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Renée Watson, author of my latest book, A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN is hosting a workshop for teachers on May 24th at DreamYard Project in the Bronx. It will be a great opportunity for teachers to learn how to get and use the book in their classrooms. Please RSVP to Ellen Hagan at [email protected].

Caroline Kennedy has given us a wonderful quote for the back cover of the book and has really gotten behind the project. She purchased 200 advanced copies and donated them at a fundraiser for DreamYard. The book pubs in less than a month! I am on pins and needles. Book launch anyone?

I am delighted to be a part of two great projects that promote literacy and the arts. You can see my work in this month’s issue of,  Dream Chaser’s Magazine, edited by Sarah Bash-Gleason and Literacyhead.com, a web site that offers lessons for teaching literacy through art! Tell your friends, family members, creative neighbors, and teacher friends (everyone knows at least one teacher, right?) about www.literacyhead.com!

Thank you to Jan Burkins, Jamie D’Angelo and Sarah Bash-Gleason for including me in these two great projects!

TeachingBooks.net has a new online resource center for Coretta Scott King Award winning books. you can find out new information about your favorite CSK books like, how the work was made and what inspired the artists and authors who contributed to the book. There is also a section on author/artist name pronounciation, where you can hear a few fun stories about where names come from. You can also:

Last week I was hosted by Mrs. Chrystal Carr-Jeter and the Cleveland Public Library in conjunction with BloomsburyUSA, for the opening of OUR CHILDREN CAN SOAR, a traveling exhibition the 12 original paintings from the book. If you are in Cleveland, please stop by to see the work. Paintings will be on display until February 13, 2010.  What an amazing time! I was given the royal treatment from the time I arrived to the time of my departure.

I arrived Thursday morning and once settled in, was whisked away to my first speaking engagement at Cleveland School of the Arts. It was a combined presentation with about 100 kids or so in the school cafeteria. We had a great time talking about art, their enthusiasm for the arts and reading, and how to make good choices from the examples they read about in books.

Exchange of the day

AWESOME KID A: “Where can we find your books?”
ME: “You can find my books in all major bookstores and online booksellers”
AWESOME KID B: “And in the library!”
ME: “YES! Especially in the library!!!”

AWESOME KIDS GROUP SHOT (click to enlarge)

Next we were off to the Martin Luther King branch of CPL where I shared ideas with librarians about how to show the exhibition, do a sound check, and get ready for the reception! I met more great librarians and was inspired by local Cleveland talent. Huge props to ChiefRocka Q-Nice, our spoken word artist of the evening, and local poet/genetic engineer, Sir Joshua.

The highlights of the night were performances by Q-Nice, a performance of “I Believe I Can Fly”, sung by Joshua Delk, from Cleveland School of the Arts, and a dramatic interpretation from Our Children Can Soar.

Afterward I shared a presentation of my work and talked a bit about my experience of illustrating Ruby Bridges as she took her first coura

This year I worked with Learning Leaders to visit NY classrooms and share my work with kids. I did 8 visits between two classes over the course of 4 consecutive months. For the activity portion of my visit we made single sheet books where the kids had to tell a story with pictures only! It was a challenge in the beginning, but the kids got into the mode of thinking very quickly and made some really impressive books. Most kept their books for themselves, but a couple of the students gave theirs to me!

This is a super confidence building activity for children who struggle with writing. It also helps sharpen their ordering skills.

Here is one of the finished products. Enjoy! (click on the pages to enlarge)

Sarah Stewart and David Small’s The Gardener and Peter Brown’s The Curious Garden would be great additions to Camille’s library!

*Also of note*
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has offered me a complimentary membership to the museum as a token of congratulations! How cool is that?!?! I can’t wait to go, who’s comin’ with me?

Wow, my job just keeps getting better!
At the Free Library of Philadelphia Festival, I met Ms. Stokes, an enthusiastic and dedicated special needs teacher from New Jersey, who invited me to come and speak to her students before the end of the year. In the meantime, she bought a copy of BIRD and shared it with her class. Earlier this week I got a package from Lee and Low with copies of some of the reader responses from Ms. Stokes’s class. Here are a couple of the letters~

Thank you Ms. Stokes for sharing BIRD with your students. Teachers rock!