Selina Alko and Sean Qualls visit The Wheeler Campus

Last Friday, October  thirteenth at around 8:03 am the award winning illustrator Sean Qualls and his wife, who is also an illustrator arrived to the Wheeler Campus. By 9:15 am they were beginning their first presentation to a group of fourth and fifth grade students along with their teachers and other faculty and staff. The first slide in their presentation showed an illustration that they had painted of each other. From that moment on we were all able to go on the journey that brought them from individual artist to a book making team.

The Case for Loving was the first book Sean and Selina collaborated on together. They gave us an inside scoop on how they are able to work together as husband and wife, techniques they have learn from each other, and how they ultimately agree on the finished product. Sean and Selina work out of separate studios and they never work on the same piece of art at once. Selena has learned to like acrylic paint, because it is a type of paint he has always used. Lastly they have final meetings to go over the art work. In those meetings.

In the book Two Friends, written by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Selina and Sean, students were given an insight on the process of editing and revising. Sean and Selina shared original copies, before showing the final product. Some revisions were made by the editor , while other revisions were made by them. It was good for students to get a glimpse of the editing process because they are often required to edit in their academic work. They get to see firsthand how editing strategies can be used later in life.



During the time they were here on the Wheeler Campus they gave four presentations. The audience range from our youngest members of the community; early childhood to our middle school students and faculty and staff. It was clear that the stories Sean and Selina are telling through words and art are for everyone. They choose to tell stories that are important to them and sometimes reflect who they are.

On behalf of the Lowers School Librarians, Brooke Strachan and I would like to thank the Parent's Association; Wendy D'Amico and Jacinta Tapalian for their hard work!