Rhode Island Children's Book Festival 2019

It was a beautiful, sunny morning when I walked up to the Lincoln School in Providence for this year's book festival.  As always the list of presenters was impressive, and I was so excited to spend the day surrounded by remarkably talented authors and illustrators! 

My first stop was the gymnasium where tables are set up for the guests of honor to meet fans of their work.  I was first in line to have our school's copy of Kenny and the Dragon signed by author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.  He was so nice and I really enjoyed chatting with him.  Later on I got to attend his presentation and it made me an even bigger fan.  He's a very engaging speaker! 

Another highlight of the day was learning more about James Dean and his famous feline, Pete the Cat.  While he warned that all of his stories might not be strictly true (he insisted that he had invented the color green as well as "cat language"!), he did share some insights on what had brought him to the stage that day.  As he put it, "One word from a teacher can change your life."  While he had been interested in art, he established a solid career as an electrical engineer and was making a good living in the field.  However, the encouraging words of a teacher resonated within him, and ultimately he decided to pursue his dream.  There was a touch of astonishment in his voice when he rhetorically asked, "How do you go from being an electrical engineer for 20 years to drawing pictures of your cat for 20 years??"  We are all so glad that he did!

While he ended up a popular character in children's books, Pete the Cat was originally the subject of paintings created for adults! 

The last presentation I attended was by Caldecott medalist Dan Santat.  We were lucky enough to have him visit Ashaway School back in 2013, and I was super excited to see him again.  He has a terrific sense of humor and had the audience in a near-constant state of hilarity!  One of my favorite moments was when he talked about "an unfortunate thing that happened in 2015":

I also really enjoyed when he told the audience, especially the kids, about the importance of perseverance.  He displayed one of his drawings from grade school, an impressive rendering of Garfield and Odie, and said that he became a good at drawing by drawing.  A lot. 
He pointed out that you only learn to ride a bike by sticking to it and practicing until you can do it.  He declared, "None of us were born bike-riding babies!"  (That's a quote I plan on repeating!)

 It was another fabulous day and my favorite fall event.  

Thanks so much to Meagan Lenihan and all the organizers who make this event happen every year!  We are all so grateful!!!

p.s.  At the book festival a couple years ago I took a chance and asked Jon Scieszka if he wouldn't mind taking a whole bunch of selfies with me so I could create a collage, and he kindly indulged me.  (Scroll down to the bottom of this post from 2017!)  Inspired by that success, I approached Dan at his autographing table and asked if he'd be interested in trying to out-weird Jon Scieszka while displaying that collaboration on my phone.  Dan replied, "I'm always interested in trying to out-weird Scieszka."  Thus, I do hereby proudly share...

A Set of Silly Santat Selfies!

Rhode Island Children's Book Festival 2018!

It was a chilly, rainy Saturday, but there was lots of warmth and love inside Lincoln School yesterday!  This annual gathering of authors and illustrators is an event that I look forward to all year long, and the deary weather in no way put a damper on the fun and excitement of the day's events!

I met Rosemary Wells!

My morning began with a presentation by the remarkably talented Rosemary Wells.  The deep love that she holds for her work was readily apparent, and she offered a glimpse into her studio and habits.  She begins each day with some painting "practice" by coloring in a line drawing of her characters.  This steadies her hand and gets her into the right frame of mind.  She played a sample of the Navajo flute music that she listens to and emphasized that all screens should be off!  No TV, no iPad.  She encouraged everyone to be "paying attention in a quiet environment and focusing on your work".  (She repeated this idea multiple times, and it was clear that she was speaking to the adults just as much as to the children!) 

She also focused on the importance of taking good care of your supplies and materials.  She is meticulous, and I'll admit I was a bit jealous of how organized and neat her studio is.  Hers is not a work space filled with jumbles of supplies!  She retold a story of being in Japan and learning that, when given their first brush (actually, their only brush), the children spend the week painting with just water.  This allows the focus to be on how to properly handle and care for this prized possession.  A comparison was made between this attitude toward objects versus the more American view of items being disposable.  Rosemary, it was clear, is a firm believer in assuring the longevity of her own brushes, and she explained that she treats them with Pantene hair conditioner once a week! 

Rosemary included some fascinating information about her techniques when creating her illustrations.  I've admired her work for years but never specifically noticed the interesting textures that exist in select areas.  She revealed that she has custom rubber stamps created from images that she makes herself using a copy machine.  She showed a handful of lentils that are spread across the glass and made into a black and white photocopy, and the resulting design was really unique!  She's done this with a wide variety of objects including pine needles, brown rice, bird gravel, tapioca beads, and Cheerios!

Can you tell what type of cereal she used to create this stamp??

Just as fascinating, I learned how she applies the stamp to her painted piece in only the specific area she wants it to go.  After the illustration is colored in, she covers it with a clear plastic called "frisket".  It's sticky on one side so it doesn't slide around.  Rosemary cuts away the frisket with an Exacto knife to exposed the area she wants to stamp, and the remaining frisket remains to mask the rest of the work.  After stamping she peels away the plastic.  She showed video of the process and it was really fun to watch! 

Removing the frisket.  The stamp that adds texture to the yellow dress was created using Cheerios!

She also uses frisket to create interesting backgrounds!

You can bet that I'll be looking at my Rosemary Wells collection with a much more attuned eye from now on! I wonder what other objects I'll be able to recognize in her textures?

I met Kazu Kibuishi!

I also had the pleasure of sitting in on a presentation by Kazu Kibuishi!  He started off by showing a book trailer for the just-released eighth book in the Amulet series, Supernova.  (It looks amazing!)  He talked about his childhood, how he got into making graphic novels, and shared the process he follows for creating his books.  He even did a live demonstration of how he "paints" his illustrations using a computer!  

First he "sketches" an outline of the story

Next he creates "thumbnails" which he also calls "rehearsals"

Then he does "penciling" to make the final outlines.  It looks like ink when it's done because he darkens the lines on a photocopier!

These were just a few highlights of my day.  I enjoyed meeting other authors, too, and got some of our library's books signed as well!  

It was an amazing day, and as always I send out enormous thanks to the remarkable Meagan Lenihan and all the folks who worked so hard to make the day happen!!!

Signed by Rosemary Wells!

Our copy of  "The Talking Eggs" -- now signed by illustrator Jerry Pinkney!

I had to borrow this book back from a teacher to get it signed by Kevin Henkes!

Kazu Kibuishi signed *and* drew an illustration in our copy of Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper!

Rhode Island Children's Book Festival 2017!

Another truly wonderful Rhode Island Children's Book Festival has come and gone, and as always I'm left with more happy memories than I could ever cover in a single blog post!  Oh my goodness...where to start??

Ashaway students with author Charise Mericle Harper

My day started in the book room where I volunteered for a couple hours.  Not only did I have plenty of time to explore all the wonderful titles on display (while straightening up of course!), but I also enjoyed the opportunity to chat with some of the enthusiastic visitors.  One of my favorite ways of striking up a conversation was when I'd approach parents to ask permission to post pictures I'd taken of their children.  This always developed into a chat about how much they loved the book festival, praise for the encouragement of reading, and an all-around book love-fest.  What a lovely way to begin my day!

Baby's first book festival!!

I am always delighted when I see some Ashaway faces in the crowd, and this year I was not disappointed!  Not only did I get to see some of my students, but I also ran into two of my former student teachers!  Miss Hurley -- now Mrs. Tetreault! -- introduced her daughter to the festival.  (Yes, that's a Hogwart's t-shirt peaking out of Kairi's jacket.  Nice job, Mom!)

Of course, the BEST thing about the festival is meeting the authors and illustrators and getting to listen to their presentations!  I learned so much! Here's a list of my Top 10:

#1 - Alan Katz has always had a terrific sense of humor.  He wrote his own version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" when he was in grade school, and it's adorable. 

Alan Katz, author of Ashaway favorite "Take Me Out of the Bathtub"

     Once upon a time there was a boy name Jack.  He lived with his mom and their cow in a 10^th floor one room apartment.  One day, Mom said, “Jack please be a good boy and bring the cow to market and trade her for vegetables and other good foods.”

     Jack said, “But Mom, can’t we keep her?  She is a good friend and she moos me to sleep every night.”

     But mom said no and so he went to market and traded the cow for beans which he thought were beans to eat but were really magic beans instead.  Then he traded the magic beans for what he really wanted – a color TV. 

     When he got home his mother was mad.  She said, “You can’t eat a color TV.”

     And Jack said, “No, but you can’t watch vegetables.”

     Jack was sent to his room for 3 weeks but he didn’t mind because the color TV was in there too.

#2 - Charise Mericle Harper created a studio out of a renovated food truck.  She calls it "The Noodle".

The Noodle is tiny!  It's only 4.5 feet wide and 15 feet long!   On the outside she's hung a solar-powered sign that spells out "YAY".  She can see it lit up at night when she looks out the window of her house and, she says, "It makes me super happy!"

(I really, really want one of my own now.)

#3 - She also has a dog that looks like Yoda.

#4 - She had trouble coming up with a way of making the drawings for her "Sasquatch" series look different from her other books.  Then she came up with a clever solution: she's right-handed, so she switched to using her left hand!

Drawing her character "Just Grace", right-handed then left-handed

She wanted her characters in the Sasquatch books to appear "rougher".  Can you see the differences between the two?

#5 - Marc Brown has a goat named Hillary Rodham Clinton.

(Hillary is the brown goat on the left.)  Apparently Marc actually enjoyed a visit by Mrs. Clinton at his home, and he had the opportunity to introduce them.  The original Hillary was not as impressed as he had hoped!  

 #6 - Barbara McClintock is left-handed, and so are both of her parents!

Barbara shared this picture of her working in her studio

Back in the day, children were discouraged from writing with their left hands.  Barbara's father struggled to write with his right hand for decades and had terrible penmanship as a result.  Then, in his 40's, he decided that there was no reason to continue struggling and he happily switched back to using his left hand!


#7 - Barbara McClintock got advice from Maurice Sendak after looking up his number in the phone book and giving him a call! 

She knew she wanted to be an illustrator but wasn't sure how to get started.  They lived hundreds of miles away from each other but she figured it didn't hurt to try.  Not only did he answer the phone, but he took the time to explain how to put together a dummy book and a portfolio.  He discouraged her from going to art school and she followed his advice; she is completely self-taught!


#8 - The inspiration for Rain Reign came to Ann M. Martin after she took her dog Sadie for a walk after Hurricane Irene.  

She recalled how devastating the storm had been in some areas; whole towns were ruined and people were stranded by flooding.  As she walked her dog through her affected neighborhood she wondered what would happen if Sadie got away from her and how she might find her if they got separated. 


#9 - The Baby-sitters Club series was only supposed to consist of four books!

When asked what she loved most about working on the series, she replied that she liked writing for those characters because she felt that she got to know them over time.  What she liked least is that it limited her ability to create new characters which is something she loves to do. 

She is very excited about Raina Telgemeier's new graphic novels based on the books.  When asked how that project started, Ann explained that it was Raina's idea!  She had loved the books when she was growing up!  Ann said that Raina retold the stories in a way that was very true to the originals, but Raina had a way of replacing a lot of the text with her incredible illustrations.  Ann was amazed by how just the look on a character's face could "tell a whole page of text"!



#10 - Amina Weinberg is absolutely adorable beyond reason.

One of the many photos of Jon Scieszka's granddaughter that were sprinkled throughout the presentation!

One of Jon's graphs! (click to enlarge)

I have seen Jon Scieszka present at a previous Rhode Island Book Festival, but this year he co-presented with his son-in-law, author/illustrator Steven Weinberg.  As one would expect the session was hilarious, but there were almost as many "Awwwwwww!"s as there were laughs.  To hear them tell it, Steven had access to the slide show after Jon had completed it, and the proud new father inserted the pics on the sly.  (Of course if that were true, I would wonder why Steven didn't take the opportunity to delete the slides that picked on him for not having sold as many books as his father-in-law!)  

As always, the whole day was so much fun!  There are lots more memories that I could recall, but instead I'll encourage you to go to the next one!  

Thanks so much to Meagan Lenihan and all the organizers who made this event happen!  We are all so grateful!!!

p.s.  I've always taken advantage of an opportunity to get a picture taken with Jon Scieszka at an event because I never know what hilarious face he'll make each time.  This year I took a chance and asked if he wouldn't mind taking a whole bunch of selfies so I could create a collage, and I was not disappointed!  (THANKS, JON!)  And so now I have my most favorite book festival souvenir ever!  May I proudly present:

Seven Silly Scieszka Selfies!

Inspiration & Celebration!

Once again I had the pleasure of attending the Rhode Island Children's Book Festival at the Lincoln School in Providence.  This year the highlight for me was a presentation by Cece Bell, the author of El Deafo and this year’s winner of the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award!

Cece spoke about how she lost her hearing, what it was like to be the only student in school with a hearing aide, and how she reframed what made her different into something that made her feel special.  She compared herself to Batman, a normal man who turned himself into a superhero with the help of technology!  She is a wonderful presenter and storyteller, and she had her whole audience completely under her spell.  (Hmm...she claims to have just the one superpower, but she has many other gifts tucked into her utility belt!)  

Cece actually brought her original Phonic Ear with her on stage and showed us how she’d put it on.  Click on the video below to hear Cece retell her own superhero “origin story”!

In school Cece would always wear the Phonic Ear under her clothes, and she told a really funny story about how she tried to explain away the enormous bulge it created:

Cece told the audience that the book’s theme is about finding true friendship.  “It’s a book about friendship and trying to find people who like you in a genuine way, who like you for who you are.”  While I know my students truly enjoyed the humorous scenes in the book, that wasn’t the only reason that they awarded the title with a column full of gold stars.  The story really spoke to their own deeply felt need to belong and to feel a true connection with someone else.  It’s difficult to read about her efforts to stay friends with the bossy and self-centered Laura, and she even debates whether the unsatisfying relationship is worth it.  This makes it that much more wonderful to watch Cece’s friendship with Martha develop, and we all desire the same effortless rapport that they enjoy right from the start.  Of course, we can all also relate to the common fears and worry over saying or doing the wrong thing and suddenly finding ourselves on the outside.  Not only is Cece’s story relatable, but the triumphant ending is also heartwarming and satisfying. 

El Deafo reminds me of Ruby on the Outside, one of the current nominees for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award.  I’ve been reading it to a group of fourth-graders, and they are really responding to the theme of true friendship. Ruby is warned to stay away from Margalit because she's different, but Ruby discovers that she really enjoys spending time with her. My students are a really drawn to the free-spirited and confident Margalit, and they’re critical of the girl who tells Ruby to stay away from her. Of course, the pressure on kids to fit in and be accepted by their peer groups is enormous, and there's something comforting about seeing Ruby making a connection with someone else. Ruby has a secret that she's terrified others will learn, and she's worried that she'll lose Margalit’s friendship if the truth about her is revealed. My students are anxious to discover what is going to happen next and if Ruby has found someone who can look past what embarrasses her and makes her feel different.  Like El Deafo last year, I’m confident that Ruby on the Outside is going to be awarded a lot of gold stars by the students who read it!

Thanks to the RICBA Committee for the fun photo op!

Cece ended her presentation with this inspirational message:

“It took me a long, long time to finally be comfortable with telling the world, ‘Hey, I’m deaf! It’s not a big deal!’  It’s just something about me that actually has made me stronger. And I’m hoping that all of you who read the book will take away the message that even though you might feel different from everybody else those things that make you different are actually the things that make you interesting.  Those are your superpowers!  Use them and share them with other people because it’s so much more fun to share the things about you that make you different and cool and interesting than it is to keep them tucked away and hidden like I did for so many years.”

Needless to say, it was another energizing

and exciting book festival, 

and I'm so grateful to Meagan Lenihan

and all of the other organizers, presenters,

and volunteers who make it all happen each year!!!   

THANK YOU!!!

I nearly missed my chance to get our copy of El Deafo signed; her line of fans was reeeeeeally long and she had another engagement to get to!  I was so happy to get a chance to say a quick hello!

Fabulous Fall Festival Fun!

Like many, I look forward to the fall festival season.  This time of year brings to mind hot apple cider, haunted hay rides, and strolls through a pumpkin patch.  As fun as all those things are, however, my all-time favorite is the one and only Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors at the Lincoln School in Providence.  It always takes place the Saturday after Columbus Day, and it's the one fall event that I look forward to all year!

I found one of my students in the auditorium listening to an author presentation.  She was happy to show off some of the books she discovered!

As always, there was a line-up of extremely talented authors and illustrators who gave very entertaining and informative presentations.  Throughout the day there was also opportunities to meet these special guests to get your own copies of their books signed.  (You can read an excellent overview of the festival and all it had to offer, including a link to many remarkable photographs, by clicking here!) 

I stood in line with another one of my students while we waited for our turn to meet the remarkably talented author and illustrator Meghan McCarthy!







For me, a highlight of the festival was the hilarious Chris Grabenstein, author of the 2015 Rhode Island Children's Book Award for Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  Honestly, I could have listened to him talk all day.  Not only was he a charismatic speaker but his storytelling ability had his audience's full attention.  (To my first graders who keep hearing me belt out in a deep tone of voice, "That's awesoooooooooome!", I totally picked that up from him!)  With his permission, I recorded some segments of his presentation to share with you here.  It was difficult to pick just a few to feature, but it was so much fun watching all of my footage again while trying to make my selections! 

Like all authors, Chris was asked, "Where do you get all of your ideas?" 

Another common theme in author presentations is the message to keep trying.  I think it's important for students to know that success is something one needs to work hard for.  Here is Chris's take on persistence:

As a fan of alliteration (see this blog title for an example!) I was happy to hear Chris's comments about the topic:

Many people have compared Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library to Roald Dahl's classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  While similarities certainly do exist, Chris explains where the inspiration for his story really came from:

Well, I've saved the best for last!

Chris reads aloud the beginning of his upcoming sequel to Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library!  It won't be released until next year, but here's a sneak peek of Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics!!!  

(Yes, he's reading it from his iPhone!)

A heart-felt and enormous thank you goes out to Meagan Lenihan, Colleen Zeitz, and Kate Lentz of Lincoln School for organizing this event.  It was an amazing day and I know I'm not alone when I say that it was a truly remarkable celebration!  :D

More Book Festival Fun!

One of my 4th graders got her book signed by Jeff Kinney!

Last weekend was the fantastic Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors at Lincoln School in Providence.  I look forward to this incredible event all year!  As always, I'm happy to offer you a glimpse of just some of the fun this day had to offer!

The very first event of the day was a presentation by Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney.  He talked about the process he follows when writing a book and what the experience is like for him.  It was really exciting to see a page from his idea sketch book.  The words and pictures were so tiny!  He tried to fit as many thoughts as possible onto each page.  He explained that he has since switched to using a computer program so he wouldn't have to worry about losing his notebook!  [If you click on either picture below, you can view a larger version!]

Jeff admitted that it can be really hard for him to concentrate while working.  Here are some of the pictures he shared to prove it:

Covering himself in a blanket helps him focus (and provides an excellent opportunity to nap or avoid housework).

It's hard staying inside to work on a sunny day!

The most surprising thing I learned from his presentation is that he uses a computer program to create his illustrations.  He draws on an over-sized tablet and then adjusts the lines as needed.  Check it out:

One small part of a very, very long line!

As soon as his presentation was over, I rushed to get into line to have one of the library's copies of his book signed.  It was the longest line to meet an author that I have ever seen.  It spilled out of the gym, wound down the hall and around the perimeter of the cafeteria, went out the door, down the stairs, and along the sidewalk outside!  I stayed for as long as I could, but I didn't want to miss Jon Scieszka's presentation so I bowed out.  (I did get back into the line after that and was one of the last to meet him before he left -- woohoo!)

Jon Scieszka and his five brothers

As I expected, Jon Scieszka's presentation was extremely entertaining.  He is a remarkable storyteller and recounted many of his own life experiences in the process of answering some commonly asked questions.  For example:

When did you do your first book?

Where do you get your ideas?

Why did you become a writer?

  
What kind of car do you drive?

 As always, a heart-felt and enormous thank you to the amazing Meagan Lenihan of Lincoln School for organizing this event every year.  It is so thrilling to see people coming together to celebrate the joy of books!

Books, Buddies and Belly Laughs!

Miss Hurley was thrilled to meet Avi and get a book signed by him!

Look who else I found!

More Ashaway friends!

Meagan Lenihan at the Lincoln School in Providence organizes an absolutely incredible event that I look forward to every year.  Once again, this year's Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors was an absolute blast!  I ran into many friends and colleagues who were also enjoying the day, and everyone was in a great mood.  The schedule was packed and once again the day seemed to pass by in a blink!





As always, the presentations by the featured authors were informative and entertaining.  It's so fascinating to hear the stories behind the stories!  Gregory Mone, author of the story Fish, told about his inspiration for creating this tale of pirates and hidden treasure.  It began with him creating a treasure map as a game for his nephews:

Mr. Mone also revealed that, in addition to his stories, he also writes nonfiction articles for the magazine "Popular Science".  He explained how important it is to learn as much as you can about a subject before writing about it, and then he shared an article with us about people who construct drivable furniture.  (Yes, you read that right: as in, furniture you can drive!)  Click here to see the piece he wrote about the world's fastest piece of furniture titled A Nitrous-Injected Dining Room Table!  The crowd was truly impressed by the vehicle's unusual exhaust system: "A six-foot plume of white smoke comes out of the chicken's backside"!  (Mr. Mone kept referring to all the very interesting people he's met during the course of his work for the magazine, but I can assure you that he is just as interesting!)

Jarrett Krosoczka, creator of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series and many picture books, showed us pictures of a book he had written as a boy (complete with title page and copyright date!) and described the long path he followed to become a published author. He described submitting his first story idea to twenty different publishers and then asked us how many did we think showed interest?  When someone guessed that the answer was "one" he replied, "Fewer than that!"  Time after time after time his proposed ideas were turned down, but he refused to give up.  Fans of his work are very grateful for that!

Adam Gidwitz is an amazing storyteller who told the original Grimm version of Cinderella, and it certainly was grim!  He recounted the story with an air of Can you believe this?? that was as hilarious as the story was shocking.  He had the full attention of every single person in the room, and we alternately cringed in our chairs and burst into laughter.  He did demonstrate an acceptable pose to be taken during the course of the story -- fingers in ears, head in lap -- but I didn't see a single person take him up on it.  Even amongst the youngest in the room; no one wanted to miss a moment.  (I was so engrossed that I didn't even take any pictures!!!)  You can enjoy his unique style by picking up his books: A Tale Dark and Grimm, In a Glass Grimly, and The Grimm Conclusion.  

The day concluded with a delightfully unusual presentation by Daniel Handler, a.k.a. "Lemony Snicket's representative".  This man went to great lengths to assure us that he was not in fact the actual author of A Series of Unfortunate Events.  

Daniel Handler used a rubber stamp in each book before signing it to indicate that he was acting as Lemony Snicket's "official representative".

A series of hilarious events: This agenda appeared on the screen at the beginning of his presentation.  It was followed faithfully as the following video snippets will attest!

Video clip below: 

"Very Handsome Man Reads Apology From Lemony Snicket"

Video clips below: 

selections from "Safety Warnings"

Video clip below: 

"Lemony Snicket Excuses Himself and Runs Screaming From the Room"

It was a truly wonderful day filled with books, buddies and belly laughs!  Thanks again to Meagan Lenihan at the Lincoln School for organizing this fantastic event!!