The next artist we're featuring from our Art of Read Every Day campaign is Judy Schachner. Judy Schachner is best known as the author/illustrator of the award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling Skippyjon Jone series.
Schachner's artwork for this campaign is so lovey and whimsical. Children fly through the air with books as wings, illustrating how positively levitating the power of reading can be. As a child, Schachner's mother was contstantly sick and died when she was young, and she struggled in school for years. But her artwork offered her hope. "Sometimes it was the only place I could go and dream and escape the sadness that I felt. Art and imagination saved me." Schachner's story of how art served as solace from a difficult childhood is inspiring for all of us.
You can download Schachner's beautiful artwork for free at our Read Every Day website. You'll also find a collection of companion resources, including:
- A video interview with Schachner, where she speaks to the power of art and imagination, and explains how she blossomed in her career as an illustrator and author
- A video of Schachner reading aloud from Bits & Peices
- Common Core-ready disccussion guides (grades K-2 and 3-5)
Keep an eye on all of our social media channels this week—we'll be sharing her artwork and additional resources every day. Enjoy!
Original artwork by Judy Schachner