Saturday, August 21, 2010
It was a special occasion, so
WILLOW's wearing a bow.
I'm wearing a smile big enough for two people. It's hard not to smile when I'm holding
WILLOW.
What makes YOU smile?
Rosemarie
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
What colors would Willow paint these goodies I brought home from the Farmers' Market?
Rosemarie
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
If you were born on February 11, then today is your HALF birthday.
My half birthday was last Saturday. Someone surprised me with presents and half a cake. I thought and thought and thought before I made my wish and blew out the one lonely candle on the cake. I can't tell you what my wish was or it might not come true, but it had something to do with WILLOW.
Enjoy your WHOLE day today!
Rosemarie
Monday, May 31, 2010
I spotted this turtle at Kensington Park yesterday. It was calmly and slowly making its way across the busy road to get to the greener grass on the other side. "Hurry up! Hurry up!" I urged it. It looked at me with its wise old eyes, as if to say, "I'll hurry up if you'll slow down."
Did you talk to any animals this weekend?
Roni
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"Keep your eyes and your ears open," I tell my writing students. "There's inspiration for stories and art all around you -- you just have to notice it."
My friend Maryanne and I did exactly that this afternoon while we walked, ate lunch, and shopped together. We noticed a red-tailed hawk, a sandwich that looked like a butterfly, a bird's nest tucked into a store's window box, and funny, red sunglasses.
(I tried to take a picture of the red-tailed hawk, but it flew away.)
Look around. What do you see?
Roni
Monday, May 3, 2010
While I was walking through the park this afternoon, I saw my favorite kind of tree (a willow, of course!). It looks like it's about ready to topple over into the lake.
Do you have a willow tree near you? If you do, take a photograph of it and send it to me.
Roni
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Recently, I travelled from Michigan (the mitten-shaped state) to Italy (the boot-shaped country).
Miss Hawthorn and Willow are with me wherever I go. And when I took these two photographs in Siena, Italy, it was because of Miss Hawthorn. 
In the beginning of WILLOW, "Miss Hawthorn’s moods are as dark as her clothing." If she had a clothesline, it would look like the one in the first photograph.
But by the end of the book, Miss Hawthorn's clothesline would look like the one in the second photograph: colorful and cheerful.
Time to do the laundry!
~Rosemarie
Friday, February 26, 2010
A few weeks ago, I slipped and fell and broke my wrist. For awhile, I couldn't use my left hand at all, not even the fingers. Simple things like peeling a banana, pulling on knee socks, shampooing my hair, and buttoning my coat were suddenly not so simple. To get the job done, I had to be creative. (And patient.)
Being creative is good when you're painting a picture or writing a story. It's also good when you're trying to solve a problem, like how to get the jar of peanut butter open with one hand.
Roni
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Writers make up words. Shakespeare invented "moonbeam" and "alligator" and about 2000 other words and phrases. J. K. Rowling made up "quidditch" and "muggle." Poet e.e. cummings invented "mud-luscious" and "puddle-wonderful" to describe the world in spring.
The Oxford English Dictionary has more than 500,000 words to choose from. I guess that isn't enough for some of us.
It's snowing here. Did you know the Eskimos have over 30 words for "snow"? I wonder which one they would use to describe snow that falls in late February when what you're longing for is mud-luscious, puddle-wonderful spring to arrive.
Have a fantabulous day!
Rosemarie
Monday, December 28, 2009
It's snowing hard here. I stood at my kitchen window and watched it fall for a few minutes. Believe it or not, some of the snowflakes were swirling upward, just like in WILLOW.
Is it snowing where you are? If it is, keep your eyes open for two snowflakes that are exactly alike. I don't think there is such a thing, but you never know!
You can see a snowflake photo gallery at this National Geographic webpage:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/photogalleries/snowflakes/index.html.
I think I'll put on my coat and boots (and mittens and hat and scarf) and go play in the snow. Willow would!
Roni
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Willow loves to paint and draw and so do I! When I was a little girl, I drew lots of spooky pictures this time of year. Here is a picture I drew when I was about 6 years old.
Many years later, and lots of practice, I still draw Halloween pictures—sometimes for children's books and sometimes for advertising jobs. A few years ago, I got a job drawing trick or treaters for Burger King. This is what it looked like:
Pretty funny, huh?!!! Who ever heard of trick or treating for french fries!? I would much prefer chocolate bars or candy corn!
This goblin greets friends as they come to my front door:
I'm hope you have a not-too-spooky Halloween with lots of yummy treats!
Cyd
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Yesterday, I did something I haven't done in a very long time. I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I did it for about 10 minutes.
That may not sound like a big deal to you, but it was for me. For me, doing "nothing" is a lost art. I've forgotten how to do it.
When was the last time you did nothing?
This week, why not flop down on your bed and stare at the ceiling for awhile? It's time well-spent!
Rosemarie
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What a treat it was to receive this note and artwork from five-year-old Gabriella and her doting dad:
Dear Rosemarie,
My daughter and I read your book last night and she just adored it. She was so mesmerized by how Willow used her own imagination to draw whatever she imagined. After we read the book, not once but twice, all my daughter wanted to do was close her eyes and imagine images of apple trees, plain trees, and then doodle.
Thank you.
Mark and Gabriella
I'm delighted whenever I hear that WILLOW sparked someone's imagination and creativity, as it did Gabby's!
If WILLOW has inspired YOU, please share the results with us!
Rosemarie
Sunday, June 21, 2009
WILLOW didn't win the Children's Choice Book Awards, but having it chosen as one of five finalists in the 3rd-4th grade category and attending the May 12th Awards Gala in New York City was amazing!!
I LOVED being in NYC! I rode the carousel in Central Park. I attended a Broadway musical. I walked the red carpet at the Awards Gala (it was only five feet long, but hey!). And I chatted with lots of interesting people. One of those people was author Lauren Myracle's eight-year-old son, Jamie, who was sitting on the floor in a corner, sketching, while the grown-ups hob-nobbed during the gala. Willow and he would have hit it off!
Does going new places and doing new things boost your creativity like it does mine?
Whoopi Goldberg & Roni
Children's Choice Book Awards Gala
May 12, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A turkey strutted across the backyard a few minutes ago. Shortly after, a raccoon strolled along in the opposite direction. Neither seemed to be in any rush.
I wish I could talk to animals, like Dr. Doolittle. I'd ask the turkey, "Where's the rest of your flock?" and "What do wild turkeys eat on Thanksgiving?" I'd ask the raccoon if it gets sleepy staying up all night and what kind of mask it wears on Halloween.
If you could speak the language of turkeys and raccoons, what would you ask?
Rosemarie
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Last night, in a parking lot in downtown Brighton, I saw a snake. It was eight feet long and it was wrapped around a man's neck.
It was the man's pet!
I asked the snake owner lots of questions:
What kind of snake is it? A Burmese python.
What's its name? Scarface. Because it's left eye is scarred and blind.
What does it eat? Rats. Extra large ones.
Has it ever bitten you? Not yet.
How big will it get when it's full grown? Twenty-five feet long.
TWENTY-FIVE FEET LONG?!! YIKES!
If I were Willow, I might have gone home and made pictures of snakes. Colorful snakes with eyelashes, like the snake Cyd Moore painted in one of her illustrations for WILLOW. [See below.]
Sometimes I wonder what kind of pet(s) Willow might have, and what they’d be named. Any ideas?
~Rosemarie
Monday, April 20, 2009
My students are writing "Fibs."
No, not little white lies, like "My dog ate my homework." The Fibs* my students are writing are short poems named after Fibonacci (fi-bo-na-chee).
Who is Fibonacci? He was a mathematician who lived in Italy 800 years ago. He is known for a series of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. . .
These numbers follow a special pattern. Can you figure out the next number?
Fib poems have six lines. The number of syllables in each line is:
First line: 1 syllable
Second line: 1 syllable
Third line: 2 syllables
Fourth line: 3 syllables
Fifth line: 5 syllables
Sixth line: 8 syllables
For example, here's a Fib I wrote about WILLOW:
Willow Paints
Pink
trees.
Purple
cats. Polka
dot pigs. Blue apples.
Miss Hawthorn does too, in the end.
WRITE fibs, don't tell them!
~Rosemarie
*Blogger Gregory Pincus invented this form of poetry.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Today is the birthday of the great artist Leonardo Da Vinci.
Have you heard of or seen the Mona Lisa? Well, Leonardo painted it. It's probably the most famous painting in all the world! There might be a picture of it in the well-loved art book that Willow gave to Miss Hawthorn.
Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci
Self-Portrait
Leonardo drew pictures of himself (self-portraits). But I don't think he ever drew one with his hair poking out from his head like squiggly sun rays, sitting on the back of a leopard. (Look at the self-portrait drawn by Willow on the very last page of WILLOW.)
Why don't you try it? Study yourself in a mirror, then make a self-portrait and send it to us. We would love to display it for all to see!
~Rosemarie
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Lucky me! I was able to hang with my buddy Denise B-N and play with handcrafted Willow dolls!
Going to the store to buy a new toy is always fun, but have you ever thought about making your own toys? When I was a little girl, my mom and Granny taught me to make rag dolls from fabric scraps cut from old shirts and pajamas. They probably were not as cool as the Willow dolls in the picture, but they were fun to make. My brothers and I also sewed bean bags and filled them with dried beans.
Sewing is fun to learn and bean bags are really easy.
1. Fold a piece of fabric in half so you have 2 layers.
2. Cut out a very simple shape like a flower, snake, or a turtle.
3. Ask an adult to show you how to stitch the two shapes together around the edges, but leave a small opening.
4. Turn inside out and fill with dried beans or peas.
5. Then, stitch the opening shut.
6. Sew on buttons or beads for eyes and paint designs with acrylic fabric paint.
This is a great way to recycle old socks and pajamas, so try it! Your creation will be unique, and nobody else in the world will have one like it!
~Cyd
Friday, March 20, 2009
Eight. That's how many miles I walked today. Halfway around the park, my legs felt like they were made of wet noodles. And my stomach was growling for lasagne and garlic bread.
To distract myself, I looked for shapes in the clouds. It was a zoo up there! I saw a laughing pig, a camel with seven humps, and an alligator with its toothy snout open and a yellow eye that was the sun.
When they were little, I brought my children to the same park. They held birdseed on their outstretched hands and stood still as stone, waiting for black-capped chickadees to land. Brave birds plucked up a seed and flew off to nearby trees to enjoy their snack.
Speaking of dining, it's time for some lasagne and garlic bread. All that walking made me hungry. (No one will tell me I "ate like a bird" tonight!)
It's SPRING! Go outside and get the stink off you (as my mama liked to say)!
~Rosemarie
Monday, March 16, 2009
If you were a color, what color would you be? I’d be a different color each day of the week!
Did you know that certain colors can elevate our moods and fill our senses? A colorful room can make us feel cheerful, calm and comforted. What’s your favorite color?
I have a big, red bowl of crayons on my office desk. They look delicious! They remind me to doodle and play even when I’m supposed to be working. And I collect paint samples that I spill out onto the floor and rummage through whenever I need a color fix.
As I look out the window at the bare trees and brown earth I realize I miss the green. Which is why I’m looking for the perfect shade of green to paint my kitchen. Do you know how many shades of green there are? Avocado green, stem green, Granny Smith apple green, olive green, split pea green, oregano green, moss green, chic lime, pear green. . . so many colors, so little time!
Denise
Words of the week:
Chromophilia: n. one that loves color
Chromophobic: n. one that fears color
Quote of the week:
“In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette,
which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.”
-Marc Chagall
Question of the week:
If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The calendar hanging on my refrigerator says March 6th is Dentist's Day.
I wonder what it would be like if Willow visited the dentist?
I think Willow would take her favorite stuffed animal along.
And Willow would have a thousand million questions.
She'd ask, "Are you done?" before the dentist had even begun.
She'd want to know, "Have you met the Tooth Fairy?"
"Can you tell what I ate for lunch?"
"Aren't you glad you don't have to work on a crocodile's teeth?"
The dentist would say, "Please keep your mouth open wide, Willow."
So Willow would. But the questions would keep coming. They would sound something like this:
"Whaaa...DaaarrAaaaAaahhllloooffffblaaall..."
Smile big! Show those teeth!
~Rosemarie
P.S. A few years ago I had a dentist named Dr. Butts.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hi! I just got back from a brisk walk and the sky is a combination of Maya and Azure blue. I’m wondering what color the sky is where you are?
Denise
P.S. I just heard something that I found interesting and wanted to share with you. . .
Doodling is commonly thought of as a distraction but recent studies show that doodlers, like Willow, remember 30% more than non-doodlers!
Word of the week:
Doodle: verb (dood-l) to draw or scribble idly
Quote of the week:
“Families are like fudge, mostly sweet, with a few nuts.”
-Anonymous
Question of the week:
Why are they called “stands” if they are made for sitting?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hi kids!
Did you know March is National Reading Month and today is Dr. Seuss's birthday? He'd be 105-years-old. (WOW, that's a lot of candles!) Willow might celebrate by eating green eggs and ham, painting pictures of cats and hats, and reading a Dr. Seuss book this week! As Dr. Seuss said,
The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
Be happy. Be good. And remember, don't be a GRINCH!
~Rosemarie
Monday, February 23, 2009
I wish I could give you a list of good excuses to explain my absence from this blog but I’m fresh out. Do you have any I could borrow? What’s the best excuse you’ve ever used to get out of doing something?
Please respond. No excuses!
Denise
(A.K.A. the sister who had to go to the “bathroom” during after dinner clean-up. See Nov. 28th post.)
P.S. Is anyone interested in having a quote, word and/or question of the week? It could be fun, especially if you participate.
Quote of the Week
“Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookies of life.”
~ Unknown
Word of the Week
Risorial (rye-sor’ee-al) adj. pertaining to laughter; causing laughter
Question of the Week
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
When I was little I drew almost every day—just like Willow!
I loved to draw my pets, and I had a LOT of pets. I had cats and dogs, but I also had 3 raccoons and 72 goats! Around Christmas, I drew Santa pictures and reindeer.
Here is a snowy picture of Rudolph that I drew when I was only about 7 years old:
If you want to grow up to be an artist, practice! Draw your pets. Draw GIANT snowflakes! Draw your baby brother. Draw monsters and inventions and trains or even beautiful trees like Willow. Notice the art in children's books and comic books. You can even copy the pictures that you like! When I was young, I tried to copy the comic strips from the newspaper. (Beetle Bailey and Snuffy Smith) You can learn to draw better by looking at the work of other artists. One day, you'll develop your own special style. Maybe you'll even illustrate your own book! It's a fun job!
This is another snowy picture—after a lot more practice!
So, if the weather is cold and frightful at YOUR house these days, grab a big piece of paper and draw the snowiest picture you can imagine. You'll feel all warm and happy when you're done!
~ Cyd
Friday, December 26, 2008
Toothbrush. Pajamas. Camera. Sunglasses.
I'm packing for a trip to California. It'll be nice to see oranges on the lawn instead of snow.
I like flying, do you? I like riding the moving sidwalks at airports, browsing in the bookstore while I wait for my connecting flight, being pressed against the seatback when the plane takes off, feeling the bump-bump of landing. And when I finally arrive at the Sacramento Airport, I like seeing Uncle Don's smiling face waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator. I like that most of all.
What do you think Willow would like about flying?
I think she'd like the tray that folds down from the back of the airplane seat in front of hers. That tray would come in handy when she digs paper and colored pencils from her backpack and wants to draw a picture of rivers, mountains, and flea-size people from a bird's-eye view. Can't you just see Willow with her nose pressed against the inside of the plane's small window? I can. I imagine her lowering and raising the window shade a dozen times, giggling at the turbulence, and, eventually, dozing off with her head on her mom's shoulder. Z-z-z-z-z-z-z. . . Adventure can be tiring!
Writer's notebook. Favorite pen. I won't forget to pack those.
~Rosemarie
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Do you ever feel invisible?
I do. I feel invisible when I walk alone in the dark. Especially when I'm wearing my brown puffy jacket zipped up to my chin and my black hat pulled down to my eyebrows.
I take advantage of my invisibility in the darkness. I skip. I stretch out my arms like a human bird preparing for take-off. I sing.
SING?! Yes. I forget that people can still hear me in the dark. One night I was walking on a deserted street, singing aloud. I wasn't singing softly. And I wasn't singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or "Frosty the Snowman." I was singing an old David Cassidy song called "I Think I Love You."
Just then, a man appeared ahead of me on the sidewalk. Oops! I hadn't meant for anyone to catch me singing. I was embarrassed. . .for a minute. Then I skipped on my merry way.
Tell about a time you felt invisible, or wished you were.
Have a very MERRY day.
~Rosemarie
Monday, December 22, 2008
If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times, “Get the dictionary!”
Growing up, we were encouraged to look words up in the dictionary if we were unsure of their spelling or meaning.
I was thinking about gifts and presents recently; making my list of what to buy for my family and friends, and even what I wanted. I started to wonder, “What is a gift?” Guess what? I grabbed the dictionary and this is what I found:
Gift: To endow with some power, quality, or attribute.
Willow gives Ms. Hawthorn a gift from her heart. What kinds of gifts are you giving this holiday season? What power, quality or attribute will your gift bring out in the person who receives the gift?
Speaking of gifts, something to ponder…
"Yesterday is the past. Tomorrow is the future. But today is a gift. That is why it’s called The Present."
Live in the moment! Enjoy today!
Denise
Thursday, December 11, 2008
When I was little, I had curly hair, kind of like Willow's, only mine wasn't as colorful as hers!
Willow Roni
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I saw something interesting while I was out walking last night. I saw the word HOPE printed on a large piece of paper in 12-inch tall letters of different colors. The paper was taped to the front window of a house, for all who passed by to see. Why do you suppose it was there?
I have hoped for many things in my life. When I was little, I hoped I could skip naps and stay up late. (Now that I'm a grown-up, I hope for naps and early bedtimes.) I hoped for an A+ on school papers, and for snowy days so school would be called off. I hoped people would like me. I hoped raccoons wouldn't eat the corn growing in my garden. I hoped Sleeping Bear Press would turn WILLOW into a book. And when they did, I hoped people would like it.
Right now, I'm hoping there are mini-marshmallows in the cupboard so I can put some on the hot cocoa I'm about to make. And I'm hoping some of you will write me back!
What are you hoping for?
"Hope is a thing with feathers," wrote poet Emily Dickinson. If you were to make a drawing of HOPE, what would it look like?
~Rosemarie
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ever since Cyd wrote about loving snow, it's been snowing like crazy here in Michigan. She must have a Weather Genie who grants her weather wishes. (I'm hoping Cyd asks for a sunny, 70 degree day soon.)
I'd like it to be warmer, but the snow IS beautiful. I went for a long walk after dark and I didn't even need a flashlight the snow was so bright. The stars were bright, too. Cassiopeia, the constellation shaped like a W, twinkled overhead. Willow must enjoy having a constellation that looks like the first letter of her name. Next time you're out on a clear night, see if you can find it.
~Roni
Friday, November 28, 2008
A few days ago, I ate dinner with my dad at his home. He'd cooked applesauce (no, the apples he used weren't blue) and two kinds of gourmet macaroni and cheese, all from scratch. Yum! Afterward, I scrubbed the dirty pots and pans that were stacked to the ceiling on the kitchen counter. They were piled so high, I just about needed to climb a ladder to reach the top pot!
When I was a child, there were ten of us in our family (Mom, Dad, and eight kids) and cleaning the kitchen after dinner was a HUGE chore. We were supposed to take turns, but that rarely worked out. One of my sisters tried to avoid her turn by disappearing into the bathroom at clean-up time. Another sister hid the dirty roasting pan in the oven so she didn't have to wash it.
But when my Uncle Tommy came for a visit, he somehow made cleaning the kitchen fun. He can turn anything into a game! That's just one of the many ways he is creative.
If you have to do something you don't want to do, are you creative enough to turn it into a game and make it more fun?
~Roni Baloney who loves macaroni
Monday, November 24, 2008
When I was a kid, one of my favorite games was "Catch the Toe." Don't look for it at the store, next to Monopoly or Scrabble; it's a game we invented.
"Catch the Toe" went like this: After our father came home from work, ate dinner, and changed out of his suit, he'd get on his hands and knees in the middle of the living room floor. My sisters, brother, and I stationed ourselves on the sofas and chairs around the room. The furniture was "safe." If you ventured off the furniture, Dad got a hold of you. He'd yank off your sock, sprinkle make-believe salt and pepper and ketchup on your big toe, and make growling noises as he pretended to gobble it. His "captive" tried to wriggle out of his grasp, laughing breathlessly.
"Catch the Toe" was one of our favorite things to do. And it didn't cost a penny.
Tag, you're it! What games have YOU invented?
~Roni
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
If you think Cyd's snowlady is cool, you should see her pumpkin creation. I know Halloween is past, but maybe she'll post the photo of it if we ask nicely -- pretty please with sugar on top?
Looking at Cyd's imaginative yard creations gives me the same bubbly feeling I get when I read certain bits of writing or hear certain music. Maybe that bubbly feeling is my own creative cells waking up.
Creativity is contagious, after all. Like a cold virus, only in a good way. (Now I can't help trying to imagine what Cyd would make out of boxes of tissue and cough drops...)
Today, spread creativity instead of germs!
~Roni
Friday, November 14, 2008
One of my favorite things about living in Michigan is SNOW! In south Georgia where I grew up, it never snowed. This time of year, people get all giggly when the first flakes fall—it's magical and sparkly and beautiful.
Sometimes, artists include things from their personal life in the books they illustrate. That's exactly what happened with Willow. She builds snow-ladies just like I do. Check out this one!
Did your brother eat the last carrot? No problem!
Be creative with what you have. (I have a LOT of pencils!)
Roni had a great idea for building a tiny snowmouse—I can't wait until the first snow! Let Willow know what YOU build!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Brrrrrrr! It's snowing here in Brighton, Michigan. Not hard enough for school to be cancelled or for Willow to be able to build a snowlady, but enough to make a snowmouse or two. And maybe a snowcat. Those snow creatures would need whiskers, of course. I think pine needles or uncooked spaghetti would do the trick. But what about the noses? A carrot wouldn't work for a snowmouse or snowcat. What would? If you have any ideas, please send them to Willow.
Stay warm!
~Rosemarie (also known as Roni)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
This morning, while I was waiting for the water in my tea kettle to heat up, I turned on some music. And then I danced to it. Not a slow, graceful, dignified dance. No, I didn't glide around the living room doing the waltz or the fox trot. I danced wild and free, like Willow would (except that after three minutes I was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf trying to blow down all three Little Pigs' houses at once). I danced like no one was watching. It was easy, because no one was.
When my daughter was three, four, five-years-old, she often dug out from our dress-up trunk the turquoise tutu handed down by her Aunt Ellen. She'd slip it over her clothes, then twirl around the house and yard, never giving a thought to who might be watching or whether she looked silly.
No one has to tell young children to dance like no one is watching. Oh, to be that unselfconscious again!
~Roni
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Can you make a mistake in art? I say, "No!" Well, maybe if you were to paint an octopus with 10 legs instead of 8—that might be a problem! But most of the time, mistakes don't have to end with a crumpled ball in the trash! When I'm painting, sometimes the watercolor dribbles or my hand smudges a wet blob. It's OK. I use these "mistakes" to make the art more fun. A smear might become a worm on a leaf. A smudge can be a puff of smoke coming out of a dragon's mouth.
The most fun art that you make is when you are in a playful mood—not worrying about whether you are doing something right or wrong. So just play. Smudge. Dribble. Splatter. Tilt the page sideways and let the wet paint run a little. Wait a few minutes for the paint to dry, and then look at those happy "accidents." With a little imagination, what could they become?
Maybe a squiggly dinosaur?
An elf?
A funny bird?
Or even a scary troll?
What smudgy creatures can you create? Send them to Willow!
Willow@willowlovesart.com Happy doodling!
Cyd
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Do you love words? I do. And with over 500,000 words in the English language, there are a lot to love.
Here are a few words I like for one reason or another:
merry-go-sorry
peccadillo
cowcat
tohubohu
boinging (As in "I saw a rabbit boinging through snowdrifts.")
mudluscious (A word invented by poet e.e. cummings.)
skootch (As in "Skootch on over closer to me.")
flummoxed
bathrobe (Because I long for lazy days to lounge around in mine.)
My list could go on and on and on...
What words catch your fancy? What words or phrases do you imagine might catch Willow's fancy?
One word I don't like is goodbye, so, until next time...
~Roni
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Sleeping Bear Press, authors Denise (left) and Roni share
Willow with students at Hutchings Elementary School. (Cyd Moore, Denise and Roni visit schools across the country!)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Unlike Miss Hawthorn, I have been a doodler since I was a little girl. But you know what? I've been doodling the same things for 40 years: hearts or a tangle of arrows that touch each other and go every which way (they look a bit like Medusa's hair). Once in a while I doodle flowers.
Maybe I should break out of my doodling rut and try doodling something new?
I bet Cyd Moore's doodles are cool. (Cyd is the illustrator of WILLOW.)
Do you doodle? Is it always the same thing?
~Roni (also known as "Rosemarie")
Friday, October 17, 2008
Today I asked my creative writing students to make a list of things that bring them joy.
My own Joy List is long enough to stretch from here (Michigan) to California. Here's a peek at a portion of it:
Letters from and to my Uncle Don
Blackberries - fresh, fat ones
Candlelight
Naps
Bike rides (downhill)
Books, books, books
My friend Maryanne (she is SO funny!)
Rocking chairs
Yoga
Pepper and salt
And nutmeg. I love freshly grated nutmeg!
What brings you joy?
Rosemarie
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Have you been able to go "leaf peeping" this autumn? (That's the term used to describe people who travel to see autumn's colors.)
I went to northern Michigan this past weekend and was awestruck by the autumn landscape. Willow would be proud of Mother Nature's dazzling show of colors! I would love to get a hold of her paint palette!
The maple trees in particular were breathtaking! We tried to come up with a name to describe them. Red? Scarlet? Fuchsia? Violet? Nothing captured their unique brilliance. So...we made one up: Rarschlet. What do you think?
Just imagine,
Denise
It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.
~Pablo Picasso
Monday, October 13, 2008
Outside my front door is a maple tree, whose leaves have recently turned from green to yellow. I've been studying them, trying to figure out if their yellow is the yellow of lemons or bananas, ducklings, school buses, sunflowers, canaries, or egg yolks. None of those yellows seems quite right.
If you have a maple tree near you, look at its leaves and tell me which yellow best describes them.
~Rosemarie
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I've been so-o-o-o busy that I haven't had time to daydream or imagine or wonder. Isn't that sad?!
Well, today I'm making up for lost time. I'm wondering if Miss Hawthorn will dress up for Halloween, and what costume Willow might wear. I'm wondering about the faces they would carve into pumpkins. I'm wondering what art projects they might do with pumpkin seeds and fallen leaves. I'm wondering if Miss Hawthorn or Willow has ever read "Hist Whist," a Halloween poem by e.e. cummings.
I'm wondering what you wonder about?
~Rosemarie
Monday, October 6, 2008
In an early draft of WILLOW, when the school custodian looks in Miss Hawthorn's art room during the snowstorm, he sees Miss Hawthorn painting with brushes between her toes. (What a mess, right?! If you ever try painting with your toes, do it outside on a warm day, when you can rinse off with a hose.) Well, we ended up taking out that part of the story because we thought it made Miss Hawthorn seem a bit crazy.
What do YOU think?
~Rosemarie
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Earlier today, Amy and her five-year-old son wrote and asked if Miss Hawthorn is mean. It's a great question. I've been thinking about it all night!
Throughout most of the book, Miss Hawthorn certainly looks and acts cranky. But, no, she isn't a mean person, she's just sad and lonely. Miss Hawthorn doesn't have enough love in her life.
The important thing is that Willow doesn't react to grumpy Miss Hawthorn by being grumpy back.
Willow reminds us to be kind to people. We really don't know how much they might need it.
~Rosemarie
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I have a copy of WILLOW open on my lap because I wanted to look at Cyd Moore's illustrations again. Every time I look at the pictures Cyd painted, I see something new. Do you?
Today I noticed the "LEAVES in my yard" poster a student is carrying on page 11 of the story. It's on the page with Miss Hawthorn standing in the school hallway holding the blue apple. On that same page, the circles on Willow's shirt look like blue apples, don't you think?
Hmmmm, blue apples... I wonder what blue apple cider would taste like?
~Rosemarie
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I just wanted to tell you how beautiful this book is. I received a copy as a press release from Sleeping Bear Press and had tears in my eyes as I finished the story. I honestly think this is one of the best children's books I have ever read. I donated the book to LACASA, but I plan on adding it to my personal library some day.
Thank you both!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hi! I'm Denise, the other author of Willow.
Have you ever seen a willow tree or a hawthorn tree? Willows have graceful, flexible branches and legend has it they are magical. Hawthorns have thorns.
Do you notice any similarities between our characters, Willow and Miss Hawthorn, and the trees they were named after?
If YOU were a tree, what kind would you be?
Denise
"We don't stop playing because we grow old,
we grow old because we stop playing."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
"Ahoy!" That's how Willow would greet Miss Hawthorn and her classmates tomorrow, because it's Talk Like a Pirate Day.
I'll be spending the day with my sister Denise tomorrow. Do you think she'll mind if I say "Arrr" and "Shiver me timbers" every chance I get?
Here's a pirate joke for you:
What is a pirate's favorite letter of the alphabet?
Answer: R
I'm off to find me a treasure map and a spyglass. Maybe I'll make the spyglass from a rolled up piece of paper, like the one Willow is looking out of on page two of the book.
Later mateys!
~Rosemarie
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hi! My name is Rosemarie Brennan and I am one of the authors of Willow. My nickname is Roni (like the last half of the word macaroni).
When my sister Denise and I wrote Willow, we didn't give Willow a last name, or Miss Hawthorn a first name. Do YOU have any creative ideas? We would love to hear them!
I'll be back later in the week. Until then...
Roni
Monday, September 15, 2008
The 2008 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) have just been announced. Willow is receiving an Honors Award!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The staff of Sleeping Bear Press, the authors and illustrator of
Willow welcome you to this new site! We hope you will enjoy drawing and painting, visiting the links we have provided and creating fun art projects with your family and friends!
Please be sure to email
Willow@willowlovesart.com with some of your favorite art projects and family activities that celebrate creativity. Parents and teachers, let us know what you do with your children to encourage their original ideas.
Live artfully!
