Randolph Rides Again

I always look forward to the Caldecott award announcement. It's a bright spot of news in the bleak of winter for a children's book illustrator. The 2012 Caldecott medal winner goes to A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (published by Schwartz & Wade Books).

I heard Raschka speak at Hubbs, the one-day children's literature conference held in St Paul, last February. His talk was as easy going and as affable as his illustration style. Wistfully, I listened when he talked of the line-up of great book projects he had in his studio, and unknown to even him at the time, A Ball for Daisy must have been among these works. I will look forward to looking and studying his lovely, gestural line in this newest member of the Caledcott winning family.

The Caldecott honor books chosen are as interesting and worthy to me, the best of the best for the year, and usually a couple of my favorites are among these. Grandpa Green, written and illustrated by Lane Smith (I am a closet lover of topiary!) and Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell are on this list. I was particulary touched by the latter's pictorial celebration of Jane Goodall's life. I once met Goodall when I was an anthropology student; her story is one I carry close to my primate heart!

So make it a point to find and share these books and enjoy their wonderful story telling achievements; telling stories through pictures is part of our DNA. Ride on, picture books!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Monday will be the beginning of the Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Dragon. I'm calling this my official New Year because I missed the whole front end of January and I have a need to start afresh.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated for the next two weeks. Some things I plan to do: 1) Greet my family with wishes of health 2) Give money in red envelopes 3) Eat cool foods (oranges are traditional; if you get a sweet one, then you are lucky in love) 5) Parade with lanterns on the 15th day.

An animal symbolizes each year under the Chinese calendar. What animal were you born under? I'm a rabbit- I'm supposed to be creative, kind and sensitive- I try to live up to this!

Observing a Birthday

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

A mild January; late afternoon

A mild January,
late afternoon
(for Uncle Richard)

Winter sun laces through bare branches,
forging the steel light
edge of day
to the velvet hour.
Arching trees frame the eve
like medieval cathedral windows
(Chartres, Notre Dame, York, Cologne.)

Nearby a nuthatch sings his spare song of soltice,
full of grace and reprieve.

The Land of Counterpane

When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.

This first stanza from Robert Louis Stevenson's beloved "The Land of Counterpane" (from his Child's Garden of Verses), has always enchanted me. It sets up a sick day as a magic land of comfort; fluffy pillows, endless cups of hot tea, piles of books and magazines close by, a loving parent just a call away. I remember a few of these days growing up, lucky was I to have a mother (British at that) who believed in giving the body time to rest and recover. My Land of Counterpane included hot water bottles, a world of Barbies, marmite toast and a curled-up cat at the end of the bed! But to start the New Year, like I have, with a nasty virus that has driven me under the covers, has not been ideal. I'm countering my pain all right, a throat that feels quite shredded, with Throat Coat and ibuprophen and sleep. So many projects to get to; it's a frustrating January so far! But I'm on the mend. Today, I felt like a couple hours in the studio, so I sign in here, just to say hello to 2012 and share one of my favorite poems. May yours be a healthy start!

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Going to Take an Ornamental Journey...

In need of drawing time today, I sat by the Chirstmas tree and did some quick line renderings of the ornaments. Poor things only get out once a year, so it was a nice way to appreciate their detail.

Earlier, our daughter remarked (in that disdainful teenager way), "Mom, the tree always looks the same". Yes, I guess we could go all Decorator Theme different each year, like maybe the white tree with hand-blown glass owls and eggs I saw in a posh gift shop in Chicago last week. But I love the sentimental connection with so many of our ornaments. Some go way back (before our teen was even a twinkle!) There are the dried citrus slices that I made the first year we were married- still translucent and evocative of simple times. Small, feather-light copper letter stencils, each with one of our initials, wave slightly in the warm currents of the house. There are wooden snowflakes and straw stars from Germany and velvety birds and shiny fish...Some are even made with the then-small fingers of the Disdainful One herself!

My friend Melissa makes fabulous doll ornaments- some with animal heads, others are human (one looks like Emily Dickingson!). I have several of these creations. They are clothed in begiling little print dresses and clutch a small item, a wreath or a holly leaf.

One of my old-timers is a tiny white angel; "The Macaroni Angel" we call her. She is made entirely of dried pasta, painted white. Her body is a penne or rigatoni; her wings are one bow-tie pasta; her arms are an "elbow" variety (of course), as are her tiny ringlet curls! It kills me to study how finely someone once made her long ago for a church bazaar.

Another anticipated face is one of those teensy chenille santas, glued into a gilted milk weed pod. The use of a treasure of nature to nestle a santa into has always charmed me.

Our tree will be up for the 12 days of Christmas, a family tradition (we put our tree up later than most, too). Then one by one, these miniature wonders will be stored again until next December. Sweet dreams, ornaments!

Boxing Day Walk

Still no snow this year. It is a mild, sienna brown Christmas. As the Whos in Who-ville proclaimed long ago, "Christmas comes, just the same", snow or no snow. The photo is of our usual "sledding hill" this afternoon, the location inspiration for my current header illustration.

Mild winter weather can enhance a comtempletive tone to a walk- when one is not busy concentrating on keeping warm. My mind slips to the inner warmth that is created by this holiday season and the coming New Year, bright before us like today's blue sky.