for the foxes and for those that tame us

"to me you shall be unique in all the world". all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

Shortlisted Most Promising Talent

http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk/childrens-book-awards/shortlisted-most-promising-new-talent-2012---my-bear-griz-by-suzanne-mcginnes/13382.html

if you can dream it, you can achieve it

all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

graphite

all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

Happenings in the new studio

all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

White Raven Award 2012

I am very pleased to announce that My Bear Griz has been honored at this year's Bologna Children's Book Fair with a White Raven Award. Throughout each year, the language specialists (Lektoren) at the Internationale Jugendbibliothek (International Youth Library / IYL) select recently published books that they consider especially noteworthy. This »premium label« is given to books of international interest that deserve a wider reception on account of their universal theme and/or their exceptional and often innovative artistic and literary style and design.

Here is the review on Griz:

McGinness, Suzanne (text/illus.)
My bear Griz
London: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2011. – [26] p.
ISBN 978-1-84780-113-5
(Janetta Otter-Barry books)
Friendship – Imagination
Billy and Griz do everything together: When they go exploring, the boy rides proudly on the grizzly bear’s back; when they play hide-and-seek, Griz couldn’t be more conspicuous curling himself around a ridiculously thin tree trunk; and when they take an afternoon nap, the boy snuggles comfortably against his massive friend’s furry body. Suzanne McGinness’s stunning debut, with its sparse text chronicling the activities of the slightly unusual pair of friends, describes the joys of friendship – nothing new there. However, it is the way in which the impressive biro-and-watercolour illustrations portray the towering reddish-brown grizzly next to the tiny boy that make this book such a convincing and enchanting fare for young and old readers alike – with a delightful twist at the end. (Age: 3+)

more info can be found here at white raven

Cassander Eeeftinck Schattenkerk

so lovely.

Wishing to see more clouds like this about now.

for more work : http://www.berndnaut.nl/images/cumulusklein.jpg

Book Signing at Apple Tree

Shop at local book stores, its the only way to go!
A Huge thank you for Apple Tree Books and Night Town for hosting a wonderful book signing!
all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

In the end,
The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on
and gained by those who let go.

all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness

The New York Times Reviews 'My Bear Griz'

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/books/in-the-company-of-bears.html

In “My Bear Griz,” the first book written and illustrated by Suzanne McGinness, a young boy wearing a paper crown declares, “My name is Billy and I love bears” in immense text that mirrors the size of Griz, a grizzly, of course, and the bear he loves best. He goes on to describe the ins and outs of their friendship –- they like to eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches, snuggle up for naps and stargaze in tandem. The sequence feels like a warmhearted coda to Jez Alborough’s “Eddy and the Bear” series.

There is no story here to speak of, but it’s a sweet portrait of an imaginary friendship. The book’s strength is the illustration, which combines a scratchy, colorful Paul Galdone-like bear along with mixed media images: the boy with a collaged hat, intervals of childish penciled handwriting, watercolor washes and pen-and-ink drawings.

Why I love being a Children's Book Illustrator

all images copyright Suzanne F. McGinness