Friends:

This summer has been a time of closing chapters and opening new ones. On July 9, 2008, my beloved father-in-law, Jaime Roberto Casas, passed away somewhat unexpectedly. He was 78 years old and lived a beautifully full life, leaving behind a loving wife (Jennie), two wonderful children (Antonio and Pam), and two sweet granddaughters (Soleil and Eliana). Jaime and Jennie celebrated 41 years of love. Though I am saddened that he is no longer here with us, I am also comforted knowing that he is in a better place.

Eliana with grandparents, Jennie & Jaime Casas

Soleil, my oldest daughter, graduated from high school in May with honors (Top 5) and over $140,000 in scholarship offers. To celebrate the success Soleil has enjoyed, my mother and I took her and her friend, Nea, to NYC for her graduation/birthday (July 21) present. We stayed at the Time Hotel right on Times Square.

Soleil & Nea on Times Square July 2008

We saw The Little Mermaid on Broadway and it was phenomenal! We ate at the New York’s famous Johnny’s Pizzeria, Mars 2112, Ruby Foo’s, the Olympic Diner, and Belly Deli. And we shopped. Boy, did we shop! I just adore SHOES!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes! NYC July 2008

Here is a picture of the button and needle at the beginning of the Fashion District in Manhattan.

The Fashion District NYC July 2008

It was a fun trip and Soleil really enjoyed herself. This is Soleil at the restaurant, Mars 2112, on her birthday, July 21, 2008.

Soleil at Mars 2112 NYC July 21, 2008

We were able to visit family - my mom’s sister, Mary Ann, and my cousin, Valerie, who live in Queens. Here is a picture of me and pretty Valerie.

Dianne & Valerie in NYC July 2008

Eliana, my 8 year old, toured and performed with me all summer across the beautiful state of Louisiana celebrating the summer reading program, “Be A Star – Read!” We visited these parishes: Terrebonne, Cameron, Washington, LaSalle, Webster, Ouachita, Rapides, Iberville, and Winn.

Summer Reading 2008 - Eliana Performing Sausage Nose

We drove through beautiful forests, collected shells on the beach, saw alligators, admired the beauty of the bayou, drove across the Mississippi River in several parts of the state, and even drove through the state of Mississippi. Eliana learned so much about Louisiana and I really enjoyed spending this time with her.

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Dianne & Eliana Performing "The Magic Star"

Here is a picture of one of our Summer Reading Crowds at a Louisiana library. We love it when kids come to the library!

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 Library Crowd

Here are some pictures of me and Eliana with fans. We love you!

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Dianne & Fans

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Dianne, Eliana (in pink & brown) & Fans

A special thank you to our wonderful friends at the Rapides Parish Library who made Eliana’s 8^th birthday (June 15) extra special. Tammy & Karla, you rock!

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Eliana Celebrating Her 8th Birthday at Rapides Parish Library

I feel special because I became a “Star Reader” this summer!

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Dianne is a Star Reader!

Here are some more Stars!

Louisiana Summer Reading 2008 - Summer Reading Stars

One cool thing to happen to Eliana this summer was receiving a big package from the White House. Eliana received a personally signed letter from First Lady Laura Bush, “My American Journal,” stickers, autographed pictures, and White House fact cards. Laura Bush said:

“Dear Eliana, Your very proud mother sent me your nice review of Jenna’s and my book (Read All About It). You are a terrific writer! Thank you for your kind words. Reading will always give you pleasure. For the rest of your life, as long as you enjoy reading, you will have a friend by your side, ready to go with you on the most interesting adventures. Have a wonderful summer – and keep reading!” – First Lady Laura Bush, White House, United States of America

One of the highlights of my summer was attending ALA in Anaheim, California. Here, my book, Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take, is promoted at the Libraries Unlimited booth.

ALA Anaheim June 2008 - Handmade Tales Poster

My presentation, “Handmade Tales,” was standing room only. There were over 200 librarians in attendance. After my presentation, I received invitations all over the U.S. and even to places as far away as Singapore and Italy! My books sold out so ALA turned out to be a great conference. Thank you to all the librarians who attended my session and purchased my books. I appreciate you! I took extra time and even explored the beach (Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Corona del Mar). I just love Southern California!

ALA Anaheim June 2008 - Huntington Beach Pier

It was a great month of travel and promoting reading!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today, I performed my “Jump, Jiggle & Jam” program for a PK-5 elementary school in the Metro New Orleans area. I had so much fun with the students. I saw about 600 students in two assembly performances in the gym. The show is a rousing and energetic performance of favorite folktales “remixed with rhythm, rhyme, and rap.” My first story was “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza,” a signature story full of humor and tons of audience participation. Both groups (PK-2 and 3-5) really enjoyed it.

Following that tale, I performed my original song, “Peanut Butter and Jelly Jam.” We build a “gourmet” PB&J. The sandwich begins with traditional peanut butter and jelly. Then there’s a twist as the other ingredients are added (apples & bananas, peppers & pickles, ketchup & mustard, and finally sardines & anchovies). By the end, the kids are really grossing out and laughing at the concoction. Here are some students helping me put that interesting sandwich together.

My last story was another signature story, “Rockin’ Three Billy Goats.” Kids love the “trippity trap” chorus and my rapping “Hoogedy Boogedy Woogedy” Troll. I never get tired of telling this story because every audience’s reaction to the story makes it fresh for me.

After my upper elementary performance, I had a Q&A session. The kids asked questions such as “Is it fun to travel to other countries and learn new languages?” “Where have you traveled?” “How do you remember so many stories?” I spoke to them about the importance of reading, writing, social studies, and taking learning seriously. I told them that when they are old enough to decide what they want to do in life, they will need to know as much as they can about the world around them.

When the students were filing out, they were high-fiving me, hugging me, and asking for autographs. One little boy exclaimed, “This is my first time meeting a millionaire!” They assumed that because I travel so much, I’m rich. Hahahaha!

It was a special day at school and they had other activities going on including a visit from the NBA Hornets Bookmobile. Parents were also in attendance at my show and I sold quite a few CDs. One of the 1st grade teachers returned with three of their students, who read me fractured tales from their writing journals. Wow! They were really amazing writers!

It was such a wonderful day and they told me they would be inviting me back again next year. Yay! (Thank you, Jeanne! Your school is wonderful - I love the teachers, staff and students!) I am really blessed to be able to do what I do for a living. Who wouldn’t want to have a job where you can be silly, have fun, and inspire children and teachers all at the same time?!! Thank you to all my clients and fans for helping me achieve my mission of “Connecting Children and Learning through the Arts.”

Boys and girls, if you are reading this, remember ~ keep reaching for the stars; sky’s the limit!

When I arrived home, I had more work to do (of course). I began preparing for my last two days at my Stories on Board Residency. I am going to tell a fun version of “The Three Little Pigs” and have the students play “Pigopoly.” (I couldn’t resist.)

My nieces are coming over to help me color the boards once again. (Thank you Eliana, Camrynn & Jasmynn!)

Next week, I finish my residency and then head to Dallas for the Texas Librarian’s Association conference. Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was my eighth day doing my Stories on Board Residency at a school in the Metro New Orleans, Louisiana area. Every day this week, the library has been hosting the Scholastic Bookfair. Of course, I can never get away from a book fair without spending any money. There was no shortage of top-notch books from which to choose.

My first and second classes were a bit of a challenge. I had first grade as my first class. Their teacher was out and there was a sub but the children were a bit unruly. I had to spend ten minutes at the end of class talking to them about their behavior. My second class, 2nd grade,  was also a challenge. Unfortunately, there are several students in the class that were very disruptive. I had to counsel them for ten minutes before I could begin my story. Once I began, they really enjoyed it.

Kindergarten was a delight. We had so much fun laughing and playing “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party” game. Their teacher, Ms. Anchissi, must wear a halo because she has the patience of a saint. She is so nurturing. I love watching her guide and counsel her students. She does it with such love.

My class before lunch is 3rd grade. I love going to Mr. Boone’s class. Mr. Boone is a fun guy and he LOVES taking pictures. Here is one of Mr. Boone with the game “Pizzalicious,” based on “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.”

Since the class is right before lunch, we are always salivating over pizza - I guess it’s the power of suggestion. Here is a picture of me instructing the 3rd graders on how to create their game boards and label their game spaces.

This is “Pizzaopoly,” a “hands-on” game!

Here is “Pizzalicious,” completed. This game is going to be so much fun to play.

After lunch, I went to 4th grade. Their story was “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” There were some great game titles such as “Working for Winter”  and “The Ant Hill.” This game is called “Working for Winter,” and is still in progress.

My day ended in preschool. When I first walked in, they were all napping. It didn’t take long to rouse them when they found out the storyteller was there! I love how attentive they are when I am telling my story.

I loved ending my day in Pre-K. They are so loving and sweet. One little boy said to me, “You are the best teacher ever and you are never leaving this classroom!” Another little girl came and just planted herself in my lap, like we had known each other forever and a day.  Though my day started a little rough, my day ended in enchantment.

On Monday and Tuesday, I get to see all the classes together during their PE period. It’s going to be fun and challenging to manage a whole grade at a time but I look forward to it.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 7 of my Stories on Board residency. Wow - what a great day! The work that was created today was absolutely amazing. My day began with 50 first graders in one room. Because my first grade class was canceled yesterday, we combined two classes. Though it was crowded, both classes really cooperated and had a lot of fun listening to “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and playing “Pizza Party.” We had as many as 8 children playing one game! Great job, Ms. Roos’ and Ms. Buras’ class!

My class with my second graders was interrupted because more than half of the students had to leave to shop at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair. I had 12 students in the class. So I went from an overwhelming 50 students in my first class to an intimate group of 12 in my second class. It was great because I was able to sit with a group and actually play the game with them. What fun!

When I walked into my Kindergarten class, the students began cheering and clapping for me, yelling, “She’s here!” It was such an boisterous welcome. The first picture above is a picture of me telling to the Kindergarteners. They are so cute and such  enthusiastic listeners - very participatory.

My third grade class had trouble quieting down at first because they were so excited about working on their game boards. But when they finally did work on their boards, they worked so well in their groups. Their story was “Sody Sallyraytus,” an Appalachian tale reminiscent of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” One of the students, Nicholas, came up with an ingenious board game design. The game is called “Don’t Get Trapped!” Wow! is all I can say…

In fourth grade, there was so much creativity in the air! Their story is “The Tortoise and the Hare” and they had some really cool board games. This one designed by Ajdan,  which is still in progress, will be titled, “The Hare’s Tale.”

Here’s another Hare board game design (again, still in progress), “The Hare Racing Adventure.”

Today’s fifth grade class was assigned “The Gingerbread Man.” I love this board game called “Gingerbread Man on the Run.” I can’t wait to play this game!

I am always in awe of the talent and creativity of the students. I just love working with them. High five to Ms. Massa’s class, Ms. Naugle’s class, and Ms. Brumfield’s class! You guys have done some incredible work! I’m so proud of you!

Tomorrow, I work with my last group of students creating board games. I look forward to working with my students and seeing what they have in store for me! Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 5 of my Stories on Board Residency. For the lower grades (K-2), I told the story of “The Littlte Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and sang my original song, “Pizza Party.” Then the students played the game I created based on the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” called “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party.” The above picture is of me telling the story to a kindergarten class. Here is a picture of first graders playing the game.

The students really loved the Pizza Party game. It was a lot of fun. I even played the game with my second grade class, though I didn’t win…

In Grades 3-5, they worked on creating the board games based on the story assigned to their class. Today’s third graders were assigned the story, “The Three Little Pigs.” Here are some of the game boards they created. This one is called “Inspiring Pig.”

I loved seeing the collaboration and group cooperation! It was amazing to see these students share ideas, give each other suggestions, and implement their plans. This 3rd grade group’s game is called “The Pig Escape.”

My fourth graders worked with the story, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” The creativity of this group was amazing. There was “Trollopoly,” “The Triumph Over the Terribly Treacherous Troll,” and “Go for the Grass!”

In 5th grade, the students were assigned the story, “Henny Penny.” The students were amazingly into their project. They wanted to continue working on their boards even when it was time to end the class. They created some really cool games. Here is “Chickenopoly.”

This is a picture of the game titled, “Super Chicken.”

I can’t wait to see how my other students’ board games turn out. It’s going to be sooo cool!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

They say that “All work and no play makes Dianne a dull girl.” So Dianne took some time out to have a little fun. I went to a Hornets basketball game with Antonio, my husband. We had so much fun (yes, the Hornets won!) rocking out to music, cheering on the players, and participating in the crowd games. Here is a picture of one of the games they had during a break between quarters. Two fans had to run inside a plastic bubble and race around cones. It was so funny.

Here is a picture of the Hornets Mini Cooper parked in front of the New Orleans Arena.

Of course, when I arrived home after the game, I had some work to finish. Soleil, Eliana and my niece, Camrynn, helped me with some new board games I created for my “Stories on Board” residency. (Thank you, girls!) I created a new game called “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party” to accompany my story, “The Little Red Hen Makes Pizza.” Here is Eliana and Camrynn working hard coloring the game.

Players have to move from slice to slice, all the way around the pizza to win. It’s fun and also highlights basic math concepts of addition and subtraction.

After Eliana and Camrynn finished working on my games, they began working on a game Eliana invented call “Lily Pad Leapers.” The object of the game is to leap from lily pad to lily pad until you reach the finish and win a big juicy fly. I made small origami frogs to serve as the game pieces. The game is adorable. Eliana is soooo creative!

The highlight of my evening was opening a package from my publisher, Libraries Unlimited. We are promoting my new book, Handmade Tales at several conferences this year. They created a “Handmade Tales starter kit.” The “star” of the kit is a printed bandana to accompany my story, “Bandana Man.” Check out the bandana. OMG! It’s awesome!

Well, it’s late and I have a big day at school tomorrow. My third through fifth grade students are going to work on their board games. I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

Until tomorrow…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 4 of my “Stories on Board Residency.” I had so much fun today. My first class was first grade. They had a blast. Here is a picture of some first grade boys playing “Gingerbread Jam.” It was wonderful to witness the teamwork and camaraderie between the students.

First grade set the tone for the rest of the day. Being in that class just put me in a good mood. Their teacher is an absolute delight. She was so enthusiastic and it was contagious. (Thank you, Ms. Lemoine!)

She had the children use the “Engage-O-Meter” to gauge how much they liked the activity. A happy face signified that they loved the activity, a straight face signified that the activity was so-so, and a sad face signified that they did not enjoy the activity at all. The Engage-O-Meter was hung on a clothes line. The children were given clothes pins to clip to the face that represented how they felt about the activity. Here is a picture of students hanging their clothes pins on the Engage-O-Meter.

While most of the children hung their clothes pins on the happy face, one student had the courage to place his on the straight face, indicating that the activity was “okay.”

It absolutely thrilled me that Ms. Lemoine loved the Gingerbread Jam game so much she asked if she could have a copy of it. Of course, I agreed. I spent about 40 minutes making a copy of the game (reducing it on the copy machine, cutting pieces and taping them together, resizing and copying again, and finally putting the 8.5 X11″ sheet through the poster machine). So now, Ms. Lemoine’s first grade class has their very own copy of The Gingerbread Jam. Here is a picture me and the teacher who made me so happy. What a doll!

In my third grade class, I had a blast. The teacher there, Mr. Boone, is an energetic and silly teacher who really loves his students. When I asked the students to describe some of Mr. Boone’s “characteristics” (part of the lesson), they responded with “nice” and “fun.” He’s just the kind of teacher I would have loved having in third grade! I gave Mr. Boone my camera and he took some of the best pictures, including this self-portrait.

Here is a picture of me teaching the story mapping lesson to Mr. Boone’s third grade class.

After lunch, when I arrived in fourth grade, I told “The Ant and the Grasshopper” and started my lesson plan. Suddenly, the loud speaker pipes in, “Fourth grade teachers, please send your students to the No Tardy Party.” Students who did not receive any tardies that quarter were treated to a party. Consequently, about 3/4 of my class got up and left! I was left with 9 students. In spite of that, I had an awesome class. I proceeded with the lesson and the students really enjoyed the work. They are excited about inventing their own board games. Here is a picture of them working on their story maps.

Here is a close-up of a fourth grader working on her story map.

My last class was Pre-K. Wow - they are so adorable. They listened so intently to my story, singing all the choruses and really participating in “The Gingerbread Man.” After the story, we began playing the game. I was surprised at how quickly they grasped the math concepts in “The Gingerbread Jam.” They played as well as many of my kindergarten and first grade classes. Here is a picture of me giving a “high five” to one of my Pre-K students. (Thank you, Ms. Renee!)

Here is a picture of me with the Pre-K teacher, Ms. Muller. Isn’t she a cutie?!

After my last class, my day was not over! There was a big surprise in store for me. Betty Brodtmann, the librarian at the school where I did the Louisiana Story Fest residency in February, stopped by with a treat for me! She and one of the Pre-K teachers, Carla Short, gifted me two pies — sweet potato pie and pecan pie! I was so touched that I cried… The card that came with the gift said on the front “You are as sweet as pie.” Inside it read:

“Dianne, it was a pleasure having you visit our school. You are a sweetheart! Take care and God Bless. Sincerely, Betty & Carla”

Thank you so much, Betty and Carla! It’s a great feeling to know that you leave an imprint on someone’s heart like that. Here is a picture of Betty and me holding my pies. Mmmmmm!

Here is a picture of Carla with another teacher, Jennifer, from my residency in February. Carla is on the right.

I am soooo blessed to live this life! I am doing what I love, making new friends, and making a difference in the lives of thousands of children and adults each year. Thank you so much for being a part of my life!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It was another wonderful day at school. My kindergarten through second grade classes really enjoyed playing “Gingerbread Jam.” There was a lot of teamwork, with students really cooperating and working together to play the game. The first grade teacher commented at lunch, “Thank you. We really appreciated the work you did in class today. The students really enjoyed it.” I just love it when learning is fun.

I have really enjoyed telling the story “Gingerbread Man.” It’s a classic but I’ve jazzed it up with fun rhythm and rhyme and the students are constantly singing the chorus around the school. Classes I visit for the first time are already singing the refrain to me before I even begin the story! Here is a picture of me telling the story to kindergarteners.

In the second grade class I visited, the teacher, Ms. Vizzini, gave me a brilliant idea (it was so obvious that I hit myself in the head for not thinking of it first)! Sometimes you just need a fresh point of view… Anyway, she suggested that I use little Dixie cups to roll the dice. The students shake the cup and turn it upside down, capturing the die. That way, dice aren’t rolling all over the table and onto the floor. Terrific idea. Thanks, Ms. Vizzini!

My third through fifth grade classes were delightful. Third grade was assigned “Sody Sallyraytus,” fourth grade was assigned “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and fifth grade was assigned “The Gingerbread Man.” They story mapped their tales and will be creating board games based on those stories next week. Here is a third grade student working on her story map.

Here is a picture of a 5th grade student looking over his “Stories on Board” worksheet.

What was really cool was that my 5th graders requested that I sing the chorus of “The Gingerbread Man” again before I left the class. Again, another fabulous day. I just love what I do!

Until next time… Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Even if it is April’s Fools Day, how can your day start off wrong when you receive a note like this first thing in the morning?

“Dear Mommy, you are the best in the whole wide world! You are my angel! I love you so much! Have a great day! Love, Eliana”

So sweet! What a great way to begin my day…

It was a good day at school. This year’s crop of students have been delightful - well-behaved, participatory and very bright. The kindergarten through second graders love the refrain of my “Gingerbread Man” story:

“Run, baby, run as fast as you can
You can’t catch me ’cause I’m the… (clap, clap) Gingerbread Man!”

They also enjoy playing the game I created based on the story: “The Gingerbread Jam.” The game teaches or reinforces so many skills such as:

• Cooperation and collaboration
• Team building
• Good sportsmanship
• Basic math: number identification
• Basic math: addition and subtraction
• Familiarity with a popular folktale
• Story structure
• Sequencing
• Critical thinking

In one of my first grade classes, I had a group of students who took it upon themselves to play the game until everyone won. It was astounding to witness that kind of attitude and to observe their teamwork skills. In the same class, the first grade teacher (Hi Sherry!) told me that another group of students, who had trouble all year working together, worked together so well during the Gingerbread Jam game. I love hearing those types of stories! It makes me feel like my work really has value and makes a difference!

My third through fifth graders worked on story mapping. Again, they analyzed the stories beautifully and contributed some wonderful vocabulary words such as “mischievous,” “devious,” and “persistent.”

Today was a somewhat somber day for many of the teachers and students. On Christmas Day last year, one of the third grade teachers, who had been at the school for many years, passed away suddenly. Today was her birthday so they had a memorial service for her and planted a tree in her honor to celebrate her life. She was one of my favorite teachers, always enthusiastic about my classroom visits. Because many of the teachers attended the memorial, parent volunteers watched many of the classrooms. During the memorial service, I was teaching fifth grade.

One of the students’ grandmothers was in the class with me. She asked to stay because she had heard I was a “fantastic storyteller.” The class chose “Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby” as their story, which I performed for them. We mapped the story and had a great debate about who was really the protagonist of the story - Brer Rabbit or Brer Fox? After I finished, the grandmother approached me and asked if she could attend my next class with the students because she was enthralled and fascinated with my work. What a great feeling!

Another fabulous day! I look forward to tomorrow… Until then, Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was my first day presenting my “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games From Favorite Tales” residency at a New Orleans area school. This is my 8th year at this school; they have a very special place in my heart. In fact, my first book, Story Fest, is dedicated to this school.

I began the day laminating my “Gingerbread Jam” game boards, and making copies of stories and worksheets for the upper grades.

It was a great day. The students in all my classes were fantastic. In grades K-2, I told the story of “The Gingerbread Man,” which has a super catchy rhythmic chorus that is sung throughout the story. Although the students knew the story already, they really “jammed” to my version of “The Gingerbread Man.” Following the story, I instructed the students on how to play my game, “The Gingerbread Jam.” Using dice and fuzzy pom pom balls as game pieces, the students were divided into groups of five or six to play the game. The game tackles the basic math skills of addition and subtraction. The students loved the game. Here is a picture of first grade students playing “The Gingerbread Jam.”

With the upper grades (3-5), I told them a story (each class is assigned its own story) and then we story-mapped the tale using a “Stories on Board Story Map” that I developed specifically for this lesson. The students learned new vocabulary: protagonist, antagonist, supporting characters, adversary, motivation, peril, triumph, and aid. One of the third grade teachers (Hi Betty! And thank you!!) liked my Story Map so much that she took a copy for herself and asked if she could use it with future classes! She told me that my lesson was great; it was just what they were tackling in language arts. That makes me so happy! Here is a picture of me story mapping with today’s third grade class.

Though I worried that the story mapping might be too complex and perhaps a bit “boring” for the students, I was pleasantly surprised at how attentive and interested they were in the lesson. The students’ contributions to the discussions were incredibly astute and impressive. And we haven’t reached the “fun” part yet - creating the board games - that’s next week…  In a fourth grade class, I told my version of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” One of my fifth grade students said he and his group were going to create the game “Goat-opoly.” So clever!

Here are some of my third grade students working on their story maps.

I am really looking forward to the rest of my classes this week. I am also looking forward to seeing the students’ games next week. It’s so much fun working with these students. Since I have been doing an teaching artist residency at this school for so long, many of these students have “grown up” with me. They recognize me every year and wave, hug, and high five me in the halls. What a great feeling!

Until next time, heres’ to fun and games!
Warmly, Dianne