THE SHIP IN THE WINDOW Sets Sail Today!

It all began right here:

A model ship in the window of a house in Holland, Michigan. It’s right across from a park that I’ve visited for years. Every time we would drive by I would notice this ship.

One day I decided to try to make a story about it. I went home, opened my notebook, and wrote this:

“The SHIP IN THE WINDOW

A mouse wonders if a model ship will sail”

Now that story is a book – The Ship in the Window – gorgeously illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Matthew Cordell. Here are a couple early sketches of Mabel, the main character:

When it was time to make the final art, Matthew Cordell spared no effort, incorporating accurate nautical knots into the borders and building up each image with expert-level cross-hatching that would make Maurice Sendak proud:

The Ship in the Window is available now wherever books are sold. I hope you get a chance to read it and share it with kids.

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