It’s been two weeks since the Reading Round Up, the annual conference of Maine Children’s Librarians held in Augusta on May 1. This event brings together those serving youth in a Maine school or public library and celebrates children’s literature while honoring individuals who have made significant impacts on the literary landscape. I drew this for my Rabbit rabbit rabbit good luck post before heading out the door wearing my best purple attire. May day rabbits © Jamie Hogan A few weeks before the conference scheduled for April 4, I got a surprise phone call from Camden Public Library’s Child ..read more

I’ve known my dear friend, Kathy Mahoney, since our early days freelancing as illustrators in Boston in the 80’s. She’s been inviting me to her new place in Austin for almost four years. Instead, I’ve caught up with her when she’s in Maine every summer. Opportunistic, I know. This year felt like the right time to go, and coincide with the total eclipse. sketchbook drawing, ©Jamie Hogan Last Saturday, we caught the 7:15 am ferry from Peaks and arrived at Kathy’s house on the edge of downtown Austin by around 9 pm. Ample lulls between each leg of the journey were good for sketching while stari ..read more

IRW graphic I was delighted to visit three schools this past week at the invitation of Island Readers & Writers, a wonderful non-profit literacy organization centered in Mount Desert Island! On St. Patrick’s Day I drove three hours down east to Birch Harbor where this sign greeted me. photo © Jamie Hogan of sign in Birch Harbor, Maine After a warm welcome from Alison Johnson, the IRW school coordinator, at their wonderful farm house, a rainbow showed up. A lucky sign! photo © Jamie Hogan                &nb ..read more

I love collaborating with my island neighbor, author Rae Chalmers. Her newest Oxbow Island Gang story, Leap Frog, is the fourth book I’ve illustrated that has published this year. How lucky am I?! Late last fall when she handed me the manuscript, she also gave me this little fellow to cheer me on. frog toy courtesy of Rae Chalmers photo ©Jamie Hogan It’s also the fourth book in her series, and we have our process pretty much down. She gives me a list of things to illustrate for each chapter and a month or so later I show her rough sketches. She gave me this cup by McKone Pottery and I swear ..read more

These have been heavy times, for Maine and for the world. I hope you’re holding on OK, dear readers. The natural world has been a tremendous solace. It’s a privilege to find sanctuary there. Jamie Hogan at the Waterville Story Walk of Skywatcher                                photo © Marty Braun It lifted my spirits to see my book, Skywatcher, featured in Waterville’s Story Walk along the Messalonskee Stream. Serena at Waterville Creates ..read more

Ahoy, it’s me, the Bluffer. Jamie Hogan in her native White Mountains, photo © Marty Braun Last summer I hiked up this trail in the White Mountains, thinking of my looming deadline for The Lobster Lady by Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs. It was a challenging time, juggling two book deadlines at once for the first time in my career. This sign spoke to my doubts about my ability to capture the iconic Virginia Oliver, aka the Lobster Lady. When Charlesbridge art director, Kristen Nobles, contacted me about the assignment in early 2022, I was ecstatic about the opportunity to illustrate a picture book ..read more

detail from SKYWATCHER by Jamie Hogan When fellow children’s book creator, Lucky Platt, invited me to visit the Unity Public Library last week, I was thrilled! I received this completely adorable handmade star book as an invitation to a Storyteller Supper at her house on March 24. How cool is that?! handmade star book by Lucky Platt My visit would be the culmination of a 3-day Star Party. Sweet! graphic courtesy of Unity Public Library After a delicious dinner with new friends, Lucky and her partner, Jim MacDonald, brought me to the nearby Unity Elementary School for a presentation by Northern ..read more

What could be finer than meeting up with Maine art educators at the Ecology School at River Bend Farm? I was delighted to speak this past weekend at the MAEA awards ceremony and lead two zine making workshops. Bonus: my former MECA student, Liz Long, was my ride! She’s now in her second year teaching Commercial Art at PATHS. After finding our dorm room, we strolled to the river. Liz Long at River Bend Farm in Saco                              &n ..read more

Forcing Spring, pastel on paper by Jamie Hogan, March 2006 This winter is going out like a LION, isn’t it?! Here we are hunkered down for yet another snow storm. It was in March 2006 that I drew this little chickadee with a ceramic vase holding branches about to bud, a hopeful gesture titled, Forcing Spring. Fast forward to last March on this very day, when I was working on cover ideas for Jennifer Jacobson’s manuscript Oh, Chickadee! sketchbook from March 14, 2022 photo © Jamie Hogan I’ve always been enamored by chickadees. When McSea Books offered me the opportunity to illustrate Jennifer’s ..read more