A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Linda Ashman and Her Young Friends, Mischa and Phoebe…Plus a Giveaway!

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann
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.

April is National Poetry Month! So  . . .

poetry friday button

National Poetry Month brings poetry to the forefront. And if you’re looking for poetry for kids, the Poetry Friday Roundup is a great place to start. Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference is hosting today. Thanks, Tabatha. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.

To find out how kidlit bloggers are celebrating poetry this month, head over to Jama’s Alphabet Soup where she’s rounded up links to a world of poetry fun.

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

Linda Ashman and Her Young Friends, Mischa and Phoebe

**GIVEAWAY! Before you view today’s collaboration I wanted to let you know that Linda has generously offered a signed copy of her new book, Ella WHO? to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment by April 30th at midnight CST. A winner will be randomly selected. To win the copy you must have a US address.

And now, today’s episode!

From Linda: For this collaboration, I borrowed my friend Emily Dorn’s daughters, Mischa (8) and Phoebe (6). The poems were extras from two poetry collections I’d written years ago—The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide and Stella, Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse—that for one reason or another weren’t included in the books. I gave the girls both poems and told them they could each do an illustration or collaborate on a single one. They chose to do their own. I thought they might find Medusa too creepy, but Phoebe embraced the idea of a headful of snakes. And Mischa created a letter that my dog would love to receive every day.

The First Collaboration

Linda’s Poem

Phoebe’s Art

art by Phoebe

The Second Collaboration

Linda’s Poem

Mischa’s Art

art by Mischa

Here are the three collaborators as well as a younger brother 🙂 Phoebe’s on the left. Mischa’s on the right. Their little brother Gabe is on Linda’s lap.

Many thanks to Linda, Phoebe, and Mischa for sharing their talents with us today.

**GIVEAWAY: Don’t forget to leave a comment by April 30th at midnight CST for a chance to win a copy of Linda’s book, Ella WHO?

About the Story: When a baby elephant shows up on moving day, a young girl tries to tell her family. But they’re all so distracted (and, well, clueless), that the elephant slips by unnoticed. A friendship blooms as the two play throughout the day but, alas, the elephant must return home to the animal sanctuary. Fortunately it’s not too far away, and—as the girl discovers—is filled with many more potential playmates.

Meet Linda: Linda Ashman is the author of more than thirty-five picture books and the creator of The Nuts & Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books. New titles include Ella WHO?, illustrated by Sara Sanchez (Sterling, April 2017) and William’s Winter Nap, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Disney-Hyperion, October 2017). She lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Twitter: @lindaashman2
Coming October 10, 2017

47 thoughts on “A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Linda Ashman and Her Young Friends, Mischa and Phoebe…Plus a Giveaway!”

  6. I got snakes in my hair and I don’t care – Love it! So telling of Medusa’s attitude. And the special delivery letter – what doggy wouldn’t love that? Such enjoyable poems and artwork!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Great activity to collaborate a poem and art. Children and adults benefit from participating in creative expression because it is fun!!! Looking forward to having fun reading “Ella Who” with my grandchildren.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The intergenerational collaboration is what I love so much about this series…and one of the main reasons I started it. Plus the fact that I LOVE to see children’s art. Just seeing how Phoebe and Mischa chose to illustrate the poems makes me smile. Thanks for coming by, Virginia 😀

      Like

  8. Wonderful poems, and the “word art” is creative too. What fun these are! Thanks Linda, your friends, Phoebe, and Mischa and Penny. It’s always a pleasure to see who’s visiting and sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I didn’t like Medusa as a child. But,Linda’s poem and Phoebe’s drawing made me chuckle. And my dog Archie would agree with the fun poem and Mischa’s drawing for the postman — “more bones — Woof Woof!”

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Such funny & punny poems, Linda, with adorable art to accompany them! Congrats!! I absolutely love the cover of Ella Who! So adorable! Can’t wait to read it! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.