Here's a nice surprise in the mail box. My Woodland Christmas, first published in 1995, has been repackaged with a CD and the publishers have kindly forwarded my complimentary copies. I think this calls for a little celebration and further down this post are details of my give-away.
Woodland Christmas is the well-known Twelve Days of Christmas, but with all of the characters interpreted as Canadian wildlife: One gray partridge, Two rock doves, Three ruffed grouse, Four common loons, Five river otters,
Six Canada geese,
Seven whistling swans, Eight raccoons (maids a milking became eight raccoons gathering stars from the milky way),
Nine red foxes (ladies dancing - remember Botticelli's three graces?), Ten moose-a-leaping (you can tell they are lords by their chains of office. One of them - look closely- is a knight of the garter),
Eleven red squirrels piping and (drumroll) Twelve beavers slapping the water with their tails. The courting couple are black bears and their courtship
is told in vignettes throughout the pages, concluding with a skating wedding party for all.The publishers have put together a charming CD with the song and music, very user-friendly for classroom use in teaching the carol. The book and CD are packaged together in a recloseable sleeve and will be distributed in China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
My baby was on the way when I started work on this in '94 and I finished it up with him in a cot beside me. He was a useful model for the cherub bear on the title page!
Now about that give-away: Peaceable Kingdom Press published a selection of the images as Christmas cards, large and small, and I am putting together a package of them.
Leave a comment to enter and on Friday, June 18, the winner's name will be drawn.************
June 18, shaking the names in a hat....
And the winner of the Woodland Christmas card Give Away is:
Frances of City Views, Country Dreams.
Congratulations! The bears will soon be on their way to New York.
Very best wishes to all who entered.
Frances of City Views, Country Dreams.
Congratulations! The bears will soon be on their way to New York.
Very best wishes to all who entered.
Oh, these paintings are just fantastic...what a marvelous idea to have adapted the Twelve Days of Christmas!
ReplyDeleteHow could I possibly resist leaving a comment?
Thank you also, for your comment. I so agree with you that it would be a wonderful treat to visit that garden over a continuous number of days and try to capture some of its beauty in dwawings and paintings.
xo
What a lovely project, Frances! Did you mean that the CD was not going to be distributed in the US or Canada? I want to order a copy, too. Your card giveaway is wonderful! Please put my name in too.
ReplyDeleteI'm home today. It's very hot! And the fresh happy snowy designs are just where 'the grass is greener'! Last night I dreamed I was on the foot of the Alps with my daughter. She was studying microbes while I walked around a building to see the sharp peaks. I called to her but realized that if I continued walking I could get left behind. I could even cause her to be in danger- if she followed me. I turned back toward her. In my minds eye, I saw the rolling hills and green grass where the Alps used to be. Where did they go?
Somehow I think this dream is about living in the south now...and being born in the north. And the fact that my little girl is going way north to go to college.
What I really want to write is that I appreciate your magical work. It's inspiring, fresh, and alive with childhood dreams. Thanks for your visit to Oasis, and your warm comment.xx
Please enter me! What a beautiful book!
ReplyDeleteAh, I loved this post! Call me sour, but I'm just not the biggest fan of summer. I think it's a combination of hay fever and all the creepy crawlies. I spend these months longing for winter so thanks for bringing a little festive cheer to my day! Your work is as wonderful as always, by the way. Charming and enchanting and whimsical and wonderful... I could keep going but I'll stop. Well, hope you're having a lovely day!
ReplyDeletep.s I'd love to be entered into your draw too :)
Oh how lovely, you are so talented.
ReplyDeleteWell now, I can testify to the gorgeousness of this book having bought myself a copy for Christmas, how nice to have the addition of a CD. Please don't include me in your give away , that would be greedy of me, let someone else discover this delightful book.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the drawing for the beautiful cards. I have to agree that you are very talented. =)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say how lovely the images are. I particularly liked learning that you began the project while pregnant, and finished up with the baby by your side.
ReplyDeleteAs it happens, I don't send Christmas cards so I'd rather the cards go to someone who can have the joy of sending them. Therefore, don't enter me, please but I do thank you for the opportunity.
I really did just want to let you know how lovely I think they are :-)
Oh, I am delighted to have had my name drawn.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat!
I will be sending you the necessary details. xo