Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This morning I got to visit with the students at Bruce Elementary in Maplewood, MO. I was invited to speak with these awesome kids because they were working on book projects about their local community. Students focused on different aspects of their community such as social issues, history, or ecology. So they could really relate to my journal books that focus on desert and pond communities. It was a fantastic day, except when the students asked questions at the end of the main presentation – I called on someone in the back and said “yes – you in the green!” That doesn’t work in a room full of kids celebrating St. Patrick’s Day – ALL the kids were wearing green! Ha ha. Thank you, Bruce Elementary!

The last school I visited was Rockfield Elementary. This is a picture of me with some 5th graders in their paper rainforest that they made. I had a super time with these students. They reminded me why I make books – so these guys can have fun reading them. Thanks, Rockfield!

Today I visited Amy Belle School. This school was also decorated with some fabulous student artwork. Each class was very excited to show me which projects they made. One class made a diarama of nocturnal and diurnal animals from “Saguaro Moon: A Desert Journal.” There was a paper rainforest in the library, and a huge mural featuring all sorts of pond animals and plants from “Salamander Rain: A Lake & Pond Journal.” Like all the Germantown schools I visited this week, the teachers put together a tasty lunch with lots of homemade dishes. Thank you Amy Belle!

Still in Germantown, Wisconsin! I spent the afternoon of the 2nd and all today at County Line Elementary, where the students prepared for my visit by painting huge posters of some of my book covers. It was a great day. I was even interviewed by two very professional 5th graders for the school newspaper. Thanks, County Line!

Wow! I just got back from a week-long stay in Germantown, Wisconsin, where I spent 5 days visiting 4 different schools in the area. And I must say, I am totally impressed with how well prepared the students were for my visit. They did several awesome projects relating to all 5 of my books. The first school I visited was MacArthur School. What a great bunch of kids! The kindergarteners all did portraits of the visiting author and hung them up in the hall outside their classroom. Very adorable. The teachers also prepared a wonderful buffet lunch in the staff room. Everyone was so kind – I felt very welcome at this school. I spent all of Monday, and Tuesday morning at MAcArthur. And of course, as everyone in the elementary school world knows, March 2nd is the birthday of Dr. Seuss. In fact, this year is the Seuss-centennial. I was so mad that I forgot to bring my “green eggs & ham” t-shirt on this trip! But a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Weinhold, got me all dressed up for the occasion. This is a picture of Mrs. Weinhold, me, and Mrs. Semmann all “seussified” for the occasion. Thank you, MacArthur School!

I spent yesterday and today visiting Scott Elementary School, on Scott Air Force Base. I am so glad it finally worked out! Two weeks ago, we got snowed out, so we had to reschedule. Scott Elementary is beautiful, big new school with about 800 students. All the grades were working on making books in their classrooms. Yesterday, I began the day with 2 big presentations – first I spoke with K-3, and then 4-6. Yesterday and today, I visited four different 5th grade classrooms to answer questions. Also, last night I got a neat opportunity to talk with the Scott Elementary parents during Family Reading Night. I was able to relate to these parents and students in particular because my dad is a retired Air Force Colonel. Thank you, Scott Elementary!

You just can’t beat southern hospitality! Today I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Concord, North Carolina’s Cannon School. This is me with Sam, Lauren, Madeline and Alex. They were invited to attend the author lunch organized by the teachers. I flew in the night before, and stayed at an adorable & friendly inn near Davidson College. I got a little worried when I flipped on the Weather Channel and saw snow & sleet forcasted for today. Fortunately, the next day brought rain and not snow. School was still on! When I got to Cannon School in the morning, there was a huge stack of books for me to sign – and it kept growing throughout the day as students ran in with last-minute orders. I even had to sign books in the car as a teacher drove me to the airport. The students were the best part of this visit, though! They were very curious about making books – especially the 3rd graders, who actually brought their Ancient Rome book projects to work on during my presentation. Many classes also used my books as inspiration for their own art projects before my visit. Thank you, Cannon School!

This week was a breath of fresh air! The 14 Principia Upper School students and two supervisors arrived at the Teton Science School on the 25th of January. I woke up at 6:00am most mornings and enjoyed the solitary blue light that comes before dawn. I like to sit in the dining lodge before the students arrive for breakfast and watch the sun come up to light the mountains.

Next, Margaret Holt (the art instructor) and I (the writing instructor) would hold a two-hour nature journaling workshop. We helped the students with their drawing and creative writing skills. The students spent every afternoon out in the field with Robin and Elise, the TSS ski instructors, where they learned about local species and habitats. Evening programs included snow science, a talk about the lives of Mardy and Olaus Murie – a famous naturalist couple, and a folk guitar concert by Beth McIntosh. The students learned to work together as a group, to be more observant of their surroundings, and to be confident in their work. For some of them, drawing and writing in a nature journal was a new thing. For some, it was the physical activity of snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing that was new. Every student learned something outside his or her comfort zone.

The other delightful thing about this group is that the seniors that came on this trip are the same kids for whom I wrote A Walk in the Rainforest in 1992. Only now they’re a lot taller. And some of them are becoming writers and artists themselves.

Today I visited Prairie College Elementary School in Canton, OH. Several teachers stayed up late to pick me up from the airport when I flew in last night. They even took me out to dinner, which was wonderful. Today was “cozy up with a good book” day at Prairie College, so all the students came to school in their pajamas. One first grader asked me how I could draw things to look close up and far away. A great question from such a little reader! In the evening, I came back to the school to talk about books with the parents at family reading night. It warms my heart to see so many parents willing to support their kids’ interest in books. Thank you Prairie College School!