and another chicken!

Because drawing these is making my brain really, really happy.

ahhhh, chickens

I needed to take a short break from the books that I’m  illustrating. And inspired by seeing some illustrations by of one of my favorite artists, Garth Williams, at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum thought it would be fun to practice my penwork.  Until seeing his beautiful sketches and inks of Fern and Wilbur up close, I hadn’t realized what a big influence his work has been on mine. And I so loved seeing his different versions of the Charlotte’s Web cover art. I’d love to see a book of his collected work and sketches. I would eat it up.

Waking up to good reviews…

is always a nice way to start the day!
From
Nerdy With Children:
Happy Punks 1 2 3: A Counting Story

Who says that punks have to be human? Beats me. In the world of New Flip City, home to the care-free, talented, fun-loving, and creatively exciting group of punks known as the Happy Punks, they redefine this oh-so-conventional rule.

Spending their nights and days attending shows and making a ruckus, the Happy Punks are always partying hardy with a group of their best friends who just so happen to be snowmen, zombies, robots, animals, and so many other types who comprise the majority of residents who live in New Flip City. And since they all love to dance and make merry through the eclectic rage and beat-rific peppiness of punk rock, slam dancing is always in abundance.

From authors Jana Christy and John Seven comes Happy Punk 1 2 3: A Counting Story that tells the tales of these 12 awesome punks as they punk it up with other ilk-minded rebels, explore the confines and weird alleyways of their city, meet new friends, and mosh the night away as they teach toddlers how to count to 12 in the most punk rock ways possible.

As an alternative to boring, mainstream counting books, Happy Punks is a brand-new revised take on an old-school lesson that every child eventually has to learn. And as a parent who loves punk as much as any other hardcore enthusiast of this genre, sitting down with your kids to count to 12 in the same way that The Ramones would count to four is an imaginative teaching technique that will teach kids the importance of learning stuff. “To call Happy Punks 1 2 3 ‘adorable’ would be an understatement. It tells us ‘Welcome to Planet Earth!’ and ‘Here’s some cool stuff you could do in life!’”—Teresa Taylor, B*tthole Surfers. That pretty much says it all.

ALSO! This totally sweet review of A Year with Friends! from

Feed A Reader:

To say this book is adorable would be an understatement. The fantastic duo have done it again. As CJLO Magazine said, “John writes, Jana illustrates and magic happens.”

A Year with Friends is a month by month compilation of a friendship. From January’s snowy sled day to December’s hot cocoa by the fire, you’ll be mesmerized by each glimpse of a girl and her sweet companion.

The illustrations by Jana Christy are so precious and delightful it could put any reader in a good mood at once. Her characters have sweet faces, the colors are vibrant, and the movement in each piece really takes this book to a new level.

It’s not too late to start the year off right with A Year with Friends.
Good seasons start with good beginnings. -Sparky Anderson

new releases!!

This is a very exciting week for me! Four books that I illustrated in 2012 are being released!

The first! A Year With Us written by my husband/ creative partner, John Seven and Published by Abrams Appleseed! This is what Kirkus had to say about it: ”While lots of books about seasons are available, this one is as fresh and crisp as a cool fall breeze…The charm is in the narrative’s simplicity and the breezy, soft-edged artwork that captures the special wonder of each month…This expressive childhood tribute to the joys of nature throughout the year warmly conveys the message that anytime is best when shared with a friend.” -Kirkus Reviews

 

The 2nd- my first Little Golden Book!!! Yippeeeee!

 

The 3rd and  4th! The first 2 books in the Never Girls, Disney Fairy series are out! WIth more to come later this year! 

 

 

Whew! I’ve been busy! Time for some tea!

Chickens in the Snow

The first snowflakes fell tonight in New England and I went out to hang with the girls in their coop. It’s starting to get pretty cold. I can’t help but worry about them, in my kind of lame, new-chicken-owner way. I worry they get too cold, even though i selected winter hardy breeds. I sat on their hay bale and one by one tucked them into my wool coat and warmed them up. Tatty fell asleep, Buffy looked comfy, Polly escaped and flew on top of my head. Luna wanted none of it and flew away. I came to terms with the fact that they’re not my farm animals- not only do i not have a farm, I only have four. I worry about them like I worry about any other creature I’m besotted with. They’re my outside pets. And if my neighbors looked out their window, they would’ve seen my sitting inside my lit chicken coop, with one girl on my head, another two sticking out of my coat and would’ve heard me singing to them.  So be it. I’m the crazy chicken lady.

vote.

 

Well, this is cool.

A Rule Is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy

John Seven and Jana Christy. Manic D (Consortium, dist.), $14.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-933149-25-7

Many children’s books encourage self-expression and free thought; few take those ideas as far as this collaboration from Seven and Christy, the duo behind The Ocean Story (2011). “The oppositeof rules is anarchy!” opens the book as a blue-haired girl leaps naked across the page. Various ways to insert a little anarchy into one’s life follow. “Don’t look like everybody else! Be you,” Seven writes as the girl sews a devil costume for herself. Anticommercial sentiments run through several scenes (“Paint pictures on your TV! Forget about grocery stores and get dirty in your garden!”), and even adult readers taken aback by lines like “When someone says ‘Work!’, you say Why?” and “No baths ever again!” will be able to get behind suggestions to “Educate yourself. Use your brain” and “Listen to the tiniest voice.” This is the softer side of anarchy, with an emphasis on fun and independence, but also community and kindness. Seven and Christy’s heroine wouldn’t look out of place in a Peter H. Reynolds story, and their message isn’t far from his work either—it’s just been cranked up to 11. Ages 4–up. (Dec.)

Reviewed on: 11/05/2012 Publishers Weekly