Madison Kirchhoffer
Illustrator of Sara, Kurt, Nana and Rachael
Mrs. Talia Mochi-Cliffe
Art Teacher – Art, Design & Visual Communications Class
Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology (Formerly Known as BOCES)
Danielle Mercado
Illustrator of J.S. Firefly, Tiny and Whistle
Madison attended the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology in Bellport, NY while she was in high School. There she studied art in Mrs. Talia Mochi-Cliffe’s Art, Design & Visual Communications class.
Her outstanding art abilities made it possible for her to be chosen as the student who would do all the illustrations for the “human” characters in A Secret Penny–The Book and The Magic Bowl.
She has since graduated from Longwood High School, works full time, and continues with her passion for drawing.
Talia Mochi-Cliffe has been teaching the Art, Design & Visual Communications class at the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology for the past twenty-one years.
She is a talented artist in her own right, as demonstrated by the front and back cover she created for A Secret Penny–The Book and The Magic Bowel, as well as a dedicated and inspiring teacher.
While others might have refused to get involved with the time and work it takes to illustrate a book, Mrs. Mochi-Cliffe embraced the idea as a way to expand her students’ knowledge and art abilities.
Our thanks go out to her for all she has done.
Danielle has graduated from Islip High School and is presently attending Suffolk Community College. While in high school she also was a student in Mrs. Cliffe’s art class.
Her extraordinary art ability to bring animal characters to life with their own unique personalities made her the perfect person to illustrate J.S. Firefly, Tiny and Whistle for A Secret Penny–The Book and The Magic Bowel.
Danielle plans to continue improving her drawing abilities and hopes to become a character designer and illustrator for cartoons, movies, video games or a combination of all of them.