Once Upon a Baby brother - Talking to the author and illustrator

I so enjoyed the book Once Upon a Baby Brother that I decided to post a Q and A with the author and the illustrator. 


Sarah Sullivan:


1. How did you get the idea for Once Upon a Baby Brother?

As often happens, the first few lines came into my head.  I heard the voice of a young girl telling her stories.  It soon became clear that she had certain issues with her younger brother Marvin.  Sadly, the entire story did not come so easily.  Once I had the beginning, it took a lot of plain, old-fashioned work to find my way to the end.

2. Once the idea came to you, what happened next? Did you jot it down right away? Let it simmer?

I took down those first few lines right away.  Then I jotted down various lines that might fit somewhere, not necessarily in the order in which I was writing them down.  I knew that Lizzie would make Marvin the villain in her stories.  And I always knew it would be a funny story  But, I had trouble with the dramatic structure, (a common problem for me), until Melanie Kroupa expressed interest in the manuscript.  With her expert and inspired guidance, the story started to develop the dramatic arc it needed.

3. What did you find the most challenging about writing this book? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part of writing this story . . . hmm.  There were two major challenges.  The first challenge was figuring out how to integrate the home story with the school story in the space of a 32-page picture book.  The second challenge was figuring out how to succinctly tell the story of turning Marvin into a comic book hero.  My editor and Tricia Tusa had A LOT to do with making that work!  Creating a picture book is truly a collaborative enterprise!

  

4. How did the illustrations come about?

People are often surprised to learn that writers do not select their own illustrators – ( at least, not usually).  Once Melanie and I finalized the text, she began looking for an illustrator.  As you might imagine, I was THRILLED when she mentioned Tricia Tusa's name and was DOING BACK FLIPS when Tricia agreed to illustrate the book.  As time passed and I had the opportunity to see sketches and then, proofs with color art, the joy and excitement continued to grow.

5. You have written two other picture books, Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother, and Root Beer and Banana. How does your writing process compare from book to book?

That's a good question.  The process has actually been quite different from one book to the next.  I wrote the first draft of Dear Baby long before I started writing Root Beer and Banana.  Dear Baby came about because my then 7-year-old son was talking about how well (or sometimes, not so well) two of his friends got along with their little sisters.  I wondered how my own son would get along with a younger brother or sister if he had one.  I also thought about the way my older brother used to complain about how much I used to bother him when I was little.  Add to that the fact that I had just finished reading Lee Smith's epistolary novel, Fair and Tender Ladies, which meant that I was thinking about ways to tell stories through letters.  All of these thoughts swirled around in my head and the first draft of  Dear Baby was the result.

Root Beer and Banana, on the other hand, came directly out of a picture book workshop led by George Ella Lyon.  She guided us through a writing exercise in which she directed us to focus on the details of a particularly vivid memory and then write a poem about it.  I remembered a summer spent with my grandparents in a small town on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.  I wrote a poem about going with my grandfather to buy a popsicle at a mom-and-pop grocery called Mister Mac's.   I put the poem away for a while, as George Ella suggested that we do.  Some time later, I was sitting up late reading one night when the voice of a young girl came into my head.  "My name's Miracle," the girl said,  "on account of the doctor said Mama couldn't have any more after my brothers, but I came anyway."  I have no idea why this young girl appeared out of thin air one night – but she did and I knew instinctively that she belonged in the world of my poem.  When I added Miracle to what I had already written, the story began to take shape immediately.

6. How did you know you wanted to become a writer? (Or: When did you begin to think of yourself as a writer?)

I guess I have a little bit in common with my main character in that, like Lizzie, I have always loved to tell stories.  The writing fever really took hold once I learned to read in first grade.  I started reading everything!  Books, magazines, comics in newspapers, cereal boxes, the courtesy light sign on the dashboard of my grandfather's Oldsmobile – everything!  And I started writing stories too.  My first story was about a dead bird I found lying in the grass in our yard.  I know that sounds a bit morbid, but the bird was so lovely.  It was a cardinal and it made me sad to see it lying there so still.  I had to write about it.  I suppose, then, like now, a lot of my motivation for writing came from a need to try and understand why things happen the way they do. 

Later on, my best friend, Nelle, and I had a secret club in a room in the basement of her house in Colorado.  We collected Sugar and Spike comic books and wrote comic books with our own characters.  Wait a minute --  This is starting to sound familiar . . .

I still have trouble calling myself a writer, even though I write every day.  But, I have come to understand that, no matter what I call myself, I will always write.  I will always tell stories.  It's a need.  I'm unhappy if I don't write.

7. What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?

Anne LaMott's advice in Bird by Bird is pretty hard to beat.  Give yourself permission to write terrible first drafts.  (Okay.  She didn't use the word terrible.)   

8. What advice do you have for young writers—especially those with little brothers ;-)?

There is no better training for a writer than to read.  Read all the time.  Read all different kinds of things.  And then follow your passion and, as one of my writing teachers, Jane Resh Thomas, advises her students, write what moves you.  Write about things that you care passionately about. 

9. When you aren’t writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Long walks, reading, canoeing, theater (both from the audience and backstage), and travel.

10. Do you have a muse like the main character in your book does?

Hmm.  A muse?  Not really, although my husband has suggested it's a little odd that I've written two books involving sibling rivalry.  I am inspired by the work of other writers.  My list of favorites is long and changes constantly.  Some of the people whose work I find particularly inspiring are Eudora Welty, Sharon Creech and Kate DiCamillo.  I love certain works like The Great Gatsby and the opening pages of My Antonía.  Lately, I've been completely knocked out by Colm Toibín and Column McCann.  And I go back to some of John Cheever's stories with regularity.  But, ask me tomorrow and I will probably give you a completely different list.


Tricia Tusa:

1. When did you begin to think of yourself as an artist?

I have never hadn't thought of myself as an artist and, yet, have never really thought of myself as an artist.  I just know that, from the beginning, I have always loved making things with my hands.  I love the feeling of going deep within myself in search of what it is I want to draw or paint or sculpt.  It requires a lot of courage because, quite often, there are no lights on down there.  I feel my way in the dark with no guidebook.  Very fun way to feel very alive.

2. What type of media do you like working with the most?

I really like to experiment with all kinds of media.  I first get a sense of the story and then try to match up a medium that seems to match up with what I feel the story needs.  But, I do love drawing with pencil or my pen and ink.  I like watercolor and, then, sometimes I hate it.  I often work with acrylic when doing paintings just for myself.  I like printmaking and egg tempera and oil, too.  I love making 3-d things out of clay and firing them in my little kiln.  I also indulge in Paper mache.

3. How did you break into the children's book illustrating profession?

I moved to New York City at age 21 and got out the phone book and called quite a few publishing companies.  I asked to speak to art directors.   I made appointments with them to show my very homemade portfolio of about 15 drawings and paintings.  I received very nice feedback, and, not so very nice from a few.  Holiday House offered me my first contract.  They are still such a lovely, warm and welcoming company and I am so grateful to them.

4. Did you collaborate with the author as you did the illustrations?

I never have collaborated with an author on a story.  And, quite often, have never corresponded even after the book is done.  Strange, but true.  I really want to find my own interpretation of the words through my own imagination.  I can be distracted easily by outside input.  It removes me from myself and I find it hard to get back.  For this reason I really appreciate how editors and art directors have an understanding of this as an important part of the process, and seem to know to keep out of the way, as well.  However, I will say that after ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER was complete, I got to know the author, Sarah Sullivan, via email.  That has been a lot of fun for me.

5. How long did it take to illustrate ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER?

  It took me about a month to complete the dummy.  The final art took about 3 or 4 months to do.

6. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part of making books is really between your ears.  It requires much alone time so that you can hear and connect with your heart and mind.  So, therefore, you spend much time having conversations with yourself wondering if you are doing your absolute best.  Is it as good as it can be?  How can you take it further?  It can feel like torture, sometimes.  This is why I really try to integrate my days with some balance.  I go on long walks, swim laps, do yoga and think about other things.

The most rewarding part is DECIDING you have done the best you can ... and knowing that there are more books out there to make.

7. Are any of the characters or the setting modeled on real-life people and places?

Friends and loved ones often show up in my characters' faces.  I love my husband's face - so full of character and kindness.  He appears in many books, just as my beautiful daughter does at all her various ages.  The kitchens I draw are usually kitchens I have lived in.  And the nature is most likely what I look at from my windows.

8. Pablo Picasso once said, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Do you agree?

I do think we all come into this world as artists, in one form or another.  I believe we enter this world wanting to find a way to express what is within.  It seems that when well-meaning adults get in the way and impose themselves, their ideas, expectations, judgments onto a child's process, it can hinder this natural process of self-discovery and self-expression.

9. Do you have a muse—baby brother or otherwise? 

My muse is my childhood memories, remembering every age I have ever been and how it felt.  Daydreaming allows for my muse to feel heard.  I am affected creatively by the love I feel for (and by) my husband and dear daughter.

10. What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I take long walks, take yoga classes, and swim.  I spend a lot of time in my studio doing art with my daughter.  I sew and I love to read.  I love to daydream. I watch the sky and trees.

One Upon a Baby Brother - A review

Last week I read a charming picture book that successfully looks at not one but at two themes. Sarah Sullivan looks at what it is like to have a new sibling in the house, and she explores the nature of artistic inspiration. Young writers in particular will enjoy this book, as the author shows us that material for stories can be found right under our noses, if we open our minds to the possibility. 




Once Upon a baby brother

Sarah Sullivan

Illustrated by Tricia Tusa

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 8

Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2010, 978-0-374-34635-5

   More than almost anything else in the world Lizzie likes to tell stories. She tells her mother and her father stories, and even Big George the dog gets to hear Lizzie’s tales – and he likes them too. Then one day baby Marvin arrives on the scene and Lizzie discovers that little brothers are not conducive to storytelling. Her parents are too busy to hear her stories now, and Big George is the only person at home who has time for her. Thankfully Lizzie’s new teacher, Miss Pennyroyal, loves stories too and she encourages her students to write and then share their stories. With her trusty Princess Merriweather pencil in hand and her Imagination Notebook to write in, Lizzie happily spins her yarns.

   Then the unthinkable happens. Lizzie is given a great writing assignment to do and she cannot come up with a single idea. Her head is empty and nothing, not even her Princess Merriweather pencil and her Imagination Notebook are able to get the creative juices flowing. Will Lizzie be faced with this terrible writer’s block forever?

   This delightful book not only looks at the problems associate with having a new little sibling in the house, but it also looks at the nature of inspiration. Sometimes inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places.

   With delightful illustrations and a deliciously creative text, this picture book is sure to be a big hit with readers who have a fondness for tales and storytelling.

Poetry Friday - Inspirational poems from around the world

For Poetry Friday I have a review of Come to the Great World: Poems from Around the Globe. This is a very special collection of poems that readers of all ages will enjoy.

Come to the Great World: Poems from Around the Globe

Selected by Wendy Cooling
Illustrated by Sheila Moxley
Poetry
5 to 8
Holiday House, 2004, 0823418227

All too often, children are encouraged to notice the differences that exist between different cultures, races, and nationalities. More often then not, left to their own devices, children will play with each other very easily even if they don’t share a common language and even if they don’t look alike. This collection of thirty-one poems was written by poets from “every corner of the earth,” and they “show what children share as well as reflecting the differences in their lives.”

Ross Falconer, who is from Australia, writes about the special “small world” where children live. It is a world that adults cannot enter because it has a wall around it that is twenty feet high, and “adults only have ten feet ladders.”

Gloria Guevra from Nicaragua tells us about “people in poverty,” and how children pick through the garbage in the town dump. You can hear the pain in her voice as she describes how the children fill old sacks “with rusty tins / worn-out shoes / bits of old cardboard boxes.” Teresa de Jesus’s voice is angry as she tells us that seeing poverty “makes me furious.” She perfectly captures the emotions many children experience when they see poverty. It simply makes no sense to them why poverty should exist.

With messages of hope and inspiration about the world’s problems and its riches, this collection of poems will give young readers a great deal to think about.

The last day of school - Graduation gifts

Tomorrow is the last day of school in Ashland, Oregon and my daughter is really looking forward to the end of the school year. She loves school, but she looking forward to summer camps, play dates with her friends, and a break from having to get up at six thirty in the morning! If you have a child who is 'graduating' in the next few days I have a wonderful gift idea for you. Here is my review:

Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Happy Graduation Gift Set

Dr. Seuss

Novelty Kit

Ages 5 and up

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-545-20201-5

   Children and young people love to celebrate school graduations. Even children who are leaving kindergarten and who are going into “big kid” school like to have some kind of celebration to mark their elevation to ‘big kid’ status.

   In this wonderful kit, the themes and art from Dr. Seuss’ book Oh the Places You’ll go, are used to create a wonderful gift for school and college graduates. Included in the kit is a keepsake box, a graduation journal, a graduation banner, a diploma, stickers, a doorhanger, magnets, a magnetic photograph frame, a jigsaw puzzle, and a bookmark.

   This kit would make a wonderful gift for a graduate of practically any age. 

And for those of you who haven't yet read Oh the places you'll go, here is a review of this splendid book.

Oh, the places You’ll go!

Dr. Seuss

Picture Book

Ages 5 and up

Random House, 1990, 978-0-679-80527-4

   It is your special day and you are about to embark on a new adventure. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes,” and you can go anywhere you want to go. Of course, you may need a little time to figure out where you want to go. There will be times when you will have to decide “I don’t choose to go there,” in which case you may have to head into the unknown. It might be a little scary, but it will also be exciting. You’ll see “great sights” and “soar to high heights,” and have all kinds of adventures.

   There will be times when things won’t work out as you hope. After all, life is full of “Bang-ups” and “Hang-ups.” You’ll find yourself in a “Lurch” and in a “Slump” and it won’t be much fun. There will be tricky times ahead, but you will, in the end, succeed in whatever it is that you want to do “98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.”

   This inspirational and motivational picture book is perfect for anyone who is embarking on a new adventure. High school graduates, college graduates, and university graduates will all be encouraged and uplifted by Dr. Seuss’s words and his wonderfully quirky art. What is special about this book is that Dr. Seuss does not pretend that the future will always be rosy and perfect. He is honest about what the future might hold, and he offers encouragement and advice for those moments when life, that “Great Balancing Act,” is complicated. 

Finally, for those of you who like pop-up books, there is also an Oh the places you go Pop-up! For this title there are both single page and full double page pop-ups that are not only beautifully crafted, but that also (on some pages) have tabs to pull. 

The Alison Dare Double Blog Dare Tour and Contest

Alison Dare has been seen in pursuit of Baron

von Baron is Ashland,Oregon (note Mount Ashland

in the background)

Tundra books has released two graphic novels about Alison Dare, a young teen who has unusual parents and who has tends to have rather extraordinary adventures involving dastardly villains, lamps with genies in them, walking mummies and more. Here is my review of one of the titles.

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

J. Torres

Illustrated by J. Bone

Graphic Novel

Ages 8 to 11

Tundra Books, 2010, 978-0-99776-934-4

   Alison Dare has a very unusual family. Her mother is a world famous archeologist, and her father is a librarian who is secretly the Blue Scarab, an honest to goodness super-hero. Most of the time Alison is in school, but every so often she gets to go on special trips with her mother, Dr. Alice Dare.

   In the first adventure in this collection, Alison is on an expedition with her mother in the Sultanate of Shahrazad and she is bored to tears. Alison’s mother is busy working so Alison decides to take a peek at some of the things her mother has stashed on one of the tents. Inside a crate she finds a lamp which she rubs, thus summoning a genie. Alison knows that she has three wishes - as per tradition - and her first wish is to summon her friends Wendy and Dot. The girls are not, for some bizarre reason, delighted to be whisked away from the lives to join Alison in an adventure. They do warm up to the idea though when Alison accidentally summons 1001 knights. The knights lavish Alison and the girls with lovely clothes, fantastic foods, and other delights. Things are looking up, until the knights decide that Alison’s mother is an “interloper” who should be removed.

   In the second adventure we find out how Alison’s parents met and how her father, who was a scholarly librarian, was turned into the Blue Scarab, a superhero with all kinds of fantastic powers.

   Finally, there is the story of “Alison Dare and the mummy child.” In this thrilling adventure, Alison goes to the museum to see her mother’s new exhibit and to set up a family picnic there – she is hoping to bring her estranged parents together. Instead Alison finds herself in a power struggle between her parents and Baron Von Baron, a ‘bad guy’ who wants to take over the world (isn’t that what most of them want to do?).

   Readers who like an exciting story that is full of evil doers, superheroes, and a sprinkling of magic and archeology, will greatly enjoy this book. With tongue-in-cheek jokes and completely outrageous plots, the three stories in this book are highly entertaining and enjoyable.

You are invited to enter the Alison Dare contest hosted by Tundra books. This is what you have to do to enter:

1. Save the image above to your computer and then print it out.

2. There are two different poses for Alison Dare, but you only need to choose one (although if you wanted to do both, go for it!).

3. Please cut out the Alison Dare figure you have chosen. Feel free to colour and decorate.

4. Put Alison Dare in front of a famous landmark, in an exotic location, or in the face of danger. You can also be creative with common everyday objects.

5. Take a photo (or photos) of Alison Dare! There is no limit.

6. Send your photo of Alison Dare and witty caption to tundra@mcclelland.com before June 30, 2010.

You can see my Alison Dare photo at the beginning of this post!

Please visit the Blog Tour webpage to see what other bloggers are doing.

Here is some information about the author and illustrator of this exciting series:

J. TORRES is a Shuster Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated writer whose credits include adaptations of Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation, the comic book series Teen Titans Go and Wonder Girl for DC Comics, as well as the graphic novels Lola: A Ghost Story and the YALSA-listed Days Like This for Oni Press. He has also written for children’s magazines, books, and television. The author lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario.

J. BONE is an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator of several critically acclaimed comic books and graphic novels, including Spiderman: Tangled Web, Batman / The Spirit, and Paul Dini’s Mutant, Texas. J. Bone lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Earth Calendar - Holidays from around the world.

Children love to celebrate holidays of all kinds. Of course they like the holidays that they are familiar with, but they also like to celebrate holidays from cultures other than their own as well. Here is a nifty little tool that you might like to explore with the child in your life. It is called the Earth Calendar and on it you will find holidays of all kinds from around the world. You can look up the holidays for today, and you can also look up holidays by date, by country, and by religion.

You are sure to find some interesting holidays during the year that will help you and your child or children to explore the history and culture of people who live on the other side of the world.

Enjoy!

Celebrate World Oceans Day with Dr. Seuss's fish - June 8th

 In honor of 50 years of Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish entertaining children around the world, Random House Children’s Books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, The Ocean Project, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are partnering to celebrate World Oceans Day, held annually on June 8th. Seventy-five AZA accredited zoos and aquariums across the country, and more than 600 Ocean Project partners worldwide will host fun-filled family events inspired by One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, with the goal of teaching children about our ocean’s great diversity of life and the important things we can all do to protect our shared world ocean.

Celebrating the Ocean’s Diversity with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Participating locations will commemorate 50 years of One Fish fun on or near June 8th with birthday festivities that incorporate the 2010 World Oceans Day theme. “Oceans of Life” celebrates our ocean’s diversity, just as Dr. Seuss celebrated diversity with his colorful characters in One Fish. “From here to there, from there to here, funny things are everywhere.” Children will have fun getting to know the ocean’s funny things with Seussian games and activities. Since the 2010 World Oceans Day honors former La Jolla resident Dr. Seuss, visitors to San Diego County will be able to choose from a host of special events throughout the region, including the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Botanic Garden, SEA LIFE Aquarium, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and many others. For more information about World Oceans Day, and to find events and materials, visit The Ocean Project Website. 

Random House Children’s Books is publishing a special 50th anniversary edition of ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH (Random House / 978-0-394-80013-4 / April 27, 2010 / $8.99 / Ages 5–8 / 72 pages) Originally published in 1960, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish remains a beloved Seuss favorite and has sold over 9 million copies to date. With fantastically funny creatures, this Beginner Book teaches the concept of reading with easy rhyme and identifiable illustrations. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish takes children on a wildlife adventure and, like all of Dr. Seuss’s books, makes learning to read fun.

World Oceans Day brings local attention to the global issue of climate change and its impact on ocean and animal life. The Ocean Project (TOP) advances ocean conservation in partnership with zoos, aquariums, and museums and leads efforts to promote and coordinate World Oceans Day worldwide. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of accredited zoos and aquariums in the areas of animal care, wildlife conservation, education, and science

Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books and novels, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House is also the longtime home of the beloved and bestselling Dr. Seuss books, which continue to make learning to read fun for millions of children everywhere. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company. Explore the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss at Seussville.com.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP protects the integrity of the Dr. Seuss books while expanding beyond books into ancillary areas. This effort is a strategic part of the overall mission to nurture and safeguard the relationship consumers have with Dr. Seuss characters. Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would “round out the edges.” That is one of the guiding philosophies of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, heads Dr. Seuss Enterprises as President.

About Dr. Seuss

Theodor “Seuss” Geisel is quite simply the most beloved children’s book author of all time. The 44 books he wrote and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss (and others that he wrote but did not illustrate, including some under pseudonyms such as Theo. LeSieg) have been translated into 30 languages and have sold hundreds of millions of copies. Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents and, to this day, his beloved books make learning to read fun for kids everywhere. Dr. Seuss’s long list of honors includes the Pulitzer Prize, eight honorary doctorates, and three Caldecott Honors. Works based on his original stories have won three Oscars, three Emmys, three Grammys, and a Peabody. For more information about Dr. Seuss and his works, visit www.seussville.com.

Galileo: A mini animated movie

I know that TTLG is all about books and bookish people and events, but I found this little animated movie online and I just had to share it with you. I am a huge fan of the Miyazaki movies and this reminded me very much of them.


Galileo from Ghislain Avrillon on Vimeo.

June First is the first day of the U.S. Hurricane Season

In the United States, June first is the official beginning of the hurricane season. For most people around the world this does not mean anything, but for many men, women, and children, hurricane season is a time of uncertainty. 

I never dreamed that I would ever experience a hurricane, but in 2003 I was in my home in Virginia when hurricane Isabel blew through, and it was a humbling and terrifying experience. At that time my husband was travelling and I was alone on our farm - in the middle of nowhere - with my three year old daughter. The storm hit in the early evening and we lost power soon after. Elise and I camped out in my bedroom with books, candles to read by, and all the animals. I was very worried about our biggest dog, Skye, because she usually became a nervous wreck during storms. However on this occasion she stood by the bed and guarded us - all night long. I remember listening as the eye of the hurricane passed over us and all was quiet for a time. Then the storm resumed and shrieking winds shook the house once more.

In the morning I could not open the front door at first. There were so many branches and other debris piled up against the door that it was hard to get the door to move. Eventually we were able to get out onto the front porch and we saw drifts of leaves and twigs all over the place. Luckily the tree branches that did snap did not fall on the house. We were very lucky to come through it with almost no damage at all. Many other home owners were not so lucky. 

The biggest problem we had was not having power. This not only meant no electricity, but it also meant that we had no water because the well pump ran on electricity. So, several times a day I had to lift the cement lid off the well head and use a bucket on a rope to get water for us to wash in.  We were lucky because it only took three days to get our power back. Some families in nearby Richmond had to wait for weeks. 

I had a terrible time finding food for us to eat because most shops were closed and because so many roads were impassable, like the one in the picture above. Everything that we had in the fridge was spoiled and had to be thrown away. Elise and I ate a lot of bread with peanut butter! When the power came back on I danced around the house with joy and relief. 

I now have a better appreciation for what it is like to live in an area prone to hurricanes. You can see the books I have reviewed about these frightening weather systems on the TTLG Hurricanes Feature Page. 

A Book Announcement from Roxie Munro

I just got an email from Roxie Munro, a wonderful artist, writer, and a lovely lady. This is what she told me. 

Dear Marya:

I'm thrilled to announce that "EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures" has received a Starred review in School Library Journal (June  2010), which says  "... This is truly a complete package: it’s engrossing and interactive, featuring finely and accurately detailed art and covering the basics of an organizational concept that is central to our understanding of the natural world."

What wonderful news! Getting a Starred review in SLJ is a big accomplishment in the book world. Here is my review of Ecomazes.

EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures

Roxie Munro

Picture Book

Ages 8 to 10

Sterling, 2010, 978-1-4027-6393-9

    All over our wonderful planet, there are ecosystems. They can be large, like a tropical rainforest, or very small, like the mini pond the lies at the bottom of your yard inside a forgotten bucket. All of these ecosystems are full of creatures of all kinds, fascinating creatures that interact in all kinds of ways. This unique book looks at twelve ecosystems that are found on Earth. For each ecosystem, Roxie Munro has created a beautiful maze that readers have to negotiate. As they ‘travel’ through each ecosystem, they are encouraged to find animals that are hidden in the illustrations.

    The book begins with a tropical rainforest. Readers are told that they are “a biologist checking on the monkeys” and that they have to find their way from the pier to the beach. As they trek through the forest, readers are invited to find an interesting selection of animals that are found in rainforests around the world.

   In addition to the rainforest, Roxie Munro has created maze pictures of a desert, a coral reef, a high mountain, the arctic, a wetland, the tundra, a grassland, the Antarctic, the savanna, a conifer forest, and a temperate forest. At the back of the book, there are pages that show readers where all the hidden animals are in the mazes. In addition, the author has also provide young naturalists with more information about each of the ecosystems that are featured in the book.

    With extraordinary pictures and a wonderfully informative and interesting text, this is a book that should be on every library and classroom shelf.

Congratulations Roxie!