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.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL VISIT at Ladera Stars Academy, Thousand Oaks, CA

Last Friday I had an enjoyable visit online with Julie Nerland’s kindergarten class at Ladera Stars Academy in Thousand Oaks, California. The kids were very enthusiastic and very responsive. Julie and I struggled a bit with the technology (she never figured out how to get her camera to work so I never got to see the children) but the important part was that the kids could see me and I could hear them. I learned that they recently hatched chicken eggs in their classroom and would soon be adding the chicks to the school flock. Every day children at the school feed the chickens and collect eggs. Because of the kindergarteners’ interest in chickens I focused my presentation mainly on my book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 and other books about birds. (We discussed that chickens are birds, and like all birds, chickens lay eggs and have feathers.) I also shared my book A ZEBRA’S WORLD and showed them how they can make their own cut paper art using the downloadableinstructions at my website. We finished by singing the Wiggle and Waggle song, which I acted out with my sock puppets.

I thank Kristen Bott Nordstrom for making my visit possible and for arranging the details. She purchased the author visit for her school at a fund raiser for victims of the recent terrible fires in Los Angeles and Altadena. I was happy to contribute the author visit to the cause.

Note: I am accustomed to using Zoom for virtual author visits to schools. However, this school no longer has Zoom available on their school computers, so we were using GoogleMeets, a platform that neither the teachers nor I had much familiarity with. We made it work but it would have been better if the classroom camera had been connected. Next time!

AUTHOR VISIT TO WPC PRESCHOOL: Hooray for Wiggle and Waggle!

Wiggle and Waggle Sock Puppets

A week ago I made my annual visit to the Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool, Los Angeles, California. This year, rather than meeting with the children in their classrooms as I usually do, I met with the two- and three-year-olds and their parents as part of their pancake breakfast, and I met with the four- and five-year-olds, outside on the rug in the play yard. The children are always eager to hear about my books. With both groups I read the first two stories in Wiggle and Waggle, inviting the children to sing the Wiggle and Waggle song with me and do the hand motions while I performed the song with my sock puppets. (A link to the pattern for making stick puppets and other Wiggle and Waggle activities is at my website.)

Wiggle and Waggle (Charlesbridge, 2007) and stick puppets.

And, as a tradition that began many years ago, I finished by reading The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a tall tale about the Hodag, a creature with the head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur and tail of an alligator. With many thanks to Brianne Naiman, the WPC Preschool Director, and to the preschool teachers, for inviting me and coordinating my visit. It is always a pleasure to visit the school and spend time with the children and their teachers.

The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers (Boyds Mills Press, 2006)

STAND UP FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES: Hands Off! March at City Hall in Culver City, California

Hands Off! March, Culver City, California.

On Saturday, April 5th, I joined thousands of other marchers at City Hall in Culver City, California, to protest the defunding of so many federal programs that people depend on, including services to schools and libraries. It was a day to stand up and be counted. We need our Democracy!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOOK: Presentation to Teachers at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference

My exhibit table at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.

I spent an enjoyable day last Saturday with Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade teachers at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, an annual meeting attended by teachers from all over the state. This year’s theme was “Growing Young Learners.” I gave a presentation called “Think Outside the Book: Projects and Activities Reinforce Reading” to an enthusiastic audience, sharing many of the projects inspired by my books that have been used in classrooms over the years, ranging from songs, art projects, science experiments, hands-on activities, and much more. I also had a table with the other conference vendors where I could chat with teachers during their breaks between sessions and where they could buy my books. 

I thank Suzie Hindrichson of the Southern Nevada Professional Development Program and her volunteer staff for inviting me and for doing an excellent job of organizing the conference. I don’t get to Nevada very often, and it was a pleasure to be able to connect with so many educators at the conference. A bonus of the trip was the opportunity to visit Red Rock Canyon, a magnificent conservation area just outside Las Vegas, which I did on the day before the conference. Look for my report about that soon on my travel blog, The Intrepid Tourist.

One of the many hiking trails at Red Rock Canyon.

Caroline at Red Rock Canyon

AUTHOR VISIT AT ESPERANZA SCHOOL: Hands-On Science in the Natural Habitat School Garden

Principal Rumble with students in the Esperanza School Natural Habitat Garden.

Located at the edge of downtown Los Angeles, Esperanza Elementary School seems like a surprising place to find a natural habitat garden filled with California native plants. It is home to a variety of insects, birds and other wildlife. For the students at the school it is an opportunity for hands-on science as they observe the cycle of life through the seasons.

Welcome sign for my visit.

Since my first visit to Esperanza School in 2018 and getting a tour of their natural habitat garden I have been going back almost every year to meet with students and find out how the garden has been growing. Last week I met with third-grade students and their teacher Elizabeth Williams. We began in the library where I did a presentation about my books and what it is like to be an author. I was impressed by the students’ enthusiastic response and by their knowledge of the natural world. When I asked if they knew the word for animals that are active during the daytime, they knew that it was “diurnal”. Nighttime animals are "nocturnal".

Teacher, Mrs. Williams; librarian; Principal, Brad Rumble, in the school library.

After the presentation we all went on a tour of the habitat, led by Mrs. Williams and by Principal Brad Rumble. Recent rains had promoted new growth and spring wildflowers were beginning to bloom. Huge patches of lupins were sprouting everywhere. 

These bright red blooms are a favorite flower for hummingbirds. Below, lupin sprouts on the ground.

Mr. Rumble, an avid birdwatcher, has turned the students into expert bird watchers too. On our visit they spotted a number of species, including a pair of house finches. In class the students are learning to distinguish the differences between Anna’s hummingbird and the Rufous hummingbird. They told me that more than 80 species of birds have been identified in the garden.

Student discovering a small clump of wild grapes.

It is always a treat for me to visit Esperanza. It is a delight to see the students learning about the natural world and becoming young scientists. I thank them for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with me. And I thank Brad Rumble for his leadership at the school and in the community.  

The Schoolyard Habitat Program is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.

The Esperanza garden is a National Wildlife Federation certified Wildlife Habitat. The property provides the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to raise young.

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE: We Need STEM and STEAM! March in Los Angeles 2025

Last Friday I joined hundreds of other card-carrying demonstrators at the Federal Building in West Los Angeles to protest the cuts being made to NIH and other federal institutions. This was one of dozens of demonstrations held in cities across the United States. My card, saved from the March for Science in Washington, D.C. in 2017, had two sides:

On the front: 

STEM and STEAM. 

Today's KIDS --Tomorrow's SCIENTISTS! 

Children's Book Writers March for Science.

On the back:

SUPPORT SCIENCE EDUCATION

Grades K-12 and Beyond

We need to preserve robust science education in our schools and universities. Today’s kids are the leaders of the future. Knowledge is power!

Support STEM and STEAM!