Emma Dilemma

Courtney Komar and Kendra Caskey both developed readers' guides for Emma Dilemma; Big Sister Poems by Kristine O'Connell George. Both offer a wealth of resources and connections for using this wonderful book with children.

Here is Courtney Komar's guide.

George, Kristine O. 2011. Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. Ill. by Nancy Carpenter. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-618-42842-7

Recommended Age Levels 7-11

Summary of Book
In this touching collection of 34 beautiful poems, the reader is introduced to the experiences that Jess and her younger sister, Emma share. Jess, portrays the range of emotions that she endures as she captures the hearts of the reader by sharing her struggles of being a big sister. Emma looks up to her big sister and often emulates Jess’s actions. She is a loving and supportive younger sister who always wants to tag along with Jess whenever possible. Jess, being the older sister is often frustrated by Emma but is confronted with a “dilemma” as she wants to be the best big sister possible. Jess often wants her space, as seen in the “Freedom” poem as she asks her mom to promise to “keep Emma out of our way” while she plays with her friend Sasha. When Emma breaks her arm trying to climb the tree Sasha and Jess are in, Jess is filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt, feeling as if Emma’s injury is her fault. As each story unfolds, the reader captures the emotional bond that Jess and Emma have while highlighting the significance of family. The incredible union that is shared between these sisters is immaculately presented by Kristine George as she conveys the tender emotions expressed by each character. Nancy Carpenter’s engaging illustrations bring each heartfelt experience to life through her use vivid of pastel-lined drawings. Together, this talented duo capture the meaning of sisterhood while delicately addressing the emotional impact that is sustained through our life experiences.

Review Excerpts
“Jessica shares the struggles of being the big sister in this collection of 34 poignant poems. The fourth grader's three-year-old sister, Emma, vacillates between being sweet and lovable and being Jessica's biggest problem. She wants to be a good sibling, but little sisters can try one's patience. In one poem, Jessica generously allows Emma extra space to draw, but in the entry on the facing page she only grants Emma a "teeny twig" in her family tree. Spring-colored line drawings in pen-and-ink and digital media are filled with engaging details, expressive characters, and lots of humor, and bring the family dynamics to life while the verses build to a climactic situation that brings these youngsters together in a touching way.”
-School Library Journal

“The poems and art tell an absorbing story—complete with a few tense moments and a warm, believable conclusion—widening the audience and making this book more than just an opportunity for big sisters to nod their heads in total recognition." -The Horn Book

"The vignettes form such a vivid portrait of Emma and Jessica that readers may feel as if they personally know them—and a tense turn of events will have readers holding their breath." 
 -Publishers Weekly

Awards/Honors Received
• Junior Library Guild Selection, 2011

Questions to Ask Before Reading
Prior to introducing Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems, invite children to discuss the following questions:
Before showing the book to each child, ask “What types of experiences come to mind when you think of your siblings?” After listening to some of the responses, share the title of the book and ask, “What do you think this book is going be about?”
What do you enjoy doing with your siblings? Do you ever feel frustrated with them? Do you enjoy spending time with them?
Do you have a role model? Can you think of a time where you looked up to your sibling or your sibling looked up to you?
Do you like collecting items or telling jokes with your siblings?
Imagine that you have a younger sibling, would you like for them to tag along all of the time? Would you enjoy playing with them often and sharing your belongings with them?
What type of roles do your older/younger siblings play? Do you look after each other and tell them your secrets?
What type of influence does your family have on you? Do you consider yourself as a good big sister/brother? Are you the younger sibling? Do you enjoy tagging along with your older sibling?

Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
“Dracula” –Have each member read the poem chorally based on the part given. Assign every other line to a team so that they are responding to each other. For example, one side of the class would say “Scared you!”, and then the other side of the class would say “Scared you!” Next, one side of the class would say “Did not”, as the other side of the class would echo them and respond with “Did not” as well. The teacher would read the first and last sections of the poem to the class.
“Not Funny”- Have two volunteers to act out the “Not Funny” poem, one would play Jess and one would play Emma as Emma tells her joke. Emma would begin by saying, “Knock Knock!” then Jess would reply with “Who’s there?” until the poem was demonstrated completely. This example could also be read by the entire class if they were broken into two groups as mentioned above.
“Role Model”- Each child will pick a partner to work with. The first member will choose a different voice or accent to read the poem aloud to their partner. The next partner will have to mimic that accent as they read the poem back aloud to them. This activity will be done twice so that each partner has a time to share. For example, using a southern drawl, the child says “Emma copies everything I do, and sometimes I don’t do something I might do….” as the other member of the team listens and repeats the poem back using the same accent.

Follow Up Activities:
Writing
• Jess discusses a field trip to the natural history museum along with a souvenir she bought for Emma. Have each child write about their favorite field trip they have ever been on along with a picture that coincides with that trip. If they cannot think of one, they are to write about one they would like to go on and why.
• Emma sees Jess upset about a grade that she received on her spelling test. Emma, with “full of sorry,” tries to make Jess feel better by allowing her to hold Quack for “one whole hour”. Each child will be asked to write about a time either they have felt bad and someone consoled them or a time in which they have made someone feel better. They are to answer the following questions:
What did you do? or What did someone do for you? Why did you feel bad in the first place? or Why were they feeling down that day? How did it make you feel after? or Were you able to help them out?
• Dad in the book sometimes calls Emma “Emma Dilemma”. Invite the children to write about any nicknames they have in their family either for themselves or for other family members. Ask them to explain how this name came about.

Art
• Jess has had enough of Emma entering her room without permission. In “Justice”, her dad addresses this issue by putting a lock on her door so that only Jess can enter. Each child is to make their own key in art class. They are to use construction paper, pipe cleaners, and yarn depending on how they would like their key to look. As an extension, they could a short description of their design along with who they would like to “keep away” from the use of this key.
• Emma breaks her arm trying to climb the tree to get to her sister Jess. Jess is overwhelmed with a sense of guilt as she feels as if this is all her fault. In the poem “Cast”, Jess is delighted when she gets to be the first one to sign Emma’s bright pink cast. Each student will make a paper mache cast and decorate it when they are finished using finger paints and markers. An extension of this activity would involve asking the children to sign their friend’s casts.
• In “Trespass”, Emma decides that she will design her own soccer ball using the ball she finds in Jess’s room. Each child will use colored pencil, markers, and crayons along with construction paper to design a soccer ball of their own.

Social Studies
• In the poem “Trespass”, Jess describes her feelings as she comes home to find her room in disarray as Emma has trespassed without permission. We will discuss the meaning of the word trespass and provide several examples of what trespassing involves. Each child will write a short paragraph of what trespassing means to them and how it would make them feel if someone trespassed against them. If they would prefer, each child will also be given the option to write about a time they entered their sibling’s room without permission.
• In the poem “Family Tree”, Jess has to complete a family tree for homework. She draws branches for her grandparents, parents, her uncle and a “tiny twig” for Emma. A class discussion will ensue as we discuss what it means to be a family along with what a family tree is. Each child is to go home and interview their parents as to their family makeup (heritage, when their parents were born, where etc.). To keep it simple, only the immediate family will be discussed. They are to bring in a picture for each member and create their own family tree listing characteristics associated with each family member as described above. They will present their family tree to the class, presenting 5 students each day. The other students will be allowed to ask questions if they wish regarding the students family traits.
• In the poem “Justice”, Jess feels like all of her problems are solved when she is given a key to keep her belongings safe. This act has provided Jess with justice from all of the snooping that Emma has done. There will be a short discussion on what justice means and the class will be assigned to groups of 5. Each group will be given a scenario where someone feels as if they have been treated poorly; each section will have to come up with a “just” plan to make it right. For example, Joey keeps cutting Susie in the lunch line. She has asked him repeatedly to stop, but he does so anyway. What do you think is a fair solution to remedy the problem? Keep in mind, justice is based on compassion and fairness. Your solution must be kind and fair to all people involved. Each group will present their scenario along with their solution at the end. A group discussion will follow discussing how they came up with these solutions and how this assignment made them feel.

Math
• In the poem “Telling Time”, Jess shows Emma the clock and explains to her how to tell time. There will be a short minilesson regarding reading clocks. After this lesson, the class will be broken down into groups of two and given a laminated paper clock with adjustable hands. They will also be given a work sheet with eight clocks listed with different times. The first partner is to take the first 4 times and position them on the clock so that their partner can guess what time it is. Once the partner guesses, the one with the clock will write down what their guess was. Next, they will switch roles and the other partner has to guess the time using the last 4 clock times listed on the worksheet. The class will then reconvene as a group, and there will be a small review as to what they learned, what they had trouble with and any questions they may have.
• In the poem “Sharing”, the sisters are asked to share a piece of cherry pie. Jess gets to cut it (“so very careful, making sure that both halves are very equal”) as Emma gets to choose the first piece. A minilesson will cover what it means to have “parts of a whole” using a felt cherry pie as an example. Each piece of the pie will be detachable as the concept of ¼, ½, ¾ and a whole is discussed. The teacher will model each faction by taking a piece of pie away from the whole cherry pie. Each group of two will be given a worksheet with 4 blank cherry pies. Each member is to draw a fraction card from the fractions listed above and color in the amount they select on the cherry pie page using a different crayon color for each member. They are to discuss who has the larger piece in each scenario and why. When they are finished, a short review will ensue with the class as a whole.
• “Cheating” is a poem that introduces Jess’s frustration with Emma as she cheats on every board game and card game but still seems to lose (according to Jess). Jess decides to teach Emma the hard way with “52-Card Pick Up”. There will be a minilesson review regarding addition before the activity starts. For the game, each pair of students will be given 5 cards that will have numbers on them (2-10-the royals will be taken out). Each member of the group will be asked to randomly select a card, show it to their partner, and then list that number on the blank card worksheet provided for them. After each member has selected a card, they will add the two numbers from the cards together on their worksheet. When the five rounds are finished, the class will discuss any questions or comments they have regarding this addition game.

Science
• In the “Collector” poem, Emma loves Jess because she is the only one who can remember all of the names of her rocks that she collects. There will be a small number of rocks introduced to the class along with their classification. Each student will be asked to draw these rocks on their paper and describe their characteristics listing the classification below.
• In the poem “Accident”, Emma mistakenly nocks over a potted plant in their home. Soil, pots and small plants will be provided. Each student will plant their own small plant and will be asked to take care of it each day. As an extension, the students will be asked to measure its growth each week and keep a log of what they find along with a chart displaying its growth.
• In “Fun with Yarn” Emma creates yarn art in Jess’s room while she is away. As Jess enters the room, Emma describes the mess as a “big spidey web.” A unit on spiders will be introduced along with how they create their webs and why. The students will be asked to make their own spider web using yarn as Emma did.

Related Web Sites
Family Tree
http://www.findyourfamilytree.com/
{This site may be used to create your family tree and find out where your family is from.}

Sister quotes
http://www.quotegarden.com/sisters.html
{This site is a fun and entertaining site that introduces quotes about sisters.}

Sister/Brother Poems
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/kidssay/comments_siblings.html
{This site offers poems written by children about their siblings.}

Poems written by children
http://www.loriswebs.com/youngpoets/
{This site offers several different poems written by children with a variety of subjects discussed.}

Kristine George-- Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/emma_dilemma.html
{This site provides an in-depth review of Emma Dilemma along with a table of contents of each poem found in the book and teacher/student activities associated with Kristine Georges books.}

Related Books
Elementary Poetry Books by Kristine George
George, Kristine. 2005. Fold Me a Poem. Ill. by Lauren Stringer. Harcourt.
George, Kristine. 2004. Hummingbirds Nest: A Journal of Poems. Ill. by Barry Moser. Harcourt.
George, Kristine. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. Clarion.
George, Kristine. 1998. Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. Clarion.
George, Kristine. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. Clarion.

Other Juvenile Books about Being a Big Sister/Sibling
Cole, Joanna. 2010. I’m a Big Sister. Ill. by Rosalinda Kightley. HarperFestival.
Gaydos, Nora. 2010. Now I’m Growing! I’m a Big Sister-Little Steps for Big Kids. Innovative Kids.
Katz, Karen. 2006. Best-Ever Big Sister. Grosset & Dunlap.
Greenfield, Eloise. 2009. Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems. Ill. by Jan Gilchrist. Harper Collins Children’s.

Books for Children about Writing Poetry
Janeczko, Paul. 2005. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Ill. by Chris Raschka. Candlewick Press.
Prelutsky, Jack. 2005. Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme. Ill. by Melio So. Alfred A. Knoph.
Fletcher, Ralph. 2005. A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets. Boyds Mill Press.
Fletcher, Ralph. 2002. Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out. Harper Collins Children’s Book Group.
Janeczko, Paul. 2002. Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets. Candlewick Press.

About the Author and Illustrator
Kristine O’Connell George didn’t “fall in love with poetry” until 1989 when she attended a poetry writing class at UCLA. In fact, she did not even think about writing until she reached her early 30’s. Now, while living in California with her family, she often finds the inspiration for her poetry everywhere she goes. She is a celebrated author who has received many awards for her work such as the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Golden Kite, and IRA-CBC Children’s choice award. Due to her outstanding work, she is often speaking at conferences and schools as well as conducting poetry workshops of her own.

Nancy was “Emma” in her own family.
- “She owes her sister a big apology for borrowing her clothes and for what she did to her doll’s hair.”
Nancy Carpenter’s internship as a graphic reporter created much success for her as artwork was first displayed in the New York Times. Since then, she has created several greeting cards and has illustrated over 10 picture books such as Loud Emily by Alexis O’Neill and Little Bear’s Little Boat by Eve Bunting. She is currently living in New York with her husband and two kids.

Readers Guide By Kendra Caskey

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2011. EMMA DILEMMA: BIG SISTER POEMS. Ill. By Nancy Carpenter. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-618-42842-7.

Summary of Book:
In this fun and witty sibling rivalry book of big sister Jessica and little sister Emma, there are thirty four poems in the forty eight pages to help feel the story of what a “big sister does” and what it means to be a “good big sister.” Jessica shares the struggles of dealing with a very energetic little sister in all things fun and whimsical. The poems are light and airy and bring about a strong sense of family ties as well as family dynamics. Working such titles as “Stuff Grownups Say” where Jessica is constantly reminded that she and Emma look like sisters even though Jess “told Emma we got her at the hardware store.” We also learn about the strong bond between siblings, especially sisters in the poem “Emma’s Hands.” In the poem titled “Translator” we learn that only Jess can understand “Emma Language” which goes on to say that “Nostrils are nozzles, calculator is a count-a-lator and Loodle Loos are peaches.” As the book works through its story line we see Jessica and Emma go through a tragic fall and what comes out of it is a stronger bond and a deeper affection for one another. This is a great start to poetry for age’s four to eight. George has a great way of working everyday life issues into the “right words” for a poem. Even something as silly as “Late for School” is fun and interesting with George’s word choice and the illustrations that are used are a wonderful addition to the great poems.

Carpenter works the pictures so as you feel you are actually experiencing the mad rush for the bus as Jess does in “Late for School.” You also feel embraced when you hear of Emma’s pet rocks and only Jess is the one who remembers all their names in the poem titled “Collector.” As a big sister myself, I can speak from experience to state that all the things that George writes of are true, Big Sister’s do have a very special job but little sister’s do as well. Working together and for each other is clear in this wonderful book of poems about working together as a team and sharing in life’s lessons.

Review Excerpts:
“The vignettes form such a vivid portrait of Emma and Jessica that readers may feel as if they personally know them – and a tense turn of events will have readers holding their breath.”
Publishers Weekly, Star Review

“Jessica shares the struggles of being a big sister in this collection of 34 poignant poems . . . Spring colored line drawings in pen-and-ink and digital media are filled with engaging details, expressive characters, and lots of humor, and bring the family dynamics to life while the verses build to a climatic situation that brings these youngsters together in a touching way.”
School Library Journal, Starred Review

“This touching portrayal captures well the many mutual acts of kindness and tolerance inherent in healthy sibling relations.”
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“George conveys a deep understanding of nature . . . in a way that is readily accessible to children.”
ALA Booklist, Starred Review

Awards/ Honors Received:
* Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for previous works
* Two CLCSC Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Awards for previous works
* SCBWI Golden Kite Award for previous works
* Two Claudia Lewis Poetry Awards for previous works
* Association for Library Service to Children/ALA Notable Children’s Books-Nominated Titles for 2011 Annual Conference for Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems.
* ALA Notables for previous works
* NCTE Notables for previous works
* School Library Journal Best Books for previous works
* Hornbook Fanfare for previous works
* Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award for previous works
* IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Awards for previous works


Questions to Ask Before Reading:
Invite children to open-up and discuss the following questions prior to reading aloud Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems.
*Ask the children who in the group is a Big Sister or Big Brother?
* Ask if those children enjoy being a Big Sister or Big Brother?
* Ask what things they do to help their little siblings learn how to be a Big Kid?
* Ask how they like it when their little siblings follow them around or get into their things or if those things happen at their houses?
* Ask them if they have any special stories of being a Big Sister or Big Brother they would like to share with the Group?
* Ask them if they know what a Family Tree is? And who is all included in a Family Tree
* Ask them if they have ever watched their little sibling get hurt and wonder if it was their fault? What happened and how did Mom and Dad react?

Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud:
A quote before starting
“Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a written art. It remembers that it was first song.”
Jorge Luis Borges

* Divide the room into “Big Sisters and Big Brothers” have each Big pick another classmate to act out the poems “Accident” or “Trespass” and see what the emotions are with the children. Do they see the anguish and pain that Jessica feels when Emma falls or do they understand the meaning of trespassing and what it feels like to have someone “shop” in their personal belongings.
* Also have the “Big” Classmates work with their little counterparts on the poem “Emma’s Birthday.” Have a prop of a little stuffed duck to use to illustrate the importance of getting and giving a gift to or from a sibling. This signifies the gift of giving as well as receiving and how importance it is to be polite and caring.
* Have the class tell their favorite knock, knock joke – each student should write it out on a 3x5 note-card and present it to the class.
Then read aloud the poem “Funny” and see how they respond. Also read aloud “Not Funny” and see the difference in the children, how the mood changes and discuss feelings.

Follow Up Activities:
Writing
* Have each student write a letter to their parents describing their role and placement in their respective families.
* Have each student do a book report on their favorite Picture Book. Then read aloud the poem “Picture Books” and discuss why those books are their favorites and how they can use those favorite books to teach their younger siblings about life.
* Discuss the meaning of homework and how it can be fun by reading aloud “Homework.” Then have the students come up with a homework assignment of their own using crayons and paper just like Emma.

History / Genealogy
* Have each student put together as simple family tree with the names of their immediate family members. Incorporate this into an Art project by taking that initial information and building upon it to create a Forest of Trees with construction paper, glue, real tree leaves and any other treasures of the woodlands. This will give the classroom or library a great imaginative setting but also illustrate the importance of where we came from and who is part of our family. Read aloud “Family Tree” to illustrate what a family is and how even the littlest twigs make the tree full.
* Discuss the meaning of Freedom. What is it and what does it mean to each student? If you could go or do anything, what would it be, where would you go and who would you choose to go with you? Write all this into a personal student journal for reflection at a later date in the semester.
* Read aloud the poem “Below” and talk about any tragic events in each students life – has anyone ever broke an arm before? If so how did it happen? Talk about the responses in class and spur discussion. Read through the poems “Hospital” and “Return” and get a gage on how the students react to being in the hospital. Have each student draw a picture of the various people you meet in the hospital and what they do and how they help.
* Make fun casts for each student to wear on their arm of choice. Use colored construction paper bound with glue and tape in a cylinder shape around the arm. Ask each student to decorate their cast – and have their fellow students sign it or decorate the casts. Ask the questions – who would you have sign your cast and what would they write?

Related Web Sites:
This is a wonderful site about the author and the motivation behind her poems and writings. This site is voted An American Library Association Great Web Site for Kids.
http://www.kristinegeorge.com

This site is very beneficial in that it gives creative ideas for incorporating literature and children – how to make it fun and exciting!
http://childrensliteraturenetwork.org

This is the review site for Kirkus Reviews. This site gives a great summary of books as well as hits the highs and lows of works with reviews posted in a timely fashion. The site is also great at opening one’s eyes to other works that might be perfect and right in line with your genre of thinking.
http://www.kirkusreviews.com

This site is helpful to find information regarding specific authors or illustrators. Houghton Mifflin Reading is the host and they do a great job at linking important information for the teacher or scholar.
http://www.eduplace.com

This site links you to important information regarding authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. I enjoyed reading the reviews.
http://www.jacketflap.com

This blog was a great resource for finding poetry that is new or unpublished. This site features thoughts and opinions on children’s literature. In April of 2011 the blogger featured 30 poets in 30 days.
http://gottabook.blogspot.com

Related Poetry Books for Children:
These books are great resources to add into a read aloud experience. I found that the best way to search is to start reading and find the poem that matches or has elements of what you are linking it to.
Such as, in Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems, the poem “Late for School” is similar to a poem titled “School Daze Rap” by Carol Diggory Shields. Both poems focus on the issue of the tension related to being late for school and all the obstacles in the way of actually making it on time.

Shields, Carol Diggory. 1995. Lunch Money And Other Poems About School. Ill by Paul Meisel. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 0-525-45345-8.

This book has a great feeling of sibling love and unity. The poems focus on the life of Alfie the big brother to Annie Rose and what he teaches her about life and lessons.

Hughes, Shirley. 1995. Rhymes for Annie Rose. Ill. By the author. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN 0-688-14220-6.

This book again deals with the trials and tribulations of taking something that is not yours. Similar to the poem “Trespass” from Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. This poem by Susan Pearson is titled “Who Swallowed Harold?” which is written about an older brother who swallowed a fish that didn’t belong to him.

Pearson, Susan. 2005. Who Swallowed Harold? Ill. By David Slonim. New York: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 0-7614-5193-5.

Other Poetry Books:
Cleary, Brian P. 2004. Rainbow Soup, Adventures in Poetry. Ill. By Neal Layton. Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Minneapolis: MN. ISBN 1-57505-597-X.
Greenfield, Eloise. 2004. In the Land of Words. Ill. By Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN 0-06-028993-7.
Shields, Carol Diggory. 2010. Someone Used My Toothbrush, and Other Bathroom Poems. Ill. By Paul Meisel. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-525-47937-6.
Waters, Fiona. 1999. Time For A Rhyme. Ill. By Ailie Busby. London: Orion Children’s Books.

About the Author:
Kristine O’Connell George says she “fell in love with children’s poetry” in 1989 in a children’s poetry writing class taught by Myra Cohn Livingston for the UCLA Writer’s Program. She has been writing and learning ever since.

Her first highly acclaimed book, The Great Frog Race, was published in 1997 which one many awards and honors. On her website she features Studebaker, a gift of a paper mache frog which is a rendering from her book The Great Frog Race. Studebacker travels far and wide with George. He is petted, patted and smothered with kisses at all his gigs. George is a native Coloradan but lives with her family in California where she enjoys the poetry she sees and hears out her back door.

About the Illustrator:
Nancy Carpenter’s first job out of college was that of a graphic reporter for a major news service. Her first illustrations appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times. Getting to know art was something Carpenter learned as she worked as a graphic reporter.

Her big break came as she was hired to create a book cover. After succeeding in the eyes of the publisher she has been illustrations picture books ever since. She loves to draw dogs but look closely to find her cat illustrated in each book she works on.


Used with permission of Courtney Komar and Kendra Caskey.