Mr. Pig Visits . . . Liza Woodruff!

Heigh ho, friends! Mr. Pig here. I'm on the road today, enjoying a gorgeous area of Vermont, nestled between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Author-illustrator Liza Woodruff invited me to visit her studio today! Care to come along?

Liza has illustrated some of my favorite picture books, and has just finished her first authored book, EMERSON BARKS, published by Christy Ottaviano Books in August, 2016.

And look, there she is now! Hello, Liza! Who's your furry friend?

Liza: Welcome, Mr. Pig! This is my dog Emerson, inspiration for my book EMERSON BARKS.

Mr. Pig: What an honor! I brought my book for you to sign. Maybe Emerson could add his paw print, too?

From EMERSON BARKS. Illustration copyright 2016 by Liza Woodruff.

Liz: Come inside! This is where I work.

Mr. Pig: Cozy! Why do you have two desks in your studio? 

Liza: Well, I paint and draw with traditional media on this one:

And I write and create digital art on this side. 

Mr. Pig: You sure have a lot of books! Which ones are your favorites?

Liza: Here are two of my new favorites:

And two of my old favorites:

Mr. Pig: Ah, yes! Fun fact: my second cousin appeared in The Year at Maple Hill Farm. Speaking of family, tell me about your pets here. 

Liza: I work mostly when my family is out of the house, but I am never alone.

Emerson keeps me company. 

So does Angus. Our bunny, Pepper, lives in a cage in my studio. Sometimes I take him out to play too. 

I keep this dog angel on the wall in my studio. I got it at gallery of the late artist, Stephen Huneck. It reminds me of our sweet old dog, Ilse, who used to keep me company too. 

Mr. Pig: Sweet! And what's this other art on your wall?

Liza: I keep these two old postcards illustrated by Molly Brett on my bulletin board. I love anthropomorphic illustrations. It’s fun to imagine animals in their little worlds. 

I keep the little mouse house that I made on a shelf in my studio:

Liza: I love to draw animals and children. Right now I am working on an illustration for my portfolio. I have some story ideas to go with it as well. 

Illustration copyright 2016 by Liza Woodruff.

Mr. Pig: Oooh! Will you share them with me? Perhaps over a snack? Or two? (Hint, hint.)

Liza: Of course, Mr. Pig. And thanks for visiting me in my studio!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liza Woodruff has loved to make art for as long as she can remember. Her interest in children’s literature developed while working at The Horn Book Magazine during art school. The beautiful, funny and creative picture books that filled the offices of the book review magazine inspired her to focus her studies on children’s book illustration.

After receiving her BFA, she dove into children’s books and has since illustrated twenty-three of them. It had long been a goal of hers to write her own stories to illustrate. Her debut picture book, Emerson Barks, was published in 2016 by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt.

Liza lives with her husband, two teenage children, and their various pets in an old farmhouse in Northern Vermont.

To learn more about her, visit her website: Lizawoodruff.com.

EMERSON BARKS

Bird, squirrels, the mailman--Emerson can't help but bark his loudest when he gets excited. But when his bark scares one of his neighborhood friends into hiding, Emerson's girl Eva must forbid him from barking altogether. Can Emerson adjust to a life in silence? Or will he find a way to put his powerful bark to good use?

Emerson Barks is a charming dog story that shows how good intentions can triumph over mistakes.

“A story that may especially stand out for those who know or own—or are—a small barker." 

—The Horn Book

"VERDICT: Emerson’s enthusiasm and good intentions will have readers rooting for him. A fun read-aloud for storytimes and small group sharing." 

—School Library Journal

Mr. Pig Live! . . . with Maggi and Milo (plus a GIVEAWAY!*)

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of my hit talk show, Mr. Pig Live! 

Fans of Ladybug Girl will love today's guest! She's an excellent adventurer, a pretty good songwriter, and an aspiring scientist. You can usually find her looking for frogs with her best friend, Milo the Border Collie. 

Let's give a warm Enchanted Woods welcome to
 

MAGGI!

Maggi is the star of Maggi and Milo, a charming new picture book by Juli Brenning and illustrated by Priscilla Burris.

 

Great to have you on the show, Maggi! What's your full name?
Maggi Beatrice Bartholomew

What is the best thing about being you?
My dog, Milo.

The worst thing about being you?
My brother, Charlie. He’s 12 so, therefore, he’s annoying.

Right. When do you feel the happiest?
When I’m singing a song outside while jumping in a puddle.

Would you rather fly or be invisible?
I think I’d rather fly. I wouldn’t want to be invisible because then no one could see me. They’d only be able to hear which I guess would be okay, but I kinda like to be seen and heard.

I can tell. What is your favorite word?
Indeed.

Good choice indeed! What is your least favorite word?
Broccoli . . . ugh. 

What is your special talent?
I am a world class tree climber. 

If you could dine with three characters, from other books, who would they be?
Ladybug girl, Olivia, and Madeline.  We’d eat macaroni and cheese and have chocolate milk. That would be so fun.

From MAGGI AND MILO. Illustration copyright 2014 by Priscilla Burris.

What's in your pocket?
I have a sparkly rock, a piece of ribbon, and a penny.

What is your pet peeve?
I don’t like places that won’t allow me to bring Milo.  That’s a silly rule.

What are you reading right now?
My mom is reading Winnie the Pooh to me right now. My favorite is Piglet.

Me, too. What was it like working with Juli Brenning?
Juli Brenning is my friend.  She makes me laugh and she says it’s okay to have ice cream for lunch sometimes.

Ooh, that sounds delicious! Speaking of lunch, Nina from Lunches with Love has created an amazing Maggi and Milo bento lunch especially for YOU! Go here to check it out. Thanks for visiting, Maggi!

*WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF MAGGI AND MILO! LEAVE A COMMENT OR TWEET THIS POST TO ENTER. THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, JUNE 9th!


About the Book
MAGGI AND MILO
by Juli Brenning, illustrated by Priscilla Burris 
Dial Books (April 2014)
ISBN 978-0803737952

"Move over Ladybug Girl, there’s a new spunky gal-and-canine twosome in town." --Kirkus Reviews

"The digitally created illustrations are bright and appealing, especially those of the lovable black-and-white pup, who is almost twice Maggi’s size . . . a 'ribbeting' read-aloud." --School Library Journal

"Brenning tells the story in a roundabout way, with a few breezy tangents, some musical interludes, and a happy ending in which Maggi and Milo cuddle up and listen to the frogs’ nighttime songs. Further adventures would be welcome." --Booklist

Visit Maggiandmilo.com to hear Maggi's favorite song!  

About the Author
Juli Brenning grew up in a small town in southern Ohio and went to school in Indiana where she studied music, literature, and film. She then moved to New York City and worked briefly in magazine publishing before returning to Ohio to receive a teaching certificate in English, but soon left the classroom to be a stay-at-home mom. Juli now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, two kids, an ill-mannered dog, and a very fat cat. Maggi and Milo is her first picture book. 

For more info about Julie, visit her website: http://julibrenning.com.






About the Illustrator

Priscilla Burris graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Since then, she's illustrated several children's books, including the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter book series. She enjoys cake painting and creating art for products such as murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps. Priscilla lives in Southern California. 

To see more of her work, visit www.priscillaburris.com or her blog, burrisdraw.blogspot.com.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

Dogs' Night
by Meredith Hooper
Illustrated by Allan Curless

What it's all about . . .
This book is about disobedient dogs and fine art. Also, the dogs all come from famous paintings. The story takes place at London's National Gallery and one night all the dogs escape from the paintings and race around the museum, and then they accidentally climb back into the wrong paintings. It's sort of like sitting in the wrong seat in a classroom if you have assigned seating. Except it's much worse, because news crews show up and art experts and scholars and it just turns into a huge mess. 

Why it’s on The Little Crooked Bookshelf . . .

First, it has disobedient dogs in it, which we really enjoy. (Please do not ask us to dogwatch your disobedient dog. We only like them when they appear in story form.) Second, it's sort of a crooked story, because the dogs end up stuck in the wrong paintings with the wrong owners.  

Our favorite line . . .
The big brown, hunting dog with the white nose hated standing on the chair. 

Our favorite illustration . . .

All the pictures of the dogs trying to stand still in the wrong paintings are pretty great. But we especially like this one of the dogs throwing a party after the guests leave.




Why kids will love it . . .
It's got a lot of cool-looking and interesting dogs in it. And they're a bunch of rule-breakers. 

Why grown-ups will love it . . .

It's a great way to introduce young readers to many interesting painters, like Jan van Eyck and Georges-Pierre Seurat.  It's also fun to guess which dog belongs where.