(Aiyoh I think you have to read my replies from bottom to top. Sorry!) My mural partner and I know minimal ASL. Coming to Lexington is always a great excuse to work on it!

(Sorry—still learning bsky. My replies are out of order😆) Brown Bear was our last minute save, but I love that it is simple, colorful, and classic. Preschoolers at Lexington are taught in both spoken and signed language. We used this mural as a way to learn colors and animals.

So school chose 5 Little Monkeys, featuring monkeys characters playing around a big “5” hand, signing “monkey” “play” “brush teeth” “sleep,” etc. But references to monkeys are loaded these days, so that design got nixed in the 11th hour.

The school gave me 5 titles to work from—The Snowy Day, 5 Little Monkeys, All Are Welcome Here, Brown Bear, & Lola at the Library. Not only did they want ASL (or DeVIA) featured in the mural, they also hoped to show diversity.

I had 2 designs—the one that referenced all titles looked too busy.

How great! Picture books are so good for learning language!

Thanks for the interview, Mia❣️

Happy Book Birthday 🎉 What a great time I’ve had with this baby!

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🌟

😆 it IS empowering

😊💗hugs!

Few yrs ago, someone gave me a little metal disc for my keychain, an unassuming thank you gift for being a teaching artist. Its mssg can still make me cry. I pass it on to you…

“May you be proud of the work you do, the person you are, and the difference you make.”

Your work matters. Thank you. ❤️

I'm sorry. Hold tight. In all the dark, how do you keep shining the light?

👏👏👏