It was an action-packed December as I had an illustration deadline approaching and the holidays stacked on top of each other. I had to be patient and OK with only making super small steps forward each day. It was amazing how those small tasks added up to a finished book … and (pretty much) on time, too!
My calendar “said” it was impossible, but each day I gave myself something small to accomplish. And those little accomplishments felt good. They created momentum and an unintimidating path to the next (small) thing I could check off the list. This minimalist calendar helped me :)
Last Monday, I turned in the final illustrations for Lilibet Makes a Friend (by Kersten Hamilton, illustrated by me) which comes out next year with Disney Hyperion! I’m sure there will be some tweaks I’ll need to fix, but all in all, I’m DONE!!
To celebrate, I’d like to share peeks at some of my favorite moments in the book …
This story is about a girl, Lilibet, who longs for a friend. She sets out to (literally) make one since she can practically build anything she puts her mind to. But when a boy named Peanut insists on helping her, the results get real.
Lilibet has her own pet Punk Rock there on a shelf – a nod to my upcoming graphic novel :)
I’ll post more about Lilibet Makes a Friend as it gets closer to its publication in 2026. Till then, thanks for reading and cheering me on!
Next Pencil Pusher goes out in Feb!
The Spring 2025 issue of The Pencil Pusher will be all about dogs :)… how I used one as a catalyst in a story and how I’ve illustrated my own dogs to “live forever” in several of my books. And, of course, there will be some kind of “hairy” drawing activity!
Here’s an example (above) of how my boy (Ace) makes an appearance in my new non-fiction book SMASH, CRASH, TOPPLE, ROLL! (which is available for pre-order).
If you are a librarian, teacher, or parent, you can learn more and subscribe your student(s) to The Pencil Pusher HERE. If you are already subscribed and you’d like to make changes to your subscription, go here.
This was originally posted on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/shandamccloskey/p/the-art-is-in?r=5cnb3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
There are three hours left in 2024, here in Georgia! I’m home with my husband and a kiddo who has the flu, but it’s OK and even nice to chill after the rush of the last two months.
One accomplishment of mine over the past year is I put a screenshot (on iPhone Notes) of every book I read, and tonight, I made a “quilt” by putting them together in one lovely rectangle:
Looking at this reading record reminds me that my co-writer husband and I completed our first contracted graphic novel script earlier this year! (PUNK ROCK, Abrams Fanfare 2026). Such a BIG moment for us that holds much hope and thrill for us. And as you can see, I was reading LOTS of graphic novels to see how the stories progressed from panel to panel, page to page, and chapter to chapter.
Keeping a reading log isn’t an impressive accomplishment, but I’m happy I did it! It’s a window into my months-earlier mind.
Happy New Year, er’body!
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I have a few questions, if that’s okay. You spoke at our Young Georgia Authors ceremony recently in Habersham, GA, and I was lucky enough to be a part of it! You had said we could reach out if we were serious about writing and had questions, so here it is!
A friend and I are planning on writing and illustrating a children’s book, but we don’t know any publishers or how to find them. We don’t actually know how to get it published, either. We also wanted to ask about how to get our book copyrighted if and when we do end up publishing it.
Any other pointers or advice is welcome, and thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
-A.P. :)
Answer:
Hi A.P.,
Thanks for reaching out! It’s exciting to embark on a book project with a friend.
Your publishing opportunities are limited until you are 18, but I would encourage you to make the book anyway for joy and experience right now. Then, get it printed! It would not be officially “published” but it’s still super cool to see your work as a real book and it enables you to share your physical book with others, sell them, or give them as gifts. I like this company/product for printing a book for fun which I’ve done several times: https://www.socialprintstudio.com/softcover-photobook/
If you enjoy the process, do it again and again. You’ll improve big time, each time. And by the time you are 18, you’ll be more than ready to pursue the real deal and join SCBWI.org (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) which is how I learned everything I know about the business and craft of children’s books!
Keep in touch and let me know how your first book turns out :)
Your fellow author-illustrator friend,
Shanda McCloskey
Announcing my first graphic novel, PUNK ROCK!
I’m so pumped to announce my debut young graphic novel series, PUNK ROCK, co-written with my real-life punk rocker husband, Ben :)
This series will explore the question: What can we do with anger, disappointment, and other big emotions?
A sketch from the book proposal.
My first Junior Library Guild Book!
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll!: The Inventive Rube Goldberg―A Life in Comics, Contraptions, and Six Simple Machines was awarded the Gold Standard by the Junior Library Guild. I couldn’t be happier about that because it means more libraries, more schools, and ultimately, more kids will have access to this really fun biography/STEM book.
Your class in conversation with real authors and illustrators!
I’ve joined up with some amazing kidlit creators to form Kids Meet Authors, offering a FREE online event each month for your classroom to help reinforce what you are already teaching about writing! We are open for registration and questions to answer live! Here are the first 3 sessions:
Exhibition- Art of the Picture Book: Illustrators are Your Neighbors
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, including artists Mark Braught, R. Gregory Christie, Laura Freeman, Ebony Glenn, Shamar Knight-Justice, Jime Wimmer, Mike Wimmer, Michael Allen Austin, Bill Mayer, Frank Morrison, Mike Lowery, Shanda McCloskey
The exhibit will be on display from Oct. 2 – Nov. 20
The Gallery Reception for the Exhibition, Alpharetta Arts Center Nov. 2, 5 – 7 pm
I’ll be doing two kids’ events at the Alpharetta Library! Books will be available for purchase/signing afterward.
11:00 am, I’m presenting about robots, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw the robot from the story!
2:00 pm, I’m presenting how words + pictures = MAGIC, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw like an illustrator!
What I’ve been up to lately…
My favorite way to volunteer at my daughter’s elementary school is by helping to make the set of the school musical. This is my 5th year doing so, and I’m proud that the program now involves a group of students and parents. Many hands really do make light work :)
The backdrop(s) for these productions are important to me, so that’s where I put most of my energy. My husband (and friends) built a wood frame to stretch a large printed “billboard” image onto. I painted the image on my iPad/Procreate at a very large dpi and then had it printed the size of 14′ x 24’ at Billboards, etc.. It comes folded so we laid it in the sun for 2 days, but we had to fold it again to transport it to the school. We stretched/smoothed it as much as possible when we installed it hoping gravity and time will take care of the rest.
Here’s the backdrop for the 2025 production of “Finding Nemo Jr.” and my kiddo (in yellow) and her bestie. They both share the role of Dori :)
For work, I’ve been reworking sketches for the upcoming book, Lilibet Makes A Friend, by Kersten Hamilton.
Preparing the next issue of The Pencil Pusher (a kids’ creative newspaper) to hit mailboxes in late September / early October.
Our family has been attending LOTS of football games. My oldest is on the high school Colorguard team, and my youngest is a cheerleader. Go Grizzlies!
Hello friends, Here we are in the last month of the year! I’m trying to be as simple as I can which still isn’t all that simple, but I’m trying :) My girls are 13 and 9 and I am very aware that my littlest won’t be a “kid” much longer, but for now…
(This comic was inspired by a moment with my 9-year-old. She even asked for a new Barbie Dream House this year!) We visited my husband’s family in Colorado for Thanksgiving and exchanged Christmas gifts while we were there. My sister-in-law gave me a book called, “Unwrapping the Names of Jesus”. It’s an Advent devotional that is moving me to linger in the awe and wonder of Jesus in a way I haven’t in a long while. It’s very simple, and that’s just what my heart needs right now.
Also while visiting, this happened (between my 9-year-old and her grandma) but my daughter says that what reeeeally happened was that her grandma didn’t hear correctly. At any rate, it’s funnier this way! …
We also got to see some snow while we were there! And a little snow is a BIG snow if you’re a Georgia kid (or a worm)! And yes, we obviously do not know how to dress for such weather.
When we got home, it was time to send out those holiday cards (since we happened to have survived getting family pics taken in early November).
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, y’all! It’s such a gift to me that YOU are here!
Need a bookish gift idea? Here are 6…
If you’d like a SIGNED (by me) book, order here. They’re on sale FOR $12 each! I ship quick too :)
If you enjoyed one of my books, I hope you’ll write a review on Amazon. Reviews truly help the discoverability and sales of books like mine.
Write a letter to Santa!
It’s a great time to practice writing letters (to Santa!) and Little Red and the Big Bad Editor can help make it extra fun to review things like using finger spaces, capital letters, and a greeting/closing. Here’s a free printable to color and write a letter on!
At a local school, I collaborated with the Technology and Science teachers, and the students built their own robot figure out of “spare parts” and then made it talk (with Makey-Makey and Scratch), just like Charlotte did in DOLL-E 1.0. (Here’s the lesson guide if you want to do this project with your own students!)
Today is the book birthday (release day) of LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR, and I can’t wait for you to see it! In fact, I’d like to see it myself- I haven’t received my illustrator copy yet. So, let me know what you think when you get yours on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or by leaving a review on Amazon.
Spread Thanks by Writing a Letter (and actually delivering it)!
LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR is a wonderful model about how to write a thank you letter (and edit it). Below is a printable page to make this activity easy-peasy!
The fine art of letter writing is in danger of becoming a lost art!
True story: In the middle of making the illustrations for this book, I asked my 11-year-old to write a letter (an apology for being rude to a friend of mine … ah preteens), but I was taken back when she handed me a printout of a note typed and printed from her phone. All the text was squished to the top of the paper and the words strung in long horizontal lines. No breaks, no paragraphs, no formatting, not even a signature or name. My daughter saw nothing wrong with her letter.
It dawned on me that my girl hadn’t really been taught proper paper formatting. I guess it’s similar to the now rare skill of writing/reading cursive. Regardless, my middle school daughter certainly didn’t know how to format a letter, story, report, or a printed paper of any kind. LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR is aimed at early elementary students, but I think older kids would enjoy/benefit as well. Big kid story time for the win! Letter formatting aside, anyone is sure to get a kick out of Little Red’s street smarts as she dodges the Big Bad Wolf and takes advantage of his editorial side!
One way to teach your students how to properly write a letter is to read them LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR and then let them practice writing a thank you letter of their own with the printable below (and actually deliver it)!
I’m still beating out the story of the young graphic novel chapter book that I’m working on. I’m pretty sure I told you guys about it before… the one about the rock who is constantly trampled and turns into a mean tough guy but finally figures out how to be tough and friendly when he joins a floral punk band – Punk Rock? Well, I got as far as sketching out the first chapter (50 pages!) and sharing it with my online comics critique group. They loved the character, the art, and the premise of this odd little punk story, BUUUUUT the story and the way I begin the story still need work.
So… I have committed to going back to the basics of good storytelling to relearn how to make it sing! And I’ve put together this email full of what I’m reading and what I’m watching so that it might help others. Enjoy!
What I’m Reading:
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder is a CLASSIC storytelling book for grownups. I’m reading it for the first time and although there are some chapters that only apply to writing movies, this book has been eye opening!
What I’m Watching:
THIS video series is truly awesome! It’s called “PIXAR in a Box” and it’s on the Khan Academy website. There are 6 lessons, but you only need the first 3 (unless you are an animator). I got so much out of this as an adult, but I can see it being phenomenally useful in the classroom too! (Probably best for ages 3rd grade and up.)
Storytelling Kit For Students:
I made these graphic organizers with teachers and students in mind! Feel free to download them here and have fun writing your own stories.
