UPDATE FOR "AN OWL FOR CHRISTMAS"

Lately, my days have been filled with getting ready for Christmas, and getting my Christmas book ready!  While A is for the BIG OAK TREE, was a brightly colored, vibrant book, my goal with this book is something old-fashioned, simple, and quiet - all done in pen and ink.  No bright colors or other distractions from the age old  Christmas story - the story that is so powerful all on its own!

An Owl For Christmas is the story of a little boy and his dad who go in search of the Great Horned Owl on a cold, December night.  They venture down the wooded lane and, along the way, see many signs of a northern Christmas - lights blinking on their neighbors' snowy eaves, bundled up carolers singing sweetly, and snow-heavy pine branches.  As they observe all this, little Jack learns of the real meaning of Christmas!  

There are also a few pages at the end that give tips and suggestions on how a child can go on an owl hunt of their own, complete with a spot for recording their own owling adventures.

Here are a few teasers from my most recently finished pages.

While the book won't be ready for this Christmas, it will be in my Etsy shop early in the new year.  Following close behind, will be 

A Child's Nature Journal, where children can record their own observations from the great outdoors.

MORE FROM MY NEW BOOK, "AN OWL FOR CHRISTMAS"

It's been a snowy day in SE Wisconsin and perfect for working on illustrations for my new book,

AN OWL FOR CHRISTMAS.

While I did lots of drawing today for the book, the most time-consuming part of it all is getting everything placed on the word document so that it's in the proper format and ready to send to the printer.  After lots of drawing and computer time today, I'm about a fourth of the way done.

Much different from my bright and colorful ABC book, O is for the BIG OAK TREE, I want both the illustrations and the words in this book to be soft, and quiet, and old-fashioned.  I'm still not sure if I want to leave the illustrations as pen and ink, or do a light wash of watercolor.

Here's the cover and a page from today's work -

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O is for the BIG OAK TREE is sold out!  Thanks everyone! I'll be picking up the next printing this week, so you can still get one in time for Christmas!  They can be ordered here.

Thanks for checking in!

NEW BOOKS & CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE

FOUR NEW PROJECTS are in the making and  
here is a sneak peek at TWO of them!

#1:  

AN OWL FOR CHRISTMAS

While it won't be ready for THIS Christmas, the story is already written and I'm in the process of sketching out the illustrations.  I'll be posting about all of that as I go along.  An Owl For Christmas will inspire owl hunts in YOUR children and will have the opportunity for your child to add to the book, journaling about their own "owling" experiences, plus a few other surprises.

                                                                                #2:

A CHILD'S NATURE JOURNAL

This will be an illustrated nature journal for children - a kind of companion book to An Owl For Christmas.  It will be a place to record ALL those childhood woodland discoveries to be remembered for generations to come, written in their own handwriting.  All this wrapped up in a spiral bound, child-sized notebook that can be held and filled while the exploration happens!  There are a couple surprises included with this one too!  I wish I had had one of these when my boys were little.  What a keepsake to look back on now that they're grown.

And, last but not least . . .

  With the Christmas season upon us, we're all busy trying to find that perfect gift for everyone on our list.  If you have a little one (age 0 to 7 years) on YOUR list this year, I have about 5 more copies of my ABC book still available in my Etsy shop.  You can click the box at the upper right of the blog to go directly to the book site on Etsy.

(I could order another printing if you find they're sold out when you log on, but let me know as soon as possible keeping in mind printing/shipping times.)