moving notes

Ahoy! I have created a new site, where I will be blogging. This spells the end for jamiepeeps on blogspot.

It's been a fine five years. Thanks for reading! Please check out

www.jamiehogan.com and subscribe to my posts over there!

Peaks Island School

What a treat to visit the amazing kids at the Peaks Island School on Read Across America Day!

I brought along my latest book, Here Come the Humpbacks to talk about reading pictures. Color and composition are part of the visual narrative. Color can tell us about time of day, temperature; how cold is the water? Scale can show us size relationships.

I showed this spread to talk about why I take a plastic bag to the beach every day, with my dog.

First, there's the poop business to pick up. Then, always some plastic: a bottle, a coffee cup, part of a shoe. Every little bit I carry away makes a better habitat for our marine friends.

One way of helping is adopting a whale from any of these organizations: the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund, and Allied Whale. I adopted a whale from each of them.

I shared my plush whales, tokens of my donations, and their curious octopus friend. They proved ready prompts for eager artists.

One girl drew a manatee from memory!

Lots of blue pastel dust, urgent mark-making, textures, blending, and more...

 Thing 1 drew with great concentration.

This octopus has a lot of personality.

Another girl drew her favorite part of the ocean: jumping in off the dock!

This artist drew his favorite character from Sponge Bob, a fun scale paradox here, big Plankton and small humpback together.

Sometimes the joy is in the act of making a color, as this student demonstrates:

 

All together, the Peaks Island Elementary artists created a vibrant ocean of colorful creatures.

Thanks for letting me be part of your day!

I'm in the process of making a new website, so please stay tuned for my launch news.