Happy 70th birthday to the Muppets crew!! Here’s all the Muppets/Henson characters that have filled my “Raised By Rainbows” series throughout the past 5 years. I believe Kermit 💚 wins for MOST appearances in the pieces.
I can’t begin to capture the gratitude I have for the joy, creativity and laughter the Muppets bring to my life. It’s a gift to be 1 of millions of fellow Muppets fans/friends that celebrate today (and every day) to continue the vision that Jim Henson had as he debuted “Sam & Friends” 7 decades ago. From humble beginnings a true revolution of artistry and storytelling began.
To Jim, Jane and all the crews that joined in the journey - THANK YOU for inspiring the lovers, the dreamers & me. 🌈💚
Celebrating my 10 YEAR kidlit anniversary today! 📚❤️ 80 BOOKS and a few more gray whiskers in my beard. Forever grateful to all the inspiring authors, teams & publishers I’ve been blessed to work with. Excited to keep adding to this stack! 5 more titles coming soon!
My first big debut publication “No way … WAY!: Road Trip (June 23, 2015), a “fun facts” book series written by the legendary @traceywestbooks with @penguinkids kicked off the rollercoaster ride!
I couldn’t spotlight EVERY book in these photos but it’s a joy to see the journey unfold & evolve with each book or series I’ve illustrated. Here’s a quick overview:
⭐️ 4 book series (No Way…WAY!) by Tracey West
⭐️ series of books with @cantata_learning
⭐️ my first 2 picture books with @kelstarly & @albertwhitman & A.L. Wegwerth @capstonepub
⭐️ daily devotional for kids & board book series with @ourdailybread
⭐️ My debut author & illustrator series “Moby Shinobi” for @scholastic (big thanks to @kcarella1 )
⭐️ board book series with @littlebeebooks
⭐️ magiCOOL pb series with @sourcebookskids written by @dianamurrayauthor
⭐️ first @nytimes BEST SELLER book with @quirkbooks & @fredrogersproductions with additional board book series celebrating poetry of Fred Rogers ❤️#143neighbor
⭐️ lifelong dream to illustrate books celebrating @themuppets & my hero Jim Henson. Honored to write & illustrate the A,B,C adaptation of @labyrinthmovieofficial for @hensoncompany@imprintreads
⭐️ I’ve treasured Little Golden Books since I was a kid! illustrating them for @randomhousekids has been a bucket list dream. (Thanks to the dream team @wombat68 & @jan.gerardi )
⭐️ I 💚 to draw monsters, so these books with amazing friends @sue_ganzschmitt & @matthewluhnstory were frightfully delightful!
⭐️ A unique opportunity to work with superstar authors @phil.rosenthal & @lilyrosenthal on their book series (an instant @nytimes BEST SELLER!) and comedian @joe_gatto on his debut too!
⭐️ first graphic novel series with @emmacberne & @harperkids
⭐️a few more with friends @megosphere , @lollyhopwood & Yo Yo Kusters, @hallmark , @forever.friends.farm
⭐️ the journey truly all began with early self published adventures
🌈💚 COVER REVEAL! Beyond thrilled to write and illustrate this Little Golden Book Biography celebrating my lifelong creative hero, JIM HENSON!! Coming MAY 5, 2026. PRE-ORDER at Penguin Random House (link in bio).
I packed the pages with puppet pals from Sam & Friends, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, The Muppets Movie, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies and The Storyteller. Also joining Jim are the many creative friends and fellow dreamers that created these unique worlds and characters. Most importantly, his family that inspired him and worked alongside him. From his parents and grandparents to his wife Jane, and his multi-talented children that continue to celebrate his legacy through their own creative journeys today!
A SWEETUMS-sized THANK YOU to the DREAM TEAM that made this treasured project a reality- Andrea Posner-Sanchez for excellent editing and vision, Jan Gerardi for amazing art direction and inspiration! You both went above & beyond every step of the Muppety marathon!
I’m eager to share more about this Muppetational, inspirational, celebrational book in the months ahead! Thank you to the lovers, the dreamers and YOU for your support.
Thank you, Jim Henson, for all the unique creativity, imaginative ingenuity and joyful community you added to this world. The characters you created and stories you shared are a timeless gift that continues to inspire so many lovers, dreamers and ME!! We miss you so very much 🌈💚
This final page of my Jim Henson Little Golden Book biography was truly special. I wanted to celebrate my favorite characters voiced by Jim. Hard to choose, but this crew certainly captured the range of Jim’s humor and heart.
Celebrating the puppet pals that my pal, Justin @uzzyworks has created for me over the past year. Forever grateful to you for helping me share my stories through the artistry of puppetry!
Give him a follow for more puppet magic and unique illustrations too! Check out uzzyworks.com
🌈💚Happy birthday to Sam & Friends! Debuted 71 years ago. I loved illustrating all these unique characters and celebrating the unity of Jim & Jane’s creative talents. They worked so hard together to launch what would become the foundation of The Muppets. Including the revolutionary way they filmed the show using the television frame and monitors to really capture the performance. Love all the wacky names of the characters too. Omar, Pierre the French Rat, Mushmellon, Professor Madcliffe, Moldy Hay, Hank and Frank, Sam, Bernice, unnamed tomatoes (unofficially dubbed Yul and Brynner), Icky Gunk, Harry the Hipster, Chicken Liver, Yorick and Kermit.
🌈💚Happy birthday to you, Kermit. I’m grateful that Jim Henson crafted you with imaginative artistry and took you on so many marvelous adventures. You continue to bring laughter and inspiration to all the lovers, dreamers and me!!
This was one of my favorite scenes to illustrate in my Jim Henson Little Golden Book biography. What a magical moment in the history of The Muppets.
🌈💚Back in Sept. 2022 I created a tribute to Jim Henson inspired by a Little Golden Book cover in honor of his birthday. An idea I’d been dreaming of since my early days of illustrating children’s books. Before the biography series ever began (debuting in 2016 w/ Abraham Lincoln). I imagined what an honor it would be to illustrate my greatest creative hero’s story as a children’s book. When I first saw the Little Golden Book biography series, I was inspired by the thought of Jim Henson being part of that series. I had no idea it would take nearly a decade for that dream to come true.
As a lifelong reader and collector of the beloved Little Golden Books, it’s always been a goal to work with the team. I’ve had the privilege of illustrating 9 LGB titles now, most recently the Elvis Presley and Steven Spielberg biographies. It was at the time I began work on those (2023) that I pitched a list of favorite artists, authors, actors, athletes and heroes I admired. Jim Henson was TOP of that list!
My illustration style was not the right fit for the series at the time, a bit too whimsical and stylized for the look the team wanted for these titles. I was excited for the challenge to push myself out of my comfort zone and develop a more realistic style while still maintaining my unique techniques. From there you can see a few early sketch concepts and iterations of final art. This is what I treasure about the editing process with the @randomhousekids creative crew. The final illustration was exactly what we all envisioned and most importantly captured the vibrant energy of Jim and Kermit. I’m forever thankful to @wombat68 for believing in this dream and helping form it from conception to story. @jan.gerardi led the way with valuable art direction and development of each scene. A team effort that we are all proud to share with fellow Muppets fans of all ages!!
Grateful that this very special one was my 10th Little Golden Book, and I look forward to more!
🌈💚My JIM HENSON Little Golden Book biography is out today, and this book birthday is one that I’ve been dreaming of for a lifetime! Growing up adoring, collecting and inspired by countless Little Golden Books ( ESPECIALLY the ones featuring The Muppets & Sesame Street stories) to have my own book, celebrating my lifelong creative hero, in this beloved bounty of books is beyond comprehension!!
I’ll share MUCH more about the process, art and lifelong journey soon. Today, I’m celebrating the labor of love this book is!! I truly hope it adds many a smile to all you fellow Jim Henson and Muppets FANatics, collectors, creatives, storytellers, puppeteers and book buddies.
A SWEETUMS sized THANK YOU to: @wombat68 for making this dream possible, your visionary leadership and excellent editing!! @jan.gerardi for uplifting encouragement and insightful art direction make it a true joy to collaborate with you. Forever grateful to the @randomhousekids creative crew for creating these iconic biography books!! I continue to collect em' all, and hope to be part of many more too.
Most of all, thank you, JIM. You’ve been a wellspring of inspiration throughout my life and continue to motivate me on my creative journey. Your innovative artistry, imaginative storytelling and passion for puppetry continues to inspire the lovers, the dreamers and ME!!!
