Visiting Author, Pilgrim School, Los Angeles

    In March, I did an author visit at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, which has an impressive Visiting Authors and Artists Series, organized by Upper School Librarian Kristine Williams.  Other authors in the program this year have been poet and novelist David Hernandez, young adult novelist Cecil Castellucci, poet Mark Erwin, novelist Erik Larson, whose presentation on May 14th  is open to the public, and a theatrical group, the East/West Players.  As it happened, on the same day that I visited, the East/West Players gave their performance, telling the story of Katherine Cheung, the first Asian-American woman to be a licensed pilot and who flew with Amelia Earhart.

A First Class Introduction
     I spoke to the children in the lower school (grades K-5).  (For a look at some of the wonderful first grade artwork prepared for my visit, see my blog post for April 18.)  My host was Carole Koneff, the lower school librarian, who, in my opinion, gets the prize for the most creative introduction that I have ever had for one of my school visit presentations.  She not only included essential information about me and my books, but she made it rhyme!  She has graciously allowed me to reproduce her introduction below:

Global warming, dinosaurs, animals big and small,
Petite but mighty Caroline Arnold has written about them all.
Easter Island statues and a monster in the woods,
When it comes to telling a story our visitor has the goods!
More than a hundred books have flown out of her pen,
And when one is completed she starts the process again.
Researching all her facts, checking them inside out,
Everything will be accurate, of that there is no doubt,
Doing the art herself, or working with a friend,
On a beautifully finished product we know we can depend.
We can learn about the Taj Mahal or what a walrus likes to eat.
Her series of non-fiction animals simply can’t be beat!
It’s her first visit to Pilgrim, we hope one of many to come.
Let’s give a warm welcome to Ms. Arnold and now let’s have some fun!

     Written and performed by Carole Koneff, Lower School Librarian at Pilgrim School, on March 20, 2012.

     Thank you Carole for your superb, and flattering, introduction!  You are a hard act to follow!  I had a wonderful day at Pilgrim School and hope that it is “one of many to come.”