EDITH RENFROW SMITH, the First Black Woman to Graduate from Grinnell College—and still inspiring everyone she meets!

Front Cover: No One Is Better Than You

Edith Renfrow Smith was born in Grinnell, Iowa in 1914 to one of the few Black families in the area. In 1937 she became the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College. In 2024, at the age of 109, she continues to encourage and inspire everyone she meets. 

From the back cover of No One Is Better Than You

Her life story is told by Monique McLay Shore in her wonderful new picture book biography No One Is Better Than You: Edith Renfrow Smith and the Power of aMother’s Words. The beautiful and historically accurate illustrations are by Erica Lauren Butler.

Edith's graduation from Grinnell College, 1937. Illustration by Erica Butler.

Yesterday I received my first copy of the book, hot off the press. It is beautiful! I congratulate Monique and Erica for bringing Edith’s story to life and making it known to the wider world and for generations to come. The book is available at the Grinnell College Book Store.

I played a small part in the evolution of this book. Last spring I got an email from the alumni office at Grinnell College, (my alma mater,1966). I learned that another alum, Monique Shore (1990), was working on a children’s book biography of Edith Renfrow Smith. I had recently read about Edith in the college magazine so I was already intrigued. Knowing that I had published many children’s books, the alumni office asked if I would be willing to give any advice to Monique, who was new to the publishing world. Of course I agreed.

Monique had stayed in Grinnell after her graduation and became interested in local history. She works as a librarian at the town library. By the time I connected with her she had already done extensive research about Edith and her family, interviewed Edith and her daughter in Chicago and in Grinnell, and located an illustrator for the book. As I read Monique's manuscript I could see places where she could make it even better—by adding more details in some cases, moving some information to the back matter, and letting the illustrations tell the story in lieu of long descriptions.

Since Monique lives in Iowa and I live in Los Angeles, we met on Zoom. I had forgotten that the college yearbook is called The Cyclone. During one of our meetings I could hear the tornado watch siren as Monique hastily carried her computer to the basement of her house. But nothing stopped the progress of the book.

The process of shaping the manuscript that I went through with Monique was the same as when I am working on one of my own books except that in this case I was wearing the editor’s hat. And in the end, all the final decisions were made by Monique and Erica, with valuable input they got from Edith and her daughter. (It is rare that a biographer has the opportunity to get feedback from the subject of the book!) By mid-October the book was almost ready to go off to the publisher and Monique asked me to help with the proof reading—it is always good have a fresh pair of eyes to check one last time. Although I found a few small things, the book was in great shape and ready to go to the printer.

And now the book is ready for the world at large. Edith comes alive on every page through Monique’s well chosen words and Erica’s beautiful detailed illustrations. The story is a window on the life of a Black family in a small Iowa town in the first half of the 20^th century and later, on Edith’s adult life in Chicago, where she lives today. Although written for children, No One Is Better Than You is for all ages, and not just for people in Iowa and Chicago, but everywhere. And the theme is universal: No one is better than you. I highly recommend this book!

The story of the creation of No One Is Better Than You , from idea to printed page, is chronicled in Monique’s blog. You can also read about the book and its creation in an article celebrating its publication in the Southeast Iowa Union newspaper.

Edith with her mother. Illustration by Erica Butler.

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!

REMEMBERING EVE BUNTING: My Friend, My Mentor, My Role Model

Eve Bunting, 2017. Santa Cruz, CA

More than forty years ago I was invited to a party to celebrate the publication of Eve Bunting’s 100^th book. I was in awe. How could anyone write, much less publish, one hundred books! Eve kept writing, surpassing 250 books and winning countless awards. Last week, at age 94, Eve passed away. Her first book, published in 1971, was The Two Giants, an Irish tale. She is a giant among today’s children book writers and will be sorely missed.

I first met Eve Bunting in 1977 when I heard her speak at the summer conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers—SCBW—at the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. (The “I” for illustrators was added some years later.) Eve was already a prolific author and as she spoke in her lilting Irish accent, I said to myself, if she ever teaches a class in the Writer’s Program at UCLA Extension, I will take it. The following spring, her class in writing middle grade fiction was offered, and I signed up, along with twenty other fledgling writers. Week after week we each brought chapters of our novels to class. Eve read them aloud and we learned about voice, point of view, setting, character and all the elements necessary to write a compelling story. But probably the most important advice she passed along was the role of a writing group. She often mentioned her own writing group, Lunch Bunch, which had grown out of the writing class she took as a beginning writer. So, like Eve and her classmates had done, at the end of our ten-week class, we formed our own group. We met once a month thereafter, critiquing one another’s writing, sharing news, and soon celebrating our own publishing successes.

It was in Eve’s class that I met Herma Silverstein. (Herma and I subsequently collaborated on two books and she also published a number of her own.) For many years, Herma, Eve and I celebrated our birthdays together, exchanging small gifts, eating lunch at a nice restaurant and then going shopping. I don’t remember how this tradition started, but Eve always liked to go out to eat and  loved to shop, especially if we could find bargains! Eve’s birthday is December 19^th, and I have many fond memories of arriving at her house in Pasadena all decorated for Christmas, before we went out for our birthday lunch. Eve’s husband Ed, after he retired, was always there with a smiling face to greet us at the door. At our lunches Eve would always share her newest books and publishing news and be eager to hear ours. After Herma moved to Palm Desert, we met less often, but Eve and I did go on an expedition together to see her new house and go out to lunch there. (Herma passed away several years ago.)

The last time I saw Eve in person was in 2017 after she moved to Santa Cruz to be closer to her daughter. It was on a day trip to Santa Cruz from Oakland with my friend and fellow writer Joanne Rocklin. (Joanne had also been a student in one of Eve’s UCLA classes.) Not surprisingly, Eve had some new books to show us. Again, we went out to lunch, but instead of going shopping afterward, we took a walk along the ocean cliffs on the path that began just outside the door of Eve’s house. 

During the Pandemic it was not possible to visit in person, but Eve and I kept in touch by email. In my last email from her, when she was 93, and recently moved to a retirement community, she wrote:

I am well.  I enjoy where I am and know how lucky I am to find such a place.  I’m not writing.  ...  My last little PB has done well. “Hello, Baby, I’m your Mom.”  So who knows…maybe I’ll do another!

Love, Eve

I don’t believe that Eve wrote another picture book since that email. But I wouldn’t be surprised to hear she that she is coming up with new story ideas up in Heaven!

Eve was my friend, my hero, my role model. I will miss her.

Caroline, Herma, Eve, 1995.

Note: Eve's many accomplishments are highlighted in this article from Kirkus Reviews.

A longer obituary appeared in Publisher's Weekly.

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.

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.

REMEMBERING CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATOR ERIC CARLE (1929-2021)

Renowned children's book illustrator Eric Carle, most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, passed away this week at the age of 91. In honor of his passing I am republishing my article written after a visit in 2017 to an exhibit of his work at the High Museum in Atlanta.

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY Announcement of JULIET'S LIGHTHOUSE

The announcement of my book Juliet's Lighthouse, to be published in the spring of 2022 by Cameron Kids, appeared in this week's issue of Publisher's Weekly. I am excited about the book, which was inspired by a trip to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, where I learned about Juliet Nichols, light keeper on the island at the time of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and her courageous ringing of the fog bell by hand during two long foggy nights after the mechanism of the bell machine failed. The book will be illustrated by Rachell Sumpter.

40th FOCAL AWARD LUNCHEON, honoring the book Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix

Illustrator Man One, and authors Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee of Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix, winner of the 2019 FOCAL Award

Saturday, December 14th was the 40th FOCAL award luncheon, a gala event which, each year, honors a children’s book celebrating California. FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) is the support group of the Los Angeles Public Library Children’s Book Department. I enjoy attending every year and this was no exception.

Caroline Gill, President of FOCAL

The 2019 FOCAL award went to the wonderful picture book Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee and illustrated by Man One. Both authors and the illustrator came to the luncheon and told how they worked together to create the book in an entertaining and informative presentation. It was great to see how they had captured the look and feel of LA’s diverse communities and the life and personality of Chef Roy Choi.

Art teacher Ray Moszkowics and his students from Noble Middle School

The luncheon was held at the Border Grill in downtown Los Angeles, a restaurant conveniently located just one block from the Central Library. Tables were decorated with creative centerpieces made the students of art teacher Ray Moszkowicz at Nobel Middle School. They depicted tiny replicas of Roy Choi’s famous food trucks amid the towering skyscrapers of Los Angeles.

Essay winner Elizabeth Bijleveld and one of the centerpieces

Also on display were the puppets made by Jesse Kingsley and Moira Lael Macdonald. This year there were four puppets–one each for the authors and illustrator, and another for the library collection. During the beginning of the luncheon a review of all the previous FOCAL winners and accompanying puppets played on a screen behind the podium.

Jesse Kingsley, creator of the Chef Roy Choi puppets

Highlights of the program included the welcome by FOCAL President Caroline Gill, the election of new officers, recognition of three founding members of FOCAL, Sandy Schuckett, Lara Clardy and Renny Day, who are still actively involved in the FOCAL programs, a delicious lunch, the reading of the essays by contest winners Antonio Chow, Elizabeth M.C. Bijleveld and Ariana Perez, the introduction of the award winning authors and illustrator by Meredith McGowan, the FOCAL Award Committee chair, the puppet presentation, and of course the presentations by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, June Jo Lee and Man One.

Student essay winners Ariana Perez, grade 8, Elizabeth Bijleveld, grade 5, and Antonio Chow, grade 4

Unfortunately, the restaurant was unusually busy and noisy, which often made it difficult to hear, especially when the contest winners were reading their essays. The essays will be published in the next issue of FOCAL Points, providing another chance to appreciate the excellent work done by the students and their teachers.

June Jo Lee

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 FOCAL’s 40th anniversary.

Founding FOCAL members Renny Day, Lara Clardy and Sandy Schuckett

AAAS/SUBARU Children's Science Picture Book Award--Short List

I am happy to learn that BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 is on the short list for the AAAS/Subaru Children's Science Picture Book Award short list.

AAAS and Subaru are proud to announce the finalists for the 2020 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Children’s Science Picture Book category. The Prize celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults and is meant to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for all ages. Longlists for all four categories were announced in October.

The 2020 winner will be selected from among the following finalists.

• Butterflies in Room 6: See How They Grow, by Caroline Arnold. Charlesbridge, 2019.
  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. Engaging text captures the children’s wonder and explains the science behind metamorphosis.
• Follow That Bee! A First Book of Bees in the City, by Scot Ritchie. Kids Can Press, 2019.
  This playful book mixes narration, facts and appealing illustrations to introduce young children to why the world needs bees, and how people can help them thrive. The book encourages children to look closer at the natural world around them, including in cities, and raises their awareness about how each person can do something to help the environment.
• Moth: An Evolution Story, by Isabel Thomas. Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2019.
  A clever picture book text about the extraordinary way in which animals have evolved, intertwined with the complication of human intervention. This remarkable retelling of the story of the peppered moth is the perfect introduction to natural selection and evolution for children.
• When Sue Found Sue: Sue Hendrickson Discovers Her T. Rex, by Toni Buzzeo. Illustrated by Diana Sudyka. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019.
  From a very young age, Sue Hendrickson was meant to find things: lost coins, perfume bottles, even hidden treasure. Her endless curiosity eventually led to her career in diving and paleontology, where she would continue to find things big and small. In 1990, at a dig in South Dakota, Sue made her biggest discovery to date: Sue the T. rex, the largest and most complete T. rex skeleton ever unearthed.

AAAS will provide resources based the 2020 finalists, and once again the books will be offered to schools across the country as part of the Subaru Loves Learning initiative. Through this partnership between AAAS and Subaru, more than 91,000 books were donated in 2019.

Winners will be announced in January and awarded at the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, W.A., February 13-16, 2020.

AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books

I have just learned that Butterflies in Room 6 has made it to the longlist for the 2020 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Children’s Science Picture Book category! The book is one of eight books that were selected. Out of this list, the judges will chose four finalists. 

The Prize celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults and is meant to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for all ages. I am so pleased and honored to have my book on this list.

David Wiesner Picture Book Illustrations at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Illustration from Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

David Wiesner, the recipient of three Caldecott Medals for his books, Tuesday (1992), The Three Pigs (2002) and Flotsam (2007), is one of the premier children’s book illustrators of our time.

Looking into the second room of the exhibit

A week ago I went with two friends to see the exhibit, David Wiesner, the Art of Picture Book Storytelling at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. It was a wonderful opportunity to see his original paintings up close and to learn about the various influences on his work, ranging from silent movies from the 1930's, surrealist painters, his childhood memories, comic books, his pet cat, and more. 

Illustration from Flotsam

David Wiesner's mastery of detail and imaginative use of images make you want to examine his art again and again–each time finding something new to look at.

Art from The Three Pigs

A collection of his books are also part of the exhibit, allowing visitors to read the stories along with viewing the art. Here are just a few of the paintings in this stunning exhibit. The exhibit, which opened January 29, 2017 will close May 14, 2017.

Reproduction of David Weisner's Book Week poster

I SEE A STORY: The Art of Eric Carle at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

School Library Journal Review of HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6

My new book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 will be published next week on January 10th and has already received a number of very positive advance reviews.The following review appeared in School Library Journal, December 2016

PreS-Gr 2– Through the excellent use of colorful up-close photos, Arnold captures the excitement of hatching chicks in a real kindergarten class. She documents the 21-day journey from incubation to birth, and growth to maturity; the science behind the process; and the delight and wonder of Mrs. Best’s diverse group of students. The classroom in which the project occurs will likely be familiar to many readers; projects and artwork adorn the walls standard school furniture makes up the room, etc. The energy of Mrs. Best’s students is palpable, and readers are invited to share in the spectacle and surprise of the first hatched chick. Asides provide additional information on the different parts of an egg, what chicken mash is, and more. A glossary explains unfamiliar terms, such as candling and wattle. Back matter offers further questions for readers to contemplate. VERDICT A first purchase for use as a read-aloud in science curricula on chickens and the life cycle. (Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY)

Booklist Review of HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6

My new book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 will be published next week on January 10th and has already received a number of very positive advance reviews.The following review appeared in Booklist, December 1, 2016

Readers are in for a treat as they join Mrs. Best and her kindergarten class for their egg-hatching project, aka the most adorable class project ever. Mrs. Best has brought a variety of chicken eggs–brown, white, speckled–from her backyard coop to an incubator in her classroom in order to teach her students about how chicks grow. The informative text is augmented by copious photo illustrations, including a diagram of the different parts of an egg, a demonstration of candling (placing a fertilized egg over a light to see inside it) and eventually the fluffy chicks themselves. The book documents how Mrs. Best’s diverse class counts down the 21 days until the eggs hatch, the hatching process, and the first month of the chicks’ lives, detailing their care and growth, and nesting quick facts in egg-shaped ovals throughout. Readers will come away with a good understanding of chickens origins and will likely want to rush off to hatch an egg of their own, but Arnold wisely cautions that chickens do not make good pets. (Julia Smith)

Publishers Weekly Review of HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6

My new book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 will be published next week on January 10th and has already received a number of very positive advance reviews.The following review appeared in Publishers Weekly, November 21, 2016

Through photographs and direct, unadorned writing, Arnold (Living Fossils) takes readers to a (real-life) kindergarten class in Los Angeles, where the teacher, Mrs Best, brings in eggs from the chickens she keeps at her home. As the children tend to the eggs, keeping track of the 21-day incubation cycle on a calendar, readers learn about the parts of an egg and how a chick develops inside. Finally, the eggs begin to hatch: “Little by little, the shell begins to crack. It is like unzipping a zipper.” Arnold’s photographs clearly show the children observing, feeding, and learning how to hold the chicks, which eventually return to Mrs. Best’s house. A glossary and answers to common questions (“When you eat an egg, are you eating a baby chick?” “Do chickens make good pets?”) conclude this up-close look at where chickens–and their eggs–come from. Ages 3-7.

Kirkus Review of HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6

My new book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 will be published next week on January 10th and has already received a number of very positive advance reviews.
The following review appeared in Kirkus, November 15, 2016.

It’s a lucky kindergartner who gets to witness the miracle of life through the incubation of eggs.
Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Best raises chickens at home and is teaching her diverse group of students about chickens and eggs. In brilliant close-up photographs, readers see the students wide-eyed faces as they learn about incubation, the parts of the egg, the egg tooth, and everything else about the 21-day cycle of egg to chick. The easy-to-read narrative follows the days to hatching and the first weeks of life in the classroom. On many pages, the classroom story is supplemented by scientific information set in faux hand-written type in egg-shaped callouts. Teachers who are contemplating bringing eggs (and their eventual chicks) into the classroom will learn much here. Ample back matter will help to answer any additional chicken questions for the especially interested teacher or student, including some tricky ones. For example, she broaches the truth that only 50 to 80 percent of incubated eggs hatch, and she makes it clear that chicks are not good house pets. Arnold captures the joy and mystery of this familiar unit of study. (glossary, websites, bibliography) (Informational picture book, 4-8)