Woo hoo! Did you know that today is World Penguin Day? A very nice lady reminded me this morning (I forgot! Shocking!) and so I must write a brief post about my love for these adorable creatures.

According to the Ian Somehalder Foundation website, there are currently 17 species of penguins living throughout the world, and they are considered the world’s most popular bird.

I have now written & illustrated two picture books about penguins, and illustrated one counting book about penguins. Obviously, they are not non-fiction books revealings lots of fascinating facts about penguins. That’s not my gift. I like to make up sweet, fun stories for kids. I love to draw funny, positive art. That is who I am. At my core, my nature is positive, open and friendly. Some people who have met me have commented that I “have no guile”. This has served me well, in some ways, in other ways, not so good.

So that’s why I love penguins. To me, they seem like they have no guile, either. They just want to live, and enjoy life, without being bothered, and without bothering others. Oh if the world was only like that!

And here’s the cover for my new picture book, NEVER LET YOU GO.

…almost as much as I love penguins! And so why not mix, snow, penguins & love in one image?

Here’s another peek from my upcoming book, NEVER LET YOU GO. Can you tell that I really adore this little purple penguin?

A big thank-you to the fine folks at Scholastic Canada for taking this photo while attending the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Yes, I finally have some wonderful news to share! I have a new picture book coming out this September, to be published by Scholastic Canada. The book is entitled Never Let You Go, and I’m pleased to say that I am once again both author and illustrator. And yes, once again I’ve created a book with PENGUINS! It would appear that I am not quite ready to ‘let go’ of these lovely little creatures.

This picture book is a bit of a departure for me – yes, there is humour in it, but there’s also a lot of heart, & warmth & love. It feels good to tap into a part of myself which has been tucked away for far too long. And now that the floodgates are open, who knows what will come out next? Stay tuned…

It is possible for naked mole rats to be cute.

In case you did not know this, I am a member of SCBWI, otherwise known as The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Foolishly I have never been very involved in SCBWI the way I am with CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators & Performers), because I’ve always been rather intimidated by this stellar organisation. But that is going to change, because I’m attending my first US Conference next year in New York! And yes, I’m terrified. But I’ve done things that have scared me before (flying to Nunavut, performing in front of people), so somehow I’ll manage (I hope).

Something else that I’ve done to get more involved in SCBWI is to enter their annual Tomie dePaola Art Award! I have chosen to illustrate a scene from Little Women (confession: I’ve yet to read the book. Have seen the movie with Katharine Hepburn, though). Here’s the text that I chose to illustrate:

Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and “fall into a vortex,” as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace. Her “scribbling suit” consisted of a black pinafore on which she could wipe her pen at will, and a cap of the same material, adorned with a cheerful red bow, into which she bundled her hair when the decks were cleared for action. This cap was a beacon to the inquiring eyes of her family, who, during these periods, kept their distance, merely popping in their heads semi-occasionally, to ask, “Does genius burn, Jo?” They did not always venture even to ask this question, but took an observation of the cap, and judged accordingly. If this expressive article of dress was drawn low upon the forehead, it was a sign that hard work was going on; in exciting moments it was pushed rakishly askew, and when despair seized the author it was plucked wholly off, and cast upon the floor.

You can see some of the other entries here, at the Unofficial Gallery.

I just found out that The Pirate and the Penguin is now selling in Australia, thanks to Macmillan Australia! Woot! What’s not to love about pirates & penguins in the land of Oz? Seems like a perfect fit to me! So c’mon you lovely Aussies – Christmas is just around the corner, mate!

Here’s a little bit of some new stuff I’ve been working on lately. And no, you don’t get to see the monster. Not yet, anyway. But I can assure you, she is uber cute. Don’t trust this crazy guy.

“And, now it is your life story and it is you who play the leading role. The stage is set. The time is now. In the place, wherever you are. Each passing second, a new link in the endless chain of time. The drama of life is a continuous story. Ever new, ever changing and ever wondrous to behold.”

– from Life Story, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.