READING WIGGLE AND WAGGLE: “BOOKS AND BAGELS” at Apricot Lane Farms, Moorpark, CA

Signing books at Apricot Lane Farms "Books and Bagels" event.

I spent last Saturday morning at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, California, sharing my books at an event for children and parents called “Books and Bagels”. While seated on blankets on a grassy lawn and munching on breakfast, they listened to me talk about being an author and about my books. 

We were in the midst of a thriving organic farm, so it was fitting for me to share my Room 6 books, HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 and also WIGGLE AND WAGGLE. At the end of the program I signed copies of WIGGLE AND WAGGLE and PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6, which were for sale in the Garden Shop.

Note: Directions for making stick puppets, singing the Wiggle and Waggle song, and other wormy activities are downloadable HERE.

I thank Liz Davis, Tours and Events Manager, for inviting me to share my books at Books and Bagels and who coordinated all the details of my visit. It was a pleasure to read my books and I was pleased that so many people bought them afterward. I also thank Kristen Nordstrom, who put on my Wiggle and Waggle sock puppets and acted out the story as I read aloud. She also was a great help handing out materials at the end of the program. (Everyone took home supplies to make their own Wiggle and Waggle stick puppets.) Kristen is a teacher at the school on the Apricot Lane Farms campus. She is also a children’s book author and shared her book Mimic Makers at a previous Books and Bagels program.

Kristen Nordstrom with my Wiggle and Waggle puppets.

The Books and Bagels program is a great way to celebrate books and reading and for families to discover the amazing plants and animals of Apricot Lane Farms. You can go to their website to find out more about it and how to visit.

Entrance to the Garden Area of Apricot Lane Farms

AUTHOR VISIT TO WPC PRESCHOOL: Hooray for Wiggle and Waggle!

Wiggle and Waggle Sock Puppets

A week ago I made my annual visit to the Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool, Los Angeles, California. This year, rather than meeting with the children in their classrooms as I usually do, I met with the two- and three-year-olds and their parents as part of their pancake breakfast, and I met with the four- and five-year-olds, outside on the rug in the play yard. The children are always eager to hear about my books. With both groups I read the first two stories in Wiggle and Waggle, inviting the children to sing the Wiggle and Waggle song with me and do the hand motions while I performed the song with my sock puppets. (A link to the pattern for making stick puppets and other Wiggle and Waggle activities is at my website.)

Wiggle and Waggle (Charlesbridge, 2007) and stick puppets.

And, as a tradition that began many years ago, I finished by reading The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a tall tale about the Hodag, a creature with the head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur and tail of an alligator. With many thanks to Brianne Naiman, the WPC Preschool Director, and to the preschool teachers, for inviting me and coordinating my visit. It is always a pleasure to visit the school and spend time with the children and their teachers.

The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers (Boyds Mills Press, 2006)

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.

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

FOCAL Award Ceremony, November 14, 2020

FOCAL Award Ceremony

Two weeks ago, on Saturday, November 14 at 1:00pm, FOCAL held its annual awards ceremony online on Zoom. (FOCAL, Friends of Children and Libraries, is the support group of the Los Angeles Public Library children's services.)
This year’s award went to Todos Iguales: Un Corrido de Lemon Grove/All Equal: A Ballad of Lemon Grove by Christy Hale, author/Illustrator. Children in the Los Angeles schools were invited to write essays after reading the book. The winners of the writing contest read their essays telling how the book connected with their lives and why they would like to meet author Christy Hale. Christy Hale responded to their questions and then gave an inspirational keynote speech. Puppets made by Jesse Kingsley and Moira Lael Macdonald depicting the main character from the book were then presented--one for the author and the other to be part of the permanent collection at LAPL. The program concluded with FOCAL president Caroline Gill thanking all attendees, speakers and supporters of FOCAL and LAPL for coming.

My traditional role at this event has been as photographer. This year, because of the pandemic, the event was virtual, and my role as photographer was to make screen shots. The picture above depicts author and award winner Christy Hale, Brooke Sheets the award committee chair, and puppet makers Jesse Kingsley and Moira Lael Macdonald. I hope that by this time next year, the event will be a luncheon as it has always been in the past and I can use my camera again. Meanwhile, the screen shots will provide a record of this year’s event.

READING TAKES YOU EVERYWHERE: Author Visit at Encino/Tarzana Library for Summer Reading Program

Encino/Tarzana Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

Yesterday afternoon I spent a wonderful hour with kids and their parents at the Encino/Tarzana Public Library in Los Angeles giving a presentation as part of the LAPL summer reading program for kids. The theme this year is “Reading Takes You Everywhere” and my books are a perfect example of all the different places you can go when you read about animals. We started with a virtual trip to Africa as I read A Zebra’s World and we all did a Lion Hunt together. We then talked about birds and I measured the kids wingspans. The kids also helped me sing the Wiggle and Waggle song, along with my Wiggle and Waggle sock puppets.

With Star Volunteer, Masha. A STAR Volunteer Reader is a volunteer who reads books and tells stories with children at their local library. They serve as positive role models for children. They commit 2 hours per week for at least 6 months.

During my visit I enjoyed meeting Jennifer, the new head librarian, as well as one of the teen volunteers who helped with my program, and a devoted Star reading volunteer who works with kids at the library every week. I thank Shokoufeh Moghta, the children’s librarian, for inviting me to the library and organizing the event. From the enthusiastic participation of the kids and good questions at the end, I know the afternoon was enjoyed by all!

WIGGLE AND WAGGLE VIDEO

Wiggle and Waggle sock puppets

Follow Wiggle and Waggle, two wormy best friends, through five wormy chapters as they dig in the dirt, work hard, and have fun swimming and singing.Click on the link to listen to Wiggle and Waggle singing and to find out more about their adventures in the garden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm8pzXlU0Lw

Wiggle and Waggle stick puppets

 

FOCAL Award Luncheon, December 2015

Puppets by Jesse Kingsley, depicting Sylvia Mendez in the book Separate is Not Equal by Duncan Tonitiuh

On Saturday, December 12th, I attended the annual gala luncheon that honors the winner of the FOCAL Award. FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) is the support group of the children’s literature department of the Los Angeles Public Library. The award is presented annually to a children's book with California content. This year it went to Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight For Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh, published by Abrams, 2014.

FOCAL Luncheon book sale table with Storybook Puppets and Separate is Not Equal

Usually the author of the winning book gives a speech at the luncheon. This year, however, Duncan Tonatiuh was unable to attend. Instead, he sent a video of his acceptance, so we got to meet him virtually. His charming young daughter was also part of the video. And, while we were not able to meet the author, it was a special treat to be able to meet Sylvia Mendez, the subject of the book, who came to the luncheon. She was delightful and enjoyed interacting with all of the guests.

Sylvia Mendez

Every year at the luncheon, winners are presented with a unique puppet representing a character from their award-winning book.  Jesse Kingsley, the puppeteer, used Duncan’s illustrations as inspiration for his puppet of Sylvia.

For many years the puppets for the FOCAL winners were created by Carol Onofrio. Another special treat at this year’s luncheon was the wonderful new book with photographs of all Carol’s puppets and their stories. The book, Storybook Puppets, created by Carol Onofrio’s family as a memorial to her body of work, is available in the shop at the Central Library.

Also present at the awards luncheon were children who won the FOCAL essay contest, along with their teachers, and parents. Each of the children read their essay aloud and told about a favorite part of the book and why they would like to meet the author.

Centerpiece

Many people contributed to the success of the luncheon: the officers of FOCAL; the hardworking FOCAL award committee, whose difficult job it is to choose a winner; LAPL children’s librarians; the middle school art students and their teacher, Ray Moscowicz, who created the wonderful centerpieces for the tables; and the parents and teachers who encouraged the students to write their wonderful essays. I always enjoy going to the luncheon and helping to celebrate the love for books and reading. Thanks to everyone for making it such a festive occasion!

For more about the book SEPARATE IS NEVER EQUAL go to my blog post for September 9, 2015.

Caroline Gill, President of FOCAL; Sandy Schuckett, Essay Contest Chair

ALASKA: Conference Talk and Projects with Children

View of Valdez Harbor from the Conference Center

At the end of March I went to Alaska to speak at the Alaska Library Association conference in Valdez and to do two library programs.  It was an exciting week with breathtaking scenery, a late winter snowstorm, meeting librarians from all over Alaska, and doing some fun activities with kids.  At the conference I gave a presentation called Think Outside the Book: Projects and Activities that Reinforce Reading in which I highlighted various ways books like mine can be used as jumping off places for other activities.  These include writing projects such as animal pyramid poems, art projects, miniature and life-size models, watching wildlife on live video cams on the web, and more.  A list of links to all the projects can be downloaded from my website. I thank Carol Race from the Juneau Library for organizing my book signing at the conference and the conference organizers for making everything run smoothly.

Wiggle and Waggle puppets, Wasilla

After the conference I went to Anchorage--a spectacular ride (7 hours) over the pass and through beautiful snow covered mountain valleys. One morning I did a story-time presentation at the Wasilla Public Library (about an hour’s drive from Anchorage) to a group of lively pre-schoolers.  The focus of the program was my Wiggle and Waggle book.  The children helped act out the story with my sock puppets, sang the song with me, and participated in the story.  Then they each made their own stick puppets to take home. Click here to download the Wiggle and Waggle activities.  Thanks to Sara Saxton for coordinating my visit and for cutting out all the Wiggles and Waggles!

Zebra art, Loussac Library, Anchorage

Later that day I did an after school program at the Loussac Library in Anchorage which included a craft project, Put Stripes on the Zebra.  As always, I was amazed at the children’s creativity both in the arrangement of stripes on the zebras and in adding elements to the background.  Some put in trees and clouds and suns, others added flowers, and one boy added a cart and a helmet for the zebra!  I thank Linda Klein for coordinating the program and assembling all the craft materials, Mary Crosby for her assistance helping to make everything run smoothly, and Sherry Douglas for making it possible.  I also did some sightseeing in Anchorage, visiting the Alaska Museum and the Science and Nature Museum.  Altogether, it was an exciting trip!

Wiggle and Waggle Stick Puppets

Recently, I visited my granddaughter’s kindergarten class and read my book Wiggle and Waggle. The children all loved singing the “Digging Song” and afterward we made Wiggle and Waggle stick puppets. I was impressed by the creativity of the children in coloring the worms. Although a few of them made the worms brown (as I did in my samples, and the artist, Mary Peterson, did in the book), the rest made them all colors of the rainbow and a number of children chose to do stripes and patterns! I did the same project last weekend at StoryFaire in Santa Barbara, a wonderful day out-of-doors for children and their families celebrating books and the arts. You can download the stick puppet project and other fun activities (including a song, word search, coloring page, recipes and games for a wormy party, and more) HERE. Have fun making your own worm puppets and acting out the story! This activity is perfect for preschool and kindergarten age children.