Eureka! Award for A Polar Bear's World

Nonfiction books have always been popular with young readers and are often preferred when children choose their own library books. But, for a long time, nonfiction has been neglected in favor of fiction by people handing out awards. So, I was immensely pleased to learn that the California Reading Association has established a new award for nonfiction and that my book, A Polar Bear's World, is a recipient in the gold category. The California Reading Association's Eureka award celebrates and honors nonfiction children’s books and will assist teachers, librarians, and parents in identifying outstanding nonfiction books for their students and children. For more information about the award go to www.californiareads.org .
You can preview A Polar Bear's World in this book trailer on YouTube.

Celebrity Parents Magazine

Last week I had the honor of being interviewed by Jennifer Parris of Celebrity Parents Magazine (an online weekly magazine) while I was in New Fairfield, Connecticut doing a school visit. We did a photo session in the school library and then talked about my books and the challenges of being a parent while developing a career. I began writing and illustrating when my children were in preschool. At that time my work hours were limited by the number of hours they spent in school. As they grew, they spent longer days at school and my work day grew as well. You can read the interview at www.celebrityparentsmag.com.

Art Show Opening

The show at the Blue Dot is up! The opening reception was a great success attended by friends, family, art lovers and neighbors of the Blue Dot. We had a craft table for the children, who created some very colorful penguins and koalas with crayons and cut paper. The show will be up until November 5th. If you live in the Bay Area, stop by and see it and enjoy the delicious food at the Blue Dot. It is open for breakfast and lunch and features yummy home baked pastries and excellent coffee. The Blue Dot is at 1910 Encinal Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501.

Exhibit at the Blue Dot, Alameda, CA

Art Exhibit, September 25 - November 5, 2010
Animal Prints
by Caroline Arnold
at the
Blue Dot Cafe and Coffee Bar
1910 Encinal Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501

The exhibit will feature limited edition giclee prints of original cut paper art illustrations from the children’s books in Caroline Arnold’s Animals series published by Picture Window Books.
To see a sample of some of the images that will be in the exhibit, go to www.etsy.com/shop/carolinearnoldart

If you are in the Bay Area, please stop by the Blue Dot any time until November 5th to see the art and enjoy the delicious food! Hours: m-f, 7:30-5:00; sat, 8:00-4:00; sun, 8:00-2:00. Phone: 925-944-9678. For directions, go to www.bluedotcafeandcoffeebar.com

Polar Bear Coloring Page

I am starting to add downloadable coloring pages to my website, www.carolinearnold.com. Look on the page of my new book, A Polar Bear's World, for the link to a picture of a polar bear. The challenge will be to decide on colors to use for a white bear in a white landscape! Of course, there are many shades of white, with polar bears being a yellowish white and the surrounding snow being various shades of blueish white.
For more coloring pages and other projects go to A Panda's World and A Penguin's World.
You can preview A Polar Bear's World in this book trailer on YouTube.
Update, 2012:  You can also learn about polar bears and how they have been affected by global warming in my new book A Warmer World.

Photos or Art? Which is Better?

Photographs are not always the best way to illustrate what animals do, especially in books for young children. For animals that live underground or underwater, are active at night, or live in remote locations, sometimes a drawing is better for showing their behavior. One of my recent books, A Walrus’ World, which I illustrated with cut-paper art illustrations is a good example of a book better illustrated with art. It would have been impossible to follow around a mother walrus on an ice floe in the Arctic to get the photographs I needed! I did go to zoos to observe walruses in real life, but creating illustrations made it possible for me to tell my story about walruses in their natural environment.

Making Cut Paper Illustrations

My basic technique is the same for all of my books.
The first step is to write the story. This involves basic research in the library, on the internet, and if possible, observing the animals in real life. I need to find out everything I can about the animal–what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, how it behaves, what its special adaptations are. All this information helps me with both my writing and my art.
Whenever possible I like to observe animals in their natural habitats. I also like to watch them in the zoo. I always take my camera when I go to the zoo. The pictures are a type of visual note taking. They help me both with my writing and my art.
The first step in creating my illustrations is the drawing. If I’m drawing a baby moose, I need to know exactly what it looks like. I then transfer the drawing onto colored paper, cut out the pieces, and glue them together. The final step is putting the animals on a background.
This illustration is from my book A Moose's World.
Update, September 14, 2011
VIDEO:  You can now see a short video of my cut-paper process on YouTube.  Click here to view it.