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It happened this summer at a Lowell Spinners Minor League Baseball Game. My husband, Al, and I were already having a great time. We were with good friends, it was a beautiful warm summer evening, plus it was Dog Night, which meant between-innings performances by a Frisbee-catching dog, a Dog and Owner Closest Resemblance Contest, and more! Despite… Read more »

I’m looking forward to sharing anecdotes about my stories and characters being interpreted by illustrators!

Of all the author events I’ve done, one of my faves was the joint appearance I did with my dad, a retired ad man who’s now 99 years old and still coming up with quick, witty observations on life and writing rhymed toasts at family gatherings. Here’s the flyer we made for our hit talk:

I love summer for many reasons, including our bunny visitors. This year we have a big bunny and a baby bunny who spend hours chomping grass and weeds in our back yard. They’re remarkably unafraid of us, allowing us to get very close. We find them totally endearing except when they nibble our flowers.

Teachers never fail to surprise me with new ways to support literacy. A couple of days ago, I gave an author talk to a group of adorable students at St. Peter School in Cambridge, MA (see above photo). When I realized that the audience consisted of children as young as pre-K, I wondered if they’d… Read more »

Congratulations to my son, Charlie, for earning his Master’s in Public Administration from Suffolk University. And…for becoming a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha (no, not a typo–there are 2 Alphas) Honor Society due to his stellar academic record. A beautiful day on Boston Harbor!          

Last week I was lucky to witness an unusual and terrific writing program. At the Heritage School (grades 2-4) in Charlton, MA, children and their parents wrote picture books in pairs in a series of workshops, with attention to the six traits of writing. At the final session the participants displayed their books, which were… Read more »

  I’m looking forward to Saturday, May 17th, when I’ll be participating in Indies First Storytime Day from 10-11:30 AM at Bestsellers Cafe in Medford, MA. Similar events will be held at the same time in independent bookstores across the country in conjunction with Children’s Book Week. Author/illustrator Shennen Bersani and I will read our stories and… Read more »

Sure, you know them. They have numbers and come in different shapes and colors, and you have to peel them off or get an unpleasant surprise with your bite of pear. One morning many years ago I was packing school lunches…As I peeled stickers off apples and pasted them  on a paper towel to be… Read more »

Our president keeps getting grayer and older-looking, but seeing him make monster faces as he reads Where the Wild Things Are never gets old: