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What's in a Title?
A New Post Where I Ask for Your Help It’s a brand new year and I’m diving back into my mourning doves picture book. It was on pause for a short time while illustrating Carlos Crosses the Border now available here . I’m at a crossroads with the cover and title, and I’m looking for your input. I’m moving along with the artwork and part of the process is finding the best title and cover art that gives the flavor of the book, a peek at what readers will find inside. I want to cre

Traci Van Wagoner
Jan 271 min read


SCBWI Artober 2025 - KidLitArt
A showing of the art I created during #SCBWIArtober2025 for fun and relaxation and exploration of new Procreate brushes by Kyle Webster.

Traci Van Wagoner
Nov 6, 20251 min read


The Origins of an Idea
Get a behind the scenes look at the beginnings of an idea for a picture book inspired by nature in the city. I was delighted to wake one morning to the noisy going-ons of a mourning dove couple setting up home in my top floor window in the back of the building. Over the first summer of the pandemic I was privileged to watch the development of two families from the same couple and was inspired to write a story about it and how it effected my life and brought a new sense of won

Traci Van Wagoner
May 21, 20253 min read


Good Morning, Mourning Dove
Another picture book creation journey begins where a pair of mourning doves nest in my window, and I pose a question: bars or no bars on the windows?

Traci Van Wagoner
May 15, 20252 min read


Boomer is Here! The final children's book is now available.
IT’S OFFICIAL!!! Many of you have watched and waited and shared in the journey from initial text dummy to final book for Boomer the...

Traci Van Wagoner
Mar 30, 20232 min read


KidLitArtPostcard
When the pandemic started, art directors and editors were not long in their offices to received illustrator's promotional postcards, so...

Traci Van Wagoner
Oct 6, 20221 min read

