Random Acts of Publicity 2010 – We Eat Food That’s Fresh and We Love the Company

The SCBWI illustrators’ schmooze I belong to is full of talented artists! Two of them, Cathy June and Irina Mirskaya, have both illustrated books with multi-talented singer, songwriter and recording artist (and children’s book author!) Angela Russ-Ayon.

Cathy June illustrated the award-winning We Eat Food That’s Fresh. Her lively, bright pastels illustrate children picking fresh fruits and veggies and preparing food. The book is an entertaining introduction to good nutrition for young readers.








Irina Mirskaya has used jewel-toned colors in a batik technique (using an outlining resist) to illustrate We Love the Company, which makes table manners appealing to small children! She has also included border art incorporating images of healthy food.

Both books, which include companion CDs, combine fun with education…..and art!

Random Acts of Publicity 2010 – Gretchen Woelfle’s Katje the Windmill Cat

It’s Day 2 of Darcy Pattison's Random Acts of Publicity.  It's Cats on Wednesday, too, so I have chosen to promote/review a lovely book featuring a brave cat as the heroine.

I met Gretchen Woelfle a few months ago at an author/teacher event and fell in love with her book Katje the Windmill Cat. It didn’t hurt that the illustrator, Nicola Bayley, is a long-time favorite of mine.



The story is based on a true tale of a 15th century flood which Woelfle first heard about while travelling in Holland. Originally appearing in a different format in Spider magazine, it involves a heroic cat, a miller and his wife and baby. Woelfle has filled in the unknown details with a delightful plot. And she and illustrator Bayley have captured the essence of the feline personality.

After being the only companion of a miller, Katje is repeatedly shooed aside by the miller’s new wife. To keep her cat dignity intact, Katje moves from the house to the miller’s windmill, but continues to secretly return and play with the family’s new baby. When the dike near their home bursts and the baby is swept away in the ensuing flood, Katje shows heroism and the ending is satisfying and enjoyable.



According to Woelfle’s web site, she has three cats – one of which looks a lot like Katje. English illustrator Bayley, as evidenced by all the gorgeous cat books she has illustrated, is a cat owner as well. Her watercolor pencil illustrations are detailed and exquisite. The added decorations of small delft tiles, in their traditional blue and white, feature mini-details pulled from the story – the baby, the cradle, mice, etc. Children love such small elements, which catch the eye and continue to entertain with each reading. Katje, the Windmill Cat, first published in 2001, is a continuing delight.

Random Acts of Publicity 2010 - Candace Ryan's Animal House

Last year Darcy Pattison declared the week after Labor Day to be Random Acts of Publicity Week, and this year she’s brought it back. I think it’s a great idea! It’s a week to give support to friends and their books, which helps them and makes you feel good, and what can be better than that!

I ordered my friend Candace Ryan’s new book (and she ordered mine) while we were visiting the small but delightful Portrait of a Bookstore a few days ago, and today I want to give a shout out to her wild and imaginative first picture book, Animal House, illustrated by Nathan Hale.

Candace has confessed that she “tinkers with words” and I think that is certainly true in the best possible way. Animal House is a clever, rambunctious story and the fun wordplay coupled with the book’s bold, bright illustrations is a winning combination. Hurray for Jeremy, who has to convince his teacher, Mrs. Nuddles, that he lives in a very unique house that consists of very live animals such as condoors, floormingos and the rather dangerous vulchair!

And another hurray for Candace, whose second book Ribbit Rabbit (with illustrations by Mike Lowery) is to be released in February 2011 – and she has now sold a third!


Candace is an up-and-coming star, and one to watch!