What My Kid is Reading- Spy School

Spy School
Written by Stuart Gibbs
Age range: 8-12
Released: 2012

What's this book about?
It's about a kid named Ben who gets enrolled in a school focused on training kids to be spies for the U.S.

Does he know what he's getting himself into?
Yes, however there's more to the school than he thinks and he starts to figure it out throughout the book.

Is the story told by Ben?
It's told in the first person from Ben's perspective.

Who are the main characters besides Ben?
Throughout the story, Ben finds many accomplices, friends and enemies. Most characters you meet become main or strong supporting characters.

Who was your favorite?
It's tough to decide who was my favorite, but one of them was Zoe. The writer (Stuart Gibbs) developed her personality very well. Also, she has a tendency to give nicknames to every students in spy school, based on their first appearance, skills or anything about them.

Why did you enjoy this book so much?
It was brilliantly written. A lot of the plot twists were completely unexpected and went really well with the story. The characters were well developed and there was always something new added to the story.

I also really loved how at the start of every chapter you would find the chapter title, Ben's location, the date, and the time (army style). It made it feel like I was reading a top secret file.

Are there any illustrations in the book?
There are no illustrations but everything is described so well that the pictures pop up in your brain as if you (the reader) was in the book yourself. The book really makes you lose track of reality!

Why did you decide to read this book?
It was recommended by my friend, Owen. As I started reading it, I got sucked into it for days, it was so good.

Is this a funny book?
It's incredibly funny, with some slightly immature humor.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anybody. The grammar isn't that complex, but when it's on the trickier side, Ben will always ask what it means, and one of his friends will always explain.

Is this book part of a series?
Yes. It's made up of 4 books so far and I've read them all! Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, and Spy Ski School in that order.

How would you rate this book?
4.8 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

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Tintin Car Chase Book Cover

Another Tintin book cover commission (this is the 4th for my client) and this time it's a car chase in Spain. 

Their son is getting older, they have a new dog, and their grandmother has joined in the fun. In fact, that's her home in the background!

Some work in progress images:

Constructing the house:

Spring Animals

It's finally feeling a bit more like Spring!

This is a version of an illustration I created for my long-time client, Groovy Baby Music, a school of music for kids, to advertise their Spring semester.

Spring is all about COLOR! FUN! And finding animals in your backyard playing musical instruments!

And this is what Groovy Baby Music's version looked like:

Yoga for Kids Video

I created a video for my Yoga for Kids poster on Etsy. Check it out below and then if you have a kid who loves yoga, you can pick up a print HERE.

The poster on a wall, enjoying some sunlight.

Detail of the poster

The poses are also available as single prints

Mr. Morally Corrupt

Roger Hargreaves began creating his Mr. Men and Little Miss series in 1971 with characters whittled down to their most basic traits. 

There was Mr. Tickle (the first character created) and Little Miss Bossy, Mr. Good, Little Miss Helpful, Mr. Sneeze, Little Miss Curious, and so on.

If we were to whittle down our current president to his most basic trait, what would be the name of his character?

A Boy and His (Skeptical) Cat

Groundhog Day 2017

Happy Groundhog Day!
Welcome to another installment of the groundhog's quest to see/not see his shadow!

This year, the illustration is connected to a chapter book I've begun writing. 

In this story, the groundhog has banded together with other buck-toothed creatures of the forest to travel to the Shadowlands and get back his shadow.

I currently have a 200-page manuscript for a middle grade book getting shopped around with my literary agent, Rick Richter of Aevitas Creative Management and I'm excited to see which publishing house picks it up!

There are MANY more Groundhog Day illustrations on this blog.

I have a collection of my favorite Groundhog Day illustrations on Behance.

New Illustrated Books for Sports Illustrated Kids

I illustrated a couple of Starting Line Readers for Capstone Publishing and Sports Illustrated Kids and they're out now! 

Plus we got a new puppy- her name is Rogue.

Below are some sample illustrations from both books.

If you're interested in purchasing these books, please consider supporting your local bookstore.

Baseball Buzz

Gymnastics Jump

Safety Pin Movement prints

An illustration of friends showing the special friendship between girls. I added two versions of this image for sale as a print on ETSY: 

• The "Friends" message 

• The "You Are Safe With Me" safety pin movement message*

The Safety Pin Movement promotes peace, love and safety. It originated as a Brexit message and has been adopted in the US after the 2016 presidential elections.

Detail where you can juuust see the safety pins on the girls' shirts:

Here's the Friend version of the print in a frame:

Snowman in a Hunting Hat

Portraits From the Third (and final) Debate

Portraits from last night's presidential debates. 

Trump was drawn with a ball point pen and Clinton was drawn with a Faber Castell PITT pen (shown in the photo). Tones were added later in Photoshop.

Portraits From the Second Debate

Portraits From the First Debate

The first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was a great time to work on getting their likenesses down. Admittedly, I have more work to do before my Trump looks enough like the real one but these were fun to create.

Comrade Trump

................................................

Headline from the New York Times on July 27, 2016:

Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference here in an apparent reference to Mrs. Clinton’s deleted emails. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

From the Observer on August 5, 2016:

Yes, American Spies Really Think Trump Is Putin’s Guy

Former Central Intelligence Agency director Mike Morell was quoted as saying: “In the intelligence business, we would say that Putin had recruited Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

What My Kid is Reading- Dogopotamus

Dogopotamus: The Most Awesomest Pet Ever. Maybe.
Written by Michael Andrew Fox
Illustrated by Ed Shems (that's me!)
Age range: 7-10
Released: November 28, 2012

What's this book about?
A boy named Coby wants a pet, but he doesn't want a normal pet like a dog or a cat, he wants something bigger like a hippo but his mom says no (for obvious reasons). So Coby wonders: "What would happen if I combined a hippo with a dog?"

So I'll bet that doesn't work out too well, right?
Well, what do YOU think would happen if you mixed an energetic dog with an animal the size of a tank?!

So there must be a lot of mayhem!
This is worse than a tornado!
This is worse than an earthquake!
This is worse than dropping your iphone in the bathtub!

Is the book illustrated (as if I don't know)?
Yes, it is and it has some AMAZING illustrations! I especially love the cover because I love the Dogopotamus running around in the middle of the street while everyone is staring at him! 

Do the illustrations inside the book help tell the story?
Yeah! And they do it very well. I love how sometimes there are different textures to the artwork.

Why did you decide to read this book?
Duh. Because my dad illustrated it. And I could tell something hilarious was gonna happen. Especially from pages 28 and 29- you'll see what happens!

How many times have you read Dogopotamus?
I have no idea but it's at least eight times because I like the book AND because it was illustrated by my dad.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants a pet but their parents say no. Also anyone who likes to be creative because Coby was very creative when designing Dogopotomus.

How would you rate this book?
4.3 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

Portrait of a Camp Director

After 26 years at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire, Director Debbie Sussman was stepping down and the camp held a celebration and created a memory book for her. Instead of submitting a few words I decided to create a portrait and include many words- highlights of her 26 years.

Kelev's Journey- My Latest Chapter Book Illustrations

I recently illustrated a book called Kelev's Journey about a dog digging up his Jewish roots, and his exploits among the neighborhood dogs, cats and other animals. A fun, gently satirical read. "...Ed Shems' art adds the perfect touch, amplifying humor and adding extra heart to Kelev." Amazon review Written by David Hammerstein and published by Wyndebirk Books.

And some sketches:

You can check out the book on Amazon.

Poster of River Song from Dr. Who

I recently visited Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee and was inspired to create some faux letterpress prints. I love the imperfection of letterpress (especially when printing old posters) and wanted to include the wonderful textures that come with it!

This print is available in my Etsy shop

River Song as played by Alex Kingston.

Quotes from the wife of Dr. Who.

Dr. Who: Fish Fingers and Custard

Feeling nostalgic today for the 11th Dr. (Matt Smith).

Thinking of selling this as a print in my Etsy Shop.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

I just felt like drawing and the first thing that popped into my head were lyrics that had been floating around in it.

And then I thought Why should only one Lucy have all the fun? so I drew three Lucys in the sky.

Tangerine trees, marmalade skies, cellophane flowers of yellow and green, flowers that grow so incredibly high, Lucys in the sky with diamonds.

Flashlight Flynn- Chapter Book Illustration

Chapter book illustration:

The lights go out in the museum as the famous diamond is stolen, and it's up to Flynn and his (super) classmates to find the thief.

What My Kid is Reading-The Terrible Two

The Terrible Two
Written by Jory John and Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Age range: 8-12
Released: January, 2013

What's this book about?
Miles is a kid who moves to a new town and meets a boy named Niles. But they don't know that the two of them are pranksters- when they realize this, they build the ultimate prank for April Fool's Day for their school.

Is the prank really great?
Yes! By the power of the cow, they manage to pull off the perfect April Fool's prank.

Um, the power of the cow...?
Miles' principal gave him a book called 1,346 Things You May Or May Not Know About Cows and you need to read the book to figure out why cows are so important.

This sounds like a fun book. Is it really funny?
Yeah, it was full of jokes and pranks you'll never forget.

Is the book illustrated?
There were a couple of illustrations on every few pages and they really helped the story and also made me laugh.

How did they help the story?
They helped the story by showing me what the story means and by giving me more details. It also made the story more fun because the drawings were so playful.

Why did we buy this book?
Because my dad (that's me!) loved the cover of the book (and the inside art!). And the title.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants inspiration for April Fool's Day pranking. Or for anyone who wants the power of the cow (just kidding).

Are you interested in reading book #2?
I already did and I thought it was even better than book #1.

Wow! We'll have to review it sometime!
Sure, why not!

How would you rate this book?
4.7 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy The Terrible Two from Amazon
More book reviews from Leo

Obi-Wan Cannoli

Update: I've updated this design into a graphic t-shirt. Available in my ETSY Shop.

Just having a little bit of fun with Star Wars...

Girls in the Grass

Picture book illustration

All ABout Books Event at Preschool

On April 3, I was the guest illustrator at the JCC Newton's preschool All About Books event (and also, ahem, pajama party).

Each classroom previously explored and created their own versions of a favorite children's book and then displayed their final work at this event. It was really fantastic to see different interpretations of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Book with No Pictures and Pete the Cat (among others).

With the help of my four year old daughter, I did a presentation for the 2-5 year olds on creating a character (they wanted him/her to be silly) and then the kids helped me write the story as I drew in front of them.

We ended up with a one eyed silly monster/king named Yuni with a uni-brow and spots who had three arms and travelled around on a spring and a wheel.

Once I was finished, a number of kids continued the drawings I had stuck to the walls while others made their own stories and turned them into books for me to see.

It was a fantastic event!