I'm an incurable optimist with a particular fondness for stories where the "little duck" wins in the end. I'm an avid reader, writer, photographer and adventurer.
It was super fun to figure out how I’d illustrate Pete trying to trick the sheep. As I worked on the page, I thought about how a child Pete’s age would do it. What supplies would they have on hand? I don’t remember what other ideas I thought of before deciding to make a fake Pete, but I smiled and laughed a lot throughout the process.
It was exciting to imagine sharing the process with students–having them make fake versions of themselves–and even having a remote-controlled Jeep that they could drive their creation in (with adult supervision, of course :-)).
If YOU were going to try and trick the sheep, how would you do it? I’d love to hear your ideas and to see any illustrations you come up with.
Although the character design for the sheep came together quickly, Pete’s design took a lot longer to figure out. I drew a handful of different sketches (and lots of hair options) before Pete’s character came together.
Part of the challenge was that my drawing style for humans has involved a more angular style than I pictured for Pete. I had to break through what I was comfortable drawing in order to design his character.
I wanted Pete to be a “cute” character and for his head to be the biggest part of his body. You’ll probably notice that his head is 1/3 of his total body size, and it’s about twice as wide as his body is.
Once I figured out Pete’s outline, I made a couple of posable paper figures to help picture what he would look like in different body positions. These provided a good reference while I worked on some of the illustrations for the book.
By the time I started sketching Pete’s mom near the end of the story, drawing this style of character came more naturally (yay).
Is there a new style of drawing that you’re working on? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
When I started designing characters for The Sheep Magnet (TSM), I knew right away how I wanted the sheep to look. I pictured them with fluffy cloud bodies and a dark curly outline, with “stick-like” arms and legs. I’d been saving security envelopes because I liked the patterns, and I thought they’d be great for collage illustrations.
So I sketched a page of possible sheep bodies, then drew some shapes on different papers—a few security envelopes and a cool mulberry paper. I liked how they turned out, so that’s how I ended up drawing the sheep. If you look at the different sheep throughout the book, you’ll notice that I used a lot of different papers for the sheep in addition to the security envelopes and the mulberry paper.
At the end of the book, there’s a tutorial on how to draw a sheep. I’ve included a printable version of the page below. (It is also part of The Sheep Magnet Activity Packet). I’d love to see examples of the sheep YOU design.
When I read The Sheep Magnet with a class, there’s limited time to share the story and engage in discussion questions and interaction with the students. Because of that, I focus on elements of the story that are most important to understand the basic plot line.
This video shares how I meld together reading the story and adding explanatory details to help with quick comprehension for students who haven’t yet been introduced to Pete’s story world.
In the comments, please share about one of your favorite parts of the story, and why you like it.
I visited a local school last week and had the chance to share The Sheep Magnet with five different classes of students, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. Along with reading the story, I shared about Easter eggs and the difference between these “hidden extras” and details that contribute to the story’s plot.
Easter eggs are hidden details that a creator might put in a movie, a game, a book, or etc. These details don’t have anything to do with the actual story.
The Sheep Magnet is FULL of Easter eggs. Not because I consciously thought, “I should hide lots of goodies in here!” while I wrote and illustrated the story. But because a large part of my creative process involves making connections with things that inspire me along the way and including bits and pieces of those in my work; like nature, books, research, and current life experiences, to name a few.
Some of these details end up contributing to the storyline or add to the understanding of or connection with the story, but others don’t.
And within an illustration, a single item could contain elements of both. Like the calendar in from Pete’s workshop, for instance.
If you study the calendar, what details do you think might be important to help understand the story, and why?
What details do you think are Easter eggs, and why?
Please share your answers in the comments below. I look forward to hearing what you come up with 🙂
P.S. If you read–or reread–the story, you may find clues in some of the other illustrations that help. (If you don’t have a copy of the book, you can find the ebook on Amazon for less than $1 right now, or find a read-through video on YouTube later this week.)
Happy April! Did you know that April 8th starts the beginning of a special week in my book, The Sheep Magnet? It’s the first day of a countdown seen on the calendar in Pete’s workshop.
In honor of that, I’ve dubbed April 8th through 14th as “The Sheep Magnet Week” 🙂 Throughout the coming seven days, I’ll share some fun facts, never-before-revealed details, special deals and prizes regarding the book. The e-book is available for less than $1 this week–you can check it out at Amazon here. Although picture books are generally more popular in print format than in e-book format, there are some very good reasons to get the digital version 🙂
Please stop back by my blog throughout this coming week to see what treats Pete, the sheep, and I have in store. We hope you have a happy Sheep Magnet Week!
Join the KidLit Story Spinners for an exciting Virtual Book Launch with over $1,000 in door prizes! From 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm (PST) on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the authors and illustrators will share the inspiration behind their picture books and this collaborative project, as well as divulge a few behind-the-scenes secrets. You can join virtually by going to https://cutt.ly/WgUJmpt.
The KidLit Story Spinners’ Virtual Book Launch will celebrate the launch of these books:
Who Would Like a Tasty Treat? by Michele Rietz
The Sheep Magnet by Bernice Seward
Atlas and Stella Save the Reef written by Josie Smeltzer, illustrated by Hannah Cooper
If Yarn Could Talk by Loreley Smith
Tinker, Where Are You? by Beverly Love Warren
Check back soon for more information on the KidLit Story Spinners group, this Virtual Book Launch, (including some of the prizes attendees can win), and an exciting Presale Contest the authors and illustrators are engaged in.
A Wild Reader, mixed media collage, by Bernice Seward
Happy Children’s Book Week! I’m here with Andrew, a young monster from the wilds of Rumpusland. He has agreed to answer a few questions from the How Do You Book? Challenge. Thank you, Andrew, for meeting with me today.
Andrew: No problem! I like talkin’ about books.
Bernice: Me, too. My first question is: What do you book?
Andrew: ‘Scuse me. Did you mean to ask “What do you do with a book?” ‘Cuz if so, I read it.
Bernice: (chuckles) Sorry about that. I should have explained. The question “What do you book?” means “What do you read?” We just treat the word “book” as an action word.
Andrew: Cool! Well, I book just about anything–but my favorite books to book are adventure stories. Right now, I’m booking about a dragon trying to rescue his princess friend from a tower.
Bernice: That sounds like a great story. My next question is: Where do you book?
Andrew: (snorts) That’s easy! Wherever I want to! See these claws?
Bernice: They’re really big!
Andrew: And they’re super good at climbing. Sometimes I put my books and lunch in my pack-a-back and shimmy to the top of a tree. Other times I climb up Rocky Snout Cliff and book by the tumbleberry bushes–they’re a little poky, but the berries are tasty.
Bernice: Wow. You book in a lot of exciting places.
Andrew: Yep! What about you?
Bernice: Me? I book in a lot of places, but none are as exciting as yours. I have booked at the ocean and while flying above the clouds, though.
Andrew: That’s okay. You do the best you can.
Bernice: Thank you. I have one final question for you today. And it is: How do you book?
Andrew: Mostly with my eyes. But sometimes Pappy books out loud, and then I close my eyes and listen so I can make a movie in my mind.
Bernice: That sounds like a lot of fun.
Andrew: It is! I really like it when Pappy books with me.
Bernice: I’m sure your pappy enjoys it, too. What I actually meant to ask with that question was what position you book in. Do you like sitting, or laying down, or maybe hanging upside down?
Andrew: Once I tried booking upside down like my friend Battilda, but that didn’t last long ‘cuz my toes lost their grip. Sometimes I stretch out on my tummy and sometimes I sit down in a sunny spot and sometimes I lean up against a tree trunk or a boulder. I just wiggle around until I get comfortable.
Bernice: Those are all great ways to book!
Andrew: I know.
Bernice: Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about reading. I hope you continue to enjoy booking lots of great stories in lots of exciting places from lots of comfortable positions.
Andrew: I will. Bye!
Bernice: Goodbye.
What about you? How do YOU book? I’d love to hear about what you book, where you book, and how you book in the comment section.
Although this is my little corner of the webiverse, I haven’t
shown up in a while.
I mean, look at the date of my last blog post.
After finishing two books in quick succession in April of 2019, I took a break for two weeks . . . which turned into two months . . . which turned into two years (and then some).
You may ask, “What’s up with that?”
Then again, you may not. Because it’s not like we didn’t go
through a major pandemic in the meantime.
The short answer is that that time marked a planned shift in focus from creating stuff like crazy to building my platform and marketing the stuff I’d been creating.
And that scared me.
Because I’m not good at marketing. I don’t know how to do it well. I’m not a salesperson. And I don’t want to sell things—I want to create content. Content that entertains, educates, and/or inspires.
The good news is, marketing isn’t about selling things. In his book Tribes, Seth Godin says, “Marketing is the act of telling stories about the things we make—stories that sell and stories that spread.” (page 15).
Telling stories? I can do that. In fact, I LOVE doing that!
Making things? I can do that. In fact, I LOVE doing that, as well!
As for the stories selling and spreading, I’ll trust what Austin Kleon says— “Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.” (Show Your Work, page 19).
So, please allow me to reintroduce myself.
Hello. My name is Bernice. I write and illustrate children’s books, and I share about the process in this little corner of the webiverse. If you have a moment, please introduce yourself in the comment section. I’d be delighted to meet you (or to meet you again, as the case may be).
The audiobook video for Squawk Around the Clock is now ready! It features the vocal talents of a multi-talented friend named Patti Lee.
The Enrichment Pages from the book are available as a free PDF, and can be downloaded from the Audiobook Resources page. There is also a free printable activity packet available there.
This video will be available through May 31, 2020.
