Children's Book Events in and Around Rhode Island and Southern New England thisFall 2012

There are several wonderful events happening in or near Rhode Island this fall that are geared towards those who love children's books, including teachers, parents, families, librarians, authors and illustrators, and young readers themselves.

Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors, Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Lincoln School is having it's (mostly) annual Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

This is an amazing celebration of children's books. It's perfect for kids. You will find music and activities, books to buy and authors and illustrators available to sign them. (It's a great place for families to get signed copies of books for holiday presents for kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews)
All of this costs $5.00! What a bargain!

World-famous authors and illustrators also give presentations, which run all day. It's always fascinating stuff. Speakers this year range from prolific illustrator Lynn Munsinger (Tacky the Penguin) to award-winning author Pam Munoz Ryan (Esperanza Rising)  to Newberry medalist young adult author Gary Schmidt. And don't forget, Polar Express author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, whose art graces the poster, will also be there. And MANY more!

For directions and a schedule of events, click here.

• Connecticut Children's Book Fair November 10-11, 2012 

I've never attended, but the Connecticut Children's Book Fair is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 10-11, 2012, 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. It looks amazing, too!
 Click here for more information.

• Children's Illustration Exhibit, November 11th, 2012 

The 23rd Annual Children's Illustration Exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, November 11th, 2012 from 4-6pm at R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. Mo Willems is the featured illustrator this year, with lots of other favorites. Click here for more info.

Last years participants.

The Joys of Summer in RI

An amusing tree, seen in the park near RISD

I've been absent from the internet for the much of the summer because I've been busy. I just finished  teaching Children's Book Illustration for Summer Studies at RISD. What a great group of students! We spent 2 full days in class each week for 6 weeks developing the many skills needed to illustrate children's books.
I couldn't have asked for a better group... hard-working and talented. Here they are.

RISD Summer Studies Children's Book Illustration students

Students do a light study from a model.

We had child models, worked in multiple media, had Judith Moffatt as a guest lecturer, and more. We even had a video crew come interview us. If this Youtube video works, it's about the company that does the videos (Animal), and has a few seconds of clips from our class.

A fun and productive work day in the studio of artist and friend, Judith Moffatt

On the home front, I've been busy working on a picture book dummy, and getting lots of feedback from my writer's group , artist's group, friends and family before sending it off to my rep. She'll be shopping it in New York next week. (fingers crossed)

A fringe benefit of my writing group... blueberries picked fresh from Linda Crotta Brennan's garden.

 Hubby and I have taken many late afternoon summer jaunts to various RI spots. What a great state little Rhody is. From woods and lakes, to rocky beaches, to wetland coves, there is endless beauty in this remarkable state.

down Hopkinton way

a cove south of Pawtuxet Village on a cloudy day... Queen Anne's lace (ammi majus) in it's glory

Point Judith lighthouse. Always a treat.

Oh... and we're getting our house painted. So, there's the summer (so far) wrap-up.

Garden Obsession

I've had a garden in my postage stamp yard for years, but for some reason, it's gone wild this year. I can't say how much pleasure I've gotten from walking around the "back 40," deadheading and taking pix and smelling the flowers. Here are a few pix on this rainy Wednesday.

Stella d'oro (reblooming daylily)

Sedum sieboldii (stonecrop)

Stella d'oro and astilbe.

Feverfew, foxglove, Campanula poscharskyana

Ahhhhhhhh.

Here are a few from a sunny day last week.

Blue-star creeper, Isotoma fluviatillis (love this stuff!)

clematis and golden shower roses

garden going wild!

Traveling through History

Since I do a lot of historic and multicultural illustration, I like to get a little taste of history now and then. So, I jumped at the chance to spend the day with a friend and tour Great Road in northern Rhode Island,  touted as America's first "Super Highway."

The tour, organized by Tour Rhode Island ,  ran like clockwork, and the guides were top-notch.  We saw the Eleazer Arnold House, a "stone ender" built in 1693, the oldest home in Lincoln, RI.

The stone of the "stone-ender" has been covered with a lime slurry, true to the time period.

The caretakers have taken this house back to it's original form, leaded windows and all.

Hearthside House was a special  treat, with costumed docents in every room to tell us the sad and romantic story behind this 1810 fieldstone home.

Our docent, Estelle, jumped at the chance to portray the African-American woman who worked for the Talbot's, and lived with her husband on the third floor. We heard that cooks gauged the temperature by how long they could stand to hold their arm above a fire.

Later residents of Hearthside had an African-American couple who worked for them and lived in the house.

Looms original to the house have just been brought back from a museum in Lowell.

Thirteen children are currently training to be docents at Hearthside.

The fellow in the foreground did a great job.

 

 The clothes were amazing. This little boys outfit was from the time period when the middle class began to emerge. Children went from being dressed as little adults, to little sailors. Everything, of course, is hand stitched.

A boy's jacket.

This one made me drool.

A close-up showing hand-embroidery, including straw and horsehair.

 We also saw a working blacksmith shop (Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, built in 1880), with a woman working the bellows, the Saylesville Friends Meeting House, in continuous use since 1704, and a museum about the Blackstone Canal housed in the Captain Wilbur Kelly House.

Captain Kelly was a sea captain on a ship with a name familiar to Rhode Islanders, the Ann & Hope. Mill owners invested in a canal that was built from Providence to Wooster. It ran from 1828 until 1848, when the new transportation craze, the train, put it out of business.

The Valentine Whitman house, and more incredible clothes.

The attic of the V-W house, built in 1694, and also a "stone-ender."

Thanks to my friend, Helen, for a great Cinco de Mayo!!!

Illustration Friday # 20: RETURN (of spring)

We New Englander's long for the RETURN of spring, even when the winter is mild, as it was this year. So for this week's Illustration Friday prompt word, RETURN, I reveled in the RETURN of spring.

 I've worked in the garden several times this week, enjoying the seasonably cool weather, and marveling at how everything is several weeks ahead of the normal schedule for bloom-time!

For this illustration, I used a friend's daughter as a model, and had spring on my mind.

Here are a few photos of my spring garden from other years. The tulips haven't quite popped yet this year.

Illustration Friday # 19: SWAMP

© Cheryl Kirk Noll,  Harriet Tubman escapes slavery

I've been SWAMPed this week with a wonderful weekend conference, a niece getting married, and family visiting from the other coast. So here is an older piece, done for a set of story cards for Graphic Learning, a Divison of Abrams & Co.,  many years ago, illustrating Harriet Tubman escaping from slavery through a SWAMP in Maryland.

Whispering Pines Retreat

Whispering Pines conference center

I'm home from my second Whispering Pines event, a small and intimate writing retreat held at URI's Alton Jones campus conference center. The retreat is sponsored by SCBWI. With rambling paths and footbridges leading to rustic cabins tucked into piney woods by a lake, the setting could hardly be better.

URI's Alton Jones campus in West Greenwich, RI

The mentors included illustrator Suzanne Bloom, agent Andrea Cascardi, author Jo Knowles,  Delacorte editor Michelle Poploff, author and school-visit guru, Alexis O'Neill, and multi-talented Charlesbridge editor, Yolanda Scott. The mentors did individual critiques, gave presentations, ate meals with the participants, and critiqued anonymous first-page submissions in front of a big stone fireplace each evening.

Of course, I sketched while I took notes, as I do at all meetings. It's my way of paying attention.
(My apologies to the "sketchees" for all poor and less-than-flattering likenesses.)

Sketch by Cheryl Kirk Noll

Here's what the folks really look like.

Mentors Alexis, Michelle, Andrea(hidden), Yolanda, Jo and Suzanne

For more information about the individual presentations, you can check out author Jo Knowles' journal post. By the way, Jo's presentation was my favorite... so insightful and thought-provoking. That said, I enjoyed and learned something from each and every presenter.

It was a especially great to have Suzanne Bloom as a mentor. I've known her for years, thanks to the good folks at Highlights for Children, and it was a treat to spend time with her.

Suzanne did this pastel painting during the conference, and generously offered to donate it for fundraiser auction.

Just a few of Suzanne's books.

As if all of this wasn't enough, the participants make this retreat feel warm, caring and nurturing. About half of them are published (the rest pre-published!), and a handful of illustrators (and author/illustrators) attend.

Author-illustrators Barbara Johansen Newman and Carlyn Beccia, author Julia Boyce, and author-illustrator Liz Goulet Dubois.

Lynda Mullaly Hunt leads the events with games and giveaways. Not only did I win a signed copy of a book by participant Anika Denise, illustrated by her husband Christopher, but I also won a can of octopus!!!

After getting quite a laugh, I was informed that the octopus was accompanied by a 10 page critique by agent Andrea Cascardi. Now, that was quite a thrill.

Lynda was celebrating her debut middle-grade novel, One for the Murphy's, which is coming out this spring. 

 To add frosting to the cake, a fellow instructor and two students from the RISD-CE Children's Book Illustration certificate program attended. 

Brook Gideon, Cheryl Kirk Noll, instructor Marlo Garnsworthy, and Sue Fraser-Perotta.

To the mentors, to the warm and wonderful participants, to Lynda and Mary Pierce and all the folks who organize the event, to the cooks and staff at Alton Jones, to those who contribute baskets and books for the auction and give-aways, I offer a hearty word of thanks and appreciation. 

Jo Knowles worded it perfectly in her journal when she said, "I have never come across a group that was more consistently caring, supportive, friendly and, well, LOVING." 

Thanks and hugs to everyone.