Auction number two has begun!

Click here to bid on my art piece (below) for the Eyewitness reports auction! This profits from this fundraiser go entirely to support 826LA, a fabulous literacy organization. Bid on an original piece of children's book art and support a great cause!

Furball Friday

First Eyewitness Reports Auction this week: bid before its over!

As I mentioned here, and here, The Eyewitness Reports Auction to benefit 826LA has begun this week! Click HERE to bid on original artwork by the below illustrators, before auction #1 ends tomorrow! My piece will go up for auction next week with group #2, stay tuned for details.

MO WILLEMS
BRIAN FLOCA
JAIME ZOLLARS
CALEF BROWN
MATT PHELAN
JARRETT KROSOCZKA
WARD JENKINS
LISA KOPELKE
PAIGE POOLER
MELANIE HOPE GREENBERG
ANDY RASH
ISRAEL SANCHEZ
TOM WARBURTON
MARY PETERSON
CHRIS APPELHANS
KELLY MURPHY
LEE WHITE
SEAN QUALLS
RICHARD JESSE WATSON

Desmond is out today, hurray!

As I mentioned last week I've been busy putting together materials for my new book, out today! Lots of fun things are in the works, I'll keep you posted as I put materials on my web site and plan events this fall to get the word out about the book.

If you'll be in the San Francisco area, I'll be signing books at Kepler's in Menlo Park on October 3rd. More on that soon!

Did I mention I'm temporarily moving to San Francisco for 9 months? So that is happening too. In one week. This is what my studio presently looks like:



Also, I am seven months pregnant. This is what I presently look like:



Its been a busy summer to say the least. Looking forward to an eventful fall!

Furball Friday

One week to Desmond!

Next week Disappearing Desmond will be on book shelves at last! I've spent the past few weeks madly making materials that teachers can use in their classroom in the new school year as I think its the perfect back to school book.

Curious City marketing has been helping me to put together a classroom/library activity kit that I'm really excited about. Desmond is a shy cat, who goes to great lengths to blend into the background so he won't be noticed. For example:





Which, of course, is not always very effective...



We've all seen kids like that in the classroom, right? The book is perfect for helping those wallflowers gain confidence and make friends. The kit will have "get to know you" activities that can be used to in conjunction with the book, and will be available for download from my web site very soon.

We are also working on a Disappearing Desmond Master of Disguise sheet that kids can use to disguise themselves just like Desmond. Here was my first draft:



After consulting with Curious City they suggested it be black and white so that teachers and librarians could easily xerox it. Also, the leaf border kept me from fitting as much on there as I wanted to, so this is version number two:



I'm still tweaking the cutouts and testing everything out...


Do you recognize me?

More about the Eyewitness Reports Art Auction

As I mentioned last week, we are fast approaching the beginning of a fabulous fundraiser begun by fellow author/illustrator Dan Santat. The Eyewitness Reports Art auction will benefit 826LA, an incredible literacy organization that helps kids become better writers through tutoring and other programs.

826 was begun by Dave Eggers, and has locations in many cities around the country. All have awesome fundraising stores attached to them... LA has a Robot Repair and Supply Store, and the one in Boston quite near where I used to live was called The Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute.

Anyhow Dan has paired up with them to launch a very clever fundraiser. He sent the manuscript for this new book, OH NO! written by Mac Barnett, to a variety of us illustrator pals to make our own interpretation of the story (which is about a girl who invents a robot for the science fair, who then wreaks havoc on the town). The results are dozens of pieces of art that show different sides of the same event. You can see the results here!

The art will be auctioned on ebay in two batches, one beginning on August 23rd and one on the 30th, with all proceeds going to 826LA. I'll post links as soon as the art is up. Winners get their own piece of original and an official police report by each artist!

You can find updates about the auction on its blog here, and read more about Dan and his new book on one of my favorite kidlit blogs here.

Furball Friday

OH NO! Eyewitness Charity Auction

Like Grace, I recently sent off my piece for author/illustrator extraordinaire Dan Santat's Eyewitness charity auction for 826LA, featuring his new book OH NO!. He sent the manuscript for this very clever story to a variety of illustrators to interpret in their own way. Check out all the pieces here!

The work will be shown at the Nucleus Gallery in LA from August 14-17th, and then auctioned off on ebay beginning on August 23rd. Don't forget to check out the book too, which Dan illustrated brilliantly!

(click to enlarge)

North Andover Public Library on Wednesday

This Wednesday (the 11th) I'll be giving a presentation at the North Andover Public Library to celebrate the Go Green theme in Massachusetts libraries this summer. I'll be talking about the making of What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe? and showing lots of sketches and artwork. Come join us!

The Details:

2:00 to 3:00 pm
Stevens Memorial Library
345 Main St. North Andover, MA 01845
978-688-9505

Furball Friday

Winning Readings

Winning Readings named What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe? one of the ten best books to teach kids about the environment. Thanks guys! Here is what they said:

"So what can you do with an old red shoe? How about transforming it into a planter? In this book, Anna Alter comes up with some very clever art activities reusing materials you can find right in your own home! Plus, she incorporates poems with each activity. Make stamps out of old flip flops or a holiday card out of used wrapping paper. With 13 different projects in all, teachers have enough material for 2 weeks! Your class can begin with the poem and finish with an activity. I highly recommend this book to experts and craft novices alike."

San Fran digs

This has been a year for change in many ways. I finished two book projects long in the works, moved to Northampton, MA from Boston, and am now starting a family. But the latest big news is that we'll be traveling to San Francisco for 9 months so that Bruno (my fella) can do an internship for his graduate program. So in addition to getting ready for the baby and the launch of Disappearing Desmond in a few short weeks, we are madly apartment hunting!

We've been scouring Craigslist for a one bedroom in the city that will take cats and let us have a 9 month lease. If anyone has and leads or suggestions for finding a place from a distance any advice is most welcome!