McMillan was honored with a permanent corner in the Springvale (Maine) Public Library's Children's Room, The Bruce McMillan Corner, where nine of his original photo-illustrations from Grandfather's Trolley are on permanent display. His books were the first photo-illustrated children's books ever featured on the covers of The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books ( Nights of the Pufflings), The Horn Book Guide ( Nights of the Pufflings), and Booklinks magazine ( Mary Had a Little Lamb). The children then set them free at the beach at daytime. The story introduces a local children's tradition of rescuing young birds, pufflings (a name he coined), which take their first flight on August nights, some stranded in the village streets. McMillan's most noted award-winning children's book is Nights of the Pufflings (1995), set on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. His watercolors are in private collections in the US, Canada, Iceland, and Switzerland. His watercolor Browns Head Light Vinalhaven was Best in Show at the Port Clyde (Maine) Art Gallery Third Annual Invitational 10 x 10 Show in 2017. His 2018 Winter Olympics curling watercolors were a two-page feature in the Maine Sunday Telegram Arts Section. McMillan's watercolor art has been in numerous juried shows in New England and Iceland. In 2006, he was honored by the Maine Library Association with the Katahdin Award honoring his outstanding body of work of children's literature in Maine. He has published three genres of children's picture books - concept books, nonfiction, and fiction. His interest in biology is often reflected in his books' topics. In addition to his 45 children's books, seven of them set in Iceland, he has authored two books of humor, Punography, featured in Life magazine, and Punography Too. He received a degree in biology from the University of Maine. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in Bangor, and Kennebunk, Maine. Bruce McMillan (May 10, 1947- ) is a contemporary American author of children books, photo-illustrator and watercolor artist living in Shapleigh, Maine.

Growing Colors by Bruce McMillan