
Six years ago, Gwendolyn Sherman, Class of ’98, began writing a children’s story and sketching accompanying images. Drawing has been a life-long passion for her - she studied fine art in Greece following high school and has worked as an illustrator and graphic designer over the years, all the while holding a deep wish to also create children’s books. She was in the second trimester of pregnancy with her fourth child when she felt the pull of inspiration as she watched her then-four-year-old son, Raphael, living out his “very busy” life.
What resulted from that impulse was what Gwendolyn calls “a long labor of love” in which she wrote out the story and drafted basic, hand-drawn illustrations of what would become her first children’s book, 7 More Sleeps Till DumpTruck Land. It was another five years before she felt ready to finalize the book and pursue publication. After a process that Gwendolyn says was akin to Waldorf Book Nights—when students would add all the final details to their Main Lesson books before they were due the next morning—the book was published by Alkion Press this fall.

Gwendolyn says that some of the illustrations in the book were inspired by mental images she has retained over the years of her children engaged in various activities, and by places they have lived. The illustrations are hand drawn in a combination of graphite and colored pencil and almost entirely drawn from imagination and memory.
“I feel like children often relate more to what we can recall and what we can pull from our own experience, so I really tried to do that and not reference objects,” she says. “The only exception is the machines. I just didn’t have a clear enough picture in my mind of what dump trucks and excavators look like.”
On her journey to publication, Gwendolyn contemplated self-publishing, but was thrilled when, at a friend’s recommendation, she shared her work with Eric Müller, director of Alkion Press and one of her favorite teachers from high school, who agreed to publish the book. “He gave me complete artistic freedom, and to be working with someone that I know and trust has been amazing,” she says.
She says she has another book in development, and looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Müller on it. As an author, Gwendolyn hopes that children and parents alike will enjoy her stories. She crafted 7 More Sleeps Till DumpTruck Land in a way that balanced relating to the sensibilities of a child, while also being aesthetically beautiful. As a parent herself, she added with a smile, “I was also trying to keep it interesting for parents who have to read stories over and over and over again. I hope that it entertains them as well.”
7 More Sleeps Till DumpTruck Land is available locally in Turose Craft & School Shoppe, or online at Alkion Press or Amazon. A Book Launch celebration will be held at Mettabee Farm & Art (551 Harlemville Rd, Hillsdale) on Sunday, November 3, from 1-3 pm. Gwendolyn will read from the book and sign copies. We hope to see you there!