During the COVID-19 downtime from my regular routine, I’ve been holding an art club in cyberspace (in between working on a sequel to Kit and the Calico Cat and teaching online yoga classes). Our theme is Create Your Own Graphic Novel. It’s given me the push I needed to finally do something I’d been planning to ever since KCC was published: put together a graphic story about Marmaduke. So here it is: the very first (and definitely not the last) adventure of Marmaduke and friends!
After a whirlwind 2017-18 school year doing WiSP visits all over New Brunswick – more than 20 by the summer – I was eager to take on some longer projects based on my book. So when I was invited to partner with a grade 4-5 class at a local school this fall to create a graphic novel inspired by ‘Kit and the Calico Cat’, of course the answer was Yes – or should I say Oui, since the ArtSmart funding was for a francophone project.
Is teaching in french a challenge? It can be, since I’m not fully bi-lingual, but my french teachers laid a solid foundation and Mme Kennedy is on hand to help out with any gaps in vocabulary.
Are we having fun? Absolutely! I’m loving this creative partnership, as we learn together and develop our story writing and art skills.
Our goal is to complete and publish this collaborative project by Christmas. Watch out for updates!
