17th BLOG ANNIVERSARY: Time to Celebrate!

Seven

Seventeen years ago, in November 2008, I launched this blog. At first my plan was to use it to feature my art, which is why the link is carolinearnoldart. But a little more than a year later I decided to expand the blog to include my writing as well and changed the name to Caroline Arnold Art and Books (the link is still carolinearnoldart) with the plan of putting up a new post once a week--sometimes two. 

For me, this blog is a way to keep track of my book and art related activities, including school and library visits, publishing, reviews, activities for children and teachers, announcements of prizes and awards and more.  Since launching the blog I have posted almost 1000 items that have been viewed by more than 700,000 visitors!

Thanks to all of you who have been following this blog either on Google or by email. I appreciate your support.

(Note: The Comments section is no longer active. If you would like to comment you can reach me at Facebook or by email.) 

FOCAL AWARD PRESENTATION 2025: Celebrating CACTUS QUEEN by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely

FOCAL Award Program, LAPL celebrating Cactus Queen by Lori Alexander

On Saturday, November 15th, friends, family, and members of FOCAL (Friends of Children and Libraries) gathered at the Mark Taper Auditorium of the LAPL Central Library for the annual FOCAL Award presentation, this year to Lori Alexander for her book Cactus Queen, a picture book biography of Minerva Hoyt, the woman who campaigned for the creation of Joshua Tree National Park and to Jenn Ely, the illustrator of the book. 

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely

In the tradition of the award, the author and the illustrator were presented with a puppet of the main character of the book. A second identical puppet will go on display in the children's room of the library, joining puppets from previous years. The puppets were created by Jesse Kingsley and Moira MacDonald.  

Jesse Kingley, Puppeteer, with puppets of Minerva Hoyt

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President. After a presentation by Lori Alexander about how she came to write the book and a question and answer session with the audience, the essay contest winners were introduced by Sandy Schuckett. 

Sandy Schuckett, Introducing the Essay Winners

The three students read their excellent essays to the audience. They wrote about how they responded to the book, a favorite part or character, and why they would like to meet the author. Then we all enjoyed chocolate chip cookies in the library patio.

Lori Alexander, Question and Answer Session

I have been a member of FOCAL for many years. In order to be awarded the FOCAL book award, the book must be of the highest literary and artistic quality, and must have California content. I know how hard it is to choose a winner–I served on the committee for four years. This year’s choice is excellent and a fitting book to celebrate. I have visited Joshua Tree National Park a number of times. It is a remarkable place filled with a diversity of wildlife, desert plants, impressive rock formations, and the unique Joshua trees, which are endemic to the place. We can all be grateful that Minerva Hoyt worked so hard to make sure it was preserved.

Marilyn Robertson, President of FOCAL

CONVERSATIONS WITH ART: Exhibit at Belmont Village Westwood, Los Angeles, CA

It was a pleasure to be part of the gala opening of the exhibit Conversations in Art at the Belmont Village Senior Living Westwood in Los Angeles today. I was one of twelve artists whose work is featured. Each of us had five minutes to tell a little bit about ourselves and our work, which ranged from paintings and drawings, to photography, calligraphy, jewelry and reimagined puzzles. I showed giclee prints of four illustrations from my Australian animal books—A KOALA’S WORLD, A KANGAROO’S WORLD, A PLATYPUS’ WORLD and A WOMBAT’S WORLD. I thank Alicia Thomason in Community Relations at the Belmont for doing an excellent job of organizing and hanging the exhibit.

Conversations with Art features works by UCLA Emeriti and Retirees. (I am a former instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.) The exhibit is a collaboration of the Belmont Village Senior Living community with the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center. It will be on display through February 2026 and can be viewed Monday-Sunday between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Belmont Village is at 10475 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

During NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH Read THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE and Do a Puzzle Too!

November is Native American Heritage Month and a good time to read my book THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE about Native Americans who once built their homes in the cliffs and on top of the mesas of southwestern Colorado.

Did you know that you could turn the cover of  THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE into an online jigsaw puzzle and time yourself to find out how long it takes to put the puzzle pieces back together? I just discovered this wonderful feature at TeachingBooks.net. Click on this link to go to the page for THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE. https://school.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=298 

On the left side of the page you will see an icon of a puzzle piece. Click on it and it will take you to the puzzle activity. You can choose a 4, 16, 36 or 64 piece puzzle. The pieces will go to the side and you can slide them back to the frame with your mouse. A clock will time you as you put them back together to make the cover of the book. Good luck!

TeachingBooks.net is an online database that can be used by teachers, students, librarians, and families to explore children's books and young adult literature and their authors. Twenty of my books have pages at TeachingBooks. At each one you can find a blurb about the book, how to pronounce my name, author interviews and more. 

Note: If you can't find THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE in your library, look for the e-book online.

Here are some other Caroline Arnold titles you can find at TeachingBooks.net. (You can find them by using the search function at the top of the home page.) You can do these as puzzles too!

A WARMER WORLD: From Polar Bears to Butterflies, How Climate Change Affects Wildlife
BIRDS: Nature’s Magnificent Flying Machines
A KILLER WHALE’S WORLD
TOO HOT? TOO COLD? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right
HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6
BUTTERLFIES IN ROOM 6
THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE
WIGGLE AND WAGGLE
YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM
GLOBAL WARMING AND THE DINOSAURS
GIANT SEA REPTILES OF THE DINOSAUR AGE
A POLAR BEAR’S WORLD
LIVING FOSSILS: Clues to the Past
A WALK IN THE DESERT
THE TERRIBLE HODAG AND THE ANIMAL CATCHERS
A WALK IN THE WOODS
A WOMBAT’S WORLD
A PLATYPUS’ WORLD
THE SKELETAL SYSTEM
HAWK HIGHWAY IN THE SKY

FREE BOOK! THIS WEEK ONLY! My Friend from Outer Space

 

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! THIS WEEK ONLY! Get My Friend from Outer Space for FREE on Amazon.

Do you think Sherry is wearing her Halloween costume, or do you think she is really from Outer Space? You decide!

This fun picture book is the perfect story to read for Halloween. Get yours now!

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her." In this easy-read picture book story, Sherry tries to convince her best friend that she really is from outer space and takes her there in her homemade rocket. But do they really go to the Planet Tinbambam? Or is it just pretend?
Rewritten and newly illustrated with colorful anime style art by Paige Arnold, this graphic picture book is the perfect choice for young readers to read alone or aloud to younger children.
Originally published by Franklin Watts, 1981, with illustrations by Carol Nicklaus. 

ALWAYS A READER: My Childhood Book List

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace, a favorite book of my childhood.

When I was growing up I never imagined that I would be a writer. But I always loved to read. I recently discovered a list I made in third grade of all the books I read that year—47 of them!  I actually made the list twice—first in the order that I read them, neatly printed, and then in alphabetical order by title, carefully written in cursive. 

Most of the books on my list are fiction and all of them were checked out from the Minneapolis Public Library. (Although our family had a few Golden Books, and I occasionally got a book as a gift, we rarely bought books.) Most of the books on my list now seem terribly old-fashioned, but a few are classics, like Make Way for Ducklings and To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.

The cover of my booklet where I made my lists is a finger painting.

In my booklet I also recorded a list of the magazines I had read—mostly Jack and Jill, but also a few issues of Child Life and Highlights. And in the same little booklet with my lists I copied a poem by Annie Fellows Johnston called "Book Houses", which likens a book to a door to someone’s house. The third stanza reads:

And when I find a house that’s dull,

I do not often stay,

But when I find one full of friends

I’m apt to spend the day.

I recall many a day spent happily reading. Here’s my third grade list. How many of these titles to you remember reading as a child?

Books I have Read  (Third Grade)

1. Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood

2. Two is a Team, Heim

3. The Cocoa Dancer

4. The Great Quillow

5. Tag-a-long Tooloo

6.  Joan Wanted a Kitty

7. Make Way for Ducklings

8. Henner’s Lydia

9. A Pony for Linda—Anderson

10. Sonny the Bunny

11. Cow Concert

12.  Little Stone House

13.  Wishing Well

14.  Pogo’s House—Jo and Ernest Norling

15. Joey and Patches

16.  Cowboy Tommy-Sanford Tousy

17.  How the Indians Lived – Dearborn

18.  Little Pear – Eleanor Frances Lattimore

19.  Two and Two are Four – Carolyn Haywood

20  Kintu

21.  Randy and the Queen – Margaret s. Johnson

22.  Dog that Came True

23.  Double Birthday Present – Mabel Leigh Hunt

24.  Don’t Count Your Chicks

25.  Jack-o-Lantern for Judy Jo

26.  Holiday Roundup

27.  Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread – Mag Lindman

28.  Scratchy by John Parke

29.  Coconut the Wonder Tree

30.  Book of Jokes and Funny Things – Frances N. Chrystie

31.  Dr. Trotter and his Big Gold Watch – Helen Earle Gilbert

32.  A Kitten’s Tale – Audrey Chalmers

33.  Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey

34.  Through Golden Windows

35. Our Little Friends of Norway

36.  Little Lost Sioux – Martha Raabe

37. Nils – Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

38.  United States and Youth – Eleanor Roosevelt

39.  Black Beauty – Anna Sewell

40.  And to Think that I saw it on Mulberry Street – Dr. Seuss

41.  Betsy-Tacy

42.  Hide and Go Seek

43. The Most Wonderful Doll

44.  The Young Aunts

45.  North on the Great River – by Margaret G. O’Farrell

46.  Penny Goes to Camp – Carolyn Haywood

47.  Boy of the Desert – Eunice Tietjens

LETTERS FROM STUDENTS about my Room 6 Books

I love getting letters from students! The kindergarteners and Pre-K students at Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA, read HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6, and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 as they raised butterflies in their classroom and planted a school garden. I just received their letters in the mail. I loved finding out about their favorite books and seeing the children's illustrations. Many thanks to their teacher, Heather Davis Puerzer, for sending the letters to me.