Something Spooky(ish)!

I made this illustration for the Narrative Art Award contest for SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). The prompt was "Because this is the quarter-century mark since the Y2K scare, tell a story about something that turns out not to be a threat.” The audience is middle-grade children (ages 8-11).

This illustration was inspired by a time I was walking by myself in the woods in Martha's Vineyard, MA, and I was startled when I saw a bear! I rushed back to tell my friends, who kind of paused and asked, "You saw what!?" I repeated that I had seen a bear, and my friend Andrea replied, "There are no bears on Martha's Vineyard!" To this day, I don't know whether I saw an extremely elusive Martha's Vineyard bear or if I just need new glasses.

I used pen and ink and water-soluble crayons for this illustration. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Halloween!