Walter at the Library

The new youth services librarian at Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham, Maine, Kathy Stevens, sent me this photo. Walter, a story-loving iquana, visited the library today. He took a particular interest in the Swallowtail butterfly on the mural I painted on the library's wall there several years ago. Here's the other mural, too:

And here are my sunflowers--saying farewell to the garden, now that the season is turning.

It was a good garden year: peas, lettuce, blackberries, basil, tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots, pumpkins, and a MYSTERY VINE! Which, as it happens, is the name of my new picture book with Greenwillow Books. It will be released next summer. The dog is Bailey, our 14-year-old faithful friend, who has just come from the orchard where he helps himself to pears several times a day. 

Books & Blooms

Authors, illustrators and readers all enjoyed a lovely day at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on July 12th at Books & Blooms--an annual event sponsored by The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.  Great work by Wayne Sheridan, Event Chair, and executive director Shonna Milliken, as well as Olympian organization by Barbara Kelly and her staff from the USM Bookstore made this a wonderful success. It was fun to see friends in the "biz" and meet other authors, teachers, parents and kids. Story Walk got lots of positive response as well. Among the more than 60 book folks at the festival was the remarkable Dahlov Ipcar, who was there to sign copies of the recently reissued The Little Fisherman by Margaret Wise Brown.

The folks at the Botanical Garden treated us quite royally, and Mother Nature produced perfect Maine Postcard weather.

Summertime cutting and pasting

A creative bunch of kids had a grand time making turtle and insect puppets right here in Maine at the North Gorham Library today. The art activity followed an interactive story time with SCOOT! and TURTLE SPLASH! 

Lawrence Library loves turtles!

A lively crowd 

of 244 kids and parents helped produce performances of SCOOT! and TURTLE SPLASH! last week at the Lawrence Public Library in Kansas. Librarians Linda Clay and Joyce Steiner did a fabulous job with preparations, the kids enjoyed the crafts and snacks  after the program, and Raven Bookstore handled brisk book sales. A special thanks to Sandy Garrett for all the arrangements.

  (photos: Chuck Garrett, SEP)

Story Walk!

Once again, the amazing Kirsten Cappy has produced a grand  adventure for kids! She has teamed with Tory Rogers, MD, Program Director of the Kid's CO-OP (a division of the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center) and Physician Advisor for the LET'S GO!  program, and Diane Skog from Raising Readers to create a "Story Walk" --a wonderful project to get kids reading and moving for a healthy life. Kirsten cleverly designed weather resistant signs that feature the pages of SCOOT!, plus additional illustrations for acting out the animal actions from the book. Children and their families can follow along a path from page to page as they leap, scamper, lurch and wriggle their way through the story.  The SCOOT! Story Walk debuted on the playground at the Morse School in Freeport, Maine today with an  eager bunch of first graders on a beautiful picture-postcard day. For more of Kirsten's photos, click here. For a news article about Story Walk, click here.

The SCOOT! Story Walk Kit will soon be available to libraries, schools, nature centers and museums. Contact Kirsten at Curious City for more information: kirsten@curiouscity.net or 207.699.2755.

Flying Turtles!

The turtles are off to Kansas! I will be visiting children at the Lawrence Library in Kansas on June 13th at 10:30 am, and all the turtles will be there, too! 

Turtle Time at the Library

Children and families had a fine time pondside at the Scarborough Public Library last week, thanks to the Library's collaboration  with the Maine Humanities Council to launch the Born to Read Family Outreach Program which supports early childhood literacy.

 Eager young participants took active parts for SCOOT! and TURTLE SPLASH!, and then enjoyed refreshments. Thanks to Books, Etc. for providing books.

More photos HERE thanks to Kirsten from Curious City.