AUTHOR VISIT AT ECHO HORIZON SCHOOL, Culver City, CA

With librarian Claudette Brown at Echo Horizon School

I had a great time last Monday with the first and second graders at Echo Horizon School in Culver City. California. Many thanks to librarian, Claudette Brown for inviting me and for preparing the students for my visit. I loved their imaginary creatures inspired by my Hodag book! Each student had created their animal using the activity sheet downloadable from my website.

The children were very responsive to my presentation, asking lots of questions and answering mine. I was impressed that they all knew the terms “diurnal” and “nocturnal” when I showed them my Day and Night books.

I thank Children’s Book World for making my books available for purchase and signing. On my way to the school I picked up the books that had been ordered and signed them so that they could be delivered to the students after my talk.

As a bonus to my visit I happened upon a caterpillar on my way into school. (It was crawling along the sidewalk.) I picked it up, put it in a jar,  and shared it with the children—a perfect supplement to talking about my book Butterflies in Room 6. I brought it home where it has since made a chrysalis. Over the next two weeks it will metamorphosize and become a beautiful Mourning Cloak butterfly.

Mourning Cloak butterfly

AUTHOR VISIT at ECHO HORIZON SCHOOL, Culver City, CA

Wiggle and Waggle puppets help sing the Wiggle and Waggle digging song

Last Thursday, I had a wonderful visit with second and third graders at Echo Horizon School, Culver City, California, in the beautiful school library. I was impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and their excellent questions. Claudette Brown, the school librarian, had helped them prepare by reading my books and having the third graders make pyramid animal poems inspired by some of my animal books (directions are at my website).

Caroline with Claudette Brown

With both groups I read the first two stories in Wiggle and Waggle and we all sang the Wiggle and Waggle song together–accompanied by my worm sock puppets. (Wiggle has googly eyes, Waggle has glasses.)  After that I talked about my illustration process.

Ostrich Egg

Then I shared Hatching Chicks in Room 6 and we had a discussion of what makes a bird–all birds lay eggs, and all birds have feathers. I shared my ostrich egg (the largest of all bird eggs) and everyone had a chance to touch it. Then the children had a chance to measure their wingspans. Finally, I shared my new book, Butterflies in Room 6, and we talked about the recent painted lady butterfly migration in Southern California.

Pages from Butterflies in Room 6

I thank Claudette for inviting me, coordinating my visit, and for taking photos. I also thank the school tech person for making sure that everything worked for my slide show. And thanks to Children’s Book World for providing the books for autographing. This was my second visit to Echo Horizon and it was another great morning!

SAVE THE DATE! Sat. March 30, Book signing at Children's Book World of BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6

BUTTERFLY STORYTIME & BOOK SIGNING
Caroline Arnold
Saturday, March 30, 10:30 a.m.
Ages: 4-8
Join award-winning local author Caroline Arnold for an introduction to her entertaining and informative new book, Butterflies in Room 6: See How They Grow. Kindergarteners raise butterflies from egg to adult in this close-up look at the insect life cycle. Follow a classroom of real kindergartners as they participate in a popular activity: raising butterflies. Astonishing photographs show the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult. Painted Lady Butterfly coloring fun will follow Caroline’s presentation.
Available for signing:

• Butterflies in Room 6: See How They Grow $16.99  To preorder your book, go to http://www.childrensbookworld.com/author-events/  , scroll down and click on the order online link.

CHILDREN’S BOOK WORLD
10580 1/2 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 559-BOOK/2665
cbwchildrensbooks@gmail.com
STORE HOURS
Mon. – Fri. 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Sat. 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

LOVE YOUR BOOKSTORE CHALLENGE

I just went to my favorite neighborhood bookstore, Children's Book World to participate in the national LoveYourBookstore Challenge. I bought two books: If Animals Celebrated Christmas by Ann Whitford Paul and Hanukkah Hamster by Michelle Markel. They will make perfect holiday gifts.
 
Love Your Bookstore is an industry-wide celebration of all brick-and-mortar bookstores across America. It's a way for book lovers of all sorts to share their love for their favorite local bookstore!

Bookstores are community centers and more than just selling books, they provide a place for people to connect with your books, with you, and with each other. Let's create a celebration of these amazing brick-and-mortar bookstores with all book-loving partners (authors, readers, publishers, booksellers, and more!) during this holiday season and beyond.

You have two more days to participate! Deadline is Sunday, November 18th. 
Go to your favorite bookstore and take a picture with your favorite book and post it on Twitter or Instagram.
Hooray for brick and mortar bookstores!
 

Author Visit and Book Signing at Overland School, Los Angeles, CA

With bags of signed books at Children's Book World ready to go to students at Overland School

Last week I did two presentations in the auditorium of Overland Avenue School for Advanced Studies in Los Angeles, California--one to the kindergarten students and one to the first and second graders. Both groups were enthusiastic audiences and had good comments and questions. Many of the children had purchased books to be autographed which I did afterward at Children’s Book World, a local bookstore. The books I signed were Hatching Chicks in Room 6, Wiggle and Waggle, and Living Fossils.

Overland Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA

My visit to Overland brought back many memories. My own children attended Overland forty years ago and I remember going to many events in the school auditorium–which has not changed in all these years. The library, on the other hand, has changed a lot, doubling in size and now with Mary Mittelbach, the librarian, running a wonderful library program. (In my day, the library was only open if a parent could be recruited to sit behind the desk and check out books. I was one of those parents. There was no school librarian.) I thank Mary for organizing my visit and doing such a great job promoting my books to the students. I had an impressive pile to sign when I went to Children’s Book World. Students received their books the following day. And I thank Sharon Hearn and her staff at Children’s Book World for ordering the books and helping to make the signing go quickly and smoothly.

Entrance to Children's Book World, Los Angeles, CA