Jan Brett

This morning Jack and I took a little road trip to Lawton to see Jan Brett, a famous children's author and illustrator. You know she's big time because she actually has this rockin' Gingerbread Friends bus, and not some teachers driving her around (as I've done in the past).

Jack with Hedgie the Hedgehog

She gave a talk before the book signing. She said that her illustrations for her books usually take her about an hour per inch. They are extremely ornate and very beautiful.

She did a little demo of how she draws her characters. Her main recommendation for art supplies for kids was prismacolor markers. She also talked about how she uses shading and coloring to create depth, etc. It went over Jack's head, but I thought it was cool. Too bad I can't draw at all.

She signed every book we had--including two of Jack's latest favorites, The Trouble with Trolls and Christmas Trolls. She was very nice and we also got a poster of The Three Snow Bears and some free buttons and other goodies. After tonight she is headed to Omaha, so Jack told her she should visit the zoo.

Jack seemed to enjoy his first trip to meet an author, and I definitely thought it was worth the drive. Her new book, Gingerbread Friends, is really nice, so check it out!