Make-A-Book Project
Updates about how we’re making the latest book
The Make-A-Book Project, an artist-in-residence program where schools or organizations create and illustrate a children’s chapter book with Scott and friends. Are you interested in starting your own project? Learn more about the Make-A-Book Project.
Raise your own monarch butterflies
I think butterflies are one of the most amazing animals on Earth. And you can raise them right in your own backyard. Plant milkweed, watch tiny striped caterpillars grow, and witness the miraculous transformation from chrysalis to butterfly. Along the way, you’ll explore big questions about migration, instinct, and nature’s hidden mysteries. You might even find one in yourself.
Success — More monarch butterflies and more young readers
Our Make-A-Book Project resulted in more monarch butterflies, more readers, more authors, and a new book to last a lifetime and a whole lot of other benefits. Below, we highlight some projects that coincided with our Make-A-Book Project.
Book signing at the local family non-profit
After spending half the school year creating a book in the Make-a-Book Project, I love to see how the project continues to grow and spread into the community. We’ve seen the school photo make the local newspaper, butterfly gardens blossoming, students taking up their own writing projects, and much more.
Butterfly book celebration
Finally, the best part of the whole project — the book celebration. We were honored to have hundreds of community members attend and support both the book and the monarch butterfly.
Help save the butterflies
Like many species on our planet, monarch butterflies face many challenges. The population has shrunk dramatically, and their great migration has nearly collapsed more than once. Here is how you can help.
Making of the monarch butterfly school photo
This is another one of my favorite all-time photographs. Unlike the past three photographs where I was standing on the roof of the school, this is photographed using a drone. It took hours of preparation and was called off several times. Read more about how I made this photos.
Butterfly project updates
There has been a lot of progress happening with the monarch butterfly book and all the related projects. Here are a few highlights, including the mosaic wall and glow show.
Collateral projects for the monarch butterfly book
The schedule of classroom activities and upcoming celebration for the Monarch Butterfly Book.
Illustrations for Mirabella the Monarch
How I sort illustrations for the book. After working with the elementary students for a week in the classroom (26 classes) as the author-in-residence, I get over 500 drawings to choose from.
Character creation contest
How I run the character creation contest for the new butterfly book.
How the school photos are made
How I make the aerial view photos look real, including using satellite views and chalking the drawing out square by square.
How the books are made
The following is a step by step summary of how the book is made, including: planning, creating, celebrating and making a difference in the world.
