SLJ Review of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

The first review is in for my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 and it's a good one! It's from School Library Journal. I am so pleased! With many thanks to my wonderful editor, Alyssa Pusey, and to Cathleen Schaad for the terrific design of the book.

Arnold, Caroline. Planting a Garden in Rom 6: From Seeds to Salad. photos by Caroline Arnold. 40p. (Life Cycles in Room 6). Charlesbridge. Mar. 2022. Tr $16.99.

ISBN 9781623542405.

PreS-Gr 3–In a relatable tale that combines process and joy, the children of Mrs. Best’s real-life kindergarten class are growing a garden! Arnold has photographed and told their story from beginning seeds to finished salad. The children are taught how to prepare the soil, how to plant the seeds, and how to water and nurture the seedlings. They are taught to keep the strong seedlings and to either compost or feed to the chickens the weaker ones. Mrs. Best explains how ladybugs help keep damaging bugs under control. The children learn what plants need support and to be patient and give everything time to grow. After three months, they are ready to harvest and make a salad for all to enjoy. In the back of the book, readers will find a listing of what parts of plants are edible, what garden tools to use, and common gardening questions. There is a very effective garden vocabulary page, as well as a list of online sources and books for further information.  

VERDICT With photography to illustrate each step, this is a delightful and informative book.

 

Miniature Model Garden: Perfect Companion for my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

Depiction of Farmer McGregor's garden in the Tale of Peter Rabbit

A miniature garden featuring a scene from the Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is a treasured gift from my daughter Jennifer.  She made the ground and garden plants from art clay, baking it to make it hard. The fence is made of craft sticks. The figures of Peter and his family—Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail—and of Farmer McGregor were purchased on the internet, as were the tiny garden tools.

The miniature garden is a delightful reminder of my real garden outdoors and working with Mrs. Best and her students on my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad. The book will be published in two months, on March 15. I look forward to sharing my miniature Peter Rabbit’s garden with students and teachers as I promote the book after it is published.

Jennifer was inspired to make the miniature garden after our visit to the Flowering Bridge in Lake Lure, North Carolina, last summer, where we saw tiny figures nestled among the plants. See my blog post from September 8,  2021.

REMEMBERING FLOYD COOPER, JR, 1956-2021, Author/Illustrator

Author/Illustrator Floyd Cooper, Jr.

Floyd Cooper, Jr., 1956-2021, whose paintings and stories transformed people's lives, was remembered by family, friends, editors, librarians, fellow authors, and others that knew him in a virtual celebration of his life and legacy on Friday, January 7. Although I had never personally met Floyd Cooper, I had heard him speak at a children's book festival and was impressed by his art and ability to connect with children through his stories. As one speaker said of him: he encouraged young children to become change agents.
The memorial program, sponsored by the Highlights Foundation in partnership with The Brown Bookshelf, included video and audio clips of Floyd and his work, special guest tributes, and celebrations of his art and legacy.  
Floyd was the award-winning illustrator and author/illustrator of nearly 100 books for children.  His real and beautiful depiction of the Black experience, his signature “subtractive process,” and his genuine spirit of kindness and mentorship will forever be an important part of the children’s publishing industry. He will be sorely missed.

Click HERE to see the VIDEO of the memorial program and learn more about Floyd Cooper's legacy.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS WITH ANDREA BROWN

Forty years ago Andrea Brown began the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and I became one of her first authors. I had already published a few books, but I knew that if I had an agent, I would be better able to negotiate my book contracts. It was one of the best writing decisions I ever made and the beginning of a fruitful relationship.Since then Andrea's business has expanded to include a whole host of other agents and I have gone on to publish more than one hundred books. I couldn't have done it without her. Thank you Andrea Brown for 40 super successful years!

Illustration by Cece Bell.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

When Art was in high school he was an exchange student, living for a year with a family in Berlin, Germany, it was the beginning of a life-long friendship. After Art and I were married, his German family sent us annual gifts of beautiful Christmas plates from the KPM porcelain factory in Berlin, each year with a different design. (Weihnachten is the German word for Christmas or Christmas Eve.) We get the plates out each year during the holidays and are reminded of all the wonderful times spent together both in Germany and here in the United States.
The holidays are a time to connect with family and friends near and far. As I celebrate with my friends and family this year in California, I send you my best wishes for

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
and a
JOYOUS NEW YEAR! 

TRAPPED I N TAR: THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A YOUNG FOSSIL LOVER

Ice Age fossils of mammoths, sabertooth cats, dire wolves and more, discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and displayed in the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries. TRAPPED IN TAR: Fossils from the Ice Age 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. This book tells the story of the Rancho La Brea fossils and examines the work of the paleontologists who excavate and study them at the George C. Page Museum in Los Angeles, California.

TRAPPED IN TAR is available at Amazon for $9.95 (paperback.) It is the perfect introduction to a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits or as a vicarious visit from afar. It is also available as an e-book.

ANIMAL PRINTS MAKE GREAT GIFTS! See My Art on Etsy

GREAT GIFTS! Consider purchasing one of my limited edition giclee prints made from my original cut-paper illustrations I created for my children’s books in the Caroline Arnold's Habitats series published by Picture Window Books (Capstone). The quality of the scan is impressive. Even though the paper of the print is flat, it retains the three-dimensional quality of the layered paper of the original art.Each large print is 10 1/4 inches by 20 inches with a one inch white border.The print of the mother and baby panda is 10 1/4 inches square with a white border. Art is shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

Go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt to see the available art at my Etsy site.