FIVE NESTS ILLUSTRATION BY RUTH SANDERSON, On Display at the Free Library of Philadelphia

I was delighted to learn from my friend, librarian Carol Koneff, that an illustration by Ruth Sanderson for my very first published book, Five Nests, is on display in a special exhibit at the Free Library ofPhiladelphia. 

Carol saw the exhibit while visiting the library when she was in Philadelphia for the annual conference of the American Library Association. The exhibit, called Go Birds: Appreciating our Avian Friends, includes items from the library archives and will be up through August 30^th,  2025.

Ruth Sanderson’s illustration for my book depicts a rhea nest. (Rheas are large South American birds related to ostriches.) The rhea is an example of a bird species in which the male, or father bird, is the sole caretaker of the eggs and chicks. The illustration was donated to the library by Ruth.

A number of years ago I met Ruth for the first time at a children’s book conference. (We never met when Five Nests was published in 1980, which is not unusual.) After the conference Ruth sent me the original illustration for another page in the book that depicted Mexican Jays. In this species, multiple generations look after the young. In 2016, when I was in Philadelphia and learned that the library had a copy of Five Nests in their permanent archive, I donated that illustration to the library. I am pleased to learn that Ruth has donated other illustrations from the book as well.

Although Five Nests launched my career as a children’s book writer, it had a rocky start. It received a negative review in SLJ (unfairly, I thought) and as a consequence, many libraries, including my own, chose not to approve it for purchase. By the time Five Nests was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA/CBC the following year, it was too late. The book had already been remaindered. So I am especially pleased to see that it lives on at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

For more about Five Nests and the Free Library of Philadelphia:

My post on the 40th anniversary of the publication of Five Nests.

My post on the Philadelphia Free Library's Children's Literature Research Collection.

READ ABOUT SHARKS DURING SHARK WEEK and Beyond

IT'S SHARK WEEK!--the annual celebration of sharks on the Discovery Channel. What better time to read about sharks! You can find the e-books of my books WATCH OUT FOR SHARKS and GIANT SHARK on Amazon. You may also be able to find the hardback copies of the books in your library.

WATCH OUT FOR SHARKS: Based on a major international exhibit that traveled for five years in North America, this book depicts the fascinating world of sharks.

GIANT SHARK: MEGALODON, PREHISTORIC SUPER PREDATOR: For millions of years, a massive shark more than twice as huge as the modern-day great white shark cruised the depths of the ocean, attacking and devouring prey. Fossil remains reveal megalodon to have been more than fifty feet long, with razor-sharp teeth, each the size of a human hand, and jaws so large it could swallow prey larger than a common dolphin. Fluid, detailed watercolors accompany this clear and accessible account of one of the most incredible creatures to inhabit our world.

ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION: THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR Now Available as an E-Book

My book, ON THE BRING OF EXTINCTION: THE CALIFORNIACONDOR, illustrated with photographs by Michael Wallace, is now available as an e-book on Amazon. Originally published in 1993 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich as a hardback and paperback, it documents the work of the Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park to rescue the then nearly extinct condor and restore it in the wild.  

The paper editions of the book have long been out-of-print. I thank the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association Condor Fund for their cooperation in bringing the book back to life as an e-book. You can download it to your tablet, computer or phone to read it. The pages will appear exactly as they do in the print book. Note that it cannot be read on a Kindle e-reader. (It is a print replica file and does not have reflowable text.)

 

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL at ALA, Displayed in the Combined Book Exhibit

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL displayed at the ALA Combined Book Exhibit, June 2025

With many thanks to Colleen Paeff for stopping by the Combined Book Exhibit booth at the American Library Association annual conference in Philadelphia two weeks ago and taking a photo of my book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was thrilled to see it so prominently displayed! I hope that some of the children's librarians attending the conference were able to see it and make the connection to my children's books. I know Colleen through two of my book discussion groups in LA and was glad she could be my eyes and ears at the conference. Colleen, a brilliant new nonfiction author, was at ALA signing her books The Big Stink and Firefly Song.

PTEROSAURS, Winged Reptiles of the Dinosaur Age: A Visit with Eudimorphodon in Bergamo, Italy

Caroline at the Eudimorphodon exhibit at the Natural History Museum, Bergamo, Italy.

In 2003, when I was researching my book PTEROSAURS: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age, I visited the Natural History Museum in Bergamo, Italy, to learn more about Eudimorphodon, the pterosaur whose fossil skeleton had been found in the mountains nearby. (See my post of Feb 24, 2014 about that visit.) 

In early June this year I returned to Bergamo and the museum to get another look at Eudimorphodon and the rest of the exhibits.

The fossil skeleton of Eudomorphodon is remarkably complete.

What I especially like about the exhibit is the diorama depicting a model of Eudimorphodon in flight, demonstrating how it likely caught fish that were its main food. (Fossil scales and fish bones within the skeleton reveal Eudimorphodon’s diet.)

Going back to the museum was like meeting an old friend. PTEROSAURS: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age was published in 2004 by Clarion Books. It is still available on Amazon as an e-book and as an audio book. Or, you can look for it in your library.

ESPRESSO MACHINE ETCHING FROM 1965: Memories from My Years at Grinnell College

Coffee House in the Forum, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa 1965.

In the spring of 1965 there was a new student center on the campus of Grinnell College--the Forum, a modern steel and glass structure designed by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Among its features was a coffee shop built around a shiny Italian espresso machine—something that felt very modern and sophisticated in the middle of Iowa. On weekends, poetry readings and stand-up performances were held in the coffee house.

Espresso Machine, etching by Caroline Scheaffer Arnold, 1965

I was an art student at Grinnell and made an etching of the coffee shop for one of my classes. My friends Dottie and Dick Metzler have had a copy of that print ever since we were fellow students at Grinnell. None of us can remember whether they bought the print at the annual student art sale or if I gave it to them as a wedding present. In any case, they have recently donated it to the college as both a piece of art and a record of college history. When they first proposed to donate the print several years ago, they contacted me. Here’s what I wrote back:

Your picture of my print of the espresso machine in the old Forum coffee house brought back memories. I would be pleased to have you offer the print to Grinnell. The print is an etching that I made in a prints class taught by Richard Cervene. I do have a confession to make. The name of the espresso machine is not Campanelli. I made the sketch for the print in the coffee house (the setting and various objects are correct) but I didn't put the name of the machine in my sketch. Back in the art building later, when I was transferring my drawing to the etching plate I added the name but misremembered it. (I should have gone back to check.) So, as far as historical interest is concerned, everything is accurate except the name of the machine!

The plan is for my espresso machine etching to be hung in the new Alumni House in a room honoring Dottie Metzler, who passed away in 2020.

The espresso machine in one of its later locations.

Note: The coffee shop in the Forum is long gone and the building is no longer a student center. (It is used for offices.)  But the espresso machine lived on for many more years at other campus locations. And it will be remembered forever in photos and in my etching. 

ALA COMBINED BOOK EXHIBIT: Look for SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL!

This year the annual American Library Association convention is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and, as usual, the exhibit hall will be filled with publishers' booths promoting all their latest books. You can find my memoir SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at Northeast Neighborhood House in the Combined Book Exhibit, Booth #1838, which features independently published books. Although my book is for adults, I think it will be of interest to teachers and librarians who know me as a children's book writer. The roots of my career can be found in my childhood.

Click HERE for a map of the exhibit floor and Booth #1838. You can find both the paperback and ebook of SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL in the Combined Book Exhibit booth. 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

TOOTLE—Learning to STAY ON THE TRACKS, NO MATTER WHAT! Memories of Childhood

TOOTLE was a favorite Golden Book of my childhood. Tootle is a baby train, who along with other young train engines goes to train school to learn skills such as pulling the dining car without spilling the soup, and, most importantly, to STAY ON THE TRACKS NO MATTER WHAT—even when playing in the meadow is more fun.

A week ago, I was at a street fair in Pennsylvania that featured vintage wares, and one of the booths had a box of old children’s books. And what should I see at the front of the pile—a copy of TOOTLE! Of course, I bought it.

Listening to TOOTLE being read by Fran Guzie at NENH, 1950.

TOOTLE brings back memories of my life at North East Neighborhood House in Minneapolis where I lived with my family until I was ten years old. From the windows of our apartment on the third floor we saw freight trains huffing and puffing along the tracks across the street on the other side of Bottineau Park. In my memoir SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950sat North East Neighborhood House I write about my brother Steve’s fascination with trains and our exciting train trip across the river to St. Paul.

Steve’s favorite book was TOOTLE. In the photo at the beginning of my chapter about the train trip you can see Steve and a neighbor child listening raptly to Fran Guzie (one of the NENH residents) reading TOOTLE. (I appear to be engrossed in another book and only half listening. Perhaps, I had heard the story of Tootle too many times before.)

In any case, I was delighted to find TOOTLE once again and its reminder of the importance of STAYING ON THE TRACKS NO MATTER WHAT.

TOOTLE is written by Gertrude Crampton and illustrated by Tibor Gergely. It was first published in 1946 by Western Publishing Company. The copy I found at the street fair was the 24^th printing in 1969. The book is still available on Amazon.

LISTEN TO RECORDINGS OF MY BOOKS ON AUDIBLE: Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Skeletons

I just discovered that several of my books are available to listen to at Audible on Amazon. If you like to listen to books while you are jogging, working in the garden, or riding in the car, then this is for you. You have to sign into and buy the subscription to the Audible program, but there are many books available, some of them free. The quality of the reading (different readers for each book) is excellent. You can try out samples HERE. So far, the following titles of my books are available on Audible:

Pterosaurs:Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age

You Skeletal System

Dinosaurs with Feathers: Ancestors of Modern Birds

 

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL and BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 at the Pioneer Bookshop, Grinnell, Iowa

At the Pioneer Bookshop, Grinnell Iowa, with my book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL.

I was pleased to be one of more than a dozen Grinnell College alumni with books on display (and for sale) at the Pioneer Bookshop, Grinnell, Iowa, during the recent Alumni Reunion weekend. 

My memoir, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up inthe 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota was there as well as BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6, one of my recent books for children. SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL ends with my graduation from Grinnell, which coincided with my family’s move to California. 

Although I had majored in art at Grinnell, I didn’t know then that my eventual career would be as a children’s book writer and illustrator. A complete collection of my published books is in the Grinnell College Library.

MY ART ON DISPLAY AT UCLA, at the Annual Silvia Winstein UCLA Arts and Crafts Exhibit

On Tuesday, May 20th, I was one of 27 artists exhibiting at the annual Silvia Winstein UCLA Arts and Crafts Exhibit. I showed prints of my cut-paper book illustrations. Many thanks to Chair Kati Radics and all the people who make the event happen. An added feature this year was Art for Fire Victims in which artists donated pieces to give to people rebuilding their homes after the terrible fires of last January. I donated an illustration from my book A Koala's World.

The tradition of the show began many years ago when Sylvia, the young widow of UCLA Chemistry Professor Saul Winstein, had a tea for some friends and displayed several paintings. 

 

Artistic emeriti friends and spouses were so enthusiastic that Sylvia organized and supported what has become a very special yearly celebration. 

 

The event is  jointly presented by the UCLA Emeriti Association, the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center, and the UCLA Retirees Association. 

 

 

ROCK ART BY ANCIENT AMERICANS: Activities for the Classroom

Rock art (petroglyphs) at Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada.

At Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada, and at many other places in the American West, ancient Americans created images on rocks.  Some are engraved on the rock surfaces. They are called petroglyphs. Others are "painted" on the rocks and are called pictographs. I saw both on my recent visit to Red Rock Canyon. Some of them are believed to be as much as 800 years old.

Hand prints at Red Rock Canyon.

Here is the link to activities to do with students to learn about rock art and gain appreciation of the rock art at Red Rock Canyon.

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/Nevada-Red%20Rock%20Canyon-Rock%20Art.pdf

You can learn more about rock art of the American West in my book STORIES IN STONE: Rock Art Pictures by Early Americans.  

EASTER ISLAND: The Perfect book to read during AAPI HERITAGE MONTH

The month of May is Asian American Pacific IslanderHeritage Month, celebrating the community’s contributions to the cultural, social, and political fabric of this country. It is the perfect time to read my book EASTER ISLAND: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Richand Tragic Past (Clarion Books, 2000.)

You can find it as an ebook, EASTER ISLAND: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Rich and Tragic Past is available as an ebook on Amazon. You can also look for it in your library.

Easter Island is the most remote inhabited place on Earth. It is located in the easternmost corner of the large triangle of Pacific Islands known as Polynesia. The first European visitor to Easter Island was a Dutch sea captain, Jacob Roggeveen, who landed there on April 5, 1722. In the tradition of his time he named his “discovery” for the day of his arrival which was Easter Sunday. Today the island is known both as Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) and Rapa Nui, a Polynesian name given to it in the 19^th century by Tahitian sailors. Both the people and the traditional Easter Island language are known today as Rapanui.

The scale of the Easter Island statues is enormous.

As we look at Easter Island today we see examples of humankind’s most amazing artistic achievements. We also see records of some of its darkest moments. Much remains to be learned about its earliest inhabitants who came to the island in about A.D. 400. We know that they were farmers and fishermen, and that as they shaped the land to fit their needs they gradually used up many of the island’s limited resources. In many ways Easter Island is a model for the world we live in today and is a reminder that natural resources must be used wisely.

Giant statues called moai were placed on platforms called ahu.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? A Visit with Mrs. Best’s Kindergarten Class, Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA

School Garden 2025, Haynes Charter Elementary, Los Angeles, CA.

In the spring of 2022, my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6, the story of Mrs. Best’s kindergarteners and their school garden, was published by Charlesbridge. 

Last week I visited Mrs. Best’s to see how this year's garden was growing and to share some of my books with the students. The garden looked terrific with the peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a patch of white alyssum, all growing like gangbusters. Earlier in the week the children had harvested the radishes—always the first to be ripe for picking.

In the classroom, the students are hatching eggs, which were in their ninth day of incubation on the day of my visit. They are scheduled to hatch on May 13. I read my book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, which documented the children of Mrs. Best’s class of 2015 as they hatched eggs. After reading the book we talked about feathers and eggs. I measured the children's wingspans--most were peregrine falcons--and showed them my ostrich egg.

The students will also be growing butterflies, the topic of my book BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6. Their caterpillars had just arrived in the mail and the students will watch them grow, form chrysalises, and emerge as painted lady butterflies.

Soon the children will be adding earthworms to their garden. I finished my visit by reading WIGGLE AND WAGGLE and having the children sing the Wiggle and Waggle gardening song with me. It was a fun morning.

It is always a pleasure to visit Mrs. Best’s classroom at Haynes School. I love the way she does so many hands-on science projects with her students and to see their enthusiasm for them. I can’t thank her enough for her cooperation and collaboration with my Room 6 books. 

Caroline and Jennifer Best

AUTHOR VISIT AT CIRCLE VIEW ELEMENTARY, Huntington Beach, California

Library, Circle View Elementary School, Huntington Beach, CA.

Thursday April 24 was my annual visit to Huntington Beach, California for the Author Festival. I have been participating in the Huntington Beach Author Festival almost every year since it started in 1989. I have been doing it so long that I have visited some of the schools twice! This year was a return to Circle View Elementary, which I visited previously in 2018.

A parking place had been reserved for me.

I spoke to two groups of enthusiastic students--fourth and fifth graders. I thank teacher Kelly Wegman for coordinating my visit and Danielle for helping with the tech details. Thanks also to the PTA for a delicious lunch in the teacher’s lounge and for supporting a purchase of books for the library. I always enjoy the chance to chat with teachers and staff at lunch.

Ready for my presentation.

This event would not go on year after year except for the hard work and dedication of Larry Hersh and other volunteers of FOTCL (Friend of the Children’s Library) who have led the festival for many years and kept it alive after a pause during the pandemic. Thank you! I always enjoy the chance to share my books with new readers, to see old friends, and to make new ones. 

CALIFORNIA OUT OF THE BOX: Making History Fun for Kids

I recently had the chance to review the new books for CALIFORNIA OUT OF THE BOX: An Interdisciplinary History Curriculum by educator Christine Echeverri. As I say in the review, it makes me want to be a fourth grader again. Based on literature, both fiction and nonfiction, along with a collection of primary source materials, it makes history come alive. One of the required books in the curriculum is my book TRAPPED IN TAR: Fossils from the Ice Age about the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and the treasure trove of fossils found there. It is one of my favorite places to take visitors to Los Angeles.

Here is my review of the California Out of the Box curriculum:

California Out of the Box: An Interdisciplinary History Curriculum by Christine Echeverri makes me wish I were in elementary school again. I would have loved the literature-based content and the associated hands-on writing, art, and science projects. This interdisciplinary approach to California history is built around a core selection of historical fiction books, field guides, additional nonfiction resources, and a companion book called California Collage: A California Out of the Box Reader. The curriculum is engaging, approachable, and easy for students and teachers to use, either for home-schooling or in a classroom environment. California Out of the Box is designed for students in grades 3 to 6 with 36 weeks of lessons paced for four days a week. It is adaptable to the needs and learning styles of the students, with choices of ways to respond to the material. There are two versions of the book: The Student Book and the Teacher’s Book. The student book includes assignments as well as worksheets and space to write comprehension answers. The teacher’s book includes answer keys and notes for teaching the curriculum. Both books have QR codes with links for each unit, making it easy for students and teachers to follow the curriculum and locate videos and other material on the web. The California Collage reader is a gold mine of supplementary material—stories, poetry, natural history, people, places and notable events, first person accounts such as the writings of naturalist John Muir, as well as material from the National Park Service, newspaper accounts, letters, memoirs, images, maps, photos and more. The three books together—California Out of the Box teacher and student editions, and California Collage—make up a complete curriculum for studying California history from pre-history to the 1930s and is aligned with California State Standards for 4^th grade. Using this curriculum students will develop a deeper appreciation of the richness and variety of the state of California--its people, natural history, geography, cultural traditions, notable events. The California Out of the Box curriculum makes history come alive.

The books are available at Amazon and at the Carrier Shell Book Store on the web.