SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: On the Shelf at LAPL

In the Social Science/Philosophy Department of LAPL with my book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL.

A week ago I was at the Los Angeles Public Library in downtown Los Angeles and I went searching for my book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I knew it was in the collection, but I wanted to see it for myself. After riding down three escalators from the main library floor to the Social Science/Philosophy Department, I found it shelved with other books about the history of settlement houses and the social settlement movement (360.61). 

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL is the thin blue book, 6th from the left.

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL, (360.61A752), was on the top shelf, a few books after several about Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House in Chicago. Down three shelves I found books about Lillian Wald, founder of Henry Street Settlement in New York City. It was a good thing that my husband Art was with me to pull my book off the shelf, because I could barely reach it. It was gratifying to hold it in my hand and know that anyone coming to the library to learn about settlement houses or about my childhood living in one, will be able to find my book. I hope they are tall!

PRESENTATION OF THE FOCAL AWARD for SIMONE written by Viet Thanh Nguyen, illustrated by Minnie Phan

FOCAL Award Presentation at the Los Angeles Public Library to Viet Thanh Nguyen and Minnie Phan

On Saturday, May 30th, 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 Viet Thanh Nguyen (author) and Minnie Phan (illustrator) for their book Simone, a picture book about a young girl and her mother whose home is threatened by wildfire. 

In the tradition of the award, the author and the illustrator were presented with a puppet of the main character of the book. A third 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 Kingsley and the three Simone puppets.

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President. After a presentation by Viet and Minnie about how they came to write and illustrate. the essay contest winners were introduced by Sandy Schuckett. 

Sandy Schuckett, Chair of the Judging Panel for the student essays.

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 there was a question and answer session with the audience, hosted by Dewi Reyes, Chair of Social Media. (See first photo.) Then we all enjoyed delicious Vietnamese sweets in the library patio.

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.

Note: In the past, the FOCAL award ceremony has been held in the fall. However, beginning with this year, the FOCAL Board has decided to hold the ceremony in the spring, giving teachers and students more time to read the book and for the students to write their essays.

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL Now Available at the LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY

I was delighted to discover that my memoir, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, is now available at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL). It is on the shelf in the Social Science/Philosophy Department of the Central Branch (call number 360.61A752.) If you don’t want to go downtown to check out the book, you can put it on hold and have it delivered to your local branch.

Although I grew up in Minnesota, I have lived most of my adult life in California and the LAPL is my home library.  I am pleased that they have approved the book for their collection. It took two plus years! Most of my 170 books for children are already on the shelves. Now, readers who know my children’s books will be able to find out what my life was like as a child.

Los Angeles Public Library

SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL is already on the shelves of the Hennepin County Libraries in Minnesota and many other libraries across the country. You can check to see if it is in a library near where you live.

CENTRAL 100 COLOR-BY-NUMBER READING CHALLENGE : Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA

A beautiful coloring page depicting the murals in the library rotunda has been created in celebration of the Los Angeles Central Library's 100th anniversary. You can pick one up at your branch library along with a set of colored pencils. Directions for participating are HERE.  

On the back of the coloring page you will find cool facts about the Rotunda, originally the heart of the library and where the card catalog and service desks were located. There will be three different coloring pages released in 2026. The color-by-numbers art is by Alexander Vidal.

TIME CAPSULE--100 YEARS AGO IN LOS ANGELES, Exhibit at the Los Angeles Central Library

Copper time capsule boxes, from 1881 on left, 1925 on right, at the Los Angeles Central Library.

In May1925, as the cornerstone for the new Central Los Angeles Library building in downtown Los Angeles was laid, a sealed copper box containing memorable items of the time was encased in a cavity within the stone. Inside was a smaller box, a time capsule from 1881 that had been placed in the State Normal School building that previously stood on the spot. When the library building was completed in the following year, the doors opened to great fanfare.  

Cornerstone Dedication and Time Capsule Placement, May 3, 1925.

Now, one hundred years later, in January 2026, in celebration of the Central Library building’s centennial, the time capsule has been retrieved and opened. It is now on display on the third floor of the library, along with the smaller box found within it—the time capsule from the State Normal School.

Some of the items found in the 1925 time capsule.

Some of the items found in the 1925 time capsule.

On a recent visit to the Central Library I visited the time capsule exhibit. I was surprised by the excellent condition of the materials that had been inside it, ranging from a book of Angeles street maps and the library’s annual report (1925) to newspapers and Christmas cards (1881). The items on exhibit are just a sample of what was contained in the boxes.

The Normal School was a teacher training institution. It moved to another location and eventually became the beginning of UCLA.

Selected contents of the 1881 time capsule.

The contents of the time capsule boxes are a snapshot of life in the growing city of Los Angeles.  For more about the city in the 1920s, click HERE for an article at the library website with numerous photos of life in the city at the time.

THREADS OF LOS ANGELES by Ashley Walker, Celebrating the City's Cultural History at the Los Angeles Public Library

Threads if Los Angeles by Ashley Walker, Los Angeles Public Library.

When I was at the Los Angeles Central Public Library in early February I encountered six striking fashion models on display at one of the escalator landings. Each model was dressed to reflect a particular neighborhood and time in the cultural history of the city. They are the work of fashion designer Ashley Walker, recipient of a 2025 Creator in Residence award, and are based on research in the LAPL archives. The models will be sent to branch libraries around the city. For more about the project and where you can see the models, and about the Creator in Residence program at LAPL, click HERE. 

This year the Los Angeles Public Library is celebrating its Centennial. One hundred years ago, on July 11th, 1926, the Central Library opened its doors. Ashley Walker's fashion models are just one of many exhibits you can see at the library in this centennial year.

The Rhythm of Rebellion
Theme: The Zoot Suit Riots and Fashion Resistance.

Blueprint of Elegance
Theme: Paul R. Williams Architecture.

When the City Sang
Theme: Jazz on Central Avenue.

South Central 1992
Theme: The 1992 Uprising.

Woven Journeys
Migration, Memory and Cultural Identity in Los Angeles.

From Soul to Soil
Theme: Los Angeles Flora and Environmental Identity.

RICHARD HEWETT'S HOLLYWOOD: Program Feb 18 at LAPL, Los Angeles, CA

Richard Hewett (1929-2006) was a Los Angeles based photographer who illustrated nearly fifty of my books for children. He also took photos for books by his wife Joan Hewett and other children's book authors. But before he turned to children's book illustration, he worked for magazines and newspapers including Life, Look, TV Guide and the Los Angeles Times. Richard Hewett's work is archived in the Los Angeles Public Library. On Wednesday, February 18th at 12:15 pm, Wendy Horowitz, Photo Collection Librarian will present a few of his 1960s photo essays. The presentation will be in Meeting Room A (near the 6th Street entrance) of the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. The event is free. It will be an opportunity to get a glimpse of LA culture and history of that era as seen through Richard Hewett's unique eye.

REMEMBER THE CARD CATALOG: Celebrating LAPL’s 100th Anniversary

Souvenir catalog card with anniversary stamp of the Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

Do you remember thumbing through the library card catalog, looking for a book to read or to use for a school report? Each drawer of the wooden cabinet was filled with index cards, arranged in alphabetical order and subdivided into sections by topic. Each card had the name of the author, title, publisher, and most importantly for nonfiction books, the Dewey Decimal number indicating where it would be shelved. The cards of popular topics were always well thumbed.

In the early days of my writing career there were no computers and no internet. (My first book was published in 1980.) The card catalog was essential for finding information.  Searching it was always the first step in doing research for one of my books.

Card catalogs have long since been abandoned. Now you just have to sit down in front of a computer screen and type in the topic you are searching for, and Bingo! there is a list of relevant library resources. So, what have libraries done with all those carefully typed cards? The Los Angeles Public Library put them in storage. Some have been used by an artist to decorate an elevator at the Central Library and to create a large sculpture. Now the library needs to get rid of the rest.

So, in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the Central Library building in downtown Los Angeles, the library will be giving the cards away. Each card is a little bit of history. Last week I helped assemble packets of cards that will be distributed to the branch libraries to give out to patrons. People will be able to have them stamped with a special anniversary stamp (a different stamp for each branch) and use the cards as bookmarks, art projects, or whatever they want. And for those people who are old enough to remember the days when they depended on the card catalog to help them find what they needed in the library, the souvenir cards will bring back memories of days gone by.

Flower Street entrance to the Los Angeles Public Library

Note: Although the history of the Los Angeles Public Library goes back to the 1870s, the Central Branch was not built until 1926. The dedication ceremony was held on July 15th, 1926.

ROOM 8: A CAT IN THE CLASSROOM: Exhibit at the Los Angeles Public Library, Photos by Richard Hewett

Room 8: A Cat in the Classroom, Exhibit at LAPL Central Library, Los Angeles, CA.

Last Saturday, when I was at the Los Angeles Public Library I went with friends to the library's History and Genealogy department to see the exhibit, Room 8: A Cat in the Classroom, of photographer Richard Hewett's photos of the cat named Room 8, who famously "lived" at Elysian Heights Elementary School from 1952 to 1968. (Elysian Heights is in Echo Park, not far from downtown LA.)

I never met the cat named Room 8, but I heard about him from Dick whose photographs illustrated many of my books. I met Dick in 1977 and over the next 20 years we did 49 books together. Dick’s specialty was photographing animals. (Many of my books are about animals, including the first book we did together, Pets Without Homes (Clarion, 1983). I remember Dick telling me about the Room 8 cat and how his photo story about Room 8 in Look Magazine in 1962 made the cat famous all over the world.

Exhibit at LAPL of photographs by Richard Hewett of Room 8.

If you visit the Central Library, be sure to see the exhibit! It is up until January 11, 2026. And, you can buy the book by Brenda Rees about the exhibit in the library gift shop--which I did. It is also available on Amazon.

Room 8: A Cat in the Classroom, Photographing Los Angeles' Most Famous Feline, by Brenda Rees, Photographs by Richard Hewett, Illustrated by Stuart Rapeport (Photo Friends Publications, 2025.) Photographs from the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Looking at Room 8: A Cat in the Classroom at the library.

If you search the internet you can find a lot of information about Room 8. He even has his own Facebook page. I found the recent documentary by Scott Mabbutt about Room 8 on YouTube. It tells the story of how the cat came to Elysian Heights School and how he became so famous. Dick Hewett and his photos of Room 8 are mentioned in the documentary. A number of former students are interviewed telling what it was like to have Room 8 at the school. After Dick's photos were published in Look Magazine, Room 8 became even more famous and began to receive letters from all over the world. Students at the school answered them. When Room 8 died in 1968 his obituary was in newspapers all over the country. He is buried in a pet cemetery in Calabasas, California. The video is surprisingly emotional.

The video is about a half hour long but takes much longer to watch because it is interrupted by lots of short ads. Even so, I recommend watching it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHjuMEztzow

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

FOCAL AWARD PRESENTATION 2024: Celebrating COOKIES AND MILK by Shawn Amos

FOCAL Award Ceremony, LAPL, with Shawn Amos and Dewi Ochoa.

On Saturday, November 16th, I joined 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 given to Shawn Amos for his book Cookies and Milk, a semi-autographical novel about a boy growing up in Los Angeles. In the tradition of the award, he was 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.  

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President. After the presentation of the puppets and a short speech by Shawn Amos about how he came to write the book, the essay contest winners were introduced by Sandy Schuckett. The four 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. The program ended with a Q & A session with Shawn Amos led by Dewi Ochoa, Chair of Social Media for FOCAL. Then we all enjoyed chocolate chip cookies in the library patio.

Refreshments at the FOCAL event included chocolate chip cookies from the Homebay Bakery.

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.

Set in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, Cookies and Milk features Ellis Bailey Johnson, a black kid in a white world, and his father, who start a cookie store in an abandoned A-frame

shack that they fix up. The book deals with racism, family issues, family secrets,

growing up, and character-building as well as business-building. The awards committee found it a lively and compelling read for all ages.

 

BOOK SIGNING AT FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY CELEBRATION, Palms-Rancho Park Library, Los Angeles, CA

At my book signing table.

Last week was a busy week for me with an art exhibit, two school visits, and a book signing. On Saturday, May 25th, a beautiful sunny day, I signed books at the 41st Anniversary celebration of the  Friends of the Palms-Rancho Park Library, held in the park next to the library. Families came to enjoy music, yoga, face painting, games, chess, stories, and a bubble machine. Everyone got snacks and a free, gently used book from the Friends of the Library collection of donated books. I enjoyed talking to parents and children about my books and my life as an author and illustrator. It was a fun way to celebrate the dedicated support that the Friends provide for the library year round. The Palms-Rancho Park Library, a branch of LAPL, is my neighborhood library. I have been going there for nearly fifty years to check out books. 

FOCAL AWARD PRESENTATION 2023: Celebrating EFREN DIVIDED by Ernesto Cisneros

Author Ernesto Cisneros being interviewed by Dewi Ochoa at LAPL

On Saturday, November 18th, 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 Ernesto Cisneros for his heart-stopping and multi-award winning book about an immigrant family, Efren Divided. 

In the tradition of the award, he was 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 Kingsley and Puppet of Efren

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President, followed by a warm welcome from Valerie Lynne Shaw, President of the Board of Library Commissioners. The introduction to the book was by Basya Samuels, Chair of the Award Committee. After a short speech by Ernesto Cisneros about how he came to write the book, essay contest winners--Ted Won, 4th Grade Melrose Elementary, Cruz Cortez, 6th Grade, Sutter MS, and Haily Kim, 7th Grade, Burroughs MS--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. The program ended with a Q & A session with Ernesto Cisneros led by Dewi Ochoa, Chair of Social Media for FOCAL. Then we all enjoyed churros, chocolate chip cookies and other treats.

I have been a member of FOCAL for many years. After three years of the FOCAL Award presentations online because of the pandemic, it was good to be back again in person.

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.

STORYWALK AT THE PARK: SATURDAY by Oge Mora, Los Angeles, CA

SATURDAY, written and illustrated by Oge Mora

On a recent visit to my neighborhood library, the Palms-Rancho Park branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, I discovered a StoryWalk tale posted around the basketball court of the adjacent park. Hanging on the fence around the court were seventeen poster-size panels with pages from SATURDAY by Oge Mora, a charming picture book about a young girl, Ava, and her mother on a Saturday outing.

StoryWalk at the Palms-Rancho Park branch of LAPL

Because Ava’s mother works during the week, Saturday is the special day they spend together. As the story proceeds, we learn about their day.

What is your favorite day of the week? What makes it special?

The panels on the fence are conveniently hung at child level. Many of them include questions inviting children to engage with the story. Here are some of my favorites:

A visit to the hair salon.

Is it loud or quiet around you? What sounds do you hear?

What do you think will happen next?

What have you done today? Can you tell the story of your day?

The book is illustrated with Oge Mora's charming cut-paper illustrations. In 2021 she was the featured speaker at the Children’s Literature Council of Southern California’s fall gala, held on Zoom that year because of the pandemic. I was fascinated to hear about her technique and see her studio, especially since I also have used cut-paper to illustrate some of my books. See my blog report HERE.

Oge Mora, Author/Illustrator

The Storywalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

The StoryWalk Project was adapted for use by the Los Angeles Public Library with funding from the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.