ZOOM VISIT WITH KINDERGARTENERS in Redlands, CA

This morning I had a wonderful virtual visit with Mrs. Huynh’s kindergarten class in Redlands, California. The children have planted a garden and my visit was an opportunity for them to share their gardening project with me and for me to share my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 with them.

In two weeks Mrs. Huynh and I will meet in person at the Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival in Redlands as we do a joint presentation featuring PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 and the hands-on gardening experiences of the children in Mrs. Huynh’s class. We will also share highlights of my virtual visit to her class.

My visit began with me reading the first story in WIGGLE AND WAGGLE, a book inspired by my own gardening experience. They children joined in with their Wiggle and Waggle stick puppets as I read the story and sang the song. I loved their enthusiasm.

I also shared my Peter Rabbit miniature garden, showing it close-up with my computer camera. The kids were delighted to see all the tiny plants and gardening tools.

Then after reading PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 aloud and a time for questions, Mrs. Huynh and the children went outside and gave me a tour of their garden boxes where they had planted lettuce, carrots, beans, radishes and other vegetables. It looks like all the plants are off to a good start. They should be able to harvest the first radishes in about a month and some of the other plants too.

At the end of my visit I had time to share my book A ZEBRA’S WORLD. I was pleased to learn that it is part of the curriculum and the children had already read it. I showed them how I made the illustrations for the book. A simpler version makes a great art project for kids. Here's a link to my blog post about doing the zebra art project with Mrs. Best's students at Haynes School. Zebra Stripes Art Project at Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA The template and directions for "Putting Stripes on the Zebra" can be downloaded from my website (the link is in the blog post.) I'm always amazed at how each child makes their zebra unique.

I hope that someday I will be able to visit Mrs. Huynh’s class in person!

 

ACCESS BOOKS: Creating School Libraries

Last Saturday I volunteered, along with dozens of other literacy enthusiasts--many of them high school students--to sort books, label them, and prepare them for a new library at Compton Early College High School in Southern California. The day was organized by Access Books, whose mission is to “provide quality books to public school and community libraries where the majority of students live at or below the poverty line.” Since 1999, with the help of volunteers, they have refurbished over 300 libraries and donated more than 1.7 million books. They also collaborate with partners to host fun, literacy experiences for families in communities throughout Los Angeles. In addition to providing books, volunteers create and paint wonderful murals inside and outside the libraries. In Compton I watched them painting a huge Phoenix rising on one of the school walls, books soaring into the sky on another and colorful flowers next to the library door.
I was so impressed by the quality of the books we processed, the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the incredible art, and the amazing transformation of an empty room into a school library. The dedicated Access Books team is led by Becky Constantino, Founder and Director.
I first heard of Access Books when we both received awards from the Children's Literature Council of Southern California in the fall of 2020. Access Books was commended for its service to the community. I am glad that I was able to participate last Saturday in one of their projects.
For more information about Access Books go to their website https://www.accessbooks.net/our-mission.html. They are always looking for more volunteers and donations!

ADVANCE COPY: KEEPER OF THE LIGHT: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog

KEEPER OF THE LIGHT: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog (Cameron Kids/Abrams)

TA-DAH! My first advance copy of KEEPER OF THE LIGHT: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog (Cameron Kids/Abrams) has arrived! With many thanks to my editor Amy Novesky for guiding the book through the publishing process and for helping me bring the text to life. I am also grateful to the staff at Angel Island State Park for their assistance.

Illustration by Rachell Sumpter.

The book is filled with beautiful watercolor illustrations by Rachell Sumpter, ....and...when you remove the jacket, the book cover is designed to look like Juliet's journal! (Her real lighthouse log was the basis for my story!) The book comes out April 12th. To preorder, click HERE.

Cover (case) of KEEPER OF THE LIGHT.

Click HERE to go to my Angel Island web page where you can download information about the book and the press release for KEEPER OF THE LIGHT.

The end papers are a beautiful swirl of blue and white, an echo of the water of San Francisco Bay that surrounds Angel Island.

End papers and back flap. Angel Island illustration by Rachell Sumpter.

When it rains it pours. After no new books since 2019, I have two books coming out this spring, this one and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad. They will have to take turns as I go out to promote them!