my latest

What else to do for a little boy named Hudson than a Hudson Valley-inspired book?The cover image comes from the invitation for little Hudson's welcoming ceremony. So lovely.
I love the Halfmoon, Henry Hudson's boat. Each September the replica docks for a few days in Albany as part of the recreation of the original ship's journey and we always walk down to the Riverfront to climb aboard. Last year Tigerlily took over the ship, becoming the pirate girl she truly is.

The "U" was extremely difficult to come up with but I really love this. Hudson's mama came up with the idea to include the North Star quilt block which was used as a symbol of the journey North.
The (Shawan)Gunks were difficult to depict so I put them in a very typical Hudson Valley setting.

Of course, there are orchards everywhere around here.

The wigwam is one of my favorite exhibits at the NYS Museum so it was fun to create one for a book.

I tried to capture the history of the Hudson Valley and instill a real sense of place in the book. It helps that I live here, and it was kind of cool to remember that Albany, as small and insignificant as it sometimes seems (T'Lil likes to call it "Smalbany," as do many other locals), is one of the oldest cities in the country and is steeped in so much history.