
How to Catch a Dinosaur, by Adam Wallace
Bang! Boom! Roar! A Busy Crew of Dinosaurs (not pictured), by Nate Evans
These are just a few of the great children’s books on dinosaurs. Do you have any to recommend?
Amy's New Puppy
I self-published my first book, Amy’s New Puppy, in 2015 and just scribbled together some illustrations. I decided to update a few of the illustrations to see how different they would be if I published the book now and below are the results. If you’d like to see process videos of the updated illustrations, I saved them to my highlights on my Instagram account.
pink hair, don't care
These are some of my recent illustrations. I am playing around with movement and body shapes. And of course pink hair.
I found it interesting while drawing these that my adult women have small heads and big legs, but in order to draw children, you do the opposite!
Book Recommendations, Mother's Day
Because I love children’s books so much, I thought I’d add a weekly feature to my blog on book recommendations for kids and parents, while trying to keep the books relevant to the times and season as well!
This week, I’m featuring one of my favorites to buy for new moms:
I Love you, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and Illustrated by Cyd Moore.
Now it’s your turn, what are your favorite books featuring a mother’s love?
This book is one of my son’s favorites (and mine!) because it is so silly and so heartfelt. What could be more normal (and more beautiful) than a son dreaming up all kinds of scary creatures and a mother’s reassurance of unconditional love?