KENNETH KRAEGEL
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    • This is a Book of Shapes
    • Wild Honey from the Moon
    • Green Pants
    • The Song of Delphine
    • King Arthur's Very Great Grandson
  • Coloring Pages
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Black Lives Matter, Black Kids Matter

6/8/2020

 
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The AADL Short Story Award Ceremony (from home)

4/18/2020

 
Here is my talk for the Ann Arbor District Library's short story contest award ceremony. I was really looking forward to meeting all the young writers (3rd - 5th graders) but we were not able to all be together, of course. Instead the AADL recorded the ceremony remotely, including my talk about my creative process. I was able to sit in my studio and show every step, something I can't do as well in front of a group of people. Congratulations to all the participants and to the winners!

Green Pants Now in Paperback!

4/14/2020

 
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The paperback edition of Green Pants is now available! Get it from your local bookseller or at:
IndieBound
or Barnes and Noble
or
Target
or Amazon.




Create with Kenneth Kraegel

4/10/2020

 
Here art is the video series I did with Schuler Books and Nicola's Books. It was a combined effort to reach out to kids and adults during this stay-at-home period.  We make an illustration together in five sessions. In the first video we make a frame and talk about using straight edges. In the second video we draw a dog and talk about sketching. In video #3 we talk draw a lot of butterflies and discuss perspective. In the fourth video we talk about and draw foreground and background.  And in #5 we address color. Enjoy!

Facebook Live Event with Schuler Books

3/19/2020

 
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From March 30 - April 3 at 11 AM EDT, I'll be leading a series of mini-art classes with Schuler Books as a Facebook Live Event. We will have a lot of fun! Everyday, I will show how to do one step of an illustration (right now I am thinking of dragons and butterflies) so that by the end of the week we will have created a finished piece of artwork. The sessions will only last around five minutes, but should keep your artists busy for a while after the lesson is over. Each lesson will contain an art tip as well. I'll be updating this post with more details. :) 

This is a Book of Shapes

2/19/2020

 
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Announcing This is a Book of Shapes!

Coming September 8, 2020, this 32 page board book has more than just shapes in it, as you might have guessed.  Here is how the publisher, Candlewick Press, describes it:

First comes the circle. Then the square and the triangle. Then 
the . . . emu pushing a pancake wagon down a hill? What begins as a concept book about everyone’s geometric favorites soon defies expectations with a series of funny and imaginative twists. Award-winning author-illustrator Kenneth Kraegel pairs a deadpan text with simple wood-grained shapes, interspersed with vibrant illustrations of animals engaged in hilariously absurd pastimes. Each page turn builds on the delicious anticipation the contrast creates to make this a unique and rollicking story-time hit.


More on this to come!

Nice Reviews for Wild Honey from New York

2/3/2020

 
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Here is a nice review of Wild Honey from the Moon from the New York Times:
Kraegel’s (“Green Pants”) warm, offbeat tale is divided into seven chapters, great for parsing out over a week’s bedtime reading....The enchantment and adventure just keep multiplying.

And here is a nice review from the Buffalo News:
A mother shrew is willing to go to the moon and back to cure her sick young son in this whimsical, sweet story with delicate and distinctive illustrations by a self-taught artist....In  lyrical and humorous style,  Kraegel spins storyteller magic....


Upcoming Events and an Interview

1/21/2020

 
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butterfly study for Wild Honey from the Moon

Here is an interview I did with author, illustrator and professor Elizabeth Dulemba for her blog. There are a lot of pictures! You can see how the idea for the cover evolved into its final form.

And here are a few speaking dates that I know about. More details to follow.
On March 27 or 28, I'll be on a panel at KidLitCon.  This event has been cancelled. :(
On April 15 and 17, I'll be speaking at the Festival of Faith and Writing. On the 15th I'll be leading a workshop on writing picture books and on the 17th I'll be talking about Wild Honey from the Moon and how the circumstances in my life unintentionally guided the storyline. This event has been postponed to April 7-10, 2021.
On September 25-27 I'll be speaking at the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book This event has been cancelled. :(

Some Additional Wild Honey News

12/6/2019

 
Wild Honey from the Moon is a 2019 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book!

Wild Honey from the Moon is a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2019!

From the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:

The ink and watercolor illustrations are rich in texture with fine filigree lining, calling up the surreal feel of Chris Van Allsburg’s work. The warmth has an appealing touch of the absurd, and kiddos who appreciated the magic of The Wind in the Willows might appreciate this moonlit tale.

Wild Honey from the Moon was featured on Iowa Public Radio's Best Books for Kids and Teens this Winter!

Wild Honey from the Moon was a KidLit Pick on News 15 in Layfayette, LA!
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Upcoming Events

11/2/2019

 
The publication of Wild Honey from the Moon is almost here. I am looking forward to getting out of my studio and meeting readers! We should have a lot of fun. Every one of these bookstores are wonderful places, here is when I'll be at them:
  • November 5 -  Publication of Wild Honey from the Moon!
  • November 9 -  Wild Honey from the Moon book launch - 11AM Schuler Books, Grand Rapids MI
  • November  13 - Book release celebration, reading and signing - 4:30 PM The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL
  • November 16 - Storytime book reading and signing - 11AM Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL
  • November 21 - Storytime book reading and signing - 10AM Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI
  • December 7 - Book Signing - 10AM - Noon, The Bookman,  Grand Haven, MI
  • December 7 - Book signing, tea with honey will be available! This is during Noel Night in Midtown - 5-6pm Source Booksellers, Detroit, MI
  • December 12 - Parent Shop Night at Schuler Books, I'll be one of four author's reading to kids while their parents shop - 6-8PM, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, MI
I also will be visiting lots of schools - one of my favorite things to do!
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  • Welcome
  • Books
    • This is a Book of Shapes
    • Wild Honey from the Moon
    • Green Pants
    • The Song of Delphine
    • King Arthur's Very Great Grandson
  • Coloring Pages
  • School Visits
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact