It's never too young to introduce kids to books by reading to them. So this Easter, why not include a book in your child's basket? Like, hmmm, let me think - The Night Before Easter!

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Which is cuter? The bunny or the chick?

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Teachers, in case you're looking for ways to introduce your students to authors, but your school doesn't have the budget, why not Skpye one for free?

Here's a blog that list authors who will present for up to 20 minutes free to various age groups, in exchange for reading their books. (I'm the very last author listed, so keep on scrollin'.) For my Skype visits I can also offer signed books delivered to your school for free shipping. Such a deal!

So please pass this valuable list on to your fellow teachers, and then give an author a call.

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An Eye for Color was nominated for the 2012 Grand Canyon Reader Award. The award is decided upon by Arizona students. Votes are due April 1, so no foolin', wish me luck!

If there are any Arizona schools that would like a Skype visit, please contact me.

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On March 1st I had the pleasure of returning to my elementary school in Connecticut, Race Brook Elementary, for a school visit. During a high school reunion, I reconnected with Chris who now teaches second grade there. She said if I was ever in town, to come present at the school.

The presentation was especially fun for me since I could be more personal and talk to the kids about how my neighbors inspired Jalapeno Bagels and An Eye for Color, and show them photos of the house I grew up in on Birchwood Drive and what I looked like when I attended Race Brook.

It was weird - in a good way - to go back to the school where I attended 4th through 6th grade. I remembered the gym where I presented the most, and a few teachers' names, and the principal's name,  but not the layout of the classrooms. My friend Jane, who was a year behind me, met me after the presentation and we walked the halls with Chris. Jane remembered everything! Where the library used to be. The hallway to the cafeteria, where Mrs. Water's classroom was (and the principal's too!). I wondered if my poor recollection was because I moved away from Connecticut when I was 20 and  wasn't around the old gang anymore to keep the memories fresh.

Jane then drove me past the old junior high which is now called Amity Middle School and around my old neighborhood where artist Josef Albers used to live. We visited the tennis club our families belonged to and reminisced about the parties we had there as teens. I'm writing a new chapter book for girls set at the club so it was perfect timing to see the club again and stir up all those wonderful memories. It'll surely help me add more details to the story.

Thank you, Chris and Jane, for the trip down memory lane.

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Love is a many splendored read. Less calories than chocolate. Lasts longer than roses. More bubbly than champagne. Says more than a card. Enough said.

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Great interview by Jennifer Bertman! She writes about creative spaces, and in the interview there's a photo of my office and some of my favorite things I surround myself with while I write, including my cat, Jemima.

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Just went on Amazon and got to see the cover for my upcoming book, The Night Before Preschool. It was designed by Amy Wummer, who also did the art for The Night Before Mother's Day. Looks like it'll be another good one.

The book is slated for a May release, also when the sticker book for The Night Before Kindergarten will be coming out. Can't wait!

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I can check off my first goal of 2011-finish reading Laura Resau's novel, The Ruby Notebook. It was a delightful story that continues the adventures of world travelers, Zeeta and her mom, Layla, who now live in Aix-en-Provence in France. Resau has a dreamy writing quality which does a fantastic job of capturing  settings. And since I took some French in high school, I enjoyed trying to figure out what the French saying sprinkled in the story meant without checking the glossary at the end. Her story also carries a heart-warming message of seizing love when it's in front of you. I can see teen girls loving this story for both Zeeta's desires and the cool people she hangs out with. The book would also appeal to woman pining for a little far-away romance.

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Here's a writing tip that I hadn't heard of before: eliminate filter words, the words that distance your reader from experiencing what the character is going through. Write It Sideways has a great example of a paragraph with filter words, and how it would read after removing them.

Here are the words to watch out for in your writing.

• to see
• to hear
• to think
• to touch
• to wonder
• to realize
• to watch
• to look
• to seem
• to feel (or feel like)
• can
• to decide
• to sound (or sound like)

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I love this time of year. It's when I get super organized and put behind the bad stuff and get rid of junk and excess, and look forward to the good things ahead. I always feel hopeful and refreshed, and excited about new possibilities.

This new year I've decided on a few goals and here they are: 1) Finish reading The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau and read books by other local authors 2) Illustrate one of my own children's books 3) Write 50 pages of a chapter book. 4) Be more active outdoors. The most important thing about my goals are to look at them not as chores or must-dos. But as playful projects, challenges that will help me grow and improve both my mental and physical health.

I hope you're able to let go of something this week, be it an object you don't need, or a habit you want to break, and choose something fun to strive for in 2011.

Happy New Year.

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In case you happen to be in Munchen over winter break, stop by the Pinakothek der Moderne and check out rarely seen oils on paper by Josef Albers as a study for his "Variant" and "Adobe" paintings.

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Did you ever wonder how dinosaurs got their names? This is an explanation from www.brighthub.com:


"How different types of dinosaurs are called can be tongue-twisting with the fairly long words. This peculiarity occurs largely because of the many elements that can be contained in the dinosaurs meaning of names. The general term “dinosaur,” in itself, is a name derived from two Greek words: “deinos” which translates to fearfully great or terrible in English and “sauros” which means lizard. The word dinosaur, therefore, simply denotes a “terrible lizard.”

The same mechanics went into the naming of the various kinds of dinosaurs. Some were so named to describe specific parts of their body that makes an individual distinct from its prehistoric kin. Others are named to describe specific characteristics or behaviors that set part a dinosaur from others in its species.

Still, some names may be descriptive of the size of the dinosaur or the locality where that species was found, which is why there are dinosaurs called Denversaurus and Utahsaurus. There are also dinosaurs named after the scientists (commonly, paleontologists) who unearthed or discovered the fossil remains of these animals. The Chassternbergia, for example, was named after its discoverer, Charles Sternberg."

If you ever wondered how to raise a dinosaur, do I have a book for you!

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My dinosaur book was highlighted in this article! Click on the book covers in the article to see the different ones.
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Duncan of Litchfield, Connecticut is the winner of the How to Raise a Dinosaur pet dinosaur photo contest. The photo was taken at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. Not only is the composition great, but look at Duncan's expression! As a prize, Duncan has won 10 books written and signed by me. Hurray!

P.S. I would still love to see photos of you with your pet dinosaur. So send them in and I will post them here.

PSST. And if you know of anyone who loves dinosaurs, I know a good book (wink, wink).

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It's one thing to shop local. You're supporting neighborhood businesses. When you buy local products, you're supporting both a business and an artisan - two entities within your community. That's why when you give a book as a gift this year, please choose to purchase one written by a Fort Collins author.

Here are some suggestions for kids and teens on your list. And if you don't have children, why not donate a book to your local public or school library, or give one to your Toys for Tots drive. They are always in need of gifts for teens.

By Colorado Book Award Winner, Laura Resau

15-year-old Zeeta and her flighty mother live in a different country every year. This year, in the Ecuadoran Andes, Zeeta helps an American boy search for his birth parents. With him, she encounters adventure, mystery, love, and ultimately, the truth about what she really wants.




In this companion to The Indigo Notebook, Zeeta continues her adventures in the southern French town of Aix-en-Provence, where she encounters captivating street performers, age-old secrets, and mysteries of love.


By acclaimed novelist, Todd Mitchell


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Some of my writer friends had new books come out this year so I wanted to give a shout out to them in case you're stumped as to what to give your book-loving children or relatives this holiday.

In Venice in the 1890s, a plain white cat, left to fend for scraps, makes his way into the heart of a cafe owner who has nothing to spare. In no time at all, though, Nini becomes a celebrity, hosting visits from the composer Giuseppe Verdi, the king and queen of Italy, and even Pope Leo XIII. Nini's fame helps save the struggling business. But is his stardom enough to produce a small miracle of a different sort?




Piper Davis awaits news of her brother, a sailor on the battleship Arizona stationed in Pearl Harbor. Explosions rule the earth and sky, and Piper wonders what will become of her brother, and of her life in Seattle, as blackouts and rationing take hold. Soon, Piper is greeted by another grim situation—the incarceration of her Japanese neighbors.


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