When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. It was the 60’s. I remember sitting at my desk and building the Revel Lunar Module model far into the wee hours of the night. If I couldn’t make the trip myself, at least I could be there in spirit when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
That obviously didn’t happen, so now, to stave off the occasional bout of FOMO and to maintain my unfathomable sense of wonder, I visit Continue reading
Are you juggling tons of tasks? Buried by responsibility? Feeling overwhelmed by the state of our world?
Smiles sparked by an unforeseen surprise lift my mood even when I’m not feeling out of sorts. They’re the kind of smiles that prompt me to share their origin story with the world. Yes – that would be you – and thank you for being here.
Now, how about you dig yourself out of that all consuming stress pit and join me to see what’s got me 😄ing today, aside from the blazing sunbeams our ‘lil pea and sweet potato provide for us on a daily basis… Continue reading
Was it sunbeams streaming through the steaming
emerald canopy that whet her curiosity
or
the cloudburst
the
steady
downpour
that urged her to soar
high
above
the fragrant jungle floor?
When she took flight, rising
above
A drove of dragons filled the Fairfield/Cordelia Library last week when five kindergarten classes paid a visit on World Read Aloud Day
The wind was whipping, the rain torrential, as about 100 kids, their teachers, and chaperones from the Nelda Mundy Elementary School donned their foul weather gear and whimsical wellies and braved the latest California atmospheric river to hear a read aloud of my favorite debut picture book.
Once everyone shrugged off their bright-colored ponchos and parkas and piled their plastic umbrellas in the vestibule (now there’s a word you don’t hear everyday), half the soggy 5-year-olds settled in a nearby room to do a paper-bag dragon craft…
while the remainder filed into a corner of the children’s book section and made themselves comfortable on the floor before my feet. As children’s book librarian Natasha North introduced me, the sight of those fifty little faces, anticipation and excitement shining in their eyes and burbling from their lips, moved me to tears…literally!
I couldn’t Continue reading
…except for the ones in the photos documenting our recent escapades
during two weeks galavanting about
in Germany, Ireland, and Morocco.
First stop, the Frankfurt Book Fair for the announcement of the winners for the 2024 🥳 German Children’s Literature Award 🥳
(with many thanks to the jury for the
awesome honor of being nominated!)
White-capped waves lap the red sands of Cavendish Beach. As Prince Edward Island’s tourist season draws to an end, so too does the foot traffic on the isle’s rocky shore nearest to the Anne Of Green Gables Heritage Place.
Historically known as the spot where the ill-fated Marco Polo wrecked in 1883, it is now the site of a pop-up art exhibit for one of this year’s most promising mixed media artists, Milton C. Gull.
The exact location of this late bloomer’s series titled It Came From Above has been the island’s best kept secret, until today… Continue reading
When I have a moment of writer’s block, I like to use a jump-off line to get the words flowing…
The line I used today is one I grabbed from The Amulet of Samarkand by Johnathan Stroud. I randomly opened the novel and chose a number between 1 and 33. The 13th line on the right hand page was just the kick I needed to get started.
I was thinking of the helpless djinn trapped inside the ruined mannequins as I serpentined my way past far-flung bits of flaming fabric, fiberglass body part fragments, splintered display cases, and shattered glass to the winding mahogany staircase. Smoldering debris mixed with Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum fumes stung my eyes, nearly choking me to death. In my defense, Continue reading
I am thrilled and honored to be part of this year’s Bay Area Book Festival Family Day!
I can’t wait to share my debut picture book, “There Are No Dragons In This Book” with you at 2:30 on May 4th on the Story Time: Monster Fun panel with JaNay Brown-Wood, Charlotte Cheng, J. P. Takahashi, and Rev Valdez.
Stop by my table as well between 11:00 – 2:00 for a chat, to pick up a couple of coloring pages, and to add your name to my newsletter list (with my promise not to inundate your inbox) for a chance to win a copy of THERE ARE NO DRAGONS IN THIS BOOK. See you this Saturday for a day of creativity and fun!
❤
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