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Artist of the Month – Laurie Ellen Angus

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Laurie Ellen Angus grew up near the beach and could often be found knee deep in the water searching with delight for sea creatures to play with, such as horseshoe crabs, and also routinely chasing her younger brother around with them. Laurie doesn’t chase her brother anymore, but does continue her fascination with the ocean, often taking long walks and observing the diversity of sea life along the shore.
Laurie attended Parson’s School of Design in NYC. Her debut book for Dawn is Octopus Escapes Again! Combining her love of nature and design into her artwork, she hopes to inspire children to have a similar fascination of the many amazing creatures that live in the ocean.
Laurie lives on Long Island, New York, with her husband Richard, two quirky cats, and a rambunctious rabbit.

Artist of the Month – Christopher Canyon

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Christopher Canyon is a unique presence in the world of children’s literature. Not only is he a critically acclaimed illustrator of numerous children’s books, but he’s also an accomplished guitarist, singer, and performer. Three of Christopher’s books, The Tree in the Ancient Forest, Sunshine On My Shoulders, and Stickeen, have won the American Bookseller Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award for best […]

Artist of the Month – Lynne Cherry

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Lynne Cherry’s first book with Dawn Publications is How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate, co-authored with Gary Braasch. This book has won 15 awards including the AAAS/Subaru Award, AAAS’s Best Middle School Science Book of the Year and the American Meteorological Society’s children’s book award. Lynne is also the author of the classic children’s book about […]

Gary Braasch: Author, Photographer, Friend

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Gary BraaschGary Braasch, photographer and co-author with Lynne Cherry of the award-winning How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate (2008) died unexpectedly while snorkeling in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It is a profound loss—and a reminder of how a single person can recognize the enormity of the challenge of climate change and do something of global significance about it, all the while maintaining a calm and joyful spirit.

As Lynne recalls, twenty years ago Gary took it upon himself to do all in his power to alert the world to the global climate crisis. His extraordinary photographs reached people’s hearts and minds. He thought that if people could see with their own eyes how climate change was transforming ecosystems they would be motivated to take action to reduce CO2.

How We KnowHe and Lynne had young people in mind as they worked together on How We Know because they knew that adults tend to follow the lead of young people on this issue. A League of Conservation Voters study showed that children are a primary source of information about environmental issues for adults, and the largest force upon adults to lead a more sustainable life-style. A study by corporate giant Unilever found, “when kids lead, adults follow.”

Gary and Lynne’s book published by Dawn Publications garnered 16 awards and many laudatory reviews. The Dawn staff recalls with fondness our time working with him on the book.

You can catch his spirit as well as the extent and quality of his life work in this video of Gary in his own words.

Greenland Glacier by Gary BraaschEven though Gary and Lynne knew all too well how dire climate change is, they strove to write a book that would not scare children but help them to see possibilities for change. The reviewer for “Embracing the Child,” for example, recognized this:

A groundbreaking new book for children explains the science behind the headlines, shows how young people are participating in gathering the scientific data, and tells what can be done to avert a crisis. The authors of How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate report on such a groundswell of activity by scientists and concerned people-including many children-that what could be a fearful or depressing book is, instead, an empowering book.