NEWS 5/2008- Lady Liberty: A Biography got a starred review in School Library Journal! 4/2008- Lady Liberty: A Biography got a starred review in Kirkus Reviews! 4/2008- I'd like to help spread the word about  Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick, September, 2008), a 256-page collection of writings and artwork offering a look at American history through the prism of the White House. I am honored to have contributed an illustration to the book, alongside work by 107 acclaimed writers and artists, including David Macaulay, Brian Selznick, Chris Raschka,  Kate DiCamillo, M.T. Anderson, Jane Yolen, John Scieszka, and Leonard Marcus. 4/2008- Lady Liberty: A Biography got a starred review in Booklist! 3/2008- If you're in the Boston area, and you'd like to get a sneak peek at my next book, Lady Liberty: A Biography, please come to the Concord Free Library on Saturday, March 8 at 2:00.  There will be a few advance copies on hand, and I'll be doing a slide presentatiaon about the process I went through while working on this book. 1/2008- If you're in the New York City area, I'll be signing books at Books of Wonder on Thursday,  January 31, 5:00-7:00pm, with Kadir Nelson. 11/2007- Robert's Snow: For Cancer's Cure: Here's a great opportunity to buy a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift, and help an important cause at the same time. Exclusive original pieces of art- wooden snowflakes decorated by 200 children's book illustrators- are being auctioned off to raise money for cancer research. Bidding on my snowflake ends November 30, but several snowflakes will be available until December 7. I saw all the snowflakes in person, and they're amazing! 11/2007-  IRON HANS: A GRIMMS' FAIRY TALE won a Parents' Choice Award! 9/2007- IRON HANS: A GRIMMS' FAIRY TALE is now available in stores! 9/2007- Here's a nice review of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK from a newspaper in South Africa. 8/2007- Thanks to the Boston Public Library and their excellent "Read Your Way to Fenway" program, I'll be signing books before the game at Fenway Park on Sunday, August 19, underneath the right field grandstand! Visit my events page to see where else I'll be. 6/2007- I started a new illustration yesterday for LADY LIBERTY: A BIOGRAPHY, written by Doreen Rappaport.  I'll be tracking its progress on my blog. If you're interested in seeing how I make my illustrations, check it out.  And if you have any questions or comments, let me know. 1/2007- 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS made the BookSense NEIBA (New England Independent Booksellers Association) Bestseller List! It was listed at #11 in the Children's Fiction/Illustrated category for the week ending December 28, 2006, trailing only 4 picture books- The Polar Express, Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, and Pirateology! 1/2007- Check out my new blog! I'm new to the world of blogging, so I'm not making any promises... but if you're interested in seeing sketches, works-in-progress, and other behind-the-scenes picture book stuff, you just might like it 12/2006- 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS featured on the Parents' Choice Foundation's Holiday Gift Guide! 12/2006- Two nice new reviews for 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Wall Street Journal! 12/ 2006- JACK AND THE BEANSTALK won a Parents' Choice Gold Award! 12/2006- Check out Deirdre Baker's excellent review of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK in the Toronto Star. She calls the book "glorious", and calls my Giant "squalidly repulzive." That's good, right?... 12/2006- a nice review of both 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and JACK AND THE BEANSTALK in The Bangor Daily News 10/2006- JACK AND THE BEANSTALK featured on 612 ABC Radio in Brisbane, Australia! 10/2006- JACK AND THE BEANSTALK got a starred review in School Library Journal! 10/2006- JACK AND THE BEANSTALK was selected for the New York Public Library's 2006 "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing" list! 10/2006- Original artwork from JACK AND THE BEANSTALK will be exhibited at the New York Public Library Central Children's Room, November 13, 2006- January 5, 2007. 10/2006- Original artwork from JACK AND THE BEANSTALK is being exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration at The Society of Illustrators in New York City, as part of "The Original Art: Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustrations". The juried exhibit will feature original artwork from over 150 children's books, and will be on display October 26-November 22. 10/2006- Maurice Saxby, Australia's leading critical commentator of Children's Literature, wrote this wonderful review of JACK in Magpies Magazine. 9/2006- JACK AND THE BEANSTALK is now available! 4/2006- MUDBALL is one of ten nominees for the Vermont state children's book award, the Red Clover Award! 4/2006- MUDBALL is one of eight nominees for the 2007 Nevada Young Readers Award! 1/2006- The St. Louis Post-Dispatch named MUDBALL one of the 6 best picture books of 2005! 11/2005- Original artwork from MUDBALL is being exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration at The Society of Illustrators in New York City, as part of "The Original Art: Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustrations". The juried exhibit will feature original artwork from over 150 children's books, and will be on display November 2-November 23.  50 illustrations were selected (including the MUDBALL one) for a traveling exhibit that will be shown at the Rochester Institute of Technology after the conclusion of the NYC exhibit. For more information on "The Original Art": http://www.societyillustrators.org/index.html 11/2005- Also, original artwork from 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS will be exhibited at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA. The exhibit, called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" will feature many different illustrators' interpretations of the poem, bringing together paintings, prints, drawings and other imagery from the 1800s to the modern day. Included are works by Thomas Nast, Everett Shinn, N.C. Wyeth, Jessie Willcox Smith, and many others, past and present. The exhibit will run from November 25 through January 8. For more information: http://www.brandywinemuseum.org -Robert's Snow 2005: Exclusive original pieces of art- wooden snowflakes decorated by 200 children's book illustrators- will be auctioned through eBay this fall in Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure. Last year they raised over $100,000 for cancer research! Click here to view my snowflake.

-A collector's edition of  ZACHARY'S BALL, signed by 19 members of the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, was auctioned on eBay to benefit First Book,  a great organization that provides books for low income families. The auction raised $1,950 to provide books to Boston-area children in need. Here is a picture of the signed page: