Yes, friends, it is that time of year again. The time for rolling up your sleeves, taking out your crayons and markers, and making your very own book.
This year’s “make your own book” book is called The Snowmen Below. As usual, we provide the first few sentences of a story. As usual, Robbi provides a prompt illustration on each page. And, as usual, it’s up to you to write the rest of the story and draw the rest of the pictures. It’s your turn to to be the author and the artist. Are you ready? We hope so.
Because The Snowmen is on it’s way.
Before we could send the book to you, we had to make it, of course.
As always, I put on my very best book-making clothing.
So that I would look really good while I collated and scored and folded and stapled and folded again and stacked and trimmed then trimmed again.
Making books is a lot of work. It also makes a lot of mess.
If anyone is looking for thousands of long, rectangular pieces of paper, please let us know before 9:00 this morning when the recycling truck comes by.
Eventually we had hundreds of copies of The Snowmen. We kept worrying that they might melt, but so far, so good.
Once the books were made, we had to print and fold the letters, put on the mailing label, put your book and letter inside the envelope, lick the flap, put on a stamp, and stack them all in mailing bins.
As long as it takes to make a book, it takes almost as long to put together a mailing.
But when we’re done, and all the envelopes are neatly stacked and ready to go to the post office, we get a few minutes of satisfaction. It makes us feel great, and so we smile.
But not for long. Not for Robbi. Then Robbi starts scowling again. Because she knows from long experience, that as soon as we put one book in the mail:
I make her start illustrating the next one. No rest for the weary, I say.
That goes for you guys, too. You have work to do! Make your books! Then send them to us! I smell greatness in the air!