ARTS ALIVE! Children's Book Illustrations at the MORRIS GRAVES MUSEUM OF ART, Eureka, CA

Illustration from A Day and Night in the Rain Forest, pp. 6-7

Illustration from A Day and Night in the Rain Forest, pp. 8-9

I am pleased to have two of my cut paper illustrations from my book A Day and Night in the Rain Forest currently on exhibit at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, California, as part of the bi-annual Humboldt County Author Festival. 

Select works from participating illustrators, along with copies of their books, demonstrate the processes of illustration in children’s literature.  The art exhibit will be on view from September 7 through October 27, Wednesday–Sunday, 12:00–5:00. School groups can book tours for a personal look with one of the museum docents. Many thanks to Lucy Quinby on the Author Festival Committee and Jemima Harr, Executive Director-Curator of the Humboldt Arts Council, for organizing the exhibit. I am glad to have my work included in this exhibit. If you are going to be in Eureka during this time, please stop by and see the show! 

Along with 25 other authors and illustrators, I will be participating in the Author Festival, October 16-19, 2019, visiting schools, signing books at the library, and enjoying being with friends and book lovers in beautiful Humboldt County.  I always look forward to it!  For more information about the festival click here.

ALEXANDER CALDER Art at SFMOMA: Mobiles, Stabiles and More

Fish Bowl by Alexander Calder at SFMOMA

Making a mobile is not only an exercise in creating visual balance, but actual physical balance of the various elements. The all-time master of the mobile is Alexander Calder. At the San Francisco Museum of Art a large room is dedicated to his work.
I hadn’t been to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art since it was remodeled and expanded several years ago. I went recently to see the spectacular retrospective exhibit Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again (which ended September 2nd) but on my way to the Warhol exhibit I was side tracked in the large room where works of Alexander Calder were displayed.

Mobiles by Alexander Calder

Large mobiles hung from the ceiling, their colorful flat shapes seeming to float in mid-air as the wires slowly rotated. Outside on the rooftop patio were a number of Calder’s large stabiles, lurking like large beasts enjoying the sun. But my favorite was a small piece–a wire fish bowl, complete with a snail and its spiral shell inching up the side of the bowl. It was like a 3-D drawing, using black wire instead of a pencil.
I once made a mobile in one of my art classes in college, using  found materials (tiny blocks of wood and other scraps I found at a construction site.) I discovered that it is not so easy to achieve the exact perfect balance  when hanging the various wires! Which makes me admire the beauty and execution of Calder’s work even more.

Entrance to SFMOMA

STEM LitLinks for BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 at Patricia Newman's Blog

I am happy to contribute to Author/Speaker Patricia Newman's wonderful blog featuring ways to connect STEM books with literature in the classroom. My article Hands-On BUTTERFLY ACTIVITIES Reinforce Reading posted today, joining dozens of previous posts by other children's book science writers and illustrators. In my post I discuss reading strategies to use in the classroom with my book Butterflies in Room 6 along with activities that will help children understand the concepts in the book.
Thanks Patricia for the opportunity to contribute to your terrific site!

JUGGLER: Evolution of a Book Idea

In 1988, my book JUGGLER (Clarion Books, 1988), with photos by Richard Hewett, was selected as a Junior Library Guild book. As with many of the topics I write about, the idea for the book was planted long before I actually wrote the book, or even became a writer! The evolution of that idea is the subject of my interview in the JLG guide. Here is what I wrote:

When I was growing up, one of the highlights of each year was going to the circus. I always came home wishing that I could walk the tightrope, tame tigers, or swing on the flying trapeze. The jugglers were among my favorite performers and I was fascinated by the ease with which they tossed handfuls of brightly colored objects into the air. It looked so simple, yet when I tried to juggle just three balls at home, they all flew in different directions.
I forgot about juggling for many years, until I met Jahnathon Whitfield at a local authors’ fair. He had come to entertain the children, and when I saw how delighted they were with his juggling act, it made me remember the thrill I had felt so long ago.
For the next several months I talked with Jahnathon and went with him to his juggling class and as he performed in schools, libraries, and summer camps. Richard Hewett documented his activities with photographs. By the time we went to the jugglers’ convention it seemed as if the whole world was tossing objects into the air. It was remarkable to see how many people enjoy juggling and have learned basic steps.
For me, juggling has always seemed magical. The juggler is like a wizard and the juggled objects appear to hang in space, as if time and gravity have been momentarily suspended. In JUGGLER I have tried to convey that sense of awe and at the same time demonstrate that the skill of juggling is something that everyone can do.

JUGGLER is long out of print, and its black-and-white photos now look dated. (Only the cover is in color.) You might be able to find a copy in your library.

SING THE AUTHOR SONG

In the hallway at Kipp Raices Academy, Los Angeles, CA

Recently, when I was visiting one of the kindergarten classes at Kipp Raices Academy in Los Angeles, I asked, “Who can tell me what an author does?” and hands shot up with the answer. It turned out that the children knew what authors do because they had learned the Author Song earlier in the year, which they proceeded to sing enthusiastically. And when they finished, they sang the Illustrator Song. They were so excited to have me visit and meet a real live author and illustrator. I was excited to be there! I never knew there was an author song and illustrator song for children until they sang them for me.

                                 Author Song
               (sung to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The author is one who writes the words,
writes the words,
writes the words,
The author is the one who writes the words,
all through the book.

                                Illustrator Song
               (sung to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The illustrator likes to draw and paint,
draw and paint,
draw and paint,
The illustrator likes to draw and paint,
all through the book.

WHAT IS A CHRYSALIS? Learning about Butterflies

Chrysalis of a Painted Lady butterfly, just before the butterfly is ready to emerge. The caterpillar's shed skin is still attached at the top.

A butterfly has four stages of life-- egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. The pupa is covered by a hard shell called a chrysalis. It protects the pupa as the pupa changes, or metamorphosizes, into a butterfly.

How do you pronounce chrysalis?
(KRIS-uh-lis)
What is the plural of chrysalis?
More than one chrysalis is chrysalises or chrysalides (kri-SAL-i-deez)

What is the origin of the word chrysalis?
It comes from the Latin word chrysallis which means gold-colored pupa of a butterfly and from the Greek word khrusos which means gold.

Monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis (at the Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC)

Each kind of butterfly has a different color and shape to its chrysalis.The chrysalis of the monarch butterfly has a ring of gold colored spots that make it look like it is wearing a gold necklace. Perhaps a chrysalis like that inspired the name.

Empty chrysalis, after the Painted Lady butterfly has emerged.

In my book, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6, you can see the chrysalises of painted lady butterflies. They are brown. But the butterflies that emerge have beautiful black and orange wings.

STEM Friday #Kidlit Butterflies in Room 6 and Painted Lady Migrations

I recently found this enthusiastic review of Butterflies in Room 6 on the STEM Friday #Kidlit blog. I love the last sentence! Thank you for your support!
Go to the blog for a great video of the butterfly migration and a list of terrific projects.

Painted lady butterflies are in the news this week. First of all, they are migrating in huge numbers in southern California. The numbers of painted ladies are higher this year because of seasonal rains that caused a flush of their food plants. Here in Arizona we have seen smaller numbers of painted ladies migrating in both February and fall.If you'd like to see how to identify these butterflies, learn more about their migrations, and/or participate in a citizen science project, visit the Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site at Iowa State University.

With perfect timing the fabulous new picture book that showcases the life cycle of painted ladies for the youngest readers, Butterflies in Room 6: See How They Grow by Caroline Arnold, also emerged on March 12, 2019. Caroline Arnold is both the author and photographer for the book and she has captured some fun and incredible images of both the insects and the children. Her 2017 book with a similar format, Hatching Chicks in Room 6, was a winner of the Cybils Award for Elementary Nonfiction. Back matter includes answers to questions about butterflies, a vocabulary list, links to butterfly information online and suggestions for further reading about butterflies. Butterflies in Room 6 is a must have to accompany a unit on insects or project raising painted lady butterflies. Fly out and get a copy today! By Roberta, March 15, 2019