Archive for August 31, 2022

VIDEO PRESENTATION: All Welcome Here!

It’s that time of year again. Here’s a video presentation of All Welcome Here, a book dedicated to teachers everywhere who open their hearts, and their classrooms, to every student who comes through that door. 

Note: I was asked by an Oregon bookstore to create a brief video talk (under ten minutes) about my new picture book, All Welcome Here. This is part presentation, part read-aloud, targeted for young readers. I had a little production help this one, and I think it turned out okay.

Teachers, feel free to share with your students. And parents — hey, why not? — share away. 

Hopefully this book celebrates the best of us, sending positive signals about acceptance, kindness, and community. Good luck, be smart, and stay healthy! 

 

 

“Caldecott Honoree GrandPre captures the day’s variable moods in pictures of absorbed, interacting kids of various skin tones and abilities . . . a cheery take on the joy of camaraderie.” — Publishers Weekly.

“Lively haiku pairs with vibrant art to showcase various facets of the first day of school . . . Expressive, mixed-media illustrations are an eye-catching blend of bright colors, patterns, and perspectives: the multicultural kids and adults further the sense of inclusiveness. With it’s reassuring and upbeat elements, this may also help alleviate first-day fers as it highlights the many positive opportunities that await.” — Booklist.

Madeleine L’Engle: I Am Still Every Age That I Have Been . . .

“I am still every age that I have been.
Because I was once a child, I am always a child.”

 

“Because I was once a searching adolescent,

given to moods and ecstasies,

these are still part of me, and always will be…

This does not mean that I ought to be trapped or enclosed in

any of these ages…the delayed adolescent, the childish adult,

but that they are in me to be drawn on; to forget is a form of suicide…

Far too many people misunderstand what putting away childish things

means, and think that forgetting what it is like to think and feel

and touch and smell and taste and see and hear like a three-year-old

or a thirteen-year-old or a twenty-three-year-old

means being grownup. When I’m with these people I, like the kids,

feel that if this is what it means to be a grown-up,

then I don’t ever want to be one.

Instead of which, if I can retain a child’s awareness and joy,

and be fifty-one,

then I will really learn what it means to be grownup.”

-Madeleine L’Engle

Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival: October 15th!

 

I am happy to remind everyone about the upcoming Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival on October 15th. As always, I am grateful and honored to be invited — I never take that for granted — privileged to participate in this great, book-centered event. The poster art was done by my pal, the redoubtable Hudson Talbott. This year’s festival will be a celebration of getting through the pandemic w/ grace and good will. But best of all, it comes with a sense of relief and heartfelt joy for Dawn Greenberg’s recovery and return to good health after a serious illness. Dawn is one of the prime movers behind this festival, she puts her heart and soul into it: a treasure to her community. There’s so much to be grateful for in this crazy mixed-up world.

Save the date. Come see what it’s all about. And please say hello if you do. 

Best Chapter Book Series for Elementary Series

Oh, hey, check out #25. I still exist!

(You might need to squash this link.)

 

35 Chapter Book Series for Elementary Students

 

And while we’re blowing that horn . . . 

Don’t forget my two other series, Scary Tales and the Big Idea Gang.

     

Coming Soon . . . EXIT 13!