​Simplicity. Stillness. Room to Think.


​Myrtle Creek, Oregon
Surrounded by nature and the all-at-onceness of everything
What are the questions people ask about
making a children's picture book?
​
​To make a children's book, first, I surround myself with nature. Nature is like a tutor, patiently trying to teach my mind how it should behave. 

In a quiet place and a moment, the tree, the afternoon breeze coaxes my mind to settle. The paradox of this quiet moment is that I am alert watching what happens next.

Making a children's book is meditation. In the stillness, surrounded by nature, I am the watcher of half-notions rising up in my mind. Some float by. Some, I put them down on paper. One thing leads to another.   

 I am surrounded by nature, and I am aware of the quiet stillness. Truly inspired ideas come from nowhere else. ​
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Making A Children's Picture Book
The questions people ask
​

Chris E. Hammond 
Camp Cookie Chris (pen name) is an artist, author, book designer, illustrator/animator, independent publisher, and teacher.  He has created many kid's books dating back to his first title, The New Garden, published in 1982. Most recently, he published Something We Forgot, 2018, for kids ages 4-6. His book, River Journal Workshop, The Healing Journey, published in 2015, has been an Amazon top-rated artist’s book. 

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