A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Marcie Colleen and Three Nieces-Elizabeth, Elena, and Emily

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann

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Thanks to Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe for hosting Poetry Friday. Today many poets will be sharing the work of Billy Collins who was Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.

Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just In case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a seventh-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 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 one Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests. I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

Today it’s my pleasure to share a creative collaboration from . . .

One Aunt and Three Nieces
Marcie Colleen, Elizabeth, Elena, and Emily

From Marcie: My three nieces are very creative visually and therefore, I knew right away that I wanted to include all three of them in the collaboration. The only problem was, I don’t fancy myself a poet. But then, while doing some cleaning I discovered this poem that I wrote when I was a kid! It’s like I am time traveling—kid Marcie gets to work with her kid nieces. What could be more fun!

Marcie’s Poem: Written in 3rd Grade

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And now for the art. Be sure to read Marcie’s reactions to her nieces’ works. You’ll find an art-specific comment below each piece.

Elena’s Art

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Pencil drawing by Elena (8-years old).

From Marcie: Just look at those cheerful little bees dancing in the rain!

Emily’s Art

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Pencil drawing by Emily (12-years old).

From Marcie: I love the flower with a clock center and the bees holding the umbrellas!

Elizabeth‘s Art

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Detailed pastel work by Elizabeth (14-years old).

From Marcie: I just marvel at the water droplets!

I just love Marcie’s obvious delight over the illustrations 🙂

The Collaborators

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Elizabeth (14), Aunt Marcie, Elena (8), and Emily (12)

Many thanks to Marcie, Elizabeth, Elena, and Emily for sharing their talents with us today.

marciecolleen_headshotMeet Marcie: Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books. She is the author of the Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series (Macmillan/Imprint). Her debut picture book, Love Triangle, illustrated by Bob Shea (Blazer+Bray/HarperCollins, Oct. 3, 2017) sold in a five-house auction. It is about best friends Circle and Square, and Triangle who comes between them. Other upcoming picture books include The Adventure of the Penguinaut (Scholastic, Fall 2018) which will be illustrated by Emma Yarlett. Marcie is a frequent presenter at conferences for SCBWI, as well as a faculty member for Kidlit Writing School offering courses with a focus on plotting and revising picture books. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey. Visit her at www.thisismarciecolleen.com or on Twitter @MarcieColleen1.

32 thoughts on “A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Marcie Colleen and Three Nieces-Elizabeth, Elena, and Emily”

    1. Thank you, Brenda. And yes, Penny had JUST contacted me about being a featured guest when I found the poem. I was thrilled!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. This is a new idea, a poem from Marcie as a kid with her kid nieces! And it’s another grand collaboration. Each one managed to include Marcie’s spring ideas into their art. I love that there are bees in every one, dancing, waving hello, and anticipating a rose!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. We just purchased our first Super Happy Party Bears book! Great post! Can’t wait to read her book!

    Sent from my iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Spring has sprung! This is a lovely collaboration with your nieces, Marcie. Can’t wait to read Love Triangle!! Congrats!

    Liked by 1 person

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