Back to School!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Where has the summer gone? Happy back to school everyone!

Hot fun in the summertime! - My Nautical Postcard

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I had so much fun creating another postcard for my agent to mail out to children's book publishers. The theme this time was 'nautical'...which I LOVE! Growing-up by the ocean, I had so many ideas. I finally decided to have my little critters in a boat on one side of the postcard, and on the other side they are deep sea diving with a friendly whale and fish. And I love that I was able to incorporate some of my daughters painting and crayon textures into my art...makes it all the more meaningful!

Little Fox

Been having fun drawing lots of cute characters for a children's book I am working on for
Beach Lane Books!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Interview with Joy Peskin - Editorial Director at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

Here's a link to a wonderful and informative interview with Joy Peskin, Editorial Director at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers.

creativeinterviews.com/publishing/joy-peskin 

And if you scroll down to the question 'Describe the book making process at FSG using a recent example' she talks about 'Bunny Bus' - the book we are working on together! How exciting!

Lesley Breen Withrow - 'Bunny Bus' postcard Fall 2013

Describe the book making process at FSG using a recent example.

My favorite types of books to make are the ones that only we can publish, meaning they start with a home-grown inspiration or idea. For example, I received a postcard from the agent Chris Tugeau featuring an adorable illustration of a bunny bus by Lesley Breen Withrow. I thought, I’d love a book about this character! So I reached out to an agent I know who has a great stable of picture book authors, Erin Murphy from EMLA, and shared the artwork with her. One of her colleagues, Ammi-Joan Paquette, who is both an agent and an author, took the idea and ran with it. She presented a wonderful manuscript that my colleagues and I all thought was fantastic when we discussed it at our edit meeting. Then my publisher signed off, and I presented the project at our acquisitions meeting. It was approved, and I made offers to the author and artist this week. The next step will be for me to make any minor edits to the text, and then when it’s final and copyedited, the designer can break it down page by page for the artist. She’ll submit sketches, the designer and I will review them and make comments, and I’ll share the sketches with the author. If revised sketches are needed, we will request those, and then the author will create final art. The sales and marketing folks have a say when it comes to the cover, and I truly value their opinion as I want us to go out with books that are most appealing in the marketplace.        -Joy Peskin

Hurray! I was mentioned in Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookself today. I am so happy to announce that I will be illustrating the children's book 'Bunny Bus' with the fabulous Joy Peskin at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers! I just love the wonderful story that the extraordinarily talented author Ammi-Joan Paquette wrote and am looking forward to bringing her words to life with my art. 

Check it out at Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf!
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/145d40b56cfc5433

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day!

Fox Sketch

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Having fun sketching lots of cute critters lately!

Kitty Sketch

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I've been doing lots of sketches and character studies lately. Here's one a kitty tangled-up in a ribbon. It's mostly inspired by my silly cat, Desi, whose had lots of fun playing with our Christmas ribbons these past few weeks!