The Small Graces September 2010 Auction Is On!

Painting by Author/Illustrator Brian Lies

In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for its programs in under-served schools.

This year, the FCB is fortunate enough to have 10 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small, unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a "small Grace."

This month's painting (seen above), a gorgeous piece by author/illustrator Brian Lies based on his new book Bats at the Ballgame, is on auction now through Friday, September 17.

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To bid, click here for the link to eBay. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

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Brian Lies has illustrated more than 23 children's books and written five, including the New York Times bestsellers Bats at the Ballgame (2010--published this week at #6 on the NYT list!), Bats at the Library (2008) and Bats at the Beach (2006). Brian has won numerous awards for his work in books, newspapers and magazines, and visits schools to work with young readers. He lives with his family in Duxbury, MA.

The June 2010 Small Graces Auction Has Begun!

Painting by Leo landry

You can now start bidding on an original painting by children's author and illustrator Leo Landry. Click here to read more about Leo and the Small Graces auctions, which raise money for The Foundation for Children's Books program that underwrites author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools in the Greater Boston area.

Click here to bid on Leo Landry's painting.

June 2010 Small Graces Auction to Begin on June 7th

In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

Grace Lin

This year, we are fortunate enough to have 12 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small, unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, or a "small Grace."

This month's painting (below), a gorgeous, signed watercolor by Leo Landry with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson--"The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us"--will be on auction beginning Monday, June 7 through Friday, June 11. (I will post the eBay link on Monday.) For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art. Please spread the word and bid!

Leo Landry has illustrated 10 books for children, six of which he also wrote. Before becoming an author/illustrator of these bright and playful books, he was a friendly face to many at the Children's Book Shop in Brookline, MA where he worked for 20 years.

Don't forget:
You can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of Grace Lin's 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

The Small Graces May 2010 Auction Begins Today!

Painting by Author/Illustrator Diane deGroat

In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

This year, we are fortunate enough to have 12 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small, unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, or a "small Grace."

This month's painting (below), a wonderful watercolor of Gilbert the Opossum by Gilbert's creator author/illustrator Diane deGroat, is on auction now and through Friday, May 7.

To bid on the painting, click here for the eBay link. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art. Please spread the word and bid!

Diane deGroat is an award-winning illustrator of over 120 books. She is the author and illustrator of the best-selling series about Gilbert--everyone's favorite opossum--as well as the "Annie Pitts" chapter books. Ms. deGroat resides in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Don't forget: you can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of Grace Lin's 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

The April 2010 Small Graces Auction Is On!!!

Press release from The Foundation for Children's Books:

Painting by Author/Illustrator Jeff Mack
In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

This year, we are fortunate enough to have 12 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small, unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, or a "small Grace."

This month's painting (below), a sweet watercolor of a duck at the top of a waterfall by author/illustrator Jeff Mack, is on auction now Monday April 5 through Friday, April 9. The proverb says "Everyone must row with the oars he has."

To bid, go to this eBay link. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

Jeff Mack is the author and illustrator of HUSH LITTLE POLAR BEAR (Roaring Brook, 2008). He is also the illustrator of fifteen books for children including James Howe's BUNNICULA AND FRIENDS series (Simon and Schuster) and Eve Bunting's HURRY! HURRY! (Harcourt) one of School Library Journal's Best Books of 2007. At home in Western Massachusetts, he continues to write and illustrate books, paint murals, and talk with school groups about his work.

Don't forget: you can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of Grace Lin's 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

The Small Graces March 2010 Auction Is On!!!

Announcement from The Foundation for Children's Books:



Painting by Author/Illustrator David Costello
In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

In this new year, we are fortunate enough to have 12 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small, unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, or a "small Grace."

This month's painting (above), a sweet watercolor by author/illustrator David Costello, is on auction now Monday 3/1 through Friday 3/5.

Click here for the eBay link and to bid!

For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

David Hyde Costello is the author and illustrator of Here They Come, a lively picture book about goblins on Halloween night. His second book, I Can Help, hits book stores this month. Visit him online here.

Don't forget: You can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of Grace Lin's 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

The January 2010 Small Graces Auction is On!

The Small Graces painting being auctioned off this month was done by Melissa Sweet, winner of a Caldecott Honor Award in 2009 for A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, which was written by Jen Bryant. Melissa's painting will be on auction beginning Monday, January 25 through Friday, January 29.


Click here to bid on the painting Melissa Sweet contributed to the Small Graces fundraising effort that will benefit The Foundation for Children’s Books in Massachusetts.

You can read more about the auction here.

Small Graces website.

Melissa Sweet Painting to Launch 2010 Small Graces Auction

From The Foundation for Children’s Books:

In 2009, the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin donated 11 original paintings to the Foundation for Children's Books to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

In this new year, we are fortunate enough to have 12 different illustrators contributing to our "Small Graces" auction. Each month a small (approximately 5x5 inch), unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, or a "small Grace."

This month's painting (below), a lovely watercolor by Cadecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, will be on auction beginning Monday, January 25 through Friday, January 29.



Melissa Sweet has illustrated over 70 children's books from board books to nonfiction and jacket covers. She has written and illustrated two books, Tupelo Rides the Rails, and Carmine: A Little More Red, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book in 2005. Melissa illustrated A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, a 2009 Caldecott Honor book. When she is not in her studio, she can be found riding her bicycle in Rockport, Maine. Learn more about Melissa and her work at her website here.

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Small Graces Website

Here’s the painting I won in the February 2009 Small Graces auction:

The December Small Graces Auction Is On!!!

Click here to bid on the final Small Graces painting.

This is your last chance to bid on a Small Graces painting done by children's author and illustrator Grace Lin.

Remember...the money raised by the auctions helps to support author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools in the Greater Boston area.

Read the following post to find out more about the money raised by the Small Graces auctions and the plans The Foundation for Children’s Books has for 2010: Final Small Graces Auction Begins on December 14th!

Final Small Graces Auction Begins on December 14th!

Grace Lin

ATTENTION: Next week the last Small Graces painting by Grace Lin will be auctioned off on eBay.

I’m posting an email message that I received the other day from The Foundation for Children’s Books regarding the Small Graces Auction and the Foundation’s plans for a new fundraiser next year.

Dear Children's Book Lover,

This month, we are pleased and grateful to offer Grace Lin's final donated painting in this year's benefit art auction, "Small Graces." Read below about our exciting plans to extend the auction into 2010. Learn more about our programs in under-served schools and how your donation can support this important work. And find out about great new books and events in our area. We'd love to promote other events in the world of children's books in Greater Boston, so send us your program announcements!

In January, we began a new and exciting art auction to support our work bringing authors and illustrators into under-served schools in Boston and Chelsea. "Small Graces" was Grace Lin's great idea and every month, she painted another gem of a painting for us to auction on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the FCB. Go to the "Small Graces" website to see them all. This incredibly generous idea has so far raised $4,600 to support our work! We are so grateful to Grace and to all of you who have purchased these paintings. Thank you!

This month, we will auction the sweet painting shown below from Monday, December 14 through December 18. We'll send a reminder with the eBay item number on Monday. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

We can't let such a fabulous event end, so we have two ways of keeping "Small Graces" alive: first, you can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of the 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

And second, we'll continue the auction into 2010 with a terrific group of generous illustrators who will each contribute a painting to Small Graces 2010! Look for paintings by Melissa Sweet, Brian Lies, Matt Tavares, Jarrett Krosoczka, Anna Alter, Jeff Mack, David Costello, Diane DeGroat and more in the coming year.

Now you can donate online!

Please consider the Foundation for Children's Books for your year-end charitable giving this year. Donations provide important funding for our author and illustrator visits and residencies in under-served schools, as well as for educational workshops for teachers and librarians.

If you'd like to honor a friend or family member with a donation, we're happy to send out a card illustrated by children's illustrator Jeff Mack acknowledging the gift.

Now you can donate online using Paypal, or print out a donation form and mail it in with your check. Go to our website membership and donation page here.

We welcome financial contributions of any size. The FCB has been designated by the IRS to be a 501(c)(3) corporation, and all financial contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Some ideas for contributing to the FCB:

$50 helps purchase books for a school visit.

$100 sponsors aninstitutional membership for an under-funded school.

$250 provides resource materials for professional development workshops.

$500 underwrites an author/illustrator presentation at a workshop event.

$1,000 purchases classroom sets of new books to accompany an author/illustrator visit to an under-resourced school.

$1,500 underwrites a fiction-writing workshop for fifth graders in one school district.

$2,500 sponsors an author/illustrator visit to an urban school serving 300-500 children and teachers in grades K-8.

$5,000 underwrites a half-day professional development workshop in an under-resourced school district.

Thank you!

The Small Graces November Auction Is On!!!

The Foundation for Children's Books

NOVEMBER GRACE LIN ART AUCTION BEGINS TODAY!
Bid on eBay and support the FCB

This month "Small Graces: A Painting a Month to Benefit the FCB" features another fabulous painting by the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin. This is the 11th painting to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

Here's how it works: Every month a small (5x5 inch), unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, a "small Grace."

This month's painting (above), painted in gouache on watercolor paper, is on auction beginning today, Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 20. To bid on this painting, click here for the eBay link. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen picture books, including The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Grace's critically acclaimed children's novels include The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat. Read more about Grace and her work here.

The Small Graces October Auction Is On!!!

This month "Small Graces: A Painting a Month to Benefit the FCB" features another fabulous painting by the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin. This is the 10th painting to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

Here's how it works: Every month a small (5x5 inch), unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, a "small Grace."

This month's painting (above), painted in gouache on watercolor paper, is on auction beginning today, Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 23. To bid on this painting, click on this ebay link.

For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

Click here to view the other Small Graces paintings that have been sold at auction.

The Small Graces September Auction Is On!!!

Announcement from The Foundation for Children’s Books

This month Small Graces: A Painting a Month to Benefit the FCB features another fabulous painting by the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin. This is the 9th painting to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for our programs in under-served schools.

Here's how it works: Every month a small (5x5 inch), unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, a "small Grace."

This month's painting (below), painted in gouache on watercolor paper, is on auction beginning today, Monday, September 14 through Friday, September 18. To bid on this painting, click here for the e-bay listing. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

The Small Graces August Auction Is On!!!

Wouldn't you love to own an original painting by children's author and illustrator Grace Lin? All the proceeds from the Small Graces auctions will benefit The Foundation for Children's Books, a small non-profit organization in Boston that is making a big difference in the lives of young readers by bringing children's book authors and illustrators into under-served schools in the Greater Boston area for visits and residencies..

The August Small Graces auction has begun! This month's painting (below), done in gouache on watercolor paper, is being auctioned now through Friday, August 14. Click here to bid now!

The Small Graces July Auction Is On!!!

This lovely Small Graces painting is on auction NOW!!!

Wouldn't you love to own an original painting by children's author and illustrator Grace Lin? All the proceeds from the Small Graces auctions will benefit The Foundation for Children's Books, a small non-profit organization in Boston that is making a big difference in the lives of young readers by bringing children's book authors and illustrators into under-served schools in the Greater Boston area for visits and residencies..


Click here to bid on the Small Graces painting that Grace Lin created for the July auction.


NOTE: Bidding closes July 17, 2009 at 14:21:45 PDT

Click here to learn more about the Small Graces auctions.

The Small Graces June Auction Is On!!!

This lovely Small Graces painting is on auction NOW!!!

Wouldn't you love to own an original painting by children's author and illustrator Grace Lin? All the proceeds from the Small Graces auctions will benefit The Foundation for Children's Books, a small non-profit organization in Boston that is making a big difference in the lives of young readers by bringing children's book authors and illustrators into under-served schools in the Greater Boston area for visits and residencies..

Small Graces June auction URL:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220434979010

NOTE: Bidding closes Jun-19-09 16:53:53 PDT

Click here to learn more about the Small Graces auctions.

P. S. I was the lucky winner of this painting in the February auction!

March Small Graces Art Auction Has Begun!

The March Small Graces art auction has begun. Here’s a link to the auction page: Small Graces March Auction page.

Maybe you’ll be the lucky person to win this lovely original painting by popular children’s author and illustrator Grace Lin. Remember…all auction proceeds will be donated to The Foundation for Children’s Books to help underwrite school visitations by children’s authors and illustrators in underserved schools in the Greater Boston area.

I won! I won! I won!

Lucky me! I was the fortunate person who placed the winning bid in the Small Graces February auction. I am so happy--and not just because I am now the proud owner of a second original painting by my good friend Grace Lin. I am thrilled because all the auction proceeds will go to The Foundation for Children's Books to help underwrite the visits of children's authors and illustrators in underserved schools in the Greater Boston area.

Here's the painting I won!

I love it!!!!!

You can read more about the Small Graces auctions at the following Wild Rose Reader post:

Small Graces: A Painting a Month for the Foundation for Children's Books


My other Grace Lin original is the first double-page spread that appears in the picture book One Is a Drummer. It's a colorful and beautiful painting that I can look at every day when I'm at work on my computer.

You can see the painting hanging on the wall above the bookcase in my library/office.

Small Graces February Auction Begins Today!

Painting by Grace Lin

This painting is on auction NOW!

Ebay listing HERE!

URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220358614934

Happy bidding!


You can read more about the Small Graces auctions here.


Help spread the word!!!

Small Graces: February Auction News

It's almost auction time again! "Small Graces: A Painting a Month to Benefit the Foundation for Children's Books" features another charming painting by the talented and generous author/illustrator Grace Lin. This is the 2nd painting to be auctioned on eBay as a benefit for the foundation's programs in under-served schools.

Here's how it works: Every month a small (5x5 inch), unpublished, original painting will be auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to support the FCB's author/illustrator visits and residencies in urban schools in the Greater Boston area. Each painting will illustrate a bit of wisdom, a proverb, a "small Grace."

This month's painting (seen above), painted in gouache on watercolor paper, will be auctioned beginning Monday, February 9 to Friday, February 13. The estimated value is $450. I'll post a reminder with the eBay item number on Monday—or you can search by Grace Lin's name.

Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen picture books, including The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Grace's critically acclaimed children's novels include The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat.

You can read more about the Small Graces auctions and The Foundation for Children’s Books at this Wild Rose Reader post: Small Graces: A Painting a Month for the Foundation for Children's Books