A Lovely Interview

The author of the book I illustrated, "MY AFRICAN BEDTIME RHYMES", and I were recently interviewed by the Wandering Educators, A global community of educators sharing travel experiences. Every so often they will interview the authors and illustrators of children's books.

Brettell Hone the author, and I were interviewed and the results are on their website at:

Wandering Educators

I was especially pleased to contribute to this interview because the author has so much to offer children and adults in his tales from his home country. You will enjoy his comments, so I urge you to take a moment to read the interview. A collection of unusual animals populate these delightful rhymes.

SHAMWARI

Shamwari means friend in Africa.
This morning I received a beautiful photo from a "friend" in South Africa. Brettell Hone is the author of the book I illustrated that is out now. "My African Bedtime Rhymes" and he is also a great humanitarian. One of his recent projects involved working with the children of the Appel Farm school in his region presenting a play.

From the photo I chose a composite of several children to create "Shamwari." I had such fun doing this, because the children are so full of delight and energy. Brettell says they have "radioactive" energy and I can just imagine as a former teacher what it takes to corral that energy into positive action.

I am so happy to have been involved in Brettell's book and look forward to hearing more about the children from the Appel School.


They are rehearsing Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat" to get into the mode of learning to recite rhymes. Later they will move on to more difficult works.

Good reviews can make you very happy....*:)

READY SET REVIEWS just gave the newest book written by Brettell Hone (which I illustrated) a wonderful review. Actually this link comes via the publisher who submitted the book for review.

Here is a link to the review of MY AFRICAN BEDTIME RHYMES by Brettell Hone .
I was treated to a rare and wonderful experience working with the South African publisher, SHAMWARI and with Brettell.

My African Bedtime Rhymes.

One of the benefits of a good review is good sales... and good sales mean another book will be forthcoming *:)

THEY'RE HERE *******

The book I illustrated for SHAMWARI PUBLISHING in South Africa is finally here. The inventive rhymes of Brettell Hone have created a newer view of some African animals that might otherwise be overlooked. A pair of trout, an African fly and a Wood Owl are just some of the characters for whom Brettell has created a story in rhyme. And to add to all that, this is a book that BOYS will enjoy very much. There is a bit of action, some surprise, some danger and lots of fun!

The books are available now at Amazon.com and you can take a sneak peek as some of the story here. Books are also available from Atlas Books.

I really enjoyed working with the author on this project. His lifelong association with these animals and his idyllic location in the Limpopo provence of South Africa have given him a unique perspective on the lives of these animals. The books were printed by IMAGO printing and I have to admit that although there were some ups and downs with the process the finished product is gorgeous. The colors are true and vivid and I am totally pleased with the outcome.

If you want the book directly from your bookstore, just ask for it and include the ISBN number which is:978-0-620-40992-6.