Read Set Draw! Paint an Emotion Garden with Cindy Derby
Sometimes we feel happy like a bright, yellow sunflower, sometimes we feel angry like a red, burning bush, and sometimes we feel a mix of emotions we are unsure how to express. When we feel strong feelings, a great way to express ourselves is through art and drawing. Join Cindy Derby, illustrator of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award-winning picture book, THE BOY AND THE GORILLA, for Ready Set Draw! as she teaches us how to paint an emotion garden to fill with our feelings.
Supplies:
-Watercolors
-Paint brushes
-Watercolor paper
We’d love to add your artwork to the Ready Set Draw Art Gallery!
Post your paintings on our KidLit TV Facebook page OR use the hashtag #ReadySetDraw on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter so we can find you!
We can’t wait to see what you’ve made!
Congratulations to author Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrator Cindy Derby WINNERS of the
2021 Crystal Kite ward for THE BOY AND THE GORILLA
From SCBWI:
The Crystal Kite Award is presented annually to books that represent excellence in the field of children’s literature. The Crystal Kites Awards are peer-selected, voted on by SCBWI members from local regions.
Watch the Launch Party for THE BOY AND THE GORILLA
with author Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrator Cindy Derby!
A KidLit TV Special Event for Young Readers!
About the Book
Starred Reviews for THE BOY AND THE GORILLA!
“The gorilla’s honest yet reassuring responses offer the child relief in the quest to understand. Feelings of hurt, confusion, isolation, and even resentment are acknowledged, but the gorilla’s gentle presence and wise responses help to recenter the soul. The artwork, full of expressive brushstrokes and washes of color, offers a poeticism that perfectly matches the text. Luminous.” Kirkus Starred Review
“Kramer (The Green Umbrella) successfully walks a delicate line between foregrounding the boy’s sadness (“When will I feel better?”) and the gorilla’s miraculous presence. Somehow, the gorilla’s words sound less treacly than a human grown-up’s might (“Each bite is like a memory,” the gorilla says when the boy makes his mother’s favorite cookies), and they offer meaningful support and comfort to the boy until he’s ready to reach out elsewhere.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review
About Illustrator Cindy Derby
When I was a kid, I enjoyed taking photographs of my two cats, decorating miniature shoeboxes with armadillos, and making creeping drawings of all my crushes. When I got older, I went to theater school for many years where I trained to be a performer and a puppeteer. I built and designed puppets all over the world and performed one-woman puppetry shows.
Today, I spend my time creating picture books. I think of a picture book as a stage for all these characters in my head to come to life. They are full of mischief. And I like that.
About Author Jackie Azúa Kramer
Many lives ago I was born into a Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian loving family. Together we traveled to faraway places. Then I grew up and had some fun and interesting experiences as an actor, singer & school counselor. Now I’m an author and wile away my time writing children’s picture books. What ties these all together are my dreams and imagination. Most of the time you’ll find me reading, watching old movies, globe-trekking, and whenever possible sharing laughter & food with my family.
I live with my amazing family and my collection of tiny pigs in Long Island, NY.
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Wow! Really love this emotion garden idea! It will be great to show my kindergarten students!