I'm under contract!

I'm thrilled to announce that I will be illustrating a picture book by the illustrious Jane Yolen and her son Adam Stemple!! The book is called Crow Not Crow and will be published by the Cornell Lab Publishing Group, August 2018. It's a charming story about a father and son's first bird-watching excursion and a lesson in bird identification, based on how Adam taught his wife to bird!
     I love birds. In fact, I always wanted to be a bird. As a kid, I used to run across everybody's backyards, flapping my arms like crazy trying to get off the ground (which I swore I did). I studied bird wings in an effort to build my own. At sixteen, I went hang-gliding for the first time (it was attached to a zip-line). At 21, I hang-glided for real. Yup, that's me in the photo jumping off Lookout Mountain in Tennessee.
     But my most precious connection to birds came from my grandmother. She kept a pocket identification book and filled the margins with notes on when she'd spotted certain birds. It's falling apart now, so I treat it like the treasure it is.
     All that said, it is a joy to delve into all things bird, and mostly crow as I illustrate this new book. It will even be vetted by ornithologists, so I had to prove my salt a bit with some preliminary sketches.
     I'll keep you updated with my progress, so keep checking back!

20 comments:

  1. That is so wonderful. Congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am thrilled as well. I suggested Elizabeth because I am a huge fan of her work (and her work ethic!) and the publisher fell in love with her art as well. The book is actually written by me AND my son Adam Stemple who used the Crow Not Crow method to teach his wife how to bird.

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Lynne! And Jane - I'm so honored!
    Fuzzy hugs,
    e

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fantastic news! This will be awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG! Kudos! ❤️ 🦉 🦅 🦆 🕊

    ReplyDelete
  6. So exciting! Congrats! Can't wait to see the beautiful result!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't wait to see this book by some of my favorite authors and my good friend as illustrator! Crows are fascinating. Jane Yolen might not know that when Ruth Sanderson was illustrating a unicorn picture book by Jane, Ruth gave me a copy one summer before it was released for sale. Back then I was so in awe of the privilege of getting a copy before others could buy it. I look forward to hearing more about it from you this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is wonderful! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Holy crow, that's great! Congratulations, e!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Father Goose! And Emma! And David! I'm thrilled!!! :) e

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fabulous news. Thanks so much for sharing it. With well deserved "Congratulations" and Love, Mom

    ReplyDelete
  12. How exciting! I can't wait to see it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats E! Looking forward to seeing it!

    Martha

    ReplyDelete
  14. YaYYYYYYYYYYYY chickie doodle Elizabeth!!!! I am so so thrilled for you and for Jane and Adam as well. They couldn't have asked for better than YOU! What a beautiful collaboration this will be! I can't wait to follow this journey and I feel lucky to be in on one of the beginning parts. Wooohoooooooooo!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So thrilled to be working with you Elizabeth! I do believe a visit across the pond this summer to see you and Jane may be in order!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Woohoo! My favorite genre (kids books), written by one of my favorite authors, pictures by one of my favorite illustrators? No way! I'm SO excited! And Ms. Yolen is working with her adult son as well... the fact they have a relationship that allows for that kind of collaboration really proves that she is the kind of person worthy of admiration.

    ReplyDelete