Marcia Sewall

Marcia Sewall is an illustrator with a simple drawing style that conveys the rhythm and characters of the stories without overwhelming them. Marica Sewall covers subjects such as the death of a loved one (Saying Good-bye to Grandma by Jane Resh Thomas) or something more light-hearted (The Leprechaun's Story by Richard Kennedy). Her drawings give the books a simple clarity. Marcia was never taught to illustrate books, but she took an art course from the Rhode Island School of Design after finishing graduate studies in education. She went on to become a staff artist for a children's museum and later an art teacher. When the time came for her to write her own books, she chose topics that show her love of history: a western ballad for Ridin' That Strawberry Roan and a Scottish folktale for The Wee, Wee Mannie and the Big, Big Coo. Marcia gained the most fame from her three books on the settling of her beloved New England: The Pilgrims of Plimoth, The People of the Breaking Day, and Thunder from the Clear Sky. All three books take the point of view of settlers or the Native Americans as they encounter each other in those first hard years. She often gives talks at local schools and libraries on the craft of illustration. Two of her more recent books are James Towne: Struggle for Survival and Nickommoh! A Thanksgiving Celebration, which she illustrated. Nickommoh! tells how the Narragansett people would have given thanks for the harvest in the days before the Pilgrims came.