ANIMAL PRINTS ON SALE AT MY ETSY SITE!

Animal prints at my Etsy site are now on sale! Suitable for framing. Prints make great holiday gifts! Pandas, penguins, polar bears, a platypus and more! Get them while they last!

These are art quality prints of my cut paper illustrations for my books.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt

Note: The 25% off sale ended on Dec 2 but prices are still very affordable!

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Books Make Perfect Gifts for the Holidays!

Exactly two years ago today, on Dec 1, 2023, I published my memoir SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, which chronicles my childhood years growing up in the settlement house my father directed and explores the roots of the person I am today.

It imakes a great gift to give during the holidays to friends and family. You can order it on Amazon or you can go to your favorite bookstore, give them the ISBN number ( ISBN 9798864 903285 ) and they can order it for you. And, if you haven’t yet read SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL I encourage you to read it now. 

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!

"The book captures life in colorful anecdotes, and Arnold draws the intriguing settlement house residents with a loving hand. ... Endnotes provide even more personal insight, all resulting in an enjoyable encapsulation of one family's experiences as the settlement facility transitioned into modernity." BlueInk Review (March 2024)

"Settlement House Girl is a look back at Northeast Minneapolis in the 1950s. Arnold has authored books for children and she writes in a clear, straightforward manner. If you're a collector of Northeast history books, it's a good one to put on your bookshelf." Cynthia Sowden, Northeaster Newspaper, April 3, 2024

"Settlement House Girl is engaging, tracing Arnold's growth from a young girl to an adult journeying into being a writer in her later life, but it's also a valuable contribution to the social history of 20th-century America...The detailed accounts of Arnold's experiences provide a unique glimpse into the fabric of community life during this era, highlighting the interactions and shared experiences that defined the settlement house environment." BookLife (Publishers Weekly) June 7, 2024

More about the book is at my website, www.carolinearnold.com/settlementhousegirl.html 

ANIMAL PRINTS AT MY ETSY SITE: Perfect Gifts for the Holidays!

 

Illustration from A Killer Whale's World (PictureWindow Books, 2006.

I have recently updated my Etsy site where I feature art quality giclee prints of the cut-paper illustrations from my children’s books. Printed to size (10 x 20 inches for rectangular images, and 10 x 10 inches for square images) they are perfect for framing and to give as gifts.

The prices have recently been reduced. There are 16 different designs available, depicting pandas, polar bears, walruses, eagles, moose, killer whales, kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, wombats, and zebras. Get them while they last!

The art is shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

Illustration from A Kangaroo's World (PictureWindow Books, 2008)

Two of my self-published books are also available on Etsy: SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota and MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, illustrated by Paige Arnold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt

17th BLOG ANNIVERSARY: Time to Celebrate!

Seven

Seventeen 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 almost 1000 items that have been viewed by more than 700,000 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.) 

FOCAL AWARD PRESENTATION 2025: Celebrating CACTUS QUEEN by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely

FOCAL Award Program, LAPL celebrating Cactus Queen by Lori Alexander

On Saturday, November 15th, friends, family, and members of FOCAL (Friends of Children and Libraries) gathered at the Mark Taper Auditorium of the LAPL Central Library for the annual FOCAL Award presentation, this year to Lori Alexander for her book Cactus Queen, a picture book biography of Minerva Hoyt, the woman who campaigned for the creation of Joshua Tree National Park and to Jenn Ely, the illustrator of the book. 

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely

In the tradition of the award, the author and the illustrator were presented with a puppet of the main character of the book. A second identical puppet will go on display in the children's room of the library, joining puppets from previous years. The puppets were created by Jesse Kingsley and Moira MacDonald.  

Jesse Kingley, Puppeteer, with puppets of Minerva Hoyt

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President. After a presentation by Lori Alexander about how she came to write the book and a question and answer session with the audience, the essay contest winners were introduced by Sandy Schuckett. 

Sandy Schuckett, Introducing the Essay Winners

The three students read their excellent essays to the audience. They wrote about how they responded to the book, a favorite part or character, and why they would like to meet the author. Then we all enjoyed chocolate chip cookies in the library patio.

Lori Alexander, Question and Answer Session

I have been a member of FOCAL for many years. In order to be awarded the FOCAL book award, the book must be of the highest literary and artistic quality, and must have California content. I know how hard it is to choose a winner–I served on the committee for four years. This year’s choice is excellent and a fitting book to celebrate. I have visited Joshua Tree National Park a number of times. It is a remarkable place filled with a diversity of wildlife, desert plants, impressive rock formations, and the unique Joshua trees, which are endemic to the place. We can all be grateful that Minerva Hoyt worked so hard to make sure it was preserved.

Marilyn Robertson, President of FOCAL

CONVERSATIONS WITH ART: Exhibit at Belmont Village Westwood, Los Angeles, CA

It was a pleasure to be part of the gala opening of the exhibit Conversations in Art at the Belmont Village Senior Living Westwood in Los Angeles today. I was one of twelve artists whose work is featured. Each of us had five minutes to tell a little bit about ourselves and our work, which ranged from paintings and drawings, to photography, calligraphy, jewelry and reimagined puzzles. I showed giclee prints of four illustrations from my Australian animal books—A KOALA’S WORLD, A KANGAROO’S WORLD, A PLATYPUS’ WORLD and A WOMBAT’S WORLD. I thank Alicia Thomason in Community Relations at the Belmont for doing an excellent job of organizing and hanging the exhibit.

Conversations with Art features works by UCLA Emeriti and Retirees. (I am a former instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.) The exhibit is a collaboration of the Belmont Village Senior Living community with the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center. It will be on display through February 2026 and can be viewed Monday-Sunday between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Belmont Village is at 10475 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

During NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH Read THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE and Do a Puzzle Too!

November is Native American Heritage Month and a good time to read my book THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE about Native Americans who once built their homes in the cliffs and on top of the mesas of southwestern Colorado.

Did you know that you could turn the cover of  THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE into an online jigsaw puzzle and time yourself to find out how long it takes to put the puzzle pieces back together? I just discovered this wonderful feature at TeachingBooks.net. Click on this link to go to the page for THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE. https://school.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=298 

On the left side of the page you will see an icon of a puzzle piece. Click on it and it will take you to the puzzle activity. You can choose a 4, 16, 36 or 64 piece puzzle. The pieces will go to the side and you can slide them back to the frame with your mouse. A clock will time you as you put them back together to make the cover of the book. Good luck!

TeachingBooks.net is an online database that can be used by teachers, students, librarians, and families to explore children's books and young adult literature and their authors. Twenty of my books have pages at TeachingBooks. At each one you can find a blurb about the book, how to pronounce my name, author interviews and more. 

Note: If you can't find THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE in your library, look for the e-book online.

Here are some other Caroline Arnold titles you can find at TeachingBooks.net. (You can find them by using the search function at the top of the home page.) You can do these as puzzles too!

A WARMER WORLD: From Polar Bears to Butterflies, How Climate Change Affects Wildlife
BIRDS: Nature’s Magnificent Flying Machines
A KILLER WHALE’S WORLD
TOO HOT? TOO COLD? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right
HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6
BUTTERLFIES IN ROOM 6
THE ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLERS OF MESA VERDE
WIGGLE AND WAGGLE
YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM
GLOBAL WARMING AND THE DINOSAURS
GIANT SEA REPTILES OF THE DINOSAUR AGE
A POLAR BEAR’S WORLD
LIVING FOSSILS: Clues to the Past
A WALK IN THE DESERT
THE TERRIBLE HODAG AND THE ANIMAL CATCHERS
A WALK IN THE WOODS
A WOMBAT’S WORLD
A PLATYPUS’ WORLD
THE SKELETAL SYSTEM
HAWK HIGHWAY IN THE SKY

FREE BOOK! THIS WEEK ONLY! My Friend from Outer Space

 

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! THIS WEEK ONLY! Get My Friend from Outer Space for FREE on Amazon.

Do you think Sherry is wearing her Halloween costume, or do you think she is really from Outer Space? You decide!

This fun picture book is the perfect story to read for Halloween. Get yours now!

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her." In this easy-read picture book story, Sherry tries to convince her best friend that she really is from outer space and takes her there in her homemade rocket. But do they really go to the Planet Tinbambam? Or is it just pretend?
Rewritten and newly illustrated with colorful anime style art by Paige Arnold, this graphic picture book is the perfect choice for young readers to read alone or aloud to younger children.
Originally published by Franklin Watts, 1981, with illustrations by Carol Nicklaus. 

ALWAYS A READER: My Childhood Book List

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace, a favorite book of my childhood.

When I was growing up I never imagined that I would be a writer. But I always loved to read. I recently discovered a list I made in third grade of all the books I read that year—47 of them!  I actually made the list twice—first in the order that I read them, neatly printed, and then in alphabetical order by title, carefully written in cursive. 

Most of the books on my list are fiction and all of them were checked out from the Minneapolis Public Library. (Although our family had a few Golden Books, and I occasionally got a book as a gift, we rarely bought books.) Most of the books on my list now seem terribly old-fashioned, but a few are classics, like Make Way for Ducklings and To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.

The cover of my booklet where I made my lists is a finger painting.

In my booklet I also recorded a list of the magazines I had read—mostly Jack and Jill, but also a few issues of Child Life and Highlights. And in the same little booklet with my lists I copied a poem by Annie Fellows Johnston called "Book Houses", which likens a book to a door to someone’s house. The third stanza reads:

And when I find a house that’s dull,

I do not often stay,

But when I find one full of friends

I’m apt to spend the day.

I recall many a day spent happily reading. Here’s my third grade list. How many of these titles to you remember reading as a child?

Books I have Read  (Third Grade)

1. Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood

2. Two is a Team, Heim

3. The Cocoa Dancer

4. The Great Quillow

5. Tag-a-long Tooloo

6.  Joan Wanted a Kitty

7. Make Way for Ducklings

8. Henner’s Lydia

9. A Pony for Linda—Anderson

10. Sonny the Bunny

11. Cow Concert

12.  Little Stone House

13.  Wishing Well

14.  Pogo’s House—Jo and Ernest Norling

15. Joey and Patches

16.  Cowboy Tommy-Sanford Tousy

17.  How the Indians Lived – Dearborn

18.  Little Pear – Eleanor Frances Lattimore

19.  Two and Two are Four – Carolyn Haywood

20  Kintu

21.  Randy and the Queen – Margaret s. Johnson

22.  Dog that Came True

23.  Double Birthday Present – Mabel Leigh Hunt

24.  Don’t Count Your Chicks

25.  Jack-o-Lantern for Judy Jo

26.  Holiday Roundup

27.  Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread – Mag Lindman

28.  Scratchy by John Parke

29.  Coconut the Wonder Tree

30.  Book of Jokes and Funny Things – Frances N. Chrystie

31.  Dr. Trotter and his Big Gold Watch – Helen Earle Gilbert

32.  A Kitten’s Tale – Audrey Chalmers

33.  Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey

34.  Through Golden Windows

35. Our Little Friends of Norway

36.  Little Lost Sioux – Martha Raabe

37. Nils – Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

38.  United States and Youth – Eleanor Roosevelt

39.  Black Beauty – Anna Sewell

40.  And to Think that I saw it on Mulberry Street – Dr. Seuss

41.  Betsy-Tacy

42.  Hide and Go Seek

43. The Most Wonderful Doll

44.  The Young Aunts

45.  North on the Great River – by Margaret G. O’Farrell

46.  Penny Goes to Camp – Carolyn Haywood

47.  Boy of the Desert – Eunice Tietjens

LETTERS FROM STUDENTS about my Room 6 Books

I love getting letters from students! The kindergarteners and Pre-K students at Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA, read HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6, and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 as they raised butterflies in their classroom and planted a school garden. I just received their letters in the mail. I loved finding out about their favorite books and seeing the children's illustrations. Many thanks to their teacher, Heather Davis Puerzer, for sending the letters to me.

FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR, COMBINED BOOK EXHIBIT: Look for SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL

The Frankfurt Book Fair, in Frankfurt, Germany, October 15-19, is the world’s largest book fair. You can find my memoir SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at Northeast Neighborhood House in the Combined Book Exhibit which features independently published books.

 You can find both the paperback and ebook of SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL in the Combined Book Exhibit booth, Halle 6.0/D33. For an ebook preview of the first chapter of the book click on the link on the Combined Book Exhibit webpage for the book.

Book Description

A chronicle of children's book author Caroline Arnold's childhood living at a settlement house--from nursery school and after school clubs to summers at camp. A window into life at mid-century and Caroline's future as a writer and illustrator.

Book Review 

"The narrative presents a wealth of historical information as well as an insider's view of an uncommon subject matter." BookLife Prize review

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL is available at Amazon. For more about the book go to my website.

 

ETSY SITE UPDATED: More Items, Lower prices

Illustration from A Killer Whale's World (PictureWindow Books, 2006.

I have recently updated my Etsy site where I feature art quality giclee prints of the cut-paper illustrations from my children’s books. Printed to size (10 x 20 inches for rectangular images, and 10 x 10 inches for square images) they are perfect for framing and to give as gifts.

The prices have recently been reduced. There are 16 different designs available, depicting pandas, polar bears, walruses, eagles, moose, killer whales, kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, wombats, and zebras. Get them while they last!

The art is shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

Illustration from A Kangaroo's World (PictureWindow Books, 2008)

Two of my self-published books are also available on Etsy: SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota and MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, illustrated by Paige Arnold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt

THE ARTIST AND THE HARE: My Antelope Jackrabbit Engraving from Long Ago

Antelope Jackrabbit by Caroline Scheaffer Arnold, 1966 (engraving on copper plate, 21.5 x 13.5 inches.)

At my last book group meeting we discussed Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton, the award-winning story of a woman’s relationship with a wild hare that she found—by accident—as a day-old leveret, cared for, and allowed the freedom to come and go from her home as it grew up and produced her own leverets. It is a moving story of learning to live with nature and of the complex interrelationships in the natural world.

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (2024), illustrated by Denise Nestor.

The book is illustrated with beautiful, detailed drawings of the hare by wildlife artist Denise Nestor. As I looked at her art I recalled my own drawing of a hare--an antelope jackrabbit, which is a species of hare that lives in the American Southwest)-- when I was an art student at the University of Iowa. In my prints class we were provided animal specimens borrowed from the biology department to practice our drawing skills. I drew the jackrabbit life size, then engraved it on a large copper plate which I then printed using one of the large hand presses. I haven’t thought about it for a long time, but after reading Raising Hare I was inspired to get it out. It is still looking at me with watchful eyes.

Detail of my engraving.

The antelope jackrabbit is known for its exceptionally long ears, which can grow to be 6-7 inches long. 

DOTS AND SWIRLS, ALEXANDER CALDER TAPESTRIES, Western Washington University Art Gallery

Detail, Alexander Calder Tapestry, Western Washington University Art Gallery.

When you think of artist Alexander Calder, you picture his colorful mobiles and giant stabiles. But he also worked in other media. In 1974-1975 he designed a series of 13 colorful tapestries made of dyed and braided maguey-fibers. They were manufactured in Nicaragua. A set of the tapestries, conserved in 2012 to their original brilliance by a group of students and volunteers at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, under the direction of Geoffrey I. Brown, is currently on display in the gallery of the Performing Arts Center on campus.

On a visit to Bellingham last summer I had the opportunity to see the tapestries. In each, bold colors and shapes create striking patterns and designs. The tightly woven fibers create a subtle surface texture. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Calder tapestries are a gift of Niels H. Lauersen to the Collection of Western Gallery, Western Washington University. For more about other art on exhibit at Western Washington University, click HERE.

KERLAN COLLECTION: Donation of Book Materials

As I continue to clean out the closet in my office where I keep the working materials from my published books, I have been donating manuscripts, letters, reviews, and other items to the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota.

The Kerlan Collection at the Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota is an internationally recognized center of research in the field of children’s literature. The Collection contains original materials, including manuscripts, artwork, galleys, and color proofs for more than 1,700 children’s book creators. These materials represent over a century of American children’s books and selected titles published in other countries. The Kerlan Collection also includes more than 110,000 children’s books.

My most recent donation is a box of books and associated materials from four of my books that were published by Charlesbridge Books.

Shockers of the Sea (1999)

Did You Hear That? (2001)

Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines (2003)

Super Swimmers: Whales, Dolphins and Other Mammals of the Sea (2007) 

 

I am proud to have my work included in the Kerlan Collection and hope that future students of children’s literature will find it of use in their research.

For a complete list of my books in the Kerlan Collection archive go to my website and scroll down to the bottom of the About the Author page .

For my post about my visit to the Kerlan Collection in 2022 click HERE.

WHERE IN THE WORLD? World Map Project, 2006, by Antonia Hirsch

Equal Countries A-Z, from the World Map Project, 2006, giclee print on paper, edition 5/5. By Antonia Hirsch.

On my recent trip to Vancouver, Canada, I encountered this print in the Art Museum on the University of British Columbia campus. Every country in the world is represented, from A to Z, with their contours correct but their land masses equalized. How many countries can you identify? Remember, they are in alphabetical order!

THANK YOU LETTERS FROM ESPERANZA SCHOOL

Illustration on letter from student at Esperanza School, Los Angeles, CA.

I am always delighted to receive thank you letters from students after I do an author visit at their school. In March I visited Mrs. Williams class at Esperanza School in Los Angeles, sharing my books with the students and getting a tour of the natural habitat school garden. (See my post March 24, 2025.) Each of the students had the opportunity to choose one of my books to be purchased for them by the school. Afterward, the students wrote letters to me and illustrated them with their favorite books. I just received them along with a lovely note from Mrs. Williams. One student wrote: "I was amazed that you said that you wrote about 100 books." Another wrote: "I wish I can be an author like you one day."  I especially love the letter from Emma, who told me about how she learned to make dragon puppets until she became a “pro puppeteer.” She ended her letter with this: “I have some advice. Never give up, keep going, never stop your dream! And my favorite book is A Day and Night on the Prairie because there are many animals that I like.” Her illustration is at the top of this post.

Letters from students at Esperanza School

It is letters like these that make me glad I am an author.

WHEN MAMMOTHS WALKED THE EARTH: Meeting Wooly Mammoths in the Natural Science Museum, Bergamo, Italy

Wooly Mammoth models at the Natural Science Museum, Bergamo, Italy.

In 2002, my book WHEN MAMMOTHS WALKED THE EARTH was published by Clarion Books. It covered the worldwide occurrence of mammoths, from the wooly mammoths that wandered much of the northern hemisphere during the last Ice Age to the huge Columbian Mammoths, like those whose skeletons are displayed at the George C. Page Museum in Los Angeles, where I live. On my recent trip to Italy, I visited the Natural Science Museum in Bergamo, where I encountered models of a wooly mammoth mother and her calf. It was like meeting old friends. As I looked out into the foothills of the Alps behind Bergamo, I could image herds of mammoths just like these models that wandered Italian valleys as prehistoric people began to make their homes here.

The hardback edition of WHEN MAMMOTHS WALKED THE EARTH is out of print, but you can find it as an ebook on Amazon. Or you can look for the print book in your library!

Growing to weights of 10 tons and distinguished by enormous curling tusks, mammoths were the largest land animals of the Ice Age. In this meticulously researched, clear, and accessible book, award-winning nonfiction author Caroline Arnold describes the natural history of mammoths, highlighting their physical features and adaptation to the environment. Laurie Caple’s stunning, scientifically accurate watercolors complement the text and provide an intriguing look at these huge creatures.(Amazon)