Kirby Larson's Blog, page 51
May 5, 2012
Children's Book Week
The whole country celebrates Children's Book Week this year from May 14 to May 18 and I get to share in the celebration by appearing with the talented Deb Caletti on Monday night, May 14, at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. There will be book talking and laughs and swag!
It all happens at 7 p.m. Monday night! Don't miss it.
It all happens at 7 p.m. Monday night! Don't miss it.
May 4, 2012
Winston's New Project
You might not know this, but Winston is quite the reader. AND he got hold of my iPad and made a movie about a book he really enjoyed:
Check back from time to time for other installments of The Well-Read Spaniel!
Check back from time to time for other installments of The Well-Read Spaniel!
May 3, 2012
Thursday's Thought for the Day
"It may be that those who do most, dream most."
Stephen Butler Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock
May 2, 2012
Linda Urban!
My Children's Book Insider interview with the awesome Linda Urban is now live. Check it out here!
April 30, 2012
A Present to Myself
April being Poetry month, I gave myself the gift of a poem a day. And it was easy! I simply signed up here.
It's a lovely way to start your day. Try it!
It's a lovely way to start your day. Try it!
April 29, 2012
Thursday's Thought for the Day. .on Saturday
"Book lovers never go to bed alone."
Anonymous
Anonymous
April 26, 2012
Missouri, continued
We bid a fond farewell to Kirksville on Saturday morning, after a country breakfast at Diner 54 across the street from the hotel. This was a great decision for two reasons: good grub AND a chance encounter with Truman Lit Festival committee member Becky Kruger and her husband, Jerry. Jerry gave us the scoop on how he smoked the ribs served Thursday night:
Don't tell Neil that this is what he's getting for his birthday!
Neil and I disagree about how many antique stores we stopped at on our way to Columbia -- I say 3, he says 47. We had snagged a copy of Ernie Pyle's WWII war stories and a few other treasures by the time we pulled into the hometown of the University of Missouri. We enjoyed lattes as we strolled the gorgeous campus, coming upon this sign:
U of M students tip their hats as they pass this sign, to honor alums who died in WWI
I saw my first ever pin oak, as well as redwinged blackbird! Our walk worked up an appetite which we conquered with a fantastic and romantic dinner at the Wine Cellar Bistro.
Our $1 purchase: dashboard compass
Sunday morning dawned drizzly but that did not stop us from enjoying brunch at Bleu and a walk through the campus Earth Day Fair where we met this fellow:
We spent a pleasant hour in the Museum of Art and Archeology on campus and then made our way back to the car to continue our southward journey.
Neil on the steps of a Pullman car, Centralia, MO
Allow me to interrupt this travelogue with a plea: Please, please, please wear your seat belts. Sadly, Neil and I were witnesses to a single car fatality accident on this part of our journey. The young man was ejected from his truck; he hadn't been wearing his seatbelt. While we couldn't do anything for the young man, Neil provided details to the state patrol investigating the accident while I tried to comfort the young man's sister who had just happened to be passing that same stretch of the freeway. Needless to say, our hearts were heavy when we finally got back on the road again.
Late afternoon found us pulling into TanTarA Resort, where we were shown to our suite -- the parlor of which is bigger than our living room and dining room together at home!
We hadn't even hung up our coats when two boxes of books were delivered. The contained copies of Two Bobbies donated by PermaBound and were to be placed on tables at Monday night's banquet.
It's fun signing brand new books, but rewarding to sign much-loved copies, too!
The banquet! I was seated on the dais with my good friend and writing mentor Peg Kehret. Together we looked out at the 100 tables and 1000 librarians in attendance. Peg was there to receive a Mark Twain award -- her third. (She has been honored with over 50 state young readers choice awards in her career).
On behalf of Mary Nethery and Jean Cassels, I was so pleased to accept the 2011 Show Me award for Two Bobbies, charmingly presented to me by the very composed Miss Samantha Callahan, age 8. It was especially sweet to receive this Missouri honor as my grandfather hailed from Aurora, MO.
The air thrummed with excitement as the program moved into its second phase: the announcement of the 2012 awards. Pam Callahan, Show Me committee chair announced the third place winner (Twist of Fate) and the second place winner (Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library). She then paused dramatically before making her final announcement: that Nubs had won! I immediately burst into tears and every librarian in the room jumped to his or her feet, giving our book a standing ovation. I still get teary thinking about it. To make the evening even sweeter, Peg won the 2012 Mark Twain. Now she has four -- one for each grandchild. I don't think MASL has ever had back-to-back winners, and to have two AND to have both authors in attendance. . .well, let's just say I felt like I was part of a bit of history.
I wish there had been more time to get better acquainted with Stacy DeKeyser and Lisa McMann, and to visit longer with Lisa Campbell Ernst (I want her lively and quirky studio!). Next time. I'm thinking Lisa Campbell Ernst's book, Sylvia Jean, Scout Supreme, would be a great companion to Shana Corey's Here Come the Girl Scouts! I'm also looking forward to Stacy's retelling of the Pied Piper story, The Brixen Witch, due out in June, and to checking out Lisa McMann's latest, Dead to You.
I managed to come down off Cloud 9 far enough to give my final presentation Tuesday morning and, despite our iPhones and our new compass, Neil and I got a little lost retracing our route to Kansas City. We did eventually arrive, with time enough for a quick tour of the wonderful Negro Leagues (Baseball) Museum and KC barbecue at Arthur Bryant's.
And now, it's home sweet home again. And back to work!
Don't tell Neil that this is what he's getting for his birthday!Neil and I disagree about how many antique stores we stopped at on our way to Columbia -- I say 3, he says 47. We had snagged a copy of Ernie Pyle's WWII war stories and a few other treasures by the time we pulled into the hometown of the University of Missouri. We enjoyed lattes as we strolled the gorgeous campus, coming upon this sign:
U of M students tip their hats as they pass this sign, to honor alums who died in WWII saw my first ever pin oak, as well as redwinged blackbird! Our walk worked up an appetite which we conquered with a fantastic and romantic dinner at the Wine Cellar Bistro.
Our $1 purchase: dashboard compassSunday morning dawned drizzly but that did not stop us from enjoying brunch at Bleu and a walk through the campus Earth Day Fair where we met this fellow:
We spent a pleasant hour in the Museum of Art and Archeology on campus and then made our way back to the car to continue our southward journey.
Neil on the steps of a Pullman car, Centralia, MOAllow me to interrupt this travelogue with a plea: Please, please, please wear your seat belts. Sadly, Neil and I were witnesses to a single car fatality accident on this part of our journey. The young man was ejected from his truck; he hadn't been wearing his seatbelt. While we couldn't do anything for the young man, Neil provided details to the state patrol investigating the accident while I tried to comfort the young man's sister who had just happened to be passing that same stretch of the freeway. Needless to say, our hearts were heavy when we finally got back on the road again.
Late afternoon found us pulling into TanTarA Resort, where we were shown to our suite -- the parlor of which is bigger than our living room and dining room together at home!
We hadn't even hung up our coats when two boxes of books were delivered. The contained copies of Two Bobbies donated by PermaBound and were to be placed on tables at Monday night's banquet.
It's fun signing brand new books, but rewarding to sign much-loved copies, too!The banquet! I was seated on the dais with my good friend and writing mentor Peg Kehret. Together we looked out at the 100 tables and 1000 librarians in attendance. Peg was there to receive a Mark Twain award -- her third. (She has been honored with over 50 state young readers choice awards in her career).
On behalf of Mary Nethery and Jean Cassels, I was so pleased to accept the 2011 Show Me award for Two Bobbies, charmingly presented to me by the very composed Miss Samantha Callahan, age 8. It was especially sweet to receive this Missouri honor as my grandfather hailed from Aurora, MO.
The air thrummed with excitement as the program moved into its second phase: the announcement of the 2012 awards. Pam Callahan, Show Me committee chair announced the third place winner (Twist of Fate) and the second place winner (Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library). She then paused dramatically before making her final announcement: that Nubs had won! I immediately burst into tears and every librarian in the room jumped to his or her feet, giving our book a standing ovation. I still get teary thinking about it. To make the evening even sweeter, Peg won the 2012 Mark Twain. Now she has four -- one for each grandchild. I don't think MASL has ever had back-to-back winners, and to have two AND to have both authors in attendance. . .well, let's just say I felt like I was part of a bit of history.
I wish there had been more time to get better acquainted with Stacy DeKeyser and Lisa McMann, and to visit longer with Lisa Campbell Ernst (I want her lively and quirky studio!). Next time. I'm thinking Lisa Campbell Ernst's book, Sylvia Jean, Scout Supreme, would be a great companion to Shana Corey's Here Come the Girl Scouts! I'm also looking forward to Stacy's retelling of the Pied Piper story, The Brixen Witch, due out in June, and to checking out Lisa McMann's latest, Dead to You.
I managed to come down off Cloud 9 far enough to give my final presentation Tuesday morning and, despite our iPhones and our new compass, Neil and I got a little lost retracing our route to Kansas City. We did eventually arrive, with time enough for a quick tour of the wonderful Negro Leagues (Baseball) Museum and KC barbecue at Arthur Bryant's.
And now, it's home sweet home again. And back to work!
April 25, 2012
The Show Me State Showed Me a Good Time!
What a whirlwind few days! Last Thursday, I found myself on a Truman State University van enroute to Kirksville, Missouri from the airport in Kansas City.
This is the way to eat your veggies: green bean fries at the KC airport MarriottIt's a 3 hour trek to Kirksville, but the time passed quickly as I talked books, business and iPhone apps with fellow Truman State presenters Tracy Barrett, Eric Berlin, Lulu Delacre, Mary Downing Hahn, Kurtis Scaletta, and Suzanne Morgan Williams, along with intrepid Festival organizers Sharon Hackney and Daisy Rearick.
Fun read -- watch out Encyclopedia Brown! Winston's gaining on you.We arrived in time to quickly freshen up before being whisked off to a feast at the home of committee member, Becky Kruger, who even churned fresh butter for the sumptuous meal (okay, she confessed: her husband, Jerry, did most of the cranking). There, we met up with the rest of the Festival presenters: Henry Cole, Kate Klise, and Rosanne Parry (who deserves a medal for her efforts to get to the festival despite United Airlines' best attempts to thwart her). Cheryl Harness missed the amazing meal but I caught up with her briefly the next day at the festival.
I'm not positive but I think the committee members are either German or Swiss or both: the Festival ran like clockwork! I have never participated in an event so smoothly organized. Between 9 am and 3 pm, we 11 authors and/or illustrators met with over 1400 4th, 5th and 6th graders. Here's a great overview, from the local TV station. The kids were polite, inquisitive and tons of fun.
Read this on the plane home: great setting, tough premise, good read. By Suzanne Morgan Williams.That night, we celebrated a successful day with a banquet again on the lovely Truman campus. (They don't let you go too long in MO without feeding you.) I was so impressed by the community support of the event, restarted again in 2009 after a several years' hiatus. Check back for more photos. Job well done to Becky, Daisy and Sharon, as well as other committee members: Melissa Kinney, Claire Peckosh, Beverly Perrachione and Donna Rhinesmith, and library secretary, Wanda Cagle.
Neil flew in that night and met me in Kirksville. Saturday morning we made our way south to TanTarA, the site of the Missouri Association of School Librarians. More about that tomorrow!
April 20, 2012
Fan Letter Friday
Last week, I spotlighted the wonderful work of the primary students with whom I visited on Shaw Island; today, it's time for the intermediate kids to step center stage.
Book's cover
April 19, 2012
Thursday's Thought for the Day
"If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere."
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
