This is an activity book cover I did for Warner Press entitled, Locusts for Lunch. This book holds a little place in my heart because it was one of the first I wrote, illustrated and designed. It was fun planning the word and graphic activities as well as telling the story.
I thought this title would be perfect for this week’s Illustration Friday word. The word is “swarm.”
Cartoon of  John the Baptist looking in a cabinet. He says. “Time for a trip to the store. I’m out of locusts.”
The story of John the Baptist has always piqued my interest. Just the beginning of the story made for some word pictures. Here’s what the passage reads in the book of Matthew:
1-2 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert country of Judea. His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
3John and his message were authorized by Isaiah’s prophecy:
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. He lived on a diet of locusts and wild field honey. People poured out of Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him in action. There at the Jordan River those who came to confess their sins were baptized into a changed life. (Matthew 3:1-6, The Message)
I wrote and illustrated a book on the topic a few years ago. You can see the cover at Amazon.com. It’s not available right now, but I’m going to see if it can be resurrected in pdf form. You may be able to get it at Warner Press.
Cartoon of John the Baptist and a boy. The boy says, “You’re a trendsetter! Everyone wants the John the Baptist, camel hair bathing suit.”
John the Baptist was not the first prophet to set the trend for strange behavior, but he sure made his mark with unique diets and fashion tips. Wild locust and camel hair, anyone?