Are you as excited about the holidays as the mouse family in The Night Before Christmas? You may want to visit the Holiday Countdown. There is a new picture to open each day as well as some fun activities to download. I know I am counting the days! 
Thanks to Toronto Public Library for this lovely read aloud of Picture a Tree. You can learn about more wonderful picture books for sharing by visiting Ready for Reading. Is there anything nicer than having someone read a book with you?
Sing a Song of Bedtime has received two lovely reviews!
Canadian Materials says: “Reid’s detailed plasticine illustrations are outstanding and demand repeated viewings in order to absorb their richness. Her characters, a mixture of anthropomorphic animals and humans of different races, have been appropriately chosen to represent and express each poem’s content. Who better to be “Wee Willie Winkie” running through the town in his nightgown but a raccoon?” http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol22/no7/singssongofbedtime.html
CanLit for Little Canadians says: “Sing a Song of Bedtime is a visual celebration of textures and colours that will serenade every and any child into fulfilling slumber and sweet dreams.” http://canlitforlittlecanadians.blogspot.ca/2015/10/sing-song-of-bedtime.html
An idea trap
My desk is ready and waiting for an idea to land. Of course, it doesn’t really happen like that! There are hundreds of ideas floating around the studio all the time; the trick is to notice them. There are even more ideas out in the world. You just have to pay attention. What catches your eye? Did you overhear something funny, or sad? Maybe something made you wonder “what if?” Some of the best ideas appear when you are looking the other way. Ideas are slippery; they are easy to forget in a busy day. Once you catch an idea, make sure you hang on to it by making a note, a sketch or taking a picture. Noticing things and following your interests is the best way to catch a passing idea.
I’m tickled to find Sing a Song of Bedtime on this list!
Creating artwork for a well know nursery rhyme is a great way to learn how to let your picture tell the story. By choosing the setting, designing the characters, and what moment of the story to show, each artist makes the story their own. Here are two lively interpretations of the rhyme “Jack be nimble” by students from Montgomery School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Do you know the story? How would you illustrate it?
The dress code was PJ’s, but the mood was anything but sleepy at S. Walter Stewart Library at Saturday’s launch of Sing a Song of Bedtime. Huge thanks to librarians Sandra Lee for terrific organization, Joseph Romain for the lively music, Mabel’s Fables for bringing the books, and the enthusiastic young readers and their families for bringing the fun! It was especially exciting to see even the youngest in the audience joining in the songs and rhyming along with each page. This is clearly a neighbourhood hub – hooray for libraries!
If you like to spend weekend mornings in your pyjamas you will fit right in at the S. Walter Stewart Library this Saturday, October 17, at 10:30 am. I hope to see you there! And yes, I’ll be in my PJ’s. 
The weather, young readers and presenters could all be described as bright and beautiful at the Toronto Word on the Street celebration of books and reading. Special thanks to author Kari-Lynn Winters for a lovely introduction, and author illustrator Patricia Storms for her impromptu ukulele accompaniment to Row Row Row Your boat!
Presenting Sing a Song of Bedtime at Word on the Street
Sing a Song of Bedtime, a collection of nursery rhymes and lullabies has arrived in bookstores- yay! Also available in French.
I’m over the moon excited to start sharing this book with readers big and small.
