20th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawaii's Children

 

I'll be presenting with author/illustrator Akiko White and author Vera Arita at the 20th Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawaii's Children, a free conference for parents, teachers, librarians, writers, illustrators, + anyone interested in children's literature. Register now!

Sunday, June 6

9:00-10:15

CREATING LITERATURE

C3  So You Want to Write a Children's Book? This Is Our Path to Publication and Beyond

We will present to you our path to publication and answer any questions you may have on how to get your manuscript in the hands of little children everywhere! We will also tell you about our local Hawai‘i’ chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, which has helped many on their publication journey.

https://www.childrenslithawaii.org/2021-conference/

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Escape Greenland

• Escape Greenland
• Written by Ellen Prager
• With illustrations by Tammy Yee
• 
  

I had a great time working with marine scientist and author Dr. Ellen Prager on Escape Greenland, the latest addition to the Wonderlist Adventures series for young readers. Written for 9-12 year-olds, Ellen's adventure books are filled with nature, science, humor, and friendship. 

• 
  
• Publisher : Tumblehome, Inc. 
• Language : English
• Paperback : 248 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1943431701
• ISBN-13 : 978-1943431700
• Reading age : 9 - 12 years
• Grade level : 4 - 7

"Ezzy Skylar has inherited some of her geologist mother's daring along with her collection of special scarves. Now, along with her surgeon father and ten-year-old brother Luke, she has embarked on a trip to Greenland's Kangia Icefjord. But something isn't right."

You can find Escape Greenland at tumblehomebooks.org.

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Spring Break fun with mazes, mandalas, and more!

After a year spent indoors because of the pandemic, I have finally merged my origami and paper engineering hobbies with my interest in conservation to create an activity book for kids. 

Rainforests and Reefs, available online through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, makes learning fun with hours of puzzles, spot-the-difference, word seek, mazes, and more.

In it, you can also make paper bag puppets, bird masks, a Hawaiian monk seal visor, and several origami models.

Need help with the paper construction? I've uploded instructional videos to my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/TammyYee.

Enjoy!

Rainforests and Reefs From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

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Stay-at-home Read-aloud: Shark Patrol, by Ron Hirschi, illustrated by Tammy Yee

Fisheries biologist Ron Hirschi reads from our new book, "Shark Patrol," that follows the S.S. Scoutabout on its voyage in the Pacific to learn about sharks! Perfect read-aloud for kids curious about the ocean.

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Fun and educational mazes keep kids busy!

Looking for activities while school is out?

AMAZING MAZES UNDER THE SEA IN HAWAII features twenty-one mazes that take kids on an underwater adventure in Hawaiian waters where they can wind there way around reefs and coral to learn more about its sea creatures--from ink-squirting he'e (octopus) to soaring malolo (flying fish).

Author Ellie Crowe introduces fascinating facts about each animal, and illustrator Tammy Yee brings them to life in detailed, textured drawings that makes you feel as if you're diving deep under Hawai'i's sea.

https://mutualpublishing.com/product/amazing-mazes-under-the-sea/

https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Mazes-Under-Sea-Hawaii/dp/1566479738/ref=sr_1_31?dchild=1&keywords=tammy+yee&qid=1587072945&s=books&sr=1-31

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Home Resources from Arbordale Publishing!

To assist parents, teachers, and children during school closures, ArbordaleKids is making their digital books available for FREE to all teachers and students through May 15, 2020. Start reading today!

Visit https://www.arbordalepublishing.com/digitalbooks-permissions.htm.

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2020 SCBWI HAWAII CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS!

Art from "Penguin on Vacation," by Salina Yoon.

SCBWI HAWAII 2020 CONFERENCE

March 14-15

University of Hawai'i Law School

If you're interested in writing or illustrating children's books, don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from the best in the industry!

A fantastic lineup and VERY reasonable conference and workshop rates, right here in Hawaii!

Sign up now at https://hawaii.scbwi.org/events/hawaii-%e2%80%a2-all-islands-hawaii-conference-2020/

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Mermaid Evolution: The making of "The Castle That Kai Built" by Tammy Yee, Island Heritage Publishing

Before there was Kai, there was an anglerfish. Who was roughly based on my bulldog, Roxy. And since every memorable character needs a sidekick, I gave her a mermaid.

Who looked something like this... And this. Mermaid study, acrylic. This was back in 2013. She wasn't ready for the world, so I put her aside and worked on other things. When she was finally ready to come out again, I decided to soften her. And make her more representative of children everywhere. After all, diversity isn't represented in the color of your hair, whether it be pink or purple. So Kai got several makeovers. The final illustrations were done in Procreate on an iPadPro. And that's Kai's story!

The Castle That Kai Built

By Tammy Yee
Island Heritage Publishing
Hardcover: 32 pages
ISBN-10: 1617104108
ISBN-13: 978-1617104107

What happens when Kai the mermaid and her loyal pet anglerfish build a castle under the sea?

They are joined by a rollicking cast of sea creatures — including a mischievous octopus, a school of jellyfish and playful dolphins — whose wild antics stir up trouble. Tammy Yee's bright illustrations invite children to search for details as the follow Kai on her aquatic adventure.

The Castle That Kai Built is a cumulative tale in which the story repeats and builds as more characters are introduced.

  

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The Castle That Kai Built Origami and Coloring Activities

Just in time for the holidays, here are origami and coloring activities for my new book, The Castle That Kai Built, Island Heritage Publishing.

Kai Mermaid Origami (Color)	Kai Mermaid Origami (BW)
Kai Coloring Page

The Castle That Kai Built

By Tammy Yee
Island Heritage, 2019

Kai the mermaid builds a lavish sandcastle under the sea. The castle seems to attract all kinds of sea life, from clams and jellyfish to fearsome sharks and playful dolphins. One-by-one, each visitor causes a troublemaking chain of events that leads to disaster for Kai! What will happen to Kai and the castle that Kai built? The Castle That Kai Built is a cumulative tale in which the story repeats and builds as more characters are introduced.

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Shark Patrol Coloring Page

New! Coloring page for my book, "Shark Patrol," written by Ron Hirschi, illustrated by Tammy Yee, Mutual Publishing.

Enjoy, and visit my author/illustrator page, www.tammyyee.com

And follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/babyhonu/



Young Kai and Lehua hop aboard the SS Scoutabout for an adventure of a lifetime, studying sharks with Captain Mike, biologist Aunt Jan, and their seafaring pup, Scout. Cruising from Hawaii to California, they encounter beautiful oceanic whitetips, great whites, thrashing threshers, and the biggest fish of all, the whale shark. Approaching the mainland, they discover all is not well for some sharks in California waters and the two kids make plans to help the sharks, to help the ocean!

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Wanda's Humpback Hula Show

I just uploaded fun activities for my book, "Wanda's Humpack Hula Show," written by Marian Parks and illustrated by Tammy Yee, available at American Nature Tale Books.

When Wanda's new baby brother arrives, she feels left out . . . until she cleverly hulas her way to humpback fame. But one day a careless mistake ruins everything. How will Wanda fix this mess? Kids will enjoy Wanda's entertaining antics, but they'll also learn about the North Pacific humpback whale migration and that sometimes, they need to say, I'm sorry.

American Nature Tale Books also features a fun Story Activities and Teacher's Guide that you can download on their website.

Here's what the Midwest Book Review has to say about Wanda: 

A charmingly entertaining picture book story with a genuinely important underlying message, "Wanda's Humpback Hula Show" is an especially recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.

Print and fold a Wanda the humpback whale origami:	Print and make a Wanda paper bag puppet:
Wanda's Migration Coloring Page	Wanda under the sea coloring page

Enjoy, and visit my author/illustrator page, www.tammyyee.com

And follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/babyhonu/

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Saturday, November 16, 2019: HONOLULU BOOK SIGNING!

MUTUAL PUBLISHING BOOK SIGNING

with Tammy Yee and Leslie Hayashi

Saturday, November 16, 12-2pm
at Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana

Looking for personalized gifts that inspire and educate? Join Tammy Yee and Leslie Hayashi as they sign their new books with Mutual Publishing: "Saving the Fairies," by Leslie Ann Hayashi, illustrated by Holly Braffet, and "Shark Patrol," written by Ron Hirschi and illustrated by Tammy Yee.




SAVING THE FAIRIES, based on a true story, features a newlywed pair of Fairy Terns lovingly guarding their newly hatched egg.

SHARK PATROL joins two children, Kai and Lehua, as they hop aboard the SS Scoutabout for an adventure of a lifetime, studying sharks.

Both books are beautifully illustrated and teach children about Hawaii's unique wildlife. Stop by and talk story! Get your signed copy in time for Christmas!

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Behind the Scenes: Two More Illustrations from Shark Patrol!

I just uploaded two new videos showing my illustration process for the book Shark Patrol, written by Ron Hirschi and released this year from Mutual Publishing.

And stay tuned for information about my upcoming book signings in November, just in time for Christmas!

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Saturday, August 31, 2019: HILO BOOKSIGNING!

Meet Children's Book Author/Illustrator

Tammy Yee

Sat, August 31, 1-3pm

at Basically Books

1672 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii

Reading • Book Signing • Drawing Demo

Let's have fun! Join me this Saturday at 1pm at Basically Books in my favorite small town, Hilo! I'll be signing books, reading "The Castle that Kai Built," and more! Rumor has it that I'll do some sketching. And I'll bring my iPad, so I can show you how my illustrations for Kai were made.

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Behind the Scenes: Illustrating "Shark Patrol"

Shark Patrol

Written by Ron Hirschi, illustrated by Tammy Yee
Mutual Publishing, 2019

Illustrating Shark Patrol, A Discovery Adventure in Hawai'i presented a unique and fun challenge: how to incorporate author Ron Hirschi's fact-filled lively text and rich illustrations into an 8" x 9" 32-page format.

Working with Ron and Mutual Publishing editor Jane Gillespie, we gave this story of young explorers Kai and Lehua, as told through mail correspondence, a fresh update by having the characters post their adventures on social media via Shark Grams. 

Shark facts were personalized by presenting them as journal entries made by the budding scientists...something that I did as a child pretending to be a researcher aboard Jacques Cousteau's famous vessel, the Calypso. Other devices included photos taken by the crew and Post-it notes from the desk of the ship's biologist, Auntie Jan.

Here's a sketch of the layout. Each character has an avatar for their Shark Gram. And social media is no fun without emojis!

Another idea derived from my nerdy childhood was to use the endpapers to illustrate the relative size of sharks as compared to Kai and Lehua.

Growing up in Hawaii, you'd think I'd know a little about sharks--but there was much to learn! Threshers and great whites, blacktips versus whitetip oceanics (not to be confused with whitetip reef sharks)--so many sharks! This meant a lot of research and a lot of sketching.

My favorites were the deep-sea sharks. Did you know that Hawaii has two bioluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) lanternsharks? One was recently discovered in 2017. 

The final illustrations were done in Procreate on an iPad Pro, which allowed me to record the illustration process.



And the best fun is receiving a box in the mail and seeing the book for the first time!

For more information about Shark Patrol, visit Mutual Publishing. And stay tuned...more videos from the creation of Shark Patrol will be posted on my YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnNilsL1o_gI_SReou04B9A. 

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