I'm so honored my #picturebook My Love for You Is Like a Garden is a finalist for an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award! 🌻📚🥳

Thank you to Art BEAT for Fox Valley & Beyond for sharing the news: bit.ly/3WgUSLI

#award #bookaward #IBPA #kidlit #author #Illustrator

For bedtime books & tea we read AFIKOMAN, WHERE'D YOU GO? written by Rebecca Gardyn Levington-AFIKOMAN is HERE! & illustrated by Noa Kelner!

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation Penguin Random House 🐧🏠📚

Happy #EarthDay ! 🌎Looking for fun activities for your home or classroom to inspire a love of nature? 🌻🌱

Celebrate #EarthDay today & every day with the free Activity Kit for My Love for You Is Like a Garden!

→laurasmetana.com/my-love-for-yo…

#EarthDay 2024 #gardening #plants #teacher

Thank you Pierce Downer School K-2 for a fun #authorvisit ! I enjoyed reading Little Squiggle's Lake Adventure, sharing the story behind it & how books are made! 📚

I loved drawing with you & hearing about the books YOU plan to write! ✏️🥰

#kidlit Dr. Leland Wagner #dg58learns District 58

For bedtime books & tea we read BEULAH HAS A HUNCH! Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry by Katie Mazeika BEULAH HAS A HUNCH! is out now!!

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation #biography #readaloud #booksforkids #inventors #womeninSTEM #STEM Simon Kids

For bedtime books & tea we read LOVE GROWS written by Ruth Spiro, Children's Author and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins! 🪴📚❤️

#amreading #kidlit #picturebook #BookRecommendation HarperKids

It's always a fun surprise when a student draws ME into their draw-along sketch during an #authorvisit ! 😊

Thanks to this Arbor View School 2nd grader for adding me into their joyful garden scene! ✏️🎨🌻

CCSD 89 #kidlit #authorvisit #illustration

Thank you Arbor View School 2nd graders for a wonderful #authorvisit ! I loved reading MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE A GARDEN, sharing the story behind it & how I make cut-paper collage illustrations. ✂️🎨

It was so fun drawing with you & seeing YOUR garden scenes! ✏️🌻

CCSD 89 #kidlit

Looking for the perfect book for #Spring #EarthDay #MothersDay ? 🌻🌎📚

Visit Anderson's Bookshops in Downers Grove for a signed copy of MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE A GARDEN & free packet of marigold seeds! 🌱🌼

→andersonsbookshop.com/book/978173714…

#giftideas #kidlit #gifts #PictureBooks #teachers

For bedtime books & tea we read THE MOCHI MAKERS written and illustrated by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson!

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation Simon Kids

For bedtime books & tea we read THIS IS A STORY written by John Schu and illustrated by Lauren Castillo 🦔🏳️‍🌈📚! ❤️📚

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation #SchoolLibraryMonth

For bedtime books & tea we read What Happened to YOU? written by James Catchpole The Catchpole Agency and illustrated by Karen George karen george!

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation

For bedtime books & tea we read A DUPATTA IS...  written by 📚🌟Marzieh Abbas 🌟📚 Preorder: AWE-SAMOSAS! & illustrated by Anu Chouhan!

#amreading #kidlit #BookRecommendation MacKids Books

I'm so happy to share MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE A GARDEN is a finalist for the 2024 @IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Children's Picture Book (0-3 Years)! 🌻 📚 🥳

ibpabenjaminfranklinaward.com/winners-childr…

#award #bookaward #IBPA #PictureBooks #kidlit #gardening #love #collage #author #Illustrator

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 3-part 'Watercolor Collage: Paint, Cut, Create!' course at OLLI-USF! 🎨🖌️✂️

I enjoyed teaching you each step of my #collage process and making art together. And I loved seeing the unique #garden scenes you each created! 🌻🌺🌹

Thank you MortonArboretum! I had so much fun reading my #picturebook MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE A GARDEN, sharing my illustration process & leading a garden scene draw-along at the Tales from the Great Outdoors: A Children's Book Family Event! 📚🌻✏️

#ReadLocalILLINOIS #kidlit

Enjoy a fun-filled day of nature-themed children's stories, crafts and early childhood resources during Tales from the Great Outdoors, a new family-friendly event that is free with Arboretum admission. Meet talented authors and get tips for nurturing literacy at home. Contact…

I had so much fun teaching the 'Watercolor Collage: Paint, Cut, Create!' course for OLLI-USF! Last week we learned the basics of #collage . Today we drew our garden scenes & started painting our watercolor washes. ✏️🌻✂️🎨🖌️

Looking forward to making the final collages next week!

I'm delighted to be participating in the Children's Book Family Event at MortonArboretum on Sat. 3/16/24!

At Noon, I'll be reading my #picturebook , My Love for You Is Like a Garden & leading a draw-along! 📚🌻✏️

Learn more: mortonarb.org/explore/activi…

#ReadLocalILLINOIS #kidlit

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I’m Laura Smetana and I'm a children's book author & illustrator who loves creating bright, joyful cut-paper watercolor collages inspired by nature.

laurasmetana.com/illustration

#kidlitart #kidlitillustration #kidlitart ist #picturebookillustration