Better late than never so... my #FolktaleWeek2025 entries gathered together, telling the story of the night the Princess Moon learned how to swim. #kidlit #kidlitart #childrenslit #illustrations #Folktaleweek #shortstories

#FolkTaleWeek Day 7: Dawn 7. The stars and the Princess Moon dance to welcome the new day, and Brother Sun says a quick hello before the others go to bed. In the Princess Moon's crown a gem shines. It tells of the adventures to come, once they all go swimming in the dark of the night sky. #KidLit

#FolkTaleWeek Day 6: Storm 5. "Come get me, my Sisters!" the little Fallen Star calls. A storm of bright light transforms the night sky. Fallen Star, charm in hand, repeats the spell she's uncovered. Soon, the Princess Moon will join them, swimming, diving, & splashing the hours away. #KidLit

#FolkTaleWeek Day 5: Charm 5. Treasures are weird things. They hurt you if you trip over them, but they can also surprise you. "What a strange thing..." The little Fallen Star say, casually flipping through pages. "To find such a rare gem, and in a book of spells nonetheless!" #KidLit #KidLitArt

#FolkTaleWeek Day 4: Book 4. Strolling around, feet on soft sand, has its advantages. You see lots of new things, and if your lucky, you can even find a long lost treasure. "Ouch!" the Fallen Star tripped over something flat and hard. "Who can have left this here? Reckless, that's who. #KidLit

#FolkTaleWeek Day 3: Rain 3. An angry cloud breaks the quiet into tiny loud pieces. The Princess Moon jumps startled. Big drops plunge into the sea. Bigger waves to come out to play. "Oh, no!" The Fallen Star's fins are carried away. "Well, no better place to be than the bottom of the sea." #KidLit

#FolkTaleWeek Day 2: Echo 2. In the quiet of the late hours, the Princess Moon sleeps. Far, far away from the sky, the fallen star bobs in the waves. Up and down she goes, listening to the bubbling echoes of the passerby fish. Pop, pop, pop! #KidLit #KidLitart

Starting a little late but trying to catch up #FolkTaleWeek Day 1: Night 1. The Princess Moon, who had never learned how to swim, envy the little stars, who dive, splash, and float in the endless sea of the night sky. #KidLit #KidLitart

The days are getting cold. The trees have lost their leaves. Autumn says hello to Winter with a dance of browns and oranges. A new illustration of my I'm-learning-how-to-draw series. #kidlitillustrations #autumn

It's sunny, and the farmer is getting ready to sow white mustard in the field across from our house. I love white mustard, lovely living mulch. #gardening #farmwork #wintercrops

I'm having a hard time deciding which one to read first. Thoughts? 💙📚 #horror #spookyreads #booksky #diversebooks

This is half of what I hope will become my naturalistic garden. The 340 little plants, I put in the ground this month. Each plant grown from seed. Mostly natives (or non-invasive naturalized) species. Only a beginning, but it took lots of effort (and time). #Gardening #FallPlanting #Wildlifegarden

A lovely sunny afternoon, going home.

💙📚🌎 #kidlit

Did u know?Winter prep for our wildlife garden has turned towards our bee hotels.The greatest enemy of baby bees is damp,which causes mould & mite infestations.I take them into my summer house where it's cool & dry.All sorts of houses & materials for all sorts of different bees.Note the sign.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🐝🌍

Favorite quotes from favorite books. "Sanity is a valuable possession; I hoard it the way people once hoarded money. I save it, so I will have enough, when the time comes.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale 💙📚 #BookSky

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. May the winds of life take your papalote to new highs! #papalotes #flyingonpaperwings #flyingkites #illustration

Day 29 Dissipate. Spook Trek inspired. #AuGhost #AuGhost2025 #startrek #cartoons

My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com p.s. My new book of science cartoons 'Physics for Cats' is out this week. Details at www.tomgauld.com

When #kidlit says what you needed to hear to face the day. "Sometimes things happen and sometimes they're terrible and unfair. But they don't erase the awesome stuff. They don't erase the stuff we love." ―Jennifer Maschari, The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price. #booksky 💙📚 #MGbooks

When #YA says, "hold my beer," "The things you name do grow in power, but others that are not ever whispered claw at one's heart anyway, rip it to shreds even if a syllable does not escape the lips." ― Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gods of Jade and Shadow. #kidlit #booksky #fantasy 💙📚

Great reporting and writing about a terrible situation. “Deportations like Sergio’s — to fixtures of the community — are making people think, ‘This could be me next, or my favorite place next, or somebody who I talk to every day.’” wacobridge.org/2025/10/06/d...

Autumn is that time when things in the garden calm down (as in, there's much less to do), but things in the kitchen become hectic (as in, there's lots to process, cook, and preserved). Love this time of the year! #Gardening #Autumn2025 #GardenProduce

This #spooktober , I'm rereading this one. #BookSky #ClasssicHorror

I am just so fucking proud of her.

Diverse books open windows into the other's perspective, showing us how alike we actually are, that's why they're so important. "Part of growing up, I think, is realizing that not everything your family does is normal or acceptable." ― XiXi Tian, This Place Is Still Beautiful 💙📚 #kidlit #YA

Old, but still readable, "They won't listen. Do you know why? Because they have certain fixed notions about the past. Any change would be blasphemy in their eyes, even if it were the truth. They don't want the truth; they want their traditions.” ― Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky #BookSky 💙📚 #scifi

A beautiful and spooky #MG to get ready for the season... I enjoyed very much. "You don't waste October sunshine. Soon the old autumn sun would bed down in cloud blankets and there would be weeks of gray rain before it finally decided to snow." ― Katherine Arden, Small Spaces #KidLit #MG #Horror

If you see this, quote with a flower

#gardening #throwback

A new entry from my #illustration learning journey. This time, a portray of our dogs who love to explore the hedge at the end of the garden, even climbing a few branches to get a better view. #kidlitart #digitalart #cutedogs

Tuesday's garden bounty. Lots of apples, a few plums (collected most of them two weeks ago), tomatoes and tomatillos, and a few zucchinis. Not bad for a year I didn't plant anything and I've been collecting only from the old trees and quite some volunteer plants. #Gardening

The way home. This summer has gifted us with some wonderful sunsets. #summer2025

#KidLit always going harder than it needs... "... None of us is just one thing. Life is a process of learning to recognize our many faces." ― Sayantani DasGupta, The Serpent's Secret #KidLit #MG #MGFantasy #MGBooks #BookSky 💙📚

A lovely afternoon defined by the colors of summer: Two peacock butterflies on a field of lilac. #gardening #wildgarden #wildlife #summergarden

When #YA #Fantasy turns out to be pure reality, "Books are my friends, my companions. They make me laugh and cry and find meaning in life." ― Christopher Paolini, Eragon #KIdLit 💙📚 #BookSky #YAFantasyBooks

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." ―Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. #KIdLit 💙📚 #BookSky #MiddleGrade #Mystery

YA quotes that hit too close... "Life never turns out how you imagine it will when you’re young. Everything is smaller than you think, or too big. It all smells a little funny and fits like somebody else’s shirt." ― Melissa Albert, The Hazel Wood 💙📚 #BookSky #YA #Fantasy

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

I want the days to be longer so I have more hours to read! #kidlit #readmore 💙📚

Favorite quotes from favorite books, "You are like a lantern swathed and covered, hidden away in a dark place. Yet the light shines; they could not put out the light. They could not hide you." ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan 💙📚 #BookSky #YA #Fantasy

June has been such a hectic month, I think I'll take a few hours today to escape into a good book. 🎨by me #amreading #YAFantasy 💙📚

Behold the glory of lilies! Nothing brings color to my front yard like lilies. This year, these white blooms are as large as my head. Love them! #Gardening 🪴

Quotes for writers, "You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift." E. Morgenstern, TNC 💙📚 #BookSky

First lettuce harvest of the year! I see salads in our future. #gardening 🥬

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. May the winds of life take your papalote to new highs! #papalotes #flyingonpaperwings #flyingkites #illustration

Favorite quotes, from favorite books, "The common good and the individual good rarely coincide..." Sure, I know, it's true. But some truths are probably worse than lies.” ―Sergei Lukyanenko, Night Watch. #BookSky #Fantasy 💙📚

Alliums and bumblebees, a sure sign that summer is comming #gardening

#Kidlit goes harder, achieving awesomeness... "I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I don't want that ache to stop." ― Shannon Hale, Book of a Thousand Days. #BookSky 💙📚 #YAFantasy

Acanthus molly is among my favorite plants. The lush green, the towers of flowers, the sculptural shapes, they make for a magnificent display... If only it could forget about its world domination plans, I wouldn't have to spend the summer pulling seedlings by the hundreds. #gardening #summergarden