FREE BOOK! THIS WEEK ONLY! My Friend from Outer Space

 

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! THIS WEEK ONLY! Get My Friend from Outer Space for FREE on Amazon.

Do you think Sherry is wearing her Halloween costume, or do you think she is really from Outer Space? You decide!

This fun picture book is the perfect story to read for Halloween. Get yours now!

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her." In this easy-read picture book story, Sherry tries to convince her best friend that she really is from outer space and takes her there in her homemade rocket. But do they really go to the Planet Tinbambam? Or is it just pretend?
Rewritten and newly illustrated with colorful anime style art by Paige Arnold, this graphic picture book is the perfect choice for young readers to read alone or aloud to younger children.
Originally published by Franklin Watts, 1981, with illustrations by Carol Nicklaus. 

ETSY SITE UPDATED: More Items, Lower prices

Illustration from A Killer Whale's World (PictureWindow Books, 2006.

I have recently updated my Etsy site where I feature art quality giclee prints of the cut-paper illustrations from my children’s books. Printed to size (10 x 20 inches for rectangular images, and 10 x 10 inches for square images) they are perfect for framing and to give as gifts.

The prices have recently been reduced. There are 16 different designs available, depicting pandas, polar bears, walruses, eagles, moose, killer whales, kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, wombats, and zebras. Get them while they last!

The art is shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

Illustration from A Kangaroo's World (PictureWindow Books, 2008)

Two of my self-published books are also available on Etsy: SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota and MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, illustrated by Paige Arnold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt

AUTHOR VISIT AT JEFFERSON SCHOOL, Glendale, CA

Thomas Jefferson Elementary, an award winning school, Glendale, CA.

On Monday, Nov 18th, I had a good day at Jefferson Elementary School in Glendale, California. The day was sponsored by the Glendale Assistance League, who not only brought in the authors for the day and gave each teacher a copy of one of our books, but also gave a generous check to the school for the purchase of books for the library. I was one of six authors visiting classrooms--Larissa Theule, Tao Nyeu, Benson Shum, Joe Cepeda and Tracy Holczer were the others. I gave presentations to first and second grade students.

I was pleased by the good response to my presentation by the students and teachers. They especially liked my new book My Friend From Outer Space, enthusiastically helping to count down from 10 before shouting, BLAST OFF!

Special thanks go to Linelle Vicenti and Kathy Blyth for coordinating everything and making sure the day ran smoothly! I also thank all the Glendale Assistance League volunteers who helped--introducing me in the classrooms, helping out with the book signing, and bringing the delicious snacks and lunch. Many thanks to the Glendale Assistance League for another successful Authors and Illustrators Day! 

Entrance to Jefferson School on Authors and Illustrators Day, with the Assistance League banner.

 

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE

Celebrating the publication of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE.

It has been one year since the publication of my book MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, illustrated with charming graphic art by my granddaughter, Paige Arnold, and of our celebration of the book with family and friends. 

Caroline and Paige with book.

Since then, I have shared the book with numerous school groups during author visits and worked with a class of 6^th graders as they created their own graphic picture books inspired by MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE. 

I have been pleased that children are still enjoying the story, just as they did forty years ago when the book was first published, then with limited color illustrations. I hope that this new book will continue to be enjoyed by children for years to come!

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE is available at Amazon  both as a paperback and as an ebook.

Spanish edition of My Friend from Outer Space

The book has also been published in Spanish, MI AMIGA DEL ESPACIO.

For the history of evolution of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE from 1981 to 2023, go to my earlier post, A Favorite Book Reborn..

Original book, published in 1981 by Franklin Watts.

AUTHOR VISIT AT COLUMBUS SCHOOL, Glendale, CA

Signing books at Columbus School, Glendale, CA

On Tuesday, May 28th, I had a good day at Columbus Elementary School in Glendale, California. The day was sponsored by the Glendale Assistance League, who not only brought in the authors for the day and gave each teacher a copy of one of our books, but also gave a generous check to the school for the purchase of books for the library. I was one of four authors--Larissa Theule, Oliver Chin and Leslie Margolis were the others. We visited classrooms (I gave presentations to the TK and Kindergarten students) and signed books at the after-school book sale in the auditorium.

I was pleased by the enthusiastic response to my presentation by the students and teachers. They especially liked my new book My Friend From Outer Space. At the end of my last session, the boy in the front row, who had been paying attention to every word I said, pronounced that when he grew up, he wanted to be an author too.

Special thanks go to Linelle Vicenti for coordinating everything and making sure the day ran smoothly! I also thank all the Glendale Assistance League volunteers who introduced me, helped out at the book sale, and brought the delicious snacks and lunch. Many thanks to the Glendale Assistance League for another successful Authors and Illustrators Day! 

Columbus School, Glendale, CA. The eagle is the school mascot.

AUTHOR VISIT AT GOLDEN VIEW SCHOOL, Huntington Beach, CA

On May 24 I had an enjoyable visit at Golden View School in Huntington Beach, California and gave presentations to the Pre-K, K, and 1st and 2nd grade students. I was pleased with the good response to my program and the students' enthusiastic participation in the "Lion Hunt" and singing the Wiggle and Waggle song. They also helped count down the launch of the rocket as I read My Friend from Outer Space. 

The visit was sponsored by the Huntington Beach Friends of the Children's Library (FOTCL), a group that has been supporting author visits to the schools for many years. This year FOTCL donated $100 to the school to purchase copies of my books for their library. Now the students at Golden View can continue to enjoy my books in years to come. I thank Larry Hersh and Sandy de la Fuente, volunteers with FOTCL, who helped make the arrangements for this visit. And I thank librarian Alina Jiminez-Newton and principal Lori Florgan at Golden View for organizing the day, coordinating the book orders, and helping with the technology. And I especially thank the lower grade teachers for welcoming me and  providing delicious snacks in the teachers' lounge.

AUTHOR VISIT AT WPC PRESCHOOL, Los Angeles, CA

Wiggle and Waggle sock puppets.

This morning I had an enjoyable visit with the children at the Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool, Los Angeles, California, an annual event. Many of my books are in the school library. Earlier this spring all of the classes had raised painted lady butterflies, which provided an opportunity for me to discuss my book BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6. With the two-year-old and three-year-old classes, I also read WIGGLE AND WAGGLE accompanied by my Wiggle and Waggle sock puppets. With the four and five year old classes I shared A ZEBRA’S WORLD followed by a group Lion Hunt, and then read MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE and THE TERRIBLE HODAG AND THE ANIMAL CATCHERS. I was impressed by how good listeners the children were as I read the stories. I thank Director Bri Naiman for coordinating my visit and for being an enthusiastic Wiggle and Waggle puppeteer. 

It has become a tradition that I read this Hodag book at my visits to the WPC Preschool.

VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BERGEN, Bergen, Norway

In the library of the International School of Bergen with Jules Crossley-Nilsen and teacher. We are holding books that I donated to the library.

While my husband Art attended his meetings at a scientific conference in Bergen, Norway, I took a taxi to the International School of Bergen in Sandlihuagen, a suburb of the city, for a tour of the school. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit several of the classrooms and meet the children and teachers. (Classes are taught in English.)  I went into first, second, and third grade classes and the children tried to guess how many books I had written. They were amazed to learn that it is 170! One student asked me if I was famous. I told him that my books are in libraries all over the US and in many parts of the world. So, I can say that my books are famous. I was thrilled to discover that one of the teachers has a copy of my very first book--Five Nests! It was published in 1980. It was part of her mother’s collection of books from when she was a school librarian in India.

I thank Jules Crossley-Nilsen, the librarian and Community Ambassador at ISB for arranging my visit and coordinating my tour of the school. I donated several of my books to the library and Jules told me that she plans to order more. They are a good fit for Earth Day and other parts of the curriculum. I know that this is a busy time of year at the school and I appreciate that I was able to visit. I hope there will be a chance for me to come back some time in the future or possibly to arrange an author visit by Zoom.

 

SPEAKER at CHARLOTTE HUCK CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL, Redlands, CA

Book signing at the Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival

Last week on Friday and Saturday I attended the 27^th annual Charlotte Huck Children’s Literature Festival at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California--two full days of inspiring keynote speakers, stimulating breakout sessions, and the opportunity to meet and chat with teachers, librarians and other authors. 

Festival Program cover, Art by Dan Santat

Keynote speakers were Tami Charles, Dan Santat, Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, Mac Barnett and Gennifer Choldenko. Breakout sessions were led by a variety of authors, librarians and educators, including me.  In addition to all the talks and breakout sessions, there were book signings, book sales, opportunity drawings for baskets of books, and tasty lunches and food at the Friday reception.

With Rachel Kendall and her 6th grade class from Redlands Adventist Academy

On Friday morning I presented a breakout session with teacher Rachel Kendall from the Redlands Adventist Academy. The title of our session was Graphic Picture Books Keep Young Readers Turning the Page. I gave an overview of graphic picture books, showing how they combine text, images, word balloons, sound effects and panels to tell the story and then shared my book My Friend from Outer Space. Earlier this year I had read the book to Mrs. Kendall’s 6^th grade class and then each of the students made their own graphic picture book using my book as an inspiration. 

Cover of student book, The Blue Water Bottle

Page from student book Dot's Perfect Day

Mrs. Kendall brought her students to the festival and at the end of the session they shared their books with the audience. Everyone in the audience was impressed by the variety of subjects the students had chosen for their books and the creativity of their stories and illustrations. If there was one thing they all learned, it was that it is not easy to be an author! 

Charlotte Burgess awarding Janet Wong with the Charlotte Huck Honoree Award

I thank all the people on the planning committee who make this festival possible, especially Marjorie Arnett, Festival Coordinator and founder of the festival twenty-seven years ago, and Charlotte Burgess, Festival Chairperson, niece and namesake of Charlotte Huck. I have been to this wonderful festival of books and reading numerous times in the past and it was a pleasure to participate once again. Each year it gets better and better.

Author/Poet Janet Wong

 

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE: Fun Activities for Kids

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE. In this new graphic picture book Sherry tries to convince her friend that she comes from outer space. But does she? Join Sherry and her friend as they zoom through space at a zillion miles an hour. Here are some activities you can do after reading the book.

ACTIVITIES

1. Let’s pretend. Pretending is a good way to get an idea for a story. Write or tell your own story.

2. Make up your own language. What do you think Glug, flug, Tinbambam means in the story?

3. Make your own space ship with a cardboard box.

4. Create your own outer space costume. Do you look like a monster from outer space?

5. Design a quilt square from a scene in the book. Make a class quilt.

6. Create a comic strip. Put the words in speech balloons.

7. Make a model of the planetary system. What planets did Sherry and her friend see in outer space?

8. Perform a puppet play of the story. Make stick puppets or paper bag puppets.

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE

By Caroline Arnold Illustrations by Paige Arnold

ISBN 9798399935614 Paperback $9.99

ASIN B0CB9BXWLC Kindle ebook $6.99

Available at Amazon or to order at your favorite book store.

The book is also available in Spanish as MI AMIGA DEL ESPACIO. ISBN 9798870320717

For more about the book go to www.carolinearnoldbooks.com/myfriendfromouterspace.html

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, NOW AVAILABLE IN SPANISH

My book, My Friend from Outer Space, has now been translated into Spanish and is available on Amazon. Mi Amiga del Espacio is available in both paperback and as a Kindle ebook.

With many thanks to my brother Tom Scheaffer, who for many years was a bilingual Spanish teacher in an elementary school in California, and to my daughter Jennifer Arnold and her husband Humberto Gutierrez Rivas, a native speaker from Chile.

Here is the description of the book in Spanish:

"Sherry es mi vecina. Ella dice que viene del espacio. No le creo."
Sherry y su amiga van al espacio en un cohete de cartón. ¿Realmente van al espacio? ¿O simplemente están fingiendo?
Este libro ilustrado es para niños de cinco a doce años.
Publicado originalmente en inglés con el título My Friend from Outer Space (Amazon, 2023).
Traducción por Thomas Scheaffer y Humberto Gutiérrez-Rivas.

REVIEW of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE in Fall 2023 Issue of The Grinnell Magazine

I am pleased to have MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE included in the Authors and Artists section of the fall issue of the Grinnell Magazine.

Caroline Scheaffer Arnold ’66, DHL ’01, Amazon, July 2023

A graphic picture book for young readers illustrated with colorful, anime-style art, My Friend From Outer Space follows Sherry as she tries to convince her best friend that she comes from outer space. Arnold, who majored in art and literature at Grinnell, is the author of more than 170 books for children. Her work has received awards from the American Library Association, and the National Science Teachers Association, among others, and she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the College in 2001.

Issue: 

Fall 2023

SCBWI BOOKSTOP: Buy your copy of My Friend From Outer Space here!

The holidays are here! Purchase a wonderful book by SCBWI members. Find amazing stories in our members’ novels and picture books, and discover intriguing nonfiction – all make great gifts for the kids and young adults in your life and also for you! Go to https://www.scbwi.org/bookstop to browse, buy, and enjoy a new book.

I have created a page for my book MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE on the SCBWI BookStop site. 

At my BookStop page you will find links to Amazon where you can buy the book (paperback and Kindle), to the YouTube book trailer, and to my website where you can find more information about the book and its inspiration.

BookStop goes live to the book-buying public on Tuesday, November 14 through December 22. The goal is to give new books by SCBWI members the exposure they deserve during peak holiday buying season.
Check it out and leave a comment!

VIDEO BOOK TRAILER now on YOUTUBE for My Friend from Outer Space

 

A short (1 minute 40 second) video book trailer of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE is now on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSP_ZICyJ0Y

Take a look, then read the book and find out what Sherry really looks like on the Planet Tinbambam.

You can purchase MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE ON  on Amazon.

Paperback     $9.99

Kindle            $6.99

Order your copy now!

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE, Available on Amazon

Illustration from My Friend from Outer Space

Does Sherry really come from outer space, or is she just wearing her Halloween costume? Read the book. Then you decide.

The Halloween promotion of free copies of MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE is now over, but you can still purchase copies on Amazon. Both paperback and Kindle books are available.

Order your book now!

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her."

FREE BOOK! My Friend from Outer Space--HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE

FREE BOOK!   5 DAYS ONLY (Oct 27—31)

Order your Kindlecopy now!

Does Sherry really come from outer space, or is she just wearing her Halloween costume? Read the book. Then you decide.

Happy Halloween!

BEDTIME STORY JAM at Westwood Charter Elemenrary, Los Angeles, CA

At Bedtime Story Jam, Westwood School, Los Angeles, CA

With many thanks to parent Parisi Sooferi for inviting me to the annual Bedtime Story Jam last Friday at Westwood Charter School in Los Angeles. I was one of eleven authors at this popular event celebrating books and reading. Children came in their pajamas and had cookies and milk between sessions. It was great to be back and have the opportunity to share my books with the children and parents.

My room was packed and I got an enthusiastic response to my program. PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 was my featured book (not to be confused with my room for the night, #3!) 

I also shared stories from WIGGLE AND WAGGLE and concluded with reading MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE. Everyone clapped at the end! Thanks so much to all the volunteers for a great evening. And special thanks to volunteer Karen Boyarsky, who introduced me and helped everything run smoothly. Thanks also to Children's Book World for making my books available for purchase and to my friend Sherrill Kushner for helping me with book sales in my room at the school on Friday night.

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE: Book Quilt Square

My Friend From Outer Space: Detail of Quilt made by students and parents at Taft Primary School, Taft, California

One of the most treasured souvenirs of my many author visits to schools through the years is the book quilt made for me by the students and parents of Taft Primary School in Taft, California. One of my favorite squares features one of my most popular fiction books at the time, My Friend From Outer Space (Franklin Watts, 1981), a story inspired by the imaginative games of my own children. I love all the comets in the sky and the candy-striped space ship. (A new version of My Friend from Outer Space has just been published on Amazon in a graphic picture book style. Now children can enjoy this story again!)

Taft Primary School

Well in advance of my visit, students had read a variety of my books.  They then chose a topic or scene from one of the books and made their own drawings which were then transferred to fabric by some very hardworking parents and sewn into a quilt.

Scenes from the Winter Olympics

The visit was made almost thirty years ago, around 1985. I can tell because many of the drawings feature events from The Summer Olympics and The Winter Olympics, books that were published at the time of the 1984 Summer Olympics which were held in Los Angeles.

Some of the other quilt squares feature scenes from my book about giant sequoia trees, The Biggest Living Thing, which was illustrated with my own drawings and printed using pre-separated colors. Every time I get out the quilt, I am not only reminded of the books, but of my wonderful visit to Taft Primary and the tremendous love of books and reading promoted throughout the community.

Scene depicting a page in The Biggest Living Thing

INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH KALB about MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE

I was pleased to be interviewed by journalist Deborah Kalb about my new book MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE. She has posted it on her blog Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb this week. Deborah Kalb interviews a lot of authors and I am happy to join the list. It is always good to have more publicity! Thank you Deborah!

Here are the questions she asked me. Check out her blog for the answers!

1. A version of your book My Friend from Outer Space was initially published in 1981. How did this new graphic novel version of the book come about?

2. What are the main similarities and differences between the two versions?

3. What do you think Paige Arnold's illustrations add to the story?

4. What do you hope kids take away from the book?

5. What are you working on now?

6. Anything else we should know?

From Deborah Kalb's website:

Deborah Kalb is a freelance writer and editor. She spent about two decades working as a journalist in Washington, D.C., for news organizations including Gannett News Service, Congressional Quarterly, U.S. News & World Report, and The Hill, mostly covering Congress and politics. Her book blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, which she started in 2012, features hundreds of interviews she has conducted with a wide variety of authors.

Deborah's newest book is Off to Join the Circus.

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE Now Available at my Etsy Site

You can now find my book MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE at my ETSY SITE along with giclee prints of my cut-paper illustrations from some of my other books.

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her." In this easy-read picture book story, Sherry tries to convince her best friend that she really is from outer space and takes her there in her homemade rocket. But do they really go to the Planet Tinbambam? Or is it just pretend?

Rewritten and newly illustrated with colorful anime style art by Paige Arnold, this graphic picture book is the perfect choice for young readers to read alone or aloud to younger children.

Sample illustration.