ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT: Susan Mitchell

Squee! Last week the mailman delivered the May issue of Highlights for Children which includes my poem, “Mouse House”. It’s on page 27, if you care to take a peek. The editorial team did a wonderful job with layout and lettering.  But what I especially admired was their choice of artwork. Susan Mitchell’s delightful rendering of my little mouse beautifully enhances the text.  In fact, I was so smitten by her creative use of a little needle-felted wool mouse set in a collage-style setting made from scraps of nature including moss, twigs, bark and leaves that I couldn’t resist looking her up on the internet. I quickly found her at www.Susan-Mitchell.com.

Oh my, is she talented! Not only does she create whimsical woolen creatures, she also paints, designs greeting cards, and has illustrated nineteen picture books, including her latest two, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOLE and MOUSE’S SOCK TREE, both written by Paula Metcalf, and both released in the U.K. this month. Her magazine clients include Highlights for Children, Chirp Magazine, Clubhouse Jr., Readers’s Digest, and Ladies Home Journal. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her delightful wool creatures and whimsical prints.

At bedtime that night, my daughter and I snuggled down for story time. “Let’s each pick something extra special,” we agreed.  Not surprisingly, I picked page 27 of the May issue of Highlights for Children. My daughter, who’d just been to the school library that afternoon, selected a colorful picture book she was eager to read.  First we read “Mouse House” – aloud and in unison. Then together we examined, for quite some time, all the delightful details of Susan’ Mitchell’s illustration. “That mouse is so cute!” my daughter cheered. “Aww, look at his little bed.”

Then, it was time to read her choice, CLAIRE AND THE UNICORN HAPPY EVER AFTER  by B.G. Hennessy.  Together we examined the cover which depicts a whimsical girl in pigtails riding a magical unicorn over sparkling pink clouds.  And just below those pink clouds in lime green letters glowed a newly familiar name: Susan Mitchell!  After marveling at the coincidence, and our great taste in illustrators, we took turns reading the text, amazed, again, at Susan’s creativity and talent.

Thank you, Susan, for enriching our day with your heartwarming artwork.  Three cheers for creativity and three cheers for Susan Mitchell from your two newest fans!

Photos provided by Valerie Rosen. http://www.valerierosen.500px.com