ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Eyes in the Dark--Drawing Nighttime Animals

When daytime animals go to sleep, nighttime animals wake up. Imagine what it would be like to go on a nighttime walk and see some of these nocturnal animals peering in the dark. 

Here's how you can make your own illustration of the animals you might see.

You will need:

    Black construction paper.

    Chalk.

    Googly eyes. (You can buy these at a craft store.)

    Glue.

Use the chalk to draw your animals on the black paper. Glue the eyes in place. What kind of nighttime scene did you create?

Animals that are active at night are called nocturnal animals. You can read about both daytime and nighttime animals in my Day and Night books.

VISIT TO THE MILL VALLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, Mill Valley, California

Children's Room of the Mill Valley Public Library, Mill Valley, CA.

On a recent trip to the Bay Area in Northern California, I visited the beautiful Mill Valley Public Library, tucked among the redwoods in the town of Mill Valley in Marin County. The large windows of the library look out onto Mill Park, a grove of giant redwood trees along Mill Creek, which was roaring with water after a week of heavy rain. In the early days of Mill Valley the water power of the creek ran a sawmill. Today the  trees are preserved as a public park.

Redwood trees in Mill Park, Mill Valley, CA.

My parents lived in Mill Valley for thirty-seven years and I often visited both the redwood grove and the library. On the day of my recent visit (during the Christmas holidays) the library was busy with families and people checking out books. When I looked at the catalog I found that the library has 44 of my books in its collection. I was pleased to see that a number of them were checked out, including my book about Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, Keeper of the Light: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog. 

Entrance to the Mill Valley Public Library.

REMEMBERING EDITH RENFROW SMITH, July 14, 1914—January 2, 2026

Edith Renfrow Smith, age 110

Edith Renfrow Smith, the first black graduate of Grinnell College, lived a life devoted to her family and community. After graduation she moved from Iowa to Chicago but always maintained close family ties to the town of Grinnell where she had grown up. She has died at the age of 111. I first learned about Edith when I was involved in the production of the children’s book about her life, NO ONE IS BETTER THAN YOU: Edith Renfrow Smith and the Power of aMother’s Words, written by Monique Shore. (I provided editorial advice.) In the book I learned about Edith's childhood in one of the few Black families in Grinnell and about her later life in Chicago, where she married and raised her children, became a teacher, and then, after retirement, spent many years as a volunteer in the community.

In September 2024 I was honored to meet Edith and talk with her about her memories of Grinnell during the time that my husband Art’s father and his siblings were also growing up in Grinnell. (Edith was a classmate of Art’s uncle Don.) Edith was a living, breathing link to the past, and I was impressed that her mind at 110 was still so sharp. Her key to a long life? A positive outlook and joy for life. When asked about her secret she said:

“The Lord gives you the birthdays, and you take ‘em,” says Edith. “You have no choice. Take what you have, make use of it, and be thankful for what you have. Don’t let life pass you by. Remember, this is your life. It’s wonderful to live long enough to enjoy just being here.”

Edith will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Her memory will live on.

You can read her obituary in the Chicago Sun Times.

Edith in her graduation robe and as a young child with a ribbon in her hair. (Temporary wheat paste murals in Grinnell, created for the dedication of Renfrow Hall, 2024.)  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

....Walter Louis Stevenson

As I have been going through boxes of mementos, I found the Golden Book verson of A Child's Garden of Verses, poems by Walter Louis Stevenson--one of my most loved books as a child. Some of the pages are torn and colored with crayon, but it is still one of my favorite books. (The poems were first published in England in 1885.)

As a new year begins I think back on so many of the books I enjoyed as a child and how they began my love of books and reading.

May the new year be filled with more good books!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!