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Sometimes you just have to go for it. Maybe it’s not exactly how you have dreamed it up in your head, but if you jump – if you “begin anywhere” – you can go on from there.

For several years, Patrick, Tulsi and I have been *talking* about getting a dreamy VW pop-top, OR a fun-n-funky gypsy wagon, a vintage trailer OR even a school bus, and hitting the open road. Have you thought of, or done, the same?  When this little trailer came up for sale this Spring in Santa Fe, we jumped on it. (Plus, Tulsi had a very similar looking one glued to her “vision board” so it was bound to be.) We had been planning to return to the Redwoods in Northern CA to do fundraising events with Luna & Me, and when our plans expanded into a book tour, we decided to take the camper, aka the Magic Turtle. Tulsi and I decorated it to feel like home with flower-embroidered curtains, a felted mobile, dried marigold strands, and a photo collage/”Beloved board” of our family and friends. In July, we set off on our maiden voyage for 5 weeks and traveled over 4,500 miles across 10 gorgeous states: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

What a magical country we live in!

There is so much I love about traveling. Spontaneity, and how one experience can lead you to another completely unplanned moment. I especially crave the open road – through vast landscapes with enormous skies, along windy rivers that change color at every bend, and through old towns that whisper stories as you pass by. It nurtures my creative spirit. I love the feeling of freedom and calmness – no rushing – space to think and breathe. And even though we moved around a lot, being outside nearly all day every day grounded us. If it was hot and we passed by a river, we stopped, played with rocks, splashed, made tea, and dunked in frigid waters while screaming in pure delight, heart racing, laughing, and feeling 1000% alive.

We camped nearly every night in our Magic Turtle – on empty ocean beaches with driftwood playgrounds and sea stack Giants, down mysterious National Forest dirt roads, sweet state parks, high mountain meadows, even our friends’ backyard. Our camper was cozy (6’3″x6’3″x13′) and ideal for road travel since we could pull it with our little Suburu Outback, and we could stop anywhere – the base of a golden and crimson arch in Moab or a small town park/playground – cook a meal easily and run off to explore. Oh, it was really dreamy. I couldn’t stop smiling.

A few of the MANY highlights …

– On our first night out, we pulled into a meadow on a stunning high mountain pass in New Mexico when a wild rain + thunderstorm burst from the skies seconds after we got into the Turtle. We were dry, cozy, had a lovely, “home-cooked” meal by candlelight, and slept all night to sweet rain music (my favorite!).

– the postcard Tulsi mailed to Oso the 2nd day away

– We spent 5 special days at the Mendocino Woodlands State Park at a Sufi camp. Patrick taught Ayurveda/chai classes and led a Hindu ceremony while Tulsi, Narayan and I played at the ‘kids’ camp’. Every morning, the entire camp gathered for dances of universal peace and then the kids ran through a circular tunnel made of their elders’ joined hands, and off we went to explore. We discovered a red-legged frog in a creek and “stumbled upon” a nest of featherless baby hummingbirds camouflaged under a spiderweb atop green furry moss, in the nook of a redwood tree!

– One of my favorite dances of universal peace was to this beautiful tune by Tom Chapin, which Blue now loves to fall asleep to. Such a pretty lullabye.

“This pretty planet spinning through space, You’re a garden, you’re a harbor, you’re a holy place,

Golden sun going down, Gentle blue giant spin us around,

All through the night, Safe til the morning light.”

– Luna & Me came full circle when we returned to Humboldt County, CA where we journeyed 2 years earlier to visit Luna and research/camp in the redwood forest. This time, we did 3 wonderful and successful fundraising events with Sanctuary Forest, caretakers of The Luna Preserve. What a fun and dedicated group of people doing great work for the environment!

– I loved connecting with the kids at events and visiting amazing indie bookstores!

– reconnecting with old friends, meeting friends I had only known via blogs/fb before, and encountering a lot of really kind-hearted people

– reading A Wrinkle in Time aloud in the car, on the beach, by the light of the campfire… love, love, love!

– reading, reading, and more reading!

– camping on the Southern Oregon Coast! The beaches are public, and we had the most magical beach to ourselves. We rolled out of bed onto cool, soft sand and explored in our jammies with not a care in the world.

– fairy-like Ferry rides from island to island in the Puget Sound and learning that Orca whales breathe in unison while traveling together!

– long hike with 2 kids to wild hot springs in Idaho

– witnessing a young bat swimming in a lake and flapping its way to shore where it rested and dried (and we admired)

– simply being together in nature

Maybe we’re just lucky, but we have two of the best travelers, Ever. Tulsi is such a free-spirited, ‘wild child’, and she flourished on this trip. She made us laugh non-stop, and made new friends easily even though she says she’s shy. She met new, and sometimes scary/challenging opportunities, with courage and wonder, and from these, she grew stronger, wiser, more confident, and more compassionate. I love watching her grow. And Narayan Blue radiates so much love and light from his brilliant blue eyes and joyous smile. It was awesome to watch him investigate every rock, pine cone, beach, and salty, worn piece driftwood. His favorite word for the trip was “MAMA!” which melted my heart. He learned to crawl forward during our travels and was a social butterfly making everyone he met, smile. Isn’t it a joy watching our children bring joy to others (friends and strangers alike) just by being themselves?

We learned a few things from this “trial excursion” with our camper:  we could easily go for longer (we seem to have little needs but being in nature), no agenda would be fun, we appreciated the simplicity of having little ‘stuff” with us, the camper was grounding for the kids and made camping/road-tripping easy, and we couldn’t get enough of the ocean (lakes, creeks, rivers, too!). We are ready for more. With homeschooling again this year, we are already planning field-trips with the Turtle!

Here’s another favorite song (from the Shaker tradition) that seems to sum up the way our little family lives, whether on the road or on our homestead. Such a gift.

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

Happy New Year! I feel like I am standing in front of swinging double dutch jump ropes, trying to get the timing right (and the nerve) to jump back into blogging. I’ve been away for most of the past year except for my Facebook page and Mothering With Soul. It has been quite a full year!

Of course there was plenty of fun on the homestead…And our flock of hens survived their first molt and (after looking like walking pieces of plucked meat, sorry), they now look gorgeous with fluffy, perfect plummage. Tulsi’s humor (and attitude) also blossomed this year.

And we took several adventures to Colorado, Mississippi, New Orleans, Chicago, Madison, St. Louis, Omaha, and Maryland. It was a few whirlwind trips but great to fly away from the homestead and have new experiences! We have more of the same planned for 2013. :) It’s a sweet balance. And ideal (for us).

A huge highlight was marching (and dancing) with good friends in the famous 2nd Line parade in New Orleans for 4 hours! In the past, the 2nd line of a funeral procession celebrated the loved one’s life with music, dance, color and Joy. It is still a celebration of life, only now it is a weekly parade open to everyone. Such positive vibes and groovin’. I will never forget it! The costumes were awesome! Live music is one of my very favorite things in the world! We drank it up in New Orleans.

Our excursions were sprinkled with magic, too. Twirling on the beach, jelly fish!, magic shows, puppets, backpacking in enchanted forests, and every bit was enhanced by the nonstop imagination of a 3 yr old.

These are just a glimpse, but you can imagine how our travels filled my cup! AND, upon returning, I’m always even more appreciative of the place we live — in these sacred mountains near the Taos Native Indians — sprinkled with magic, everywhere you turn.

I collaged this image of Saraswati on New Years Eve when my family was asleep. (ha) Saraswati is the goddess of music, arts, learning. Wishing you a new year full of magic and learning!

I’m loving the consistency of changing mountain weather and how it keeps us spontaneous. Friday called for a snowy walk near the silent Rio Grande goddess. L-O-V-E!

Saturday brought more Spring chicken dances,

tropical greenhouse creations,

and snuggles galore.

And on Sunday came a temple visit colored with music, community, purple bulbs peeking out of the dirt and carrots-peas-beets and yogurt mixed with fancy peacocks under the sweetest blue sky. I am so grateful to have a sacred space that I feel at home in, to sing and pray, cook and eat, give thanks, share ideas and lessons learned, and to give and receive encouragement.

Gotta soak up these radiant days because the winds are coming soon…but then we’ll be intrigued and inspired by seed catalogs and garden planning. How are your days colored lately?

EVERYBODY and every being. Sometimes I need this reminder. Thank you, Ram Das.

And…another beautiful, awesome, sweet, lovely day on the homestead full of incredible and ordinary things that remind me of just how blessed I am.

Tulsi and I had Valentines on our minds yesterday and after making one very involved one and deciding it was “so much work”, we embarked on a little print-making play like our friends Veda and Penny. Tulsi’s Valentine is of her holding a flower (for her friends). The two circles on her body are her nipples, of course , since she is a girl. :) We transferred it to a rubber pad, and I did my best to carve her drawing. She figured out that kneeling on the stamp really helped to make great prints.

It was all fun, especially the ink pad and glittering and gluing hearts! And what an efficient way to make a lot of Valentines. I think the most fun will come when Tulsi gives them to all her friends and family, or surprises neighbors with them, accompanied with giant hugs. I haven’t “played” Valentines Day since I was little! We are excited about going to a Valentine’s Dance with Last to Know to benefit the Birth Center in Taos. Maybe we’ll bake some treats, too, or explore some of these fun ideas. How do you celebrate with your kids?

Hello out there! Anyone still listening? :) After a fun, whirlwind month-long book tour, including 12 bookstore and library events, 25 presentations at schools, 8 cities, and 48 hours in NYC, this mama and daughter are HAPPY to be back home in our sweet world full of hidden funny faces and magical blue skies. Tulsi is all about making pictures on ANY surface. Even I am her canvas! Ha. Yes, that is my leg below. And the drawing on the right is Tulsi’s portrait of me wearing 2 hats with a ball on top, and the colors to the upper right are “a wild rainbow rain”!

More posts coming about the past month!

Four months ago, I said I would post on the 13th of every month, in a countdown celebration for the release of my new picture book, Same, Same but Different. Um, while my excitement did not diminish, Summer took over. Hee.

Here’s an update:

After the smoke and wild winds left, the bears came. Patrick and I discovered our “roars” and have managed to scare many away (thank goodness, our 17 chickens have survived, too! There were some close calls). Tulsi has been developing her chicken wrangling skills and loves to watch the chicks play tomato soccer — quite a thrilling event on our littl’ homestead!

We have been blessed with another bountiful garden season that is in its most magical-stage right now. Canning season is very near. I am recruiting MY mama again this year.

I have “sorta” taken a photography course with Andrea Scher, only life got in the way of that, too. Still, I have been taking more photos than ever and learning a lot from her course emails. Just looking at the endless photos participants have posted has inspired me and pushed me to think differently when holding a camera. Andrea rocks! I highly recommend her course. This is a photo of Tulsi dancing with peacock feathers in the peacock yard at Baba’s house (the temple).

Other than my family, what has filled my summer mostly, is goddesses and mama-meditations and research and collage and stories and collaboration. I’ve been painting my heart out on an oracle deck, coming your way Spring, 2012! It has been a challenging and beautiful project on many levels that I will share about in the future. I’m nearing the end and looking forward to seeing it come to life AND for a much-deserved, family vacation. Feels like I’ve been running a perpetual marathon. I haven’t painted this much since finishing Same, Same but Different.

And so, the countdown now is 30 days! THIRTY days until my new book is released! Whew! And a really exciting thing just happened — I found out Same, Same but Different got into the Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators in NYC! I am happily in shock and feel so honored :). OK, actually, I cried when I found out because I was in awe reading the list of illustrators who are in the show (you can download it on the show’s link page) — SO many of whom I adore and respect. Eric Carle, Maurice Sendak, Tommy de Paola, Giselle Potter, Calef Brown, David Wiesner, to only name a few — really, I could name them ALL. I can’t wait to see their art in person in NYC in October and visit with my editor and friends. I know it will inspire me like crazy.

The bottom photo was taken by Colin Dullaghan back in October, 2010 — paradise on a clear, Fall day! The top photo was from last week.

Ahhh, it’s been awhile. There is a big fire in New Mexico, about an hour and a half south of us, and the winds have filled our valley with smoke. So many people and animals have been affected, as well as sacred sites. We are in such a drought. The sky wants to rain so badly, the clouds drum and echo their music across the mesa, but their rain evaporates before ever touching the earth…there are some 10-second sprinkles that Tulsi and I were lucky to dance in, naked. Yeah, that is the cool thing about living in the mountains on private land with few “surprise” visits from neighbors.

The smoke was so thick last week that we packed up and headed north to higher ground, good friends and barefoot picnics in the grass. One surprising and comforting thing was the answer to the question, “If our house burns down, what would we want to take with us?” Our answer as we looked around our house, very little.

I’m also in the THICK with my card deck project and was kinda exhausted, so a forced, otherwise impossible spontaneous roadtrip, was re-energizing. And the “distance” was just what I needed to gain perspective. I’m pretty happy about it so far and am having fun. This deck is a “dream job” in a lot of ways. I love the project and there is no art direction. This is rare — nearly unheard of in the publishing world. It feels both empowering (to be trusted) and scary (to have such a wide open sky). Although I wish I had more time, I see how I’m being “pushed” and am growing a lot from creating a large number of pieces in such a short amount of time. And, it is fun how inspiration (for other projects) seems to pour like monsoons when I am painting this much. A little glimpse…

I’ll post a garden update soon! Every year is different and full of curve balls and new learning. As for Tulsi, I love that she loves the garden and chickens and dirt as much as ever.

This week was a tough one. We all have Spring colds and felt pretty miserable. On the positive side, Tulsi and I got 24-7 snuggle time for about 5 days straight. :) Today we all began to feel a wee bit more like our normal selves. This afternoon Tulsi and I sat side by side, drawing for a big deadline tomorrow. She sensed I felt a bit cloudy and stuck, maybe because she heard me say, “this is awful. Mama can’t draw.” And she replied, “See Mama?” and proceeded to take me on a ride through one of her magical drawings.

Thanks, Tulsi. It was JUST what I needed. No fear. Don’t think. Just play.

When she was finished, I said, “WOW! Your drawing makes me so happy.” And really, I was amazed and totally inspired. And she’s just turning 2. It’s only just begun.

I went back to drawing, and as I began, Tulsi said, “WOW, MAMA! Tulsi Happy!” Click here or on the drawing to watch her demo on my Facebook page.

what i’ve been doing besides blogging…

- discovering again how much i love doodling and drawing letters with odd things like icicles and food coloring, candles dipped in ink, henna, carved potato prints, lemon juice and fire, and stencils inked with ragged old ink pads

- goin’ with the energy of late nights and long naps and patrick’s super yummy chai and making major progress on the chai book…!…and holding an art raffle here.

- one, two or three fancy tea parties a day with my favorite little studiomate and fun mama-tulsi projects like sewing a kitty cat doll (see tea party pic below) when tulsi realizes no kitty cats live in our house and says we should make one

- super fun project development on two new alphabets for Oopsy Daisy

- frequent walks around the stuppa and “play” visits inside the stuppa with “Boo-daa”

- playing with our hens Frida, Frannie, Rosie and Posey (who are just so much more fun since the roosters left the scene…Roo-roo-Diego sadly gave up his life in a brave fight with a dog to save his ladies…and the second-fiddle rooster who we thought was a hen suffered from too many rooster-hormones so our neighbors cooked him up in a winter stew…we are vegetarians)

- gathering eggs daily, some still so warm, and baking quiches and fritadas and burritos and muffins and breads and cookies and french toast, and planning to paint eggs to hang from a tree in the Spring

- staring into my almost-two-year-old sweet girl’s magical eyes and following her lead — spontaneous yoga in the greenhouse, ring-around-the-rosie in the bath tub, and “fancy” band-aides from patterned fabric scraps and ribbons for countless booboo’s

- planting onion seeds and swimming thru countless seed catalogs and making garden lists in my head

- finding endless inspiration in friends like Rhett and mama bloggers like Maya

- embarking on a wild, dreamy and slightly scary ride of illustrating a tarot deck for a great publisher

- and constantly whispering “thank you” for this beautiful sweet family of mine

Tulsi prefers to be either naked, or dressed in at least 10 layers. Her funny smile and excitement over everything is contagious.

After a whirlwind 2 1/2 week trip to the midwest for work+holiday, we are really happy to be back in the mountains. The night we got home I was outside in below 0 degree weather, climbing stacked strawbales to check on the chickens and tuck them in for the night. I had to laugh at how much fun this was. The city was ok, but I am such a mountain girl.

And happy new year! It’s always nice to have closure and fresh starts, even if sometimes nerves and uncertainty are mixed in. I have been feeling a little discouraged at my efforts and successes/struggles with my art lately and the lack of time for it. (You’ve heard that before — it’s a rollercoaster I’m sure I’ll continue to ride for some years as a mama+artist.) Patrick did an I ching reading for me and “retreat” is the theme for me this year. I think of a lot with that word. Quiet, reflection, letting go, soaking up, refueling, learning, growing, playing, praying, following my intuition, no expectations… Thinking about this helped me to let go into this new year and be excited about whatever it brings. It helped me drop any funny, unrealistic expectations of myself that come from a place of comparing myself to others and trying to “keep up” with them. What a relief. Hee. I feel so free.

My friend Maria has been blogging for almost a year at 52 Flowers, posting a poem+painting every week “exploring the nature in human nature”. It was a challenge she gave herself but also a retreat of sorts. Check it out. Her art is so fresh and heartFULL and really inspiring to me.

I hope to blog more soon. I have so much more inspiration to share from our trip and friends and home and art. :)

December, warm, sunny and beautiful, and still no snow. I am confused what time of year it is! For the past several years, we have decorated one of our house plants for Christmas…a Northfolk Pine or our gigantic Ficus ‘tree’. There is no room in our house for a traditional Christmas tree, and it’s just fun to adorn a family plant. When thinking about this year, I remembered once when we had some friends housesit and coming home to one of our Aspen trees with dried fruit dangling from it’s naked branches. An edible holiday tree for our beloved bird friends! That idea just feels so perfect for us. We are bird lovers and watchers. We don’t own a tv and often sit in our window sills watching the birds and rabbits. So, we chose a very special tree outside my studio to give love to. We strung popcorn and cranberries, made molded birdseed ornaments and threaded dried apples, apricots, raisins, mangoes and papaya. We scattered seed around the trunk and hung lights. Then opened a bottle of wine and watched the birds discover it all. When the sun went down, we went in and decorated more. And can I just say the obvious? It’s so so fun celebrating holidays with a young child. Everything is new and extra exciting! Tulsi wakes up my kidself, bigtime.

We are taking advantage of the gorgeous weather and spending most of our days outside with the chickens and in the garden. And, it’s fun to nibble bites of fruit straight off the tree.

It’s easy for me to daydream, or sleepdream, of being in India again. As far away as it is, and as difficult traveling there can be, I feel so ‘at home’ there. I don’t know exactly what it is that makes me feel that way, nor do I want to water it down by trying to explain it. It is funny how a culture that is so different than mine can also feel so familiar and comfortable. If you’ve been there, you know — it either is or it isn’t. I think the time I’ve spent in India and Nepal has had a big effect on how we live here — what it looks like, how we spend our time and money, and what is important to us and what isn’t. I’m sure a lot of people who’ve spent time in other countries can say the same.

I feel so fortunate to have a temple/ashram in our community. It’s a golden thread that connects us to India and our teacher. Today was one of those special moments in the temple room. In an instant, we were back in India. Just like that. Tulsi and I clapped and drummed and rang bells with a roomful of Indian women singing traditional songs that reminded me so so much of the village songs the women sang during Holi (the festival of Spring and colors) in Vrindavin the last time Patrick and I were there at Neem Karoli Baba’s Ashram (pictured above). The vibrations, energy and even giggles from the women occasionally forgetting words — it was the same today as then. Oh, and the voices. So full of life. I imagine it coming from someplace deep within them and back to their childhood and to their mothers and grandmothers. It would make anyone wish they were a part of their tribe or fluent in their mother tongue. Or at least just know the words. At least, for me it did.

This is my today.
And this is from one of my favorite poetry books, The Subject Tonight is Love: 60 Wild and Sweet Poems by Hafiz, versions by Daniel Ladinksy.

Out of the Mouths of a Thousand Birds

Listen –
Listen more carefully to what is around you
Right now.

In my world
There are the bells from the clanks
Of the morning milk drums,

And a wagon wheel outside my window
Just hit a bump

Which turned into an ecstatic chorus
Of the Beloved’s Name.

There is the Prayer Call
Rising up like the sun
Out of the mouths of a thousand birds.

There is an astonishing vastness
Of movement and Life

Emanating sound and light
From my folded hands

And my even quieter simple being and heart.

My dear,
Is it true that your mind
Is sometimes like a battering
Ram

Running all through the city,
Shouting so madly inside and out

About the ten thousand things
That do not matter?

Hafiz, too,
For many years beat his head in youth

And thought himself at a great distance,
Far from an armistice
With God.

But that is why this scarred old pilgrim
Has now become such a sweet rare vintage
Who weeps and sings for you.

That is why Hafiz will forever in his verse
Play his cymbal and call to you.

O listen –
Listen more carefully
To what is inside of you right now.

In my world
All that remains is the wondrous call to
Dance and prayer

Rising up like a thousand suns
Out of the mouth of a
Single bird.

A friend’s book was released last month. Carla Sonheim’s DRAWING LAB: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun. It is really fun, and I think it will inspire a lot of people! And I am honored to have contributed in a teeny way with an interview and art. In celebration for Carla, I am hosting a book-give-a-way. (Signed by the author, too!) But since I get to host the give-a-way, I’m gearing it to teachers K-12, because I think it would be such an inspiration for them and their students. Then, just one book can reach many.

SO…if you are a teacher, OR, if you are a parent of a student (or a student) who promises to gift it to a teacher, please leave a comment in this post and share your favorite drawing exercise of your own. I’ll choose a comment/receiver for the book in 2 weeks. Yay for Carla. I know how exciting it is to have your book out in the world!

It's an everyday party! The thought behind this illustration was to paint older kids than I usually do.
Anette Heiberg
www.anetteheiberg.com

Pluviophobia is the fear of rain. Poor lil' duckling - rain is an everyday thing.

Kristi Valiant
http://kristivaliant.blogspot.com
www.kristivaliant.com

Esme Raji Codell is an author and certified readiologist. I first learned about Esme, a young urban teacher with big dreams in her acclaimed memoir, EDUCATING ESME. Years later, I began reading her children’s books, and was delighted when an advance reader copy of VIVE LE PARIS arrived in my mailbox for review. I was immediately pulled into the story, promptly took off my reviewer hat, curled up in a chair and savoured every page. When I learned the book was awarded the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for “outstanding contribution to Jewish Literature,” I was not surprised!

Esme is passionate about books, literacy, and children. I am thrilled beyond measure that she was willing to share her thoughts and insights on my blog.

VIVE LA PARIS is about the relationship of an urban African American girl, and her piano teacher, a holocaust survivor. What was the inspiration for writing a story about the connecting of diverse cultures?

When I was teaching the fifth grade in Chicago to an inner-city classroom of about thirty five kids, I read aloud a book called Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, about children and the Danish resistance during WWII. It was very indirect as to the particulars of the Nazi threat, and none of these children were Jewish or had any prior knowledge of the Holocaust. I was happy to skirt around the atrocities. When the book inspired more probing questions, I answered with the academic equivalent to “Go ask your father,” which is, “go to the library.”

Well, one day, I saw one of my students writing and crying so hard that tears were falling on the page. When I went to see, she was making a word search with words like NAZI AND CREMATORIUM. It turned out that she DID go to the library, and making this word search was her was of processing this information that she had found. I realized that I had chickened out, but I needed something to help me, as a teacher. I needed a book that spoke to all children, especially inner-city children who fight their own wars and injustices every day. I wanted a book that spoke to children now, who are so inundated with media, with images of Rwanda and 9/11 and the Asian tsunami and images from Katrina. So I wrote VIVE LA PARIS specifically from a diverse cultural point of view because I hoped it would be useful in reaching kids from all kinds of backgrounds as a springboard for a larger discussion: how do we deal with the bullies of the world? And, how does history repeat itself, in big ways and in small ways? These questions belong to all cultures. The book can be looked at in this context, but lots of kids also enjoy the straightforward tension of the plot; the idea of a fifth grade girl bullying an eighth grade boy is a big problem, and Paris, the boy’s sister, just gets madder and madder and madder. I think a lot of kids can relate to the idea of an escalating situation, and the desire to solve things peacefully...and just how hard that can be.

VIVE LA PARIS is a companion novel for another book I wrote, SAHARA SPECIAL. Characters appear in both books, so kids who enjoyed SAHARA can see their old friends again, but I was very careful to make sure each book stands on its own. You don’t have to read one to enjoy the other.

Paris, the main character in the book, had no previous knowledge of the Holocaust. Do you think today’s children are lacking exposure to the struggles of previous generations?

I think there’s a fine line between teaching kids the struggles of past generations and discouraging them with the incredible inhumane episodes that recur again and again in the world invented by grown-ups. But in answer to your question, yes, I think generally children could afford to know more about what previous generations have contributed to the present, but then again, I think everyone could afford to know more. I hope history would be approached with a sense of gratitude for what has been sacrificed and endured to arrive at this moment, and with some optimism about the future. Since most history is traditionally taught within a contextual timeline of war, this requires some conscientious effort.

Did you do a lot of research or is VIVE LA PARIS based on personal knowledge and experiences?

I was already well versed in the events of the Holocaust, though lots of facts were checked and re-checked. I did read up a lot on the entertainer Josephine Baker who is referenced in the novel. She really did lead an incredible life, working for the Resistance and dedicating so much of her personal life to the celebration of diversity. But most of VIVE LA PARIS is inspired by my own family, neighbors, children I have taught. There’s no fiction that isn’t born out of a seed of truth.

In HANUKKAH SHMANUKKAH! (Hyperion, 2005), a Jewish version A Christmas Carol, you explore a different historical aspect of the Jewish experience, including the use of humor and Yiddish words. Like Vive La Paris, this story also seems to bridge gaps between generations and communities. Do you see this an a significant theme in your writing?

Gosh, good questions, Barbara! I guess everything about me goes into my books. I grew up in a diverse multicultural neighborhood, and a lot of colloquial Yiddish was used in my home. I had a strong identification as an American, and felt like all American history was my history, including African-American history, which I learned a lot about at home and at school. I was surprised as an adult with the idea that history could belong to one group and not another. Since all the cultures in America, in my mind, should come together in a sense of belonging here, I suppose that shows through in my work.

You began your career as a teacher. Did you always want to write books?
I wanted to be a baseball umpire growing up, and then I wanted to be a scientist, but through it all I always wrote books, diaries. Short stories, articles, poems...sometimes to publish, sometimes not. I have been writing since I was able. It has always been part of who I am, not who I ever wanted to become. I always remind children that being a writer means writing, whether or not you get published, and whatever age you are.

Did your experiences as a teacher inspire your stories?

Oh, yes. Absolutely. Virtually all of my books have something to do with school, and all of my books start with something I want to share with children. I am always conscious of how my book might be used in a classroom, and I always try to write things that are fun to read aloud, since that is the most beneficial classroom approach.

I think I’m obsessed with school because it’s such an ephemeral time. Every school story is also a ghost story, because children change out of their former selves into adults. When I teach, I feel so lucky, I get to experience people during this precious, fleeting time, to know them so early in their own experience of living...and here they are, in this strange place, together: a school. It’s the stuff of great literature!

You have written many books in a variety of genres. Do you have a favorite genre?

I like writing non-fiction best, because I like observing better than having make things up. Inventing a whole fictional universe is exhausting, and requires more choices than a Libra like me can handle. Though I do try.

What are you working on now?

I have three picture books from Greenwillow on the horizon. I am also planning on launching a podcast soon that celebrates the joys of reading and the wonderful work of other authors and illustrators.

What do you like to read?

I like to read children’s books, because they are fast-paced and usually funnier than literature for adults. Realistic fiction and picture books are my favorite genre, though I’ll give anything a go for a few chapters. When I was a child, comic books were my favorite thing to read.

What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween, Johnny Appleseed’s birthday (September 26th) and my son’s birthday.

Do you have hobbies besides writing?

Well, my husband says eating is not a hobby, but I do love everything to do with food: cooking, reading food magazines, trying new restaurants. I love to spend my time listening to music, dancing and singing (usually in the privacy of my own apartment). I am also a rabid collector (I like robots, old Fisher Price toys, anything to do with fairy tales, Halloween collectibles and of course, children’s books and videos), a sloppy but bountiful urban gardener, and I like to plan parties, make puppet shows, blog about my favorite books at www.planetesme.blogspot.com and read aloud. My very favorite thing to do is spend time with friends and family, and make sure they know I love them.

Do you have any pets?

We have two sugar gliders named Amelia and Philippe. They are very old and fat marsupials with a lot of personality. Definitely part of the family.

Can you share a few fun facts about you?

One of my first things I ever had published was a movie review in a newspaper when I was seven years old.
When I was a teenager, I had 200 penpals and often skipped school to write letters to them.
I worked as a doughnut finisher for Dunkin’ Doughnuts. I like their French Cruller and Strawberry Frosted best.
I secretly would like to run a museum, or have a radio show.

Esme, it had been a delight! Thanks for stopping by!

To learn more about Esme, check out her web site at www.PlanetEsme.com
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