AND THE WINNER IS....

SARAH DARER LITTMAN!!!


Sarah is an author for middle grade readers and teens and posted her tree love for the beautiful Copper Beech. I'll be sending her a copy of THIS TREE COUNTS! and donating $40 for 40 trees to American Forest.com in her name.

Thanks to all who entered

to celebrate 40 years of Earth Day!

Plant Trees for the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!

Win a copy of my book, THIS TREE COUNTS! and help plant trees.  The winner will receive my book and I'll donate $40 in your name to AMERICAN FORESTS to plant 40 new trees to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.  


To enter, it's simple:  
IN THE COMMENT SECTION, NAME YOUR FAVORITE TREE.


Contest ends midnight, Thursday April 22nd, EARTH DAY!


On April 23rd, I'll do a drawing and announce the winner. 

SAVE OUR LIBRARIES

Take a moment and support your local library. Due to proposed budget cuts, drastic changes may affect libraries all over America.

When one library is in trouble, ALL libraries are in trouble.

SAVE LIBRARIES!

KidLit Authors Spring into Party Time!

KidLit Authors Club celebrates Spring!
Visit the KidLit Authors Club blog for all the details.

MAKING EVERY EVENT A CELEBRATION OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS.

Hopefully, I'll see you at one of the KAC events below:
Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Mt. Airy, PA, April 10
Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, DE, April 14
Barnes & Noble, Moorestown, NJ, April 15
Barnes & Noble, Rittenhouse Sq, Phila, PA, April 17
Barnes & Noble, E. Brunswick, NJ, April 20
Barnes & Noble, Deptford, NJ, May 2
Sparta Books, Sparta, NJ, May 22
Barnes & Noble, Howell, NJ, June 2
N. Wildwood Beach Writers Conference, N. Wildwood, NJ, June 8-9

You may win a pretty party bag!

We're All a Little Irish Today

Here's to going GREEN! A shamrock is a lovely way to start.

We all need a bit of Irish wisdom now and then. Here's one to remember on your life's journey:

As you slide down the banister of life, 

may the splinters never point in the wrong direction!

It's time to plant trees!

THIS TREE COUNTS! is officially released today. Kudos to Sarah Snow, the amazing illustrator who makes my tree huggable on every page. And to the lovely folks at Albert Whitman & Company for all the wonderful books you publish.

Announcing KidLit Authors Club!

The KidsLit Authors Club has arrived!

Are you a teacher or librarian in the PA, NJ, DE area who would love to have one-stop shopping available for author visits? How about a whole group of young adult, middle grade and picture book authors arriving at your doorstep in one day? If you think this is a fabulous idea - look no further.

The KidLit Authors Club (KAC) is a group of of authors and illustrators from PA, NJ and DE who will bring the party to you! The KAC is new, but gosh, are we busy already! Check out the website for a list of where we will be visiting: bookstores, schools, libraries and writing conferences. This terrific mix of debut and multi-book authors combines fun with valuable writing tips. You make the contact, we'll take it from there - talk about a party planner!

Check out our website and be inspired!

FINDING LINCOLN

In honor of President Lincoln's birthday, consider reading FINDING LINCOLN, a new picture book written by Ann Malaspina and illustrated by Coretta Scott King Honor artist Colin Bootman. Since its release, FINDING LINCOLN has received stellar reviews and the following recognitions:


2009 National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) Gold Winner
2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

I believe President Lincoln, an avid reader himself, would approve of Malaspina's historically based story and her lovely dedication:

For the brave children who walked into a segregated library and asked to borrow a book.

Today's Tree is....

A surprise! Check out the new addition to my website in anticipation of my soon-to-be-released picture book, THIS TREE COUNTS!

Kindling Words

Meeting authors.
Writing time.
Learning much.
I "retreated" to Vermont last weekend.

For a lovely sense of the experience, visit author Amy Timberlake's site and see the slide show she's posted.

PURPLEY PARTY!

There's a reason to celebrate. Congratulations to Jean Reidy on her new picture book, TOO PURPLEY! Visit her on-line book launch  this week. Lots of prizes and surprise visitors, too.

It's sure to be a perfectly purpley party!

The Character Actor

Often it's the background characters that help drive a story, just like the "character actor" in film. There's always that guy you recognize and ask yourself, "Where have I seen him before?"

One of my favorite character actors is THOMAS MITCHELL. From portraying Scarlett's father in Gone With The Wind to Uncle Billy in It's A Wonderful Life to the mayor in High Noon, Mitchell was not only a talented character actor, but a playwright and screenwriter, as well. Mitchell is one of the few actors to win the triple crown of acting awards—a Tony, an Oscar and an Emmy. The Oscar Mitchell won was for his role of Doc Boone in Stagecoach, released in 1939, the same year as Gone With the Wind.

Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund

Wyclef Jean is helping Haiti.


From CNN earlier today—
"Within two hours of Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Jean and Yéle mobilized on social networking sites to raise funds for disaster relief. Jean is encouraging people to text "Yéle" to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, or to visit http://www.yele.org."

Congratulations, KATHERINE PATERSON!

Katherine Paterson is the newly appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Here's the article and announcement in today's New York Times. Ms. Paterson clearly recognizes her inner child just like I try to do every day. 
“People often say, ‘Now that your children are grown up, how can you still write for children?’ And I say, ‘I never wrote for them.’ I always write for the child in me, and she is still in there.”

Jumping high!

This image shows how I feel two days post-Christmas madness and fun. Maybe it's all those holiday cookies I've been eating. I'm giddy and feel like jumping, ready for what the new year will bring.
Happy and healthy 2010 to all!

Busy wrapping....

Puzzling

We worked on a fun puzzle over Thanksgiving. When the final piece was tapped into place—
Ahhh! What a feeling.

Now the holiday hustle begins. For me, it's a bit like starting a new puzzle with a thousand pieces to fit together before December 25th. Here's to peaceful preparations and everything falling into place the way you'd like.

Does anyone remember Thanksgiving?

I ran into Santa at the mall today. "Aren't you a bit early?" I asked.

"Ho, ho, ho!" he replied. "Never too early."

"But it's not even Thanksgiving yet."

"I do love turkey!" Santa smiled. "Now, what do you want for Christmas?"

"Ask me after Thanksgiving."
"Ho, ho, ho." Click. Flash. "Enjoy your Santa photo. Pay at the booth."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Santa."

Carol Parenzan Smalley: Hershey, Green Changes. Lewis & Clark

Most writers are happy to have even one book out a year, but creative non-fiction author and educator Carol Parenzan Smalley has had four books released in 2009. Young readers can enjoy making their lives greener in Tell Your Parents: Green Changes You Can Make Around Your Home, all while feasting on the sweet words in Smalley's two books on Milton Hershey, Diary of a Milt and The Growing Story of The Milton Hershey School. And it's obvious that Smalley does her research in her historical reader What's So Great About Lewis and Clark?   

Look for Carol Parenzan Smalley's newest title in 2010, How to Convince Your Parents You Can Care for a Hamster, a book sure please this parent who wishes her kids would remember to clean the cage.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

I'm proud to own a copy of WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Judith Snyder, a talented author and a helpful critique partner, too. Her new picture book is visually fun and children will love "seeing the world in a whole new way." Take a moment to visit the contest page for WHAT DO YOU SEE? for a chance to win a copy for yourself.