Welcome!

August 18 2009

Okay. It has been ages since I have updated this website. Almost an ice age. I'm afraid if I wait any longer, all those brain cells that still harbor the tiniest bit of information about how to add content will have withered away. So here I am at my desk, my website manual next to me, Pete Seeger crooning on about a time and season for everything .. so it's time for news. Updates. But here's the thing. I am leaning towards a new philosophy about websites. It goes like this. Websites are for static information, like book lists. For the most current thoughts, well, that's what blogs are for, what's happening now. With that in mind, let me refer you to my blog Pens and Needles

And who says that reissued books don't get reviewed?

A positive message enthusiastically recommended to young readers of all backgrounds., April 4, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

First published in 1991, and now in a new edition with an updated 2007 afterword from the author, Chicken Man is a classic National Jewish Book Awards Winner picturebook about a man who lives and works on a kibbutz (a special type of farm in Israel). Chicken man loves the chickens of his chicken coop more than anything, and he's so happy taking care of them everyone becomes convinced he has the best job on the kibbutz. When a new work list is posted, he must change jobs and work at the laundry instead - leaving his chickens wasn't easy, but he resolved to do his best and sing while he worked; this leads everyone to think that laundry is the best job on the kibbutz, and his duty is changed to gardening. But when the chickens stop producing eggs because they were deprived of their favorite keeper, the kibbutz learns that it's the person who does the job that makes the biggest difference, and Chicken Man is reunited with his beloved chickens. The new afterword briefly reflects on how kibbutzes have changed in the modern era (children's houses or work lists are generally not found within them anymore). But the central theme of Chicken Man, the value of making the best of every situation, is a positive message enthusiastically recommended to young readers of all backgrounds.

My Father's Imaginary Friend

My good friend Monica Leo, of Eulenspeigel Puppets has posted a clip from her puppet trilogy about her parents on YouTube. A must see! Then visit her website and help bring her and her moving play to a venue near you.

Blog News

Come visit New Laces in Old Sneakers . My friends and fellow illustrators Jeannie Brett, Sarah Dillard, Jane Cowen Fletcher, Amy Huntington, Liza Woodruff and I will be posting new work and ideas.

Knitting News

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New downloadable knitting cards!