A very long story short...I happened upon a book by
RIF at Half Price Books. It was their 40th anniversary fundraiser book. I opened it to find illustrators' journeys, and what brought them to illustrate books for children. Being a book nerd, I bought it and love this little treasure I found. Each illustrator has a 2 page spread. On one side they've written about their childhood favorite book memories and the other side, they've reimagined an illustration from one them.
As I prepare for a new year, I decided to write a post on my journey. My favorite childhood books will be on another post. This is the big picture of my reading/writing journey.
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| Not Me |
I am so grateful for this journey. I started long ago writing poems and things for family when I was a child. I also read a LOT.
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| Not Me |
I went to college and became a teacher. I loved creating engaging lessons that would motivate and resonate with my class. I almost always started with a story. I always placed a collection of books on a table with the topics we were learning about for the kiddos to explore.
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| Not Me |
Next, I stayed home with my boys, and boy, did we read books! I taught at a preschool for a few years and wrote for The Mailbox Magazine, Inc.
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| Not My Kids |
Then when my boys got much older, I went back to school and earned my Masters of Library Science and opened a new school as the librarian. It was amazing! Talking about books and authors, technology and how to find information with kids all day!
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| ME |
After a few magical years, my husband and I decided, in order to be able to travel with him and his job, I would leave my school position. It was with such mixed feelings that I did. But...could I really leave kids and books. NO! On my travels, I seek out book places...whether BIG
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| Melk Abbey Library |
or small.
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| Book Cart in Prague |
AND...I've now spent the last 2 full years learning the craft of writing for children!
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| My Desk |
I found my place. I found my people. It IS a fabulous journey.
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| Not Me |
