A DINOSAUR IN THE LIBRARY! Art and Writing Projects Make Books Come Alive

Papier Mache Stegosaurus model in school library.

In the good old days of my author visits to schools (the 1990s), everyone had read at least one of my books before my visit, and every classroom had done some kind of project inspired by a book. By the day of my visit the excitement was palpable and the hallways, auditorium, and library were filled with student projects—ranging from poems, songs and stories, to paintings, drawings and scale models. I always brought my camera. Recently, while cleaning out I found some of those photos.

Dinosaurs are always a favorite with kids and my book DINOSAURS ALL AROUND (Clarion, 1992) inspired many projects. One of my favorites was the papier mache stegosaurus mounted in the school library. While not as large as a real stegosaurus, it certainly brought a Jurassic atmosphere to the library and for the students, helped bring the content of the book to life. Just ike Steven Czerkas, the dinosaur artist portrayed in the book, they had created a dinosaur model.

Dinosaurs All Around (Clarion, paperback 1997; hardback 1993.) Out of Print. Available digitally at Amazon.

Stephen Czerkas's dinosaur models, ranging from the largest carnivores to hatching babies, are widely exhibited in museums. This book is based on a traveling exhibit, "Dinosaurs: A Global View," organized by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and a visit to the artist's studio.

Note: Many schools still do wonderful projects as preparation for my author visits and I am always impressed by the creativity of teachers and students. But there seems to be less time now in the school day for extra projects than there once was, and I don't see as many as I used to.

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? Inspiration for MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE

Published in 1981 by Franklin Watts. OP.

My Friend From Outer Space (Franklin Watts, 1981) was my first published fiction book. It is illustrated by Carol Nicklaus. I got the idea for the story by listening to my own children and their friends play games in which they pretended that they were aliens. The trick, of course, was providing proof, and in my story I decided that the two girls would take a trip to outer space in a cardboard-box rocket ship.

After My Friend from Outer Space was published I took it to my author visits at schools and read it aloud to the children. Their favorite part was always the page where Sherry looks like an otherworldly monster. When I asked the audience at the end of the story if they thought the girls really went to outer space, a few hands always went up. When I asked who liked to pretend sometimes, all the hands were raised. I then made the point that pretend games can be a good way to get an idea for a story!

Note: The new 2023 edition of My Friend From Outer Space is the same story, but revised for a graphic picture book format. It is re-illustrated by Paige Arnold.

AUTHOR VISITS at the PLUM CREEK LITERACY FESTIVAL, Seward, Nebraska

Book signing at Plum Creek Literacy Festival, Seward, Nebraska

Last week I spent three full days, along with eighteen other children’s book creators at The Plum Creek Literacy Festival in Nebraska, speaking to children and adults in schools in Lincoln, Nebraska, and on the campus of Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. For me, this was the first time doing live visits in schools since Covid, and it was wonderful to see the smiling faces of the enthusiastic audiences. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the other authors, sharing meals and van rides and free time together.

Dylan Teut, Festival Director, and Caroline

I thank Dylan Teut, the organizer of the festival, for all the hard work of putting the program together, and all the 2022 committee members and and volunteers who helped make it all run smoothly. I am especially appreciative of Dawn Navis and Jeanne Gee for ably transporting us to and from all the events.

On Thursday, Betsy Thomas, my host in Lincoln, not only took me to all the schools, but treated me to a delicious lunch at the Green Gateau and a personal tour of the amazing capital building. 

On Friday, my host for the day was Tammy Stuhr, who helped make everything run smoothly and used her skills as a 4H trainer to entertain the children in between sessions. 

Authors, Festival Committee and Kiwanis and Rotary Members

On Friday evening, we were treated to a special barbecue at the Isaac Walton League cabin, sponsored by the Seward Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. The steaks were delicious!

Saturday was the Adult Conference on the campus of Concordia University. I thank all the volunteers who helped at the festival. 

The final event at the festival for me was the luncheon on Saturday, with keynote speaker Pam Munoz Ryan, who, as always, gave an inspiring talk about the importance of books and reading.

It has been twenty years since I last participated in the Plum Creek Literacy Festival. It was good to be back.

 

SAVING THE PEREGRINE FALCON: a Song to Remember

Peregrine Falcon Art

I have been cleaning out old files and came across this wonderful song created by the First Grade Class at Mission Avenue Open School in Sacramento, California in 1993. They had read my book, Saving the Peregine Falcon, used the information to create the song, and then performed it for me when I did an author visit to their school in April 1993. Afterward, they presented me with a copy of the words for the song along with a torn paper art project of a peregrine falcon. I have treasured it for many years.
Here is the song:

Peregrine Falcon

We are strong falcons,
We are strong falcons,
We are mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty birds!
But we need your help!
We need your help!
We need your help right now!

We are little peeps,
We are little peeps.
We don't like the DDT that's in our mother's meat!
'Cause it breaks our shells,
It breaks our shells,
It breaks our shells apart!

We are scientists, we are here to help.
We are scientists, we are here to help.
We will save you from the DDT!
We'll work together, you will surely see!

Thank you very much!
We were in "double Dutch",
But we're doing better now, we're better, better, now!

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW
CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW

THANK YOU FOR YOUR BOOK!
WE REALLY TOOK A LOOK!
FIRST GRADE WILL REMEMBER
TO HELP WILDLIFE!

The good news is that peregrine falcons are now (in 2016) no longer on the endangered species list, thanks to no more DDT and the dedicated work of many scientists. My book, Saving the Peregrine Falcon, illustrated with photos by Richard Hewett, is out of print but you may be able to find it in the library.

AUTHOR FESTIVAL, Huntington Beach, CA, Visit to Perry School

Signing books at the Huntington Beach Library

Tuesday, January 26th was the annual Huntington Beach, California, Author Festival, a wonderful day of authors and illustrators visiting schools followed by a gala reception and book signing at the Huntington Beach Public Library. My day started with presentations to three groups of students–kindergarteners, first graders and third graders–at Perry Elementary School.

Mascot of Perry Elementary School

We met in the library and I was pleased with the enthusiastic response by both students and teachers. I thank librarian Julie Prager for preparing the students and buying some of my more recent books for the library collection.

Huntington Beach Public Library

The afternoon reception at the public library began at 2:30 and children arrived with their parents to meet the authors and attend the award ceremony for the “Locked in the Library” writing and illustrating contest winners. I thank Gail Page, all the hardworking members of the Friends of the Children’s Library and Authors Festival Committee, the library staff, the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California, and all the other generous supporters for making the festival possible. This was the 28th Annual Authors Festival! I have participated in the festival almost every year since it began. It is always a great day!

Author Visits in the Madison School District, Phoenix, AZ

At Madison Rose Lane Elementary School with Jahnvieve and Deborah Reker

I have spent the last week doing author visits at four schools in the Madison School District in Phoenix, Arizona: Camelview, Rose Lane, Simis and Madison Traditional Academy.  The first three are primary schools, grades K through 4 and Madison Traditional Academy has students through grade 8. (I presented to K-6.) At all the schools I did four presentations and also autographed books that had been ordered ahead of time.  I thank Deborah Reker, District Librarian, for doing a terrific job organizing my visits and helping to coordinate each day. And I also thank her hard working library team–Valerie, Jahnvieve, Vicky and Cotton-- for preparing the students at each school for my visit by familiarizing them with my books and organizing the book signings. At each school I received a warm welcome and an enthusiastic response to my program. I also thank my friend and super librarian Mary Wong for making the connections that made my visit to Phoenix possible. It was a busy but very successful week! 

AUTHOR SHOWCASE, Bakersfield, CA

With Tina Nichols Coury at the SCBWI Author Showcase, Bakersfield, CA

A week ago on Saturday I had a great time in Bakersfield at the SCBWI CenCal PAL Showcase and met lots of enthusiastic parents and educators. Along with eleven other children's book authors, I had eight minutes to show some of the things I do during my school visits.  During the breaks, attendees came to our tables to collect information and book school visits for the coming year.  I am now looking forward to a number of visits to Kern County Schools.  Many thanks to Rebecca, Mary Ann and Allison for organizing the day!  Afterwards, all the authors had a delicious dinner at Mexicali restaurant and a chance to relax together.

All Twelve Showcase Authors!

CALIFORNIA READERS CLOSING ITS DOORS

As of August 2014, California Readers will be closing its doors. The main reason is the fact that LAUSD has not been funding personnel for its school libraries for the past several years and the people needed to coordinate the program in the schools are not there.
I am so sad to learn that California Readers will no longer exist.  It has been a wonderful organization and done so much to help connect authors like me with the many schools in the LA area.  I have really enjoyed the opportunity to do school visits both during the regular school day and after school for the LA's Best program.  And I will miss the annual luncheon, which has always been a highlight of the year.  I thank California Readers for honoring me as a Leo Politi author and for everything else it has done to promote reading, writing and the love of books.

Author Visits to LA's Best Young Authors in Los Angeles

I had two good visits with young authors a week ago at Wilshire Park and Harvard Schools in Los Angeles. These children are participating in the LA's Best after school young authors program and are making their own books.  I know it is inspiring for these young authors to hear from a "real-live" author such as me and to find out that they are doing many of the same things that I do when they are writing their books.  At both schools I gave my slide show to show my writing process.  Then at Wilshire Park the kids did a writing activity in which they created their own "mixed-up" animal after listening to me read my book The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers.  At Harvard School the kids did a Wiggle and Waggle creative art project after listening to me read two stories from the book.
Thanks to California Readers for coordinating this program!

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE FESTIVAL, Warrensburg, Missouri

Panda and book centerpiece

Imagine 40 children's book authors and illustrators plus 4000 children and their teachers all talking about reading, writing and illustrating for three days in March.  That is the Children's Literature Festival, held each year in Warrensburg, Missouri, at Central Missouri State University.  This was the 45th year of the festival and I was honored to be one of the authors participating.  (I came once before, about fifteen years ago.)  The Sunday schedule included a luncheon for authors, illustrators, librarians, teachers and friends, followed by book sales and autographing. The luncheon tables were decorated with wonderful open "books" displaying the name of each author, names of their books both on the cover and embedded in small plastic domes, and a paper cut object representing the author's work.  My centerpiece had a charming paper panda on it.

Autographing Too Hot? Too Cold?

On Monday and Tuesday, I met with groups of students and their teachers in classrooms on campus. I was impressed by the appreciative audiences and grateful for the volunteers who saw that everything ran smoothly.  I thank Naomi Williamson and her hard working committee and volunteers, especially the drivers who ferried us to and from the airport and between the hotel and campus, for the splendid organization of the festival and for making it such an outstanding event.
And I learned that most of the people in Missouri pronounce the second "i" not as a long "e" but as if it were an "a" as in "uh"! The next time I visit I will be sure to pronounce it like a native!

Author Visits and Workshops in North Carolina

"Put the Stripes on the Zebra" by TDS Kindergarteners

Last week I had two very nice author visits in North Carolina.  On Monday I spoke to a group of enthusiastic fourth graders at McDougle School in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, who were just embarking on their non-fiction unit for the year.  In my presentation I emphasized how my process writing nonfiction books is very much like what they do when they write a story or a report.  On Tuesday I spent the day at the Triangle Day School in Durham giving presentations and workshops to Kindergarten through Sixth Grade.  Each of the four sessions included a project.  With the sixth graders, who are studying ancient cultures, the students divided into small groups and prepared lists of items for the "trash can archeology" activity, a kind of virtual dig.  The fourth and fifth graders created "mixed up animals", inspired by the Hodag in my book The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers and then used their animals as the main character of a short story.  The two groups of younger children made cut paper zebras.  I am always surprised how individual each zebra becomes, even though all the children start with the same materials.  Of course, in real life no two zebras have exactly the same stripes!  At the end of the day I got a tour of the school, which included a stop in the art room where the students were just completing their pictures of Babylonian art and a visit to the science lab where I saw three baby quail that had just hatched in the incubator.  I had a full and fun day and was impressed by all the great projects the kids were doing.

Author Chair: LA's Best Young Author Program

Every author needs a special chair!  I found one waiting for me when I arrived at Micheltorena School in Los Angeles last week to meet with kindergarten, first and second grade students in the LA’s Best Young Author program.  Each one of the students had a book in progress and was becoming a young author and illustrator.  In my presentation I shared how my process of creating a book is much like theirs.  At the end of the hour I asked the students to share some of their favorite pages from their books.  I was impressed by their lively examples, their use of comparisons, their imaginations and their overall creativity! Here are some examples from their books:
 

I like dinosaurs because they play with me.
I am riding my skateboard because I do tricks.
I am a dancer because I practice and practice, and then I become one, and I show every body.
My sister is like a star.  She is pretty like a butterfly.  She is smart and I love her.
Dedicated to: my Dogs and cousins and Brother and Mom and Dad and Tia and sister and friends.
I am growing up to be a Firefighter because I help people.

The author visits to students in the LA’s Best Young Author program are funded by Target and coordinated through California Readers. California Readers is a group of educators, librarians, authors, artists, parents, book sellers, and business representatives whose mission is to connect California children, young adults, and their school communities with California authors, artists, and their creative works.

Young Authors at LA's Best

Welcome Banner at Arlington Heights

During the past school year children in the LA’s Best after school program at 33 Los Angeles schools participated in a Young Author’s program.  Children learned about getting and developing ideas and wrote their own books.  In coordination with California Readers, each participating school had a visit from a published author.  I visited six schools and was impressed by the enthusiasm of the children and how proud they were of their own books.  Even Kindergarten, First and Second Graders made their own books.  They learned that like most writers, their best material comes out of their own lives.  The theme of their books was “I Am...”  As I went around the room to meet the authors and admire each book I learned that “I am a good drawer,” “I am a good drummer,” “I am a good sister,” “I am good at basketball,” and “I am a good reader.”  Each book was different and expressed the personality of the author.  The children not only wrote their books but illustrated them as well.  Each book also had a title page, copyright page and a dedication.  I wish I had had a Young Author's program when I was growing up!

LA's BEST - Better Educated Students for Tomorrow - is a nationally recognized after school education, enrichment and recreation program serving more than 28,000 children with the greatest needs and fewest resources throughout the City of Los Angeles. LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program provides a safe haven for children ages 5 to 12 at 186 elementary school sites each day during the critical hours after school — at no cost to parents. Established in 1988, LA's BEST is a partnership including the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the private sector. LA’s BEST is part of Beyond the Bell, whose mission is to ensure that all children and youth in LAUSD have access to high quality, safe and supervised academic, enrichment, and recreation programs that inspire learning and achievement beyond the regular school day.

Project: Book Fact Scavenger Hunt

Like many authors, I find that school and library visits are one of the best ways to promote my books. They also put me in touch with my audience and give me a chance to talk with teachers and librarians to find out how my books are being used in the classroom. The most successful visits are those where the children are familiar with my books before I come. Recently, I visited a school where the librarian had devised a clever project to encourage the children to read my books. It was a Book Fact Scavenger Hunt, created by one classroom and then played by another. To make the "clues" each child chose a book, found a fact and turned it into a question. Here are some samples:

In the book A Panda's World, how many countries outside of China have pandas in zoos?
In the book Ostriches and Other Flightless Birds, why do ostriches eat small pebbles?
In the book A Killer Whale's World, who is the leader of the pod?
In the book House Sparrows Everywhere, what do restaurants put on their roofs to discourage sparrows from roosting?
In the book Giraffe, how much does the giraffe's heart weigh?

The librarian then typed a list of all the questions, made several copies of the list in a copy machine, and cut the paper so each question was a separate slip of paper. All the questions were put into a paper bag. Children picked out one question at a time and competed to see who could answer the most questions during the library period. By the day of my author visit, the children at the school were experts in books by Caroline Arnold!

Author Visits in the Redwoods: The Humboldt County Author Festival

Everyone needs a sign like this in front of their house, or wherever they go!  This sign was waiting for me in the parking lot of Freshwater School, the first of three amazing schools that I visited last week in Humboldt County as part of the biannual Humboldt County Author Festival.  At every school, the children had read my books in preparation for my visit and, in many cases, had done art projects as well.

At Garfield, the second school I visited, the children had created their own bookmarks, using the cut-paper technique I use for my book illustrations.  I was impressed how inventive they were and how they adapted their designs to the shape of the paper.  (One of my favorites was a crocodile.)

At the third school I visited, Maple Creek, a small rural school nestled in a pristine valley, the children had collected fossils from the creek (knowing that I have a particular interest in fossils and prehistoric life) and then composed two songs about prehistoric animals that they performed for me. They had also done artwork in advance of my visit including a painted life-size killer whale and a mural of Ice Age life in the Maple Creek valley.

I am always amazed at the creativity of the teachers, librarians, and children at the schools I visit and how they are able to use books like mine to inspire reading and as springboards for other activities.  The pleasure I get from doing school visits is that I get to interact with my readers and see how my books are actually used in the classroom.  I also get to meet all the hardworking teachers and librarians who are putting those books into the hands of children. In addition to the school visits, the Humboldt County Author Festival also included an art exhibit at the Morris Graves Art Museum in Eureka, where I had two of my illustrations on display, and a book signing at the public library in Eureka.  The Humboldt County Author Festival is possible only because dozens of volunteers spend months organizing it.  I am grateful for all their hard work and pleased that I can be part of it.