PETER RABBIT AT LAKE LURE IN NC: Literature Comes Alive

Peter Rabbit Children's Garden at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, Lake Lure, NC

A childhood favorite book of mine, my children, and my grandchildren is Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit–a classic. I have read the story aloud so many times I almost have the text memorized. In the story, Peter does exactly what his mother tells him not to do: “You my go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.” This should be adequate warning, but Peter was a naughty rabbit and went “straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden, and squeezed under the gate!” In the course of the story Peter is chased by Mr. McGregor (after eating his vegetables) and loses his shoes–one among the cabbages and the other amongst the potatoes. “He might have gotten away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.” Luckily for Peter, he manages to escape and get home safely.

Door to the rabbit hole. "Once upon a time there were four little rabbits--Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree."

Much to my delight, on a recent visit to North Carolina, I discovered a tiny Peter Rabbit at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, a floral walkway with themed plantings on a pedestrian bridge. Nestled among the plants in the Peter Rabbit Children’s Garden were tiny figures enacting the elements of the story–Peter, his family, the flower pots in Mr. McGregor’s potting shed, and the watering can where Peter hid until he sneezed “Kertyschoo!” 

Peter outside the gate to Mr. McGregor's garden. His coat and shoes hung up to "frighten the blackbirds."

Also on display is the tiny blue jacket that Mr. McGregor hung up along with the lost shoes “for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds.” It was wonderful to see the story come alive in a new setting and to be reminded of a favorite tale. 

Peter's mother on her way to go shopping. "Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's."

The Flowering Bridge at Luke Lure, in the mountains of western North Carolina, is a wonder of nature and testament to the volunteers who turned an abandoned bridge into a beautiful floral walkway. The project began in 2012, when gardens were first planted first at either end of the bridge and then in following years on the bridge itself. I visited the Flowering Bridge in August 2021, on a trip with my family. You can read more about my visit to the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure at my travel blog, The Intrepid Tourist.

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold

 

PTEROSAURS: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age

One hundred million years ago, the skies were filled with enormous flying reptiles. With wing spans up to nearly forty feet, pterosaurs were the dominant life form on earth. Long extinct, we know about pterosaurs from their fossil bones.

On a recent visit to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, my family bought me a wonderful souvenir--a plush Pterodactyl to go with my book Pterosaurs: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age.  Pterodactyls were just one of many species of pterosaurs. The stuffed toy Pterodactyl will be perfect to share with children at my author visits to schools and libraries as I talk about about pterosaurs and other giant reptiles of the past. 

You can find Pterosaurs: Rulers of the Dinosaur Age on Amazon. It may also be available at your library. 

For reviews of the book and more information, go to my website.

PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6--A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

I was thrilled to learn that my upcoming new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 (Charlesbridge Publishing, March 15, 2022) has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection for the Spring 2022 list! The Junior Library Guild is a subscription service that brings "buzz worthy books to readers every month."

PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 is my third book with Mrs. Best and her kindergarteners, this time following the students as they planted seeds, watched them grow and harvested the ripe vegetables.

A visit to Mrs. Best's classroom is always inspiring! Follow a classroom of real kindergartners as they grow a garden full of healthy vegetables. Joyful photographs show kids planting seeds, tending the seedlings, and harvesting (and eating!) the results. An exciting introduction to the math and science involved in growing a garden.

The other books in the Room 6 series are HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 (2017) and BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 (2019). All of the books are illustrated with color photographs.

Look for PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 in bookstores next March!

TRAPPED IN TAR on SCBWI Recommended Reading List of Self-Published Books

July's SCBWI Self Publishing Recommended Reading List celebrates books written and/or illustrated by members who have published without the help of a traditional publisher. On this list, you will find a wide range of books from biographies to mysteries to realistic fiction to fantasy stories and more! 

Look for my book Trapped In Tar: Fossils From the Ice Age in the section for non-fiction books.You can buy the book on Amazon.

Ice Age fossils of mammoths, sabertooth cats, dire wolves and more, discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, are displayed in the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries. This book tells the story behind the fossils and about life in the Ice Age when these animals were alive and examines the work of the paleontologists who excavate and study them. During the Ice Age, over 400 different kinds of animals lived on the grassy plain that is now Los Angeles. Then, as now, pools of tar sometimes seeped to the surface of the earth. Unwary animals stepped into the sticky tar and were trapped. There they died. Gradually their bones sank to the bottom of the tar seep. In time, the tar penetrated the bones and preserved them. Trapped in Tar: Fossils from the Ice Age was originally published in 1987 by Clarion Books and was illustrated with black and white photographs by Richard Hewett. This is an updated and re-illustrated edition.

 

BOOK CHAT THURSDAY Meets Again in Person

Book Chat Thursday, Children's Book Discussion Group

Last Thursday our children's book discussion group, Book Chat Thursday, met in person for the first time in more than a year. YAY! (We had been meeting on Zoom during the pandemic.) It was a hybrid meeting, with two more attending virtually. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't taste the delicious Pavlova dessert made by Ann Whitford Paul's granddaughter (who also took our photo!) We had a good discussion of All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat (about the Thai cave rescue) and Caldecott winner Outside In by Deborah Underwood and illustrated with beautiful watercolor paintings by Cindy Derby. For our reviews of the books, go to our blog, (www.bookchatthursday.blogspot.com) .

JACK LONDON STATE PARK, Glen Ellen, CA: A Literary Excursion

The Cottage, Jack and Charmian London's home at their ranch in Glen Ellen, CA

In mid-May, I spent a day at Jack London State Park, enjoying the fresh spring air and reacquainting myself with Jack London's literary legacy. The park had only recently opened after being closed due to Covid. It was a weekday, and when we arrived the parking lot was nearly empty. 

A shaded walkway leads to the Visitor Center

From the parking lot we did a short walk to the museum/visitor center, finding it filled with photos, video displays, books, mementos of Jack and Charmian’s extensive travels, and a peek into Charmian’s personal life--her dozens of shoes, piano, the decor of her kitchen and bathrooms. A friendly docent answered questions and managed the gift shop.

"As a child, Jack was a bright and voracious reader but his early years were spent in work. With what he called “dig,” Jack entered a short story contest sponsored by the local newspaper and won it. He enrolled in school and contributed several short stories to the school’s literary magazine. Later he withstood the pain of hundreds of rejection letters before winning worldwide fame."

Jack London's typewriter. "Jack’s daring explorations provided the fodder for his writing and the fuel for his spirit."

 

Jack London died in 1916 at the age of 40. His grave site, about a fifteen minute walk from the Visitor Center, is on a wooded hillside. A short distance away are the remains of Wolf House.

While I had long known about Jack London and his books, until this visit to his home I had been unaware of the role of his wife Charmian, who, I discovered, was just as bold and adventurous as he was. She edited Jack's work and was an author in her own right. She outlived Jack by nearly forty years, and died in 1955.

"Charmian K. London defied every expectation of the Victorian female. Obedient and chaste? Never. She was bold and free. Soul of a rebel. Kicking aside the convention that women must ride side saddle, Charmian chose to gallup astride. Every bit Jack’s equal in terms of adventure and intellect, she redefined a woman’s place."

Wolf House.

After viewing the exhibits at the museum we followed the path through the woods to the grave sites of Jack and Charmian, and from there to the ruins of their grand house. 

A swimming pool was to be the center of the house.

Built of stone, the remaining walls and chimneys of Wolf House look more like a medieval castle than a private home. Surrounded by towering redwoods, the house would have been an ideal retreat from city life. We climbed onto a platform that gave a view through the open doors and windows and a diagram of the layout, which included a swimming pool overlooked by a balcony.

Remains of farm buildings of Beauty Ranch.
Beyond the fence vineyards climb the Sonoma hills.

After our walk to the grave site and house, we returned to the parking lot and drove into Glen Ellen (a few minutes away) for a delicious lunch of sandwiches and pastries on the patio of Les Pascales, a French boulangerie. When we returned to the state park, we parked on the other side of the entrance for a tour of the Cottage  and of the remains of the farm buildings. During the years before Jack's death, he and Charmian lived in the cottage when they weren't traveling. Because of Covid, only one family group was allowed inside the Cottage buildings at a time for tours led by extremely knowledgeable volunteer docents. The rooms are preserved with furniture and decorations as they were when the Londons lived there. it wasn't hard to imagine Jack and Charmian sitting there enjoying the beautiful view of their garden.

The bed in the corner of the Cottage screen porch is where Jack London died.

View from the screen porch to the front garden and fish pond.

FOCAL AWARD for BIDDY MASON SPEAKS UP by Arisa White and Laura Atkins, illustrated by Laura Freeman

Conversation led by Dewi Reyes of LAPL with the authors and illustrator of Biddy Mason Speaks Up, winner of the 2021 FOCAL Award

Celebrate Juneteenth with the powerful story of Biddy Mason. The FOCAL Award is given annually by The Friends of Children and Literature to a distinguished children’s book highlighting California. This year the award is presented to Biddy Mason Speaks Up, by authors Arisa White and Laura Atkins, featuring illustrations by Laura Freeman. The award ceremony (held virtually this year instead of the traditional luncheon) was a conversation with the authors about their experience creating the book and sharing Biddy Mason’s story, followed by the presentation of this year’s puppet award. 

Puppet of Biddy Mason made by Jesse Kingsley

A puppet of Biddy Mason, created by puppeteer Jesse Kingsley, was presented to the authors and illustrator and to the Children's Literature Department of the library. You can view it and all the puppets from previous years in person at the library.

FOCAL Award Ceremony

The event was sponsored by Friends of Children and Literature (FOCAL), the Friends group of the Children’s Literature Department. Michelle Marot of FOCAL introduced the program. You can view the ceremony on YouTube.