LETTERS FROM STUDENTS about my Room 6 Books

I love getting letters from students! The kindergarteners and Pre-K students at Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA, read HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6, and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 as they raised butterflies in their classroom and planted a school garden. I just received their letters in the mail. I loved finding out about their favorite books and seeing the children's illustrations. Many thanks to their teacher, Heather Davis Puerzer, for sending the letters to me.

ROOM 6 BOOKS--Hatching Chicks, Butterflies, Planting a Garden--NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!

I am happy that my three Room 6 books, HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6,  and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 are now available in paperback. Find them online or at your favorite bookstore. Buy one or get all three!

Planting a Garden in Room 6

·        ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1623544300

Butterflies in Room 6

·        ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1623542672

Hatching Chicks in Room 6

·        ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1623542689

Back cover of HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6

Back cover of BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6: See How They Grow

Back cover of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad

NETGALLEY REVIEWS of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

I recently discovered a whole list of great reviews for my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 on NetGalley. NetGalley is a site that provides galleys of books to review in advance of publication. (Once the book is published the galleys are no longer available.) Every reviewer gave the book five stars! Thank you!

Here's an example of one of the reviews.

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2022
What an excellent introduction to gardening for young children! The book follows a kindergarten class as they plant a vegetable garden. Each step is recorded in vivid, detailed photographs that bring the subject to life. Kids will not only be fascinated by everything they learn about plants and natural science as they follow along, but they also will be engaged by following students just like themselves through the process.

The language is clear and simple and basic concepts of plant growth are explained in accessible manner. There is a simple Q&A section about gardening at the end, along with a glossary of terms. This would be an excellent introduction to a classroom unit on plants and gardening or to inspire kids to try a gardening project at home.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review! 

Jacket back of Planting a Garden in Room 6

 

PUBLICATION DAY! PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad

Happy Book Birthday! Hooray! Today is the publication day for my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad (Charlesbridge, 2022), the third book in my Life Cycles in Room 6 series. With many thanks to my editor, Alyssa Pusey, for guiding another book through the editing and publication process and helping me to hone my text, and to Cathleen Schaad for her brilliant design of the book. And many, many thanks to Jennifer Best for welcoming me into her classroom and working with me on yet another Room 6 book, to the children and their families for their cooperation and enthusiasm for this book, and to Mrs. Meade, principal of Haynes Charter for Enriched Studies, for her support of the project.

Caroline and Jennifer Best

It has been a long two years since the children in Mrs. Best's kindergarten class planted their school garden. They are now in second grade. We are planning a party soon to celebrate the book. I look forward to presenting each of them of a signed copy.

ZOOM VISIT WITH KINDERGARTENERS in Redlands, CA

This morning I had a wonderful virtual visit with Mrs. Huynh’s kindergarten class in Redlands, California. The children have planted a garden and my visit was an opportunity for them to share their gardening project with me and for me to share my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 with them.

In two weeks Mrs. Huynh and I will meet in person at the Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival in Redlands as we do a joint presentation featuring PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 and the hands-on gardening experiences of the children in Mrs. Huynh’s class. We will also share highlights of my virtual visit to her class.

My visit began with me reading the first story in WIGGLE AND WAGGLE, a book inspired by my own gardening experience. They children joined in with their Wiggle and Waggle stick puppets as I read the story and sang the song. I loved their enthusiasm.

I also shared my Peter Rabbit miniature garden, showing it close-up with my computer camera. The kids were delighted to see all the tiny plants and gardening tools.

Then after reading PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 aloud and a time for questions, Mrs. Huynh and the children went outside and gave me a tour of their garden boxes where they had planted lettuce, carrots, beans, radishes and other vegetables. It looks like all the plants are off to a good start. They should be able to harvest the first radishes in about a month and some of the other plants too.

At the end of my visit I had time to share my book A ZEBRA’S WORLD. I was pleased to learn that it is part of the curriculum and the children had already read it. I showed them how I made the illustrations for the book. A simpler version makes a great art project for kids. Here's a link to my blog post about doing the zebra art project with Mrs. Best's students at Haynes School. Zebra Stripes Art Project at Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA The template and directions for "Putting Stripes on the Zebra" can be downloaded from my website (the link is in the blog post.) I'm always amazed at how each child makes their zebra unique.

I hope that someday I will be able to visit Mrs. Huynh’s class in person!

 

LETTERS FROM STUDENTS: Author Visit Follow-Up

I love to do author visits and to feel the excitement that surrounds my appearance at a school. But the real value for the students is in the preparation and follow-up. I love to get letters and thank-you notes from students and teachers after my visit. They tell me what the students remember and what most impacted them about my program.
A few months ago I was pleased to receive a packet of thank-you notes from Mrs. Ritter’s kindergarten class at Jacoby Creek School in Arcata, which I visited in October during the Humboldt County Authors Festival. In the picture above you can see me (without any hair!) and the table with my book display. I love the drawing of the tiny butterfly in the book in my hand!

Note: One of the casualties of the coronavirus pandemic is the suspension of school and cancellation of author visits. I don't expect to do any on site author visits in the near future, although perhaps when school reopens there will be the possibility of Skype or Zoom visits. Time will tell.

SING THE AUTHOR SONG

In the hallway at Kipp Raices Academy, Los Angeles, CA

Recently, when I was visiting one of the kindergarten classes at Kipp Raices Academy in Los Angeles, I asked, “Who can tell me what an author does?” and hands shot up with the answer. It turned out that the children knew what authors do because they had learned the Author Song earlier in the year, which they proceeded to sing enthusiastically. And when they finished, they sang the Illustrator Song. They were so excited to have me visit and meet a real live author and illustrator. I was excited to be there! I never knew there was an author song and illustrator song for children until they sang them for me.

                                 Author Song
               (sung to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The author is one who writes the words,
writes the words,
writes the words,
The author is the one who writes the words,
all through the book.

                                Illustrator Song
               (sung to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The illustrator likes to draw and paint,
draw and paint,
draw and paint,
The illustrator likes to draw and paint,
all through the book.

Review of BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 at the Mom Read It Blog

I was pleased to find the following excellent review of my new book BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 at the Mom Read It blog, written by librarian Rosemary Kiliditas. I am especially happy that she mentions the book's connection to STEM/STEAM education. I hope that reading my book and learning about metamorphosis inspires young children to think about becoming future scientists.

Mom Read It (blog) March 7, 2019
Spring is getting closer and closer, and that means that science classrooms all over the place are going to introduce their little ones to the life cycle of a caterpillar/butterfly. We’ve done it in my home, and each of my kids has done it in school, and it’s exciting every time. Butterflies in Room 6 revisits the Kindergarten students of Room 6 – a new group, since Hatching Chicks in Room 6 was published in 2017 – as they raise butterflies, starting from teeny, tiny caterpillar eggs.

Full-color photographs and informative text take this STEM/STEAM story through the step-by-step process by which the class observed and cared for their caterpillars; feeding them, observing the stages of life, moving the chrysalises to a larger, netted environment, the exciting emergence of the painted lady butterflies from their cocoons, and their release into the world! Leaf-shaped callouts throughout the book provide additional caterpillar and butterfly facts, and back matter provides butterfly questions, vocabulary, and a nice list of online and print resources for further reading.
Butterflies in Room 6 brings a real-world look into a primary classroom – it’ll get kids excited about science, especially if this is one of your classroom projects. Pair this with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the classic that my kids all read in their kindergarten classes, Deborah Heiligman’s From Caterpillar to Butterfly.
By Librarian Rosemary Kiliditas

BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6: Where Do Ideas Come From?

Jennifer Best, Kindergarten teacher at Haynes School for Enriched Studies

Several years ago, when I was doing an author visit at a school in Los Angeles, I met Jennifer Best, a kindergarten teacher. Each spring, her students learn about life cycles. Two years ago I spent time in her classroom while they were hatching chicken eggs in an incubator. That resulted in my book Hatching Chicks in Room 6. At the same time, the class was also raising Painted Lady butterflies from caterpillars, watching the caterpillars grow in a jar, turn into chrysalises, and, after a week or so, emerge as beautiful butterflies. It seemed like the perfect sequel to Hatching Chicks in Room 6.

As with the book about chicks, I realized that the best way to tell this story was with photographs. I had taken photographs for some of my other books, so I decided to do it myself. I embedded myself in Jennifer Best’s classroom, which enabled me to follow the process and get the photos I needed. (A challenge in taking the photographs was that neither the children nor butterflies stayed still for long!) Spending so much time in the classroom also allowed me to interact with the kindergarten students, which helped me to target my text at the right level. The children’s enthusiasm was contagious as they learned about butterflies and had the thrill of releasing them outdoors and watch them fly into the neighborhood. I am extremely grateful to Jennifer Best for her cheerful cooperation in this project and for being my expert reader. I couldn’t have done this book without her.

Butterflies in Room 6 is a book for primary age children about raising butterflies in the classroom. This photo essay follows the process of metamorphosis from a tiny egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, and finally to the emergence of the adult butterfly. Children observe each stage up close as they learn firsthand about a butterfly’s life cycle. Then, when the butterflies are a few days old, the children release them in the school garden.

Raising butterflies from caterpillars is a popular project at home and in school, with supplies easily available on the internet or at many museums and nature centers. The book includes scientific information that is written at a level understandable to young children. It is ideal to use with STEM or STEAM curriculums.

CELEBRATING BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 with Mrs. Best, the Children and their Families

Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Best and Me in Room 6, Haynes Elementary, LAUSD

Last Wednesday afternoon, Mrs. Best, the children in Room 6, their families and I celebrated the publication of BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 with a gala party in Mrs. Best's classroom at Haynes Elementary.

Mrs. Best's students in 2017, whose pictures are in the book

The kids were thrilled to receive their books, find the pictures of themselves in it and remember the thrill of raising painted lady butterflies. Afterward, we all enjoyed treats and special butterfly cupcakes. Many, many thanks to Jennifer Best, her students and their families. I couldn't have done the book without them!

Cupcakes with sugar butterflies

NEW CHICKS: Author Visit with Campbell Hall Kindergarten Students, Los Angeles, CA

Day-old chicks in the Kindergarten classroom at Campbell Hall

When I first met librarian Linda Pechin at the CLCSC workshop two weeks ago and she told me that the kindergarten students at her school, Campbell Hall, were hatching chicks in their classrooms, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for an author visit. So Linda arranged it, and on Thursday last week I went to the school and had a wonderful time.

Caroline with Linda Pechin, Librarian at Campbell Hall

Both classrooms had incubated eggs so there were two sets of day old chicks peeping in their cages. The children had read my book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 and we talked about how their process was similar to that described in the book. We also talked about how they know that chickens are birds–they have feathers and they lay eggs–and then I showed them my feather collection and measured their wingspans. I also shared my ostrich egg. Everyone was impressed that it takes 42 days for an ostrich egg to hatch–twice as long as a chicken egg. The visit ended with a story from my WIGGLE AND WAGGLE book and singing the gardening song. I then went to the library to autograph books.
I thank Linda Pechin and the kindergarten teachers and their students for a very enjoyable visit at Campbell Hall.

Author Visit with Kindergarteners at Westwood Charter School in Los Angeles

Westwood Charter School, Los Angeles, CA

Yesterday I had a fun visit with the kindergarten students at Westwood Charter School in Los Angeles, California, and shared my book Hatching Chicks in Room 6. It was an appropriate choice because they are also hatching eggs–except that they have duck eggs in their incubator. Several of the eggs already had pips so it won’t be long before the ducklings hatch. (Duck eggs take 28 days to hatch whereas chicken eggs hatch in 21 days.) I had a lively discussion about birds with the students, showed them my feather collection, and measured their wingspans. I found out that they will be celebrating Audubon’s birthday later this month. At the end of my visit I read the first two stories of Wiggle and Waggle and the children helped me sing the song.
Thanks to kindergarten teacher Sherry Kaufman for inviting me to her classroom. I enjoyed my visit.

PUBLICATION PARTY AT HAYNES SCHOOL for Hatching Chicks in Room 6

Lollipops to Celebrate the Publication of Hatching Chicks in Room 6

Last Thursday I made a special visit to Haynes CES School to present my new book, Hatching Chicks in Room 6, to the school, and to celebrate its publication with Jennifer Best, her students who are in the book, and their families. The party was after school in her room, but earlier in the day I gave two assemblies in the auditorium to all grades where I presented the book and talked about the process of writing it. Even for students who didn't have Mrs. Best for kindergarten (she is one of three kindergarten teachers in the school) there was school-wide excitement about the book.

Welcome Banner in Auditorium

Mrs. Best hatches chicks every year. During the incubation and hatching process many students in other classes drop by her room to see the eggs and chicks and check their progress. During the assembly I gave a book to Mrs. Meade, the principal, who was very supportive of the project and will feature it at a district meeting in. March. I also donated a book to the school library.

Caroline, Mrs. Best, and students with their new books

The party began with a presentation of an autographed book to each child. I

also gave each child a postcard and a chick lollipop--they could choose a
yellow, pink, or blue chick. To my surprise, the pink and blue chicks were
just as popular as the yellow ones. (I ordered the lollipops on the
internet.)

Chick cupcakes to celebrate

After the presentation and photographs it was time to eat. I
provided cupcakes decorated to look like chicks. (I bought the candy eyes
and beaks at a local cake decorating shop.) We also had some healthier
food--fruit, cheese, crackers and veggie sticks--and by the end of the party
all the food was completely gone. 

Mrs. Best sharing the book with some of her students

The children who are in the book are now in second grade. You can see in the
photos how much they have grown! They were thrilled to get the books and so
were their parents. Almost all the children who are in the book came to the party, even
several who had moved to other schools.

I am excited about promoting this book and pleased with all the good
reviews. I noticed on Amazon that it is number one in Hot New Releases
for Children's Science Experiment Books.
I thank Jennifer Best, her kindergarten students of 2014-15, their families, and everyone at Charlesbridge for helping to make this a great book!

Art Project: TORN PAPER PENGUINS

I am always delighted to find art projects inspired by my books. On a recent visit to Jennifer Best’s kindergarten class at Haynes School in Los Angeles, she showed me the cut paper penguin art the children had made after reading my book A Penguin’s World. The children had looked carefully at my illustration of a pair of penguins at their nest and then recreated their own versions with colored construction paper, doing an excellent job of matching the colors. In contrast to my art, which is cut with scissors, making a hard edge around each piece, the children tore the paper shapes, giving a wonderful soft edge to the pieces. The only pieces that were cut were the orange beaks and toes. The final works of art were then laminated. The best thing about this project is the individuality of each child’s art–no two pieces were alike and the penguins look wonderfully animated. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this project with me!

Zebra Stripes Art Project at Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA

Last week I spent a very enjoyable hour with Jennifer Best’s kindergarten class at Haynes Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles, California--reading my book A Zebra’s World, going on a “Lion Hunt” and working with the children as they made their own zebra art. For the art project each child received a cut out shape of a zebra–but without any stripes. We looked at a picture of a zebra to notice which way a zebra’s stripes go, and then the children glued black strips of paper onto their zebra shapes to give them their stripes. Black dots made with a paper punch were glued on for eyes.

Then they chose green and blue paper (for grass and sky) for the background and cut out suns, clouds, butterflies, trees and other objects of their choice to include in their pictures. I was impressed with the variety of ways they chose to create their art and how each child’s picture was unique. Before I became a children’s book writer I was an art teacher, and projects like this remind me of the joys of doing art with children. I thank Jennifer Best and the children in her class for sharing their time with me!

The template for the Put the Stripes on the Zebra project can be downloaded from my website on the zebra book page.

PUT THE STRIPES ON THE ZEBRA WORKSHOP at Beach School, Piedmont, CA

Last Wednesday I had a delightful visit with two classes of  kindergarteners at Beach School in Piedmont, California. We met in the library where I made a short presentation about my books and my cut paper illustration process and then the children got their chance to be illustrators too as they did the art project “Put the stripes on the zebra.”

The children glued black stripes on pre-cut zebra silhouettes and then put their zebras on backgrounds of blue and green paper. Then they added their own cut-out objects–suns, clouds, and even volcanoes. I am always amazed how each piece of art is unique even though all the children start with the same materials. The project is inspired by my book A Zebra's World , one of four new titles in the Series Caroline Arnold's Black and White Animals.

At the end of the visit the children had a chance to check out books and to watch a short slide presentation of i-pad photos showing them in the process of doing the project. I thank librarian Robin Ludmer for inviting me to Beach and for organizing my visit so well. I also am thankful to the parents who helped. It was a very successful morning!