Kids and Dreams

Children participating in the kids program for the Martin Luther King, Jr Breakfast Celebration in Portland, Maine enjoyed lots of games and activities on Monday.
The annual event is sponsored by Portland's NAACP.

I began by reading my book, David's Drawings. In the book, a young boy draws a bare winter tree, and then welcomes crayon contributions from his classmates. The result is a joyful collaboration of friendship and imagination. Program participants made their own collaborative drawing, played cooperative games, made collages, and created their own inauguration hats ( it was, indeed, a two-event day!) They also wrote their hopes, wishes and dreams on paper leaves and added them to our "I Have A Dream" tree. Locals who visit the Portland Public Library can visit the tree and add their own leaves starting tomorrow, January 22nd.

A Feast of Fun!

A sneaky snow storm snuck in last night and continued this morning, but many braved the weather to attend the MLK breakfast in Portland. We had about 50 in my group, and more than 100 in Annie's. The kids seemed to have a grand time! We couldn't have done it without the help of tremendously awesome volunteers. Dr. King would have been impressed with the great cooperation, friendship, and fun. For more photos, click HERE.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits"

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Portland, Maine, branch of the NAACP will hold their annual MLK celebration breakfast on Monday, Jan.18th. Click HERE for more information and to make reservations. The keynote speaker is the dynamic and wonderful Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell! Concurrently, there will be two programs for youth. Anne Sibley O'Brien will present a terrific interactive program for kids 9-12. Her book, After Gandhi, will be the springboard for group brainstorming, poster-making, and plans for an exciting service project. And for kids 4 - 8, I will be running an activity-filled program based on my book, Feast for 10. Various activity stations will engage children in games, arts & crafts, and active play with a focus on healthy bodies & healthy minds. We'll have Fruits & Veggies Bingo, jump roping, collage-making, bean-bag tosses, a garden mural, story time and more.

Here are some of the games I've been making for this event!

A large board game, a bean-bag toss board, and a Fruits & Veggies version of an old 60's floor game.

All attendees (both programs) will receive a free book.

For more information,

call the amazing Pious Ali at 207-807-4283.