PAPER PLATE ANIMAL MASKS: Classroom Projects Inspired by My Books

Paper Plate Animal Masks

Paper plates are one of the most versatile household objects to use for craft projects. At one school I visited, fifth grade students had read many of my books about animals and then created wonderful animal masks using paper plates, construction paper, yarn, fabric, and markers. Every one was unique. I especially like the fuzzy mane on the lion and the long elephant trunk, projecting like a trumpet from the center of the mask! 

LION--available on Amazon as an ebook.

HORSESHOE CRABS, Find Out More in LIVING FOSSILS: CLUES TO THE PAST

Horseshoe crab shell. 

One hundred and fifty thousand years ago, a horseshoe crab crawled onto the shore of a shallow lagoon in what is now southern Germany and searched for worms and shellfish in the damp sand. Nearby, dinosaurs preyed on insects and small animals, and lizards sat in the sun. In the air, winged reptiles soared and one of the earliest birds, archaeopteryx, flapped its wings. Their remains have been preserved as fossils.

The dinosaurs and winged reptiles are long gone, but horseshoe crabs are still with us, changed little from ancient times. They are living fossils. On a recent visit to the beach in Lewes, Delaware, I encountered dozens of horseshoe crabs washed up onto the sand. Every year thousands of horseshoe crabs congregate on the beaches of the eastern United States to mate and lay eggs.

Learn more about horseshoe crabs and other living fossils in my book LIVING FOSSILS: Clues to the Past (Charlesbridge, 2016.) Look for it in your library, online, or at your local bookstore.

Horseshoe crabs coming to shore to lay eggs, pp. 10-11. Illust. by Andrew Plant.

Title page of LIVING FOSSILS: Clues to the Past

LIBRARY VISIT, LEWES, DELAWARE

In front of the Lewes, Delaware, Public Library.

Whenever I travel, I always like to stop in at the local library to meet the children’s librarian, see what is going on, and find out which of my books might be on the library shelves. On my recent visit to Lewes, Delaware, for a family vacation, I went to the Lewes Public Library, conveniently located next to the town history museum, which I also visited.

In the library I had a nice chat with the librarians at the front desk who looked up my books on the library website. (The children’s librarian was not there that day.) I learned that many of my books are available throughout the Delaware state library system, including my very first book Five Nests. I was glad to see that the Lewes town library has three of my books including Hatching Chicks in Room 6, A Warmer World, and A Penguin’s World.

Outside the library is an historic locomotive complete with caboose, an exciting draw for young and old train fans.

FUN WITH ADJECTIVES CHEETAH POSTER: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

Class poster about cheetahs.

Many of my books are about animals and when I do school visits I often find that these are the books the children have read, especially if they have done animal reports. At one school I visited the class had read my book about cheetahs, focusing on all the adjectives in the book that described the cheetah. Then, as an art project, they made a large poster of cheetahs and the words they had learned.

My book CHEETAH is available online as an ebook.

FISH IN SCHOOL: How Kids are Helping Trout is a JLG GOLD SELECTION for Spring 2027

I was thrilled to learn that my upcoming new book FISH IN SCHOOL: How Kids are Helping Trout (Millbrook Publishing, March 2, 2027) has been selected as a Junior Library Guild book for the Spring 2027 list! The Junior Library Guild is a subscription service that brings "buzz worthy books to readers every month." It is an honor to have my book available at JLG.

You've heard of a school of fish, but have you ever seen fish in school? Classrooms across the US are helping to raise trout. Follow along with students at two Northern California schools as they learn about trout life cycles, watch eggs hatch and develop into fry in their classrooms, and finally release the fish into local waterways. The program culminates with a tour of a local fish hatchery where trout are raised to give them a stronger chance of surviving to adulthood.

You can preorder FISH IN SCHOOL: How Kids are Helping Trout at the Lerner website after November 1, 2026.

Some of my other books that have been Junior Library Guild selections include HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 (2017), A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 (2022). YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM (2014) and BIRDS: NATURE’S MAGNIFICENT FLYING MACHINES (2003).

CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT, San Francisco, CA: Free Books for Children

Entrance to the Book Bank of the Children's Book Project, San Francisco, CA.

Over the years I’ve accumulated many boxes of books—extra books sent by my publishers and books that I’ve ordered. Many of the books have been given away or taken to my school visits. But I still have quite a few boxes and need to clean out my closet. Last week, when I was in the Bay Area, I made a trip to the Children’s Book Project in San Francisco to donate many of those books. The Children’s Book Project collects new and gently used books and gives them to children and people in the community who work with children—teachers, daycare providers, social workers and others working with low-income children at Title 1 schools, public health clinics and hospitals, subsidized daycares and afterschool programs, and many more   Every month they distribute 12,000 books!

I had made an appointment to deliver my books and was met at the door by Alexander who helped me carry them in. Inside, volunteers were busy sorting donations into categories. In the last month alone more than 30,000 books had been donated! Kathleen, on the Book Bank team, gave me a brief tour and explained how the program works. Although it mainly serves the San Francisco Bay area, I learned that people who work with children all over California come to get books. I am happy to have my books now available to help children build their home libraries and develop a life of reading.

I thank children’s book author Gennifer Choldenko for making me aware of the Children’s Book Project when she posted about her visit there on Facebook.

You can find out more about the Children’s Book Project and see photos of the facility at their website https://www.childrensbookproject.org/

DRAWING DINOSAURS WITH GLUE: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

During my nearly fifty years as a published author I have visited hundreds of schools to talk about my books and what it is like to be an author. I am always impressed by the creative projects teachers have done with their students in connection with my books. When kids do these projects it reinforces the concepts of the book and expands their impact. Over the next few weeks/months I will share some of these projects on this blog.

Dinosaur projects never grow old. At one school I visited the students had used Elmer's Glue to draw the outline of their favorite dinosaurs on black paper. After the glue dried and became transparent, they filled in the rest of the drawing with pastel crayons. The bumpy glue outlines gave the dinosaurs a 3-D look and suggested their scaly bodies. And the dark background provided an eerie quality as if we were looking into the past.

The students had read my book Dinosaurs All Around, about an artist who creates dinosaur models for museums. Some of my other books about dinosaurs include Dinosaur Mountain and Dinosaurs Down Under. You can find all these books as e-books on Amazon.