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“Donut” Miss This Graphic Novel Panel! With author-illustrator, Mika Song, and agent, Erica Rand Silverman

Register here for this free event!

Meet author-illustrator, Mika Song, and her agent, Erica Rand Silverman (of Stimola Literary Studio) and hear them talk about Mika’s early graphic novel, DONUT FEED THE SQUIRRELS, and their thoughts on the growing graphic novel scene! You’ll also get a peek into Mika’s creating process including her advice on writing/submitting a script for graphic novels and how she created a compelling plot with fewer words. In the Q & A following, the panelists will be happy to answer questions about writing and illustrating graphic novels, picture books, and more! This panel is for anyone interested in writing and illustrating for kids, and particularly those with an interest in learning industry scoop about writing and/or illustrating graphic novels.

BONUS: Mika and Erica are giving away (2) portfolio reviews to illustrator registrants, and there will be door prizes for writers too! The recording of this event will be available for 1 month afterward.

I’m so excited to be helping organize this event with my local chapter of SCBWI. See you there!

I guess you could say this was my “quarantine project” :) Thanks to my computer-guy-husband-producer (Ben McCloskey) and my up-for-just-about-anything-author-friend (Bonnie Clark) we started a project that is dear to my heart: the Author Visit Podcast! In this podcast, we talk about EVERYTHING there is to talk about regarding school visits for authors, illustrators, librarians, etc. Our goal is to demystify this art and business, and especially now as things look might different after Covid-19 came on the scene.

Our first three episodes are already up! Come learn with us and please send us feedback or comments on AuthorVisitPodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you and if the episodes are helpful. Definitely learning as we go, but having SO much fun on this new platform!

This Covid-19 pandemic is a historical happening, and it’s important to document the way we are feeling and dealing. Students must be feeling a myriad of emotions as their social and academic lives have been completely turned upside down. Journaling can help our minds organize our emotions onto different shelves instead of them all piled on one shelf about to break. So, I created three READ and WRITE journaling pages inspired by my books that I hope you’ll use to learn from and bring about some inner calm and understanding. If you enjoy these PDFs, please feel free to share :)

Stay well, friends-
Shanda

Since we’ve all been cooped up from the pandemic, let’s draw Fire Truck from my newest illustrated book, FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON (written by Chris Barton)!

Click on the images below to view/print the coloring sheets.

If you are up for the challenge, here are some steps to drawing the characters from FIRE TRUCK vs. DRAGON (written by Chris Barton and illustrated by me!) Don’t get caught up in trying to draw perfectly. Just enjoy yourself and the process of combining lines and shapes to make something new!

Click on the images below to view/print the activity sheets.

And here are some cuties drawn by my cuties (9 yrs) and (5yrs)…

Barton’s energetic day-in-the-life story of an unlikely pair of friends, Fire Truck and Dragon, teaches young readers quite literally to look beyond a book’s cover. While the title and jacket imply a battle between the two powerhouses, the amicable story is anything but that. While the children in the book wish to see an epic fight go down, Fire Truck and Dragon defy stereotypes and proudly flaunt their friendship, reminding onlookers that not only do they get along swimmingly but they also have many hidden talents that shouldn’t be overlooked: they enjoy cooking together, attending and participating in social functions, fostering creative hobbies, and most importantly, sharing time with each other and the neighborhood kids. McCloskey’s vibrant illustrations implement a striking primary color palette with expressive characters and fun, roughshod linework to match the liveliness of the plot. This book teaches readers to express and appreciate differences, value unlikely and unexpected friendships, and be proud of yourself and your loved ones for things you succeed at. -Booklist