A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Susanna Leonard Hill and Her Granddaughter, Annabelle

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann

poetry friday buttonThanks to Linda at TeacherDance for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today. 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 Friends! 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 (now an eighth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 and 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 sharing poetry and art in beautiful collaborations. 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 . . .

Susanna Leonard Hill and Her Granddaughter, Annabelle

Here’s a bit from Susanna to tell us how the collaboration came about:

Me: Hey, Annabelle!  Want to draw a picture and I’ll write a poem to go with it?

Annabelle: Let’s play princess and wear our tiaras and have a tea party.  You can use that picture if you want to (points carelessly at the artistic subject of this post whilst dragging me off to her castle.)

(So obviously, Annabelle’s art was inspirational enough for Susanna to come up with the perfect poem. But what I’m wondering is if Susanna wrote the poem while in the castle, while wearing a tiara, while sipping tea?)

Annabelle’s Inspirational Art

And the Poem it Inspired

A photo of the collaborators enjoying some time together.

Many thanks to Annabelle and Susanna for sharing their bewitching talents with us today 😀

Meet Annabelle: Annabelle is 6 and in first grade. She is a talented artist, cheerleader, and assistant cauldron-stirrer, but her activity of choice is being a princess. She does not currently entertain visitors online.

Meet Susanna: Susanna Leonard Hill is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children including the newly released WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH (the Parents Magazine #1 Board Book for 2017), WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES and THE ROAD THAT TRUCKS BUILT. Her first book, which she wrote in 2nd Grade, was called The Girl And The Witch.  Coincidence??? Quite prescient given the subject of today’s collaboration with her granddaughter! Susanna has no actual experience flying (or surfing) a broomstick, but she can can cook up gunk in a cauldron with the best of them. Feel free to come visit her at www.susannahill.com or like her author page on FB https://www.facebook.com/SusannaLeonardHill She’s also on twitter and instagram if you prefer to hang out there.

 

 

46 thoughts on “A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests: Susanna Leonard Hill and Her Granddaughter, Annabelle”

  9. I am absolutely in love with this duo’s work. I love the picture. I love the color. I love the witch and the cats and the pointed roofs and the curly clouds. And I love the poem it inspired.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Susanna, I see you rose to the occasion! Annabelle sounds like someone who knows what she likes and won’t let anything stop her from enjoying it. Good for her! I’ll bet she loves your poem and that surfing witch.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Oh, this is adorable. I am so enjoying the kids’ artwork on these posts. Such fun. And yes, you can never have too many cats….black or otherwise. My smile for today! Thanks, poets and artists!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It works out well that everyone else in my family is able to draw, Sherri, because it is totally out of my range! But thanks to Annabelle’s fabulous picture, I had no trouble coming up with an accompanying poem 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Since Susanna is now hosting the Halloweensie contest, this is a perfect story for it and with Annabelle’s art, just right. There is something fun on Halloween when we imagine so many creatures taking flight. Annabelle’s witch, now Greta according to Susanna, is a model to remember! Thanks, Penny, Susanna, and Annabelle!

    Liked by 2 people

  15. This is Halloween Palooza for Susanna. I absolutely love the poem, the ending had me laughing, and Annabelle’s artwork is adorable. I love the witches mouth, and all those black cats.

    Liked by 2 people

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