A Great Nephew & A Great Aunt: Guests-Vivian Kirkfield and Jeremy

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

It’s an exciting day for A Great Nephew & A Great Aunt. We have our first guest collaborators

A Grandmother & A Grandson!

Yes, Vivian Kirkfield and her grandson, Jeremy, have a sweet treat for us today.

Just in case you haven’t visited our series before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew & A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a fifth-grader) and I (the great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration last fall and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests.

If you would like to visit past episodes, I have all the links at the bottom of this post.

Now presenting Vivian and Jeremy with . . .
The Best Dessert

The Poem

Screenshot 2015-01-22 15.16.01

The Picture
Jeremy's art
Art by Jeremy

Here is the artist hard at work.

photo of jeremy

It looks like our author and illustrator collaborate in other ways, too 🙂

photo of jeremy and vivian

Thank you for being our guests, Vivian and Jeremy. And thanks to our readers for following this series. You can learn more about Vivian below. See you next time!

Meet Vivian: How do you find your bliss? By following your passion! Former kindergarten teacher, Vivian Kirkfield, is doing just that! When she isn’t scribbling stories, Vivian is hiking and fly-fishing with her hubby, reading, crafting and cooking with kids and sharing self-esteem and literacy tips with parents and teachers. Although she is not a fan of heights and was always a rather timid child, Vivian is constantly taking leaps of faith. She self-published Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, went skydiving with her son, flew half-way around the globe to speak at the 2013AFCC/SCBWI conference in Singapore and is amassing a respectable pile of submission-ready picture book manuscripts. To learn more about her mission to help every child become a lover of books and reading, you can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on Facebook, like her Show Me How page on Facebook, visit her blog at Picture Books Help Kids Soar or contact her by email.

Tara Smith has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at A Teaching Life. Be sure to head on over to enjoy more poetry.

poetry friday button

Links to past episodes.

Episode 1: An Adventuresome Moose
Episode 2: Robot Repair
Episode 3: OUCH!
Episode 4: Frolicking Foliage
Episode 5: Trick-or-Treats
Episode 6: Peach Pie
Episode 7: Leftover Turkey
Episode 8: Crumbled
Episode 9: Signed: Mr. Hare

114 thoughts on “A Great Nephew & A Great Aunt: Guests-Vivian Kirkfield and Jeremy”

  6. My granddaughter comes home with me every Friday, & the first thing we do is have ice cream! The poem is just right for us, and ice cream lovers everywhere. I love all the series, Penny, & this is a “sweet” addition-love the picture by Jeremy & the photo of Jeremy and Vivian. Beautiful post!

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Thanks so much, Linda. I love this series, too, and it’s so much fun that we’re going to have guests now. It makes me love the series even more! That’s so fun that you have ice cream with your granddaughter every Friday.

      Like

  7. How fun that you have inspired other contributing pairs! Good ideas are worth spreading, eh?

    Now…let’s have some ice cream!

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Great poem and art. Vivian and Jeremy make a great team! You know I resisted ice cream earlier but now …. I want some and it’s really late here. I need to read your poem and check out your art tomorrow.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Oh, Vivian! This is adorable! And Penny, what a great idea. If you ever need a guest, I’d love to join in the fun. My fifth grader loves to write and illustrate, and we have always talked about collaborating. Thanks for bringing us such a delightful series!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you so much, Randi! I’m glad you enjoyed the little poem and Jeremy’s art…we had lots of fun working together. He is my go-to listener for all of my stories – I read him my critique buddies’ stories also…and encourage him to write his own. Sometimes it’s hard for him to get started…but once he does, he’s on a roll and doesn’t want to stop and the story gets more and more imaginative. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Bravo, Brenda! Love your rhyme!!! Maybe we should have a blog where every comment has to be in rhyme…I used to do that with the Meter Maids blog run by Corey Rosen-Schwartz and Tiffany Strelitz Haber…it was challenging, but so much fun.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I find the more I write kids poetry, the more I rhyme, without even taking time to find the words. I’m working on two rhyming picture books, and oy. Now that is a challenge. With me, rhythm is king, and rhyme is queen, so I can’t ignore either. It’s hard going. And I love your idea of rhyming comments, but I would be afraid of a chilling effect. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  13. I’m so excited about this new twist to A GREAT NEPHEW AND A GREAT AUNT!! I hope Jeremy had fun drawing those great ice cream cones! They made my mouth water… I’m glad that a bunch of aunts and uncles and grandparents and nephews and nieces and sons and daughters all get to be a piece of the blog! 😁

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hello Landon,
      Thank you for sharing your awesome series, Great-Aunt and Great-Nephew, with all of us. It was an honor to participate. I know that Jeremy had lots of fun drawing his picture and he will be SO happy to read all of the comments.
      By the way, you are an incredible artist…I love your drawings!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, ETC, ETC, ETC, on and on and on and on…. 🙂 What a wonderful treat, Penny. Vivian is so precious to my soul. Her grandson is a very cute artist, and Vivian’s poem was so much fun to read aloud. And I get the ice cream thang. Going to make snow cream tomorrow. Ice cream is my favorite dessert. Great job, all around!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Isn’t this a fun series, Robyn? And snow ice cream? I remember making that when I was a kid. It’s actually snowing like crazy here in NH this morning…I think when Jeremy comes home, we’ll have to give it a try. Thank you so much, dear Robyn, for your kind words. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the poem and picture.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Oh my goodness! Vivian that is the sweetest picture of you and Jeremy! And the poem and picture were scrumptious. Everything about this post is delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Pingback: #PPBF – Skit-Skat Raggedy Cat – Ella Fitzgerald | Picture Books Help Kids Soar

    2. It’s really funny because Jeremy LOVES the cone…but he wants his ice cream in a bowl, with the cone next to it…he eats the ice cream first and then the cone. My absolute favorite is when I get down to the bottom of the cone and there is that last bit of ice cream, perhaps a might melted, for that last bite of ice cream and cone together. 😉 Glad you are another ice cream screamer, Keila. 🙂

      Like

    1. Hmmm…I didn’t know there was a rule that you couldn’t have ice cream if it was cold. 🙂 That rule is certainly NOT followed by me. 😉 🙂 🙂 I know it’s cold, Julie…but have some ice cream anyway. 😉

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Catherine! Glad you enjoyed the poem and picture…Jeremy and I had lots of fun collaborating on this – and we also have lots of fun eating ice cream together. 🙂 Like Penny, I’m definitely a fan of year-round ice cream.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Do you have a favorite flavor ice cream, Carrie? I could probably enjoy ANY flavor…Jeremy’s favorite are chocolate and vanilla – with chocolate sprinkles. 😉 BTW, Jeremy’s mom (my sweet daughter) is also a ‘Carrie’. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I once read a letter that was hanging on the bulletin board of an ice cream shop…the 90 year-old woman said her only regret in life was that she hadn’t eaten enough ice cream. I am guarding against having that regret by making sure I have some EVERY DAY. 🙂 🙂 And Jeremy is VERY happy to join me.
      Go and have some right now, Robin…I insist. 😉

      Liked by 3 people

  29. “Sweet” poem, Vivian, and a wonderful drawing by Jeremy. I love the photo! AND I am astonished and impressed with the sky-diving – I would have died of fright as I was shoved out the plane door (because I would be waaaaay to scared to jump.)

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I surprise myself sometimes, Carole…I was the total ‘scaredy-cat’ as a kid. 🙂 And to be honest, I jumped in tandem with a pro…an extremely handsome young guy who lived for skydiving…hooked together with his arms around me, I didn’t have (or want) a choice..when he jumped,, I just went along for the ride. 🙂 But I’m so very glad I did it, because it showed me that I could really do anything, if I was willing to take a ‘leap of faith’…and I think that has helped me in my journey as a writer. Getting to the destination (being published) is important, but enjoying the ride is the key. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  30. First time visiting your series, Penny — what a delight! I can’t wait to see more pairings. Great job, great aunt Vivian and great nephew Jeremy. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Ice cream is my favorite dessert! Jeremy’s artwork is so colorful and creative. That picture of the two of you must be such a treasure to you….wow!!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Hello Landon’s mom! There is something wonderful about ice cream…that’s for sure. 🙂 And I’m blessed because we now live really close with our grandson (we share a two-family house with his mom, my daughter)…that picture was taken when we still lived 2000 miles apart and only got to see him a couple of times a year. The bonds you create when kids are young, whether it’s going fishing together or sharing a dish of ice cream, will last a life-time. I’m loving Penny’s Great-Aunt/Great-Nephew series for that reason..
      BTW, your son is super talented…his art work is FANTASTIC! I can see him becoming an illustrator with some of these pics. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Lovely! I can see that your poem really captured Jeremy’s imagination, Vivian! He showed lots of flavors of ice cream – I wonder which one is his favorite? Mine is chocolate. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi Carrie! Definitely chocolate! And chocolate for me, too..but I prefer it with ‘stuff” in it, like swirls of caramel/chunks of peanut butter/nuts…and how about a spritz of whipped cream on top? I laugh whenever I get a hot chocolate at Panera or some other restaurant and they ask me if I want whipped cream…hahaha…is there any other way to have hot chocolate? Glad you liked our little contribution to Penny’s series. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Thank you so much, Rebecca…it was a thrill to do the collaboration…Jeremy and I get to spend a lot of time doing things together…I’m a pretty lucky lady. 😉 We have an ongoing Monopoly game (the regular version, not the Junior game)…he knows he’s won when he manages to scoop up Boardwalk and Park Place…he puts hotels on them as soon as he can and then I’m usually doomed. 🙂

      Like

    2. Nice to meet you also, Jama. I agree with Penny…food increases creativity…that’s why I love to have yummy snacks while I am writing. 😉 🙂 And that’s why I’m looking to sell my scale really cheap. 🙂 🙂

      Like

  37. Thanks Penny, for inviting your special guests. Great job Vivian and Jeremy. I can eat ice cream any time of year, even when it’s cold…brrrr. Great printing, too, Jeremy!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Jeremy will be so proud when he reads your comment, Mona…he did work extra hard on those letters…it’s tricky to get them all in a line and fitting in the space, isn’t it? 🙂 🙂 Let’s all have some ice cream for a job well done!

      Like

Comments are closed.