HAPPY HOLIDAYS from CAROLINE ARNOLD ART AND BOOKS

Scheaffer family Christmas in apartment at NENH, 1950.

"On Christmas Eve, after my brothers and I are asleep, my parents arrange “Santa’s” gifts under the tree. On Christmas morning, after everyone is awake, my father turns on the tree lights and gives the signal to enter. We rush in, each going straight to our own pile. Santa’s gifts are unwrapped and it is obvious who they are for—a doll for me, a train for Steve, stacking blocks for Peter, a stuffed toy for Tom."  

From Chapter 7: Family Christmas at NENH, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 I have fond memories of celebrating Christmas when I was a child growing up in Minneapolis. Now, many years later, from my home in California, I send best wishes to you and all my faithful readers.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2024

 

 

BOOKLIFE PRIZE (Publishers Weekly) Review of SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL

I was pleased to receive the following positive review from BookLife Prize (Publishers Weekly) of my memoir,  SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Plot/Idea: Arnold's focused memoir depicts the lesser-known institution of settlement houses from the unique perspective of a director’s child. The book provides a snapshot of a place in a particular time period while also constructing the cultural memory of a small community organization in mid-century America.

Prose: Settlement House Girl is broken into bite-sized sections, subverting the typical narrative structure of similar books. That strategy works well to give the text an informative vibe, and the memoir's first-person perspective deftly establishes its context while painting the subject matter in an appealing light.

Originality: Arnold recounts her largely unique life experience living in a settlement house in 1950s Minnesota, with her social worker parents. The narrative presents a wealth of historical information as well as an insider's view of an uncommon subject matter. 

Character/Execution: Though the book's somewhat choppy structure and first-person present tense can detract from the flow, the topic is interesting and enjoyable. Arnold delivers an intimate glimpse into a microculture that curious readers will find fascinating.

The BookLife Prize winners were announced December 15, 2024.

16th BLOG ANNIVERSARY: Time to Celebrate!

Sixteen 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 more than 900 items that have been viewed by more than 470,000 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.)

 

MEMORIAL BRICK at the CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC LIBRARY, Chapel Hill, NC

In 2012, my daughter ‘s Jennifer and her family purchased a memorial brick in honor of my books in support of the new Chapel Hill Public Library. On my recent visit to North Carolina we visited the library, a beautiful spacious building, and paid a visit to the patio which is made of all the memorial bricks. (The letters on the bricks are still there but a bit weather worn.) 

Inside the library I left a copy of my new book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL as a donation to the library collection to be considered for acquisition. We also stopped for a nice chat with the children’s librarians in the large children’s room. The library has 33 of my books in their collection! I was happy to see how busy the library was on the Sunday morning of our visit. As the librarian scrolled through the list of my books on the computer she commented how my book GIANT SHARK was one of the children’s favorites. I'm pleased to know that kids are still enjoying it nearly 25 years after it was first published!