9-15-11 Signing my new book, The House That Witchy Built, at the LAMP Conference
Friends:
This past Thursday, I signed books at the Louisiana Association of Media Professional Conference in Metairie, Louisiana. It was my first time to sign my new book in public, The House That Witchy Built. Fun!
Boo to you!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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9-15-11 My new office with three work areas
Friends:
Many of you have been hearing me chatter on and on about my “dream office.” Well, it is finally done! This week, the baseboards were installed.
9-15-11 My desk and comfy leather chair
My new office has a “beach” theme with white cabinetry, sea blue walls, and sand colored countertops. I have displays of my seashells and sand from around the world, beach paintings from artists in Mexico and Santa Monica, California, and photographs of the beaches I visited in Hawaii this past summer.
9-15-11 My ode to my favorite place... the beach!
There is tons of cabinetry, drawers, file drawers, and a massive built-in bookcase to house my big book collection.
9-15-11 The library wall. Woo hoo!
There are three work stations. I roll back and forth between my desk and the work area behind me. It’s great space with lots of room for special projects. Kid Chef Eliana has her own space! It’s always organized too.
9-15-11 Eliana's work area and the storage tower for promo materials
I just love working in my new environment!
9-15-11 Another view of my desk and work station
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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Rockin' 3 Billy Goats iPad App Art Sample by Stefan Jolet
Friends:
This holiday season, I have an iPad app coming out. My story app is titled “Rockin’ 3 Billy Goats.” It’s a story from my Jump, Jiggle & Jam storytelling CD (which is now only available on iTunes and through my mp3 download store on my website). The app will feature art by Stefan Jolet, who is an amazing illustrator.
It will be an interactive “Touch and Tell Tale,” where the story can be heard with music and sound effects or read aloud by the child or grown-up. The reader will be able to read the story, listen to the story, and touch the screen to animate the characters. It’s going to be so much fun.
I’ll keep you updated as to the progress of the app!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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8-10-11 Performing the story of The Emperor's Dragon, a draw and tell tale from my book, Handmade Tales
Friends:
Yes, it has been nearly a month since this workshop! I took a break from blogging to get some writing done and to work on other projects (developing an iPad story app). I actually thought that I had posted this blog!
So last month, I had the pleasure of doing a day-long in-service for PK teachers in Lafayette Parish. It was so much fun. I began the workshop with an ice breaker in which participants had to create a self-portrait from items in their purses, bags, or wallets. I love a woman who carries chocolate in her purse!
8-10-11 A self-portrait made from items in a workshop attendee's purse. Yay for chocolate!
The morning session was dedicated to Handmade Tales. We began with a draw and tell story called Catching a Pest in 7 steps. It’s from my book, Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take, and is great for teaching numbers and sequencing.
8-10-11 Catching a Pest in 7 Steps - A draw and tell tale
Then they learned the story of “The Emperor’s Dragon,” another draw and tell tale.
8-10-11 The Emperor's Dragon drawn by a workshop participant
Then it was time for a cut and tell story. The PK teachers learned the story of “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.” They were having fun “cutting up.” LOL
8-10-11 Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, a cut and tell story
They learned how to make a Russian nesting doll just by folding paper. It’s so cute!
8-10-11 A Russian nesting doll made out of paper from my book, Handmade Tales
I showed them how to make a 6 page book out of a single sheet of paper. It’s a very versatile origami craft that can be used to showcase ABCs, used as an “About Me” book, or turn little ones into authors and illustrators.
8-10-11 The six page book from the story, The King's Advisor
The teachers learned the story of “Papa’s Teepee,” which features a coffee filter that is magically turned into a snowflake. Then the teachers created a snow blizzard. I always love this part!
8-10-11 Creating a snow blizzard out of coffee filter snowflakes from the story, Papa's Teepee
They learned another cut and tell story that resulted in a perfect 5 point star!
8-10-11 Lafayette PK Teachers are stars!
We had a blast with the story, “Bandana Man,” and I love this picture of the PK teachers becoming old women with their bandanas!
“Bandana Man” is another rendition of “The Gingerbread Man,” except he’s made out of a bandana and one hand becomes all the animals in the story (a spider, a snake and a fox). When they learned how to make Bandana Man, there were lots of oohs and ahs. He is pretty cute!
8-10-11 Bandana Man!
Then it was time to learn some string stories. I told the string story of “The Stubborn Turnip,” which has a cool magic trick in it. These PK teachers were great with their strings!
8-10-11 The string figure bowl from the string story, The Stubborn Turnip
They even learned how to make a star out of string. Talk about wowing kids!
8-10-11 Making a star out of string! Cool!
After lunch, it was time for the second half of the workshop featuring “A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z” and “Picture Book Make and Takes.” “A is for Alligator” is a book with Marita Gentry published by ABC-Clio. We take every letter of the alphabet and turn them into animals using storytelling as the device. It’s really amazing and kids of ALL ages LOVE it.
8-10-11 A is for Alligator from my book of the same name illustrated by Marita Gentry
The stories from A is for Alligator are great for teaching the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that they make.
8-10-11 E is for Elephant from my book, A is for Alligator, illustrated by Marita Gentry
This is “W is for Whale.” How precious is that?! You can see how the teacher highlighted the “W” in the drawing with a different color.
8-10-11 W is for Whale from my book, A is for Alligator, illustrated by Marita Gentry
The second half of the afternoon focused on “Picture Book Make and Takes.” I showed the teachers all the cool activities that are downloadable for free from my website in the “Book Activities” section. They made a Cajun Cornbread Boy puppet and Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach story shaker.
8-10-11 The story shaker from Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach
They did a baby bear collage from Mama’s Bayou, created Ma Farmer’s Down Home Cookbook from The Gigantic Sweet Potato, and created an accordion dragon puppet from There’s a Dragon in the Library.
8-10-11 The accordion dragon from There's a Dragon in the Library
It was a great way to spend the day and I really enjoyed myself with the PK teachers of Lafayette Parish schools. A special thank you to Christine Duay for bringing me in!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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8-6-11 Jay Asher, Dianne de Las Casas & Jason Roer
Friends:
It’s been more than a week since I arrived in Los Angeles (Century City) for the 40th annual SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. OMG. It was a WOW weekend of superstar authors, awesome agents, excellent editors, and fun friends. This recap is going to be a long one because there was just so much to take away! Unfortunately, my camera was on the fritz so I had to use my iPhone 3GS too (without a flash) so some of the pictures are less than stellar. To begin…
Thursday, August 4, 2011 – The Arrival
This year, I was staying with Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, two fabulous authors from NYC. We had a great room on the 10th floor of the Hyatt Century Plaza overlooking the pool and the MGM building.
8-4-11 The view from our 10th floor balcony at the Hyatt Century Plaza in L.A.
Kat, Joyce, and I headed out for eats at the nearby Westfield Mall which has a “Dining Terrace,” filled with tons of multicultural foods for a reasonable price. The ramen was my FAVE!!
8-4-11 Kat Yeh, Dianne de Las Casas, and Joyce Wan just arriving at SCBWI
Friday, August 5, 2011 – Day 1
8-5-11 Bruce Coville inspires everyone with lots of wise advice
The Friday morning opening keynote was given by Bruce Coville. He gave some very sage advice on becoming a successful author. My favorites were:
“Take storytelling lessons.”
“Take voice and singing lessons.”
“Scare yourself. Take yourself to the edge of discomfort. Be fearless.”
“Take your work seriously but take yourself lightly. Rise above your own best work.”
“Embrace the unfinished chord. It is not knowing that is more powerful than knowing.”
Jerry Pinkney was the next speaker and he talked about how his family history inspired his art. I then went to a breakout session with Debra Dorfman, V.P. Publisher of paperbacks, non-fiction, and licensed publishing at Scholastic Books. It was interesting to see how a title is treated after it is acquired at Scholastic, the steps it goes through to become part of the Scholastic Book Club and the Scholastic Book Fairs.
The afternoon panel featured five publishers talking about the “state of the union” of publishing. The message was that there is always room for excellence, even in a changing world and that they are looking for books that break the mold.
8-5-11 The incredibly hilarious Libba Bray
Libba Bray was the first afternoon keynote and boy was she uproariously funny. She talked about how “writing it wrong” helped authors to get it right. My favorite Libba quotes:
“Embrace the suck!” (The crowd guffawed at this.)
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
“Readers are not trends. They are readers.”
“Getting it wrong is a necessary part of getting it right.”
Then it was time for the last breakout session of the day. I chose Katie Davis‘ “Podcasting Your Way to Success.” She talked about using social media to build a platform as an author and went through the steps on how to create a podcast.
8-5-11 Emma Dryden on Traveling Through the Digital Landscape
The last keynote of the afternoon was the ever informative Emma Dryden. She talked about traveling the digital landscape of publishing. Though the publishing industry is changing, books still matter. She said:
“The digital world is reshaping the book business. Print is not going away for the sake of digital.”
“The publishing industry is evolving right before our eyes.”
“Picture books do matter. Picture books still do sell.”
Thank you for reassuring us, Emma!
8-5-11 Cheri Williams and Dianne de Las Casas at the PAL Book Sale
That evening, it was time for the SCBWI P.A.L. (Published and Listed) Book Sale. It was a cocktail reception and book sale for the published members of SCBWI, who were not on the program. I am happy to say that I sold out of my new book, The House That Witchy Built, illustrated by Holly Stone-Barker.
8-5-11 The ever-cool Illustrator E.B. Lewis
Later, it was time to schmooze in the lobby! I got to hang out with all my friends (Ellen Hopkins, Kristin Clark Venuti, Cheri Williams, Rachel Ann Marks) and even made new ones (The Hilts Brothers). Here I am with my roommates, Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, with the amazing illustrator, E.B. Lewis.
8-6-11 Kat Yeh, E.B. Lewis, Joyce Wan & Dianne de Las Casas
Saturday, August 6, 2011 – Day 2
I attended every session on Friday so I admit that I was a bit burned out. I opted to sleep in and I missed Donna Jo Napoli. I caught the tail end of David Small‘s keynote. He was so cute dancing to “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You.”
Then something extraordinary happened. We had a surprise guest!!! It was… Judy Blume!
8-6-11 Lin Oliver interviews surprise guest, the legendary Judy Blume
John Green, Author of Looking for Alaska, was supposed to be our keynote. Unfortunately, he had gallstone surgery and SCBWI had to fill his slot. So they brought us a spectacular substitute!! Lin Oliver interviewed the legendary, life-changing author, Judy Blume. Judy received a standing ovation BEFORE she was interviewed. Here are my favorite Judy Blume quotes:
“Get yourself though it and write a whole draft.”
“I know I start a book on the day something different happens.”
“The stuff that matters, that works for your readers, comes from deep, deep inside.”
“The first time I was rejected, I went into a closet and cried.”
On revising: “It never gets any easier. The only thing that gets easier for me is that I know how to do this.”
“Whatever way works for you is the right way.”
“You don’t think about the audience. If it’s good, it will find an audience.”
“I don’t think about my legacy. That’s dangerous. But I want a tombstone that says, ‘Are you there God? It’s me, Judy.’”
8-6-11 Carrell Gueringer, Denise Fleming & Dianne de Las Casas
Sometimes things happen for a reason. I was on my way to a breakout session on books, e-books, and apps when I saw my friend, Carrell Gueringer, talking to picture book author Denise Fleming, whom I adore. I met Denise and we took pictures. Then we all saw HER. Judy Blume!! I introduced myself to Judy (we’ve tweeted a couple of times) and I got to take this adorable picture of her.
8-6-11 The Amazing Judy Blume!!!
OMG. I met Judy Blume!! She was so sweet and I can’t believe she is 73 years old!! That was definitely a conference high for me. I don’t often get fan-girlish but I felt fluttery around Judy Blume!
Then it was time for lunch. Denise Fleming, Kari-Lynn Winters, Valerie (sorry – I forgot your last name!), and I headed to the Dining Terrace at the mall next door for some food. I had yummy ramen and totally fell in love with Denise Fleming. We all had a blast at lunch. Because I spent so much time with Denise, I missed Jon Scieszka’s afternoon keynote. But sometimes, the stars align in a different pattern than you planned and the sky is even more brilliant than you imagined. That’s how I felt about meeting Denise Fleming and hanging out with her. What a fabulous lady. Kari-Lynn Winters is my newest BFF and I totally LOVE her too! She’s such a hoot!
8-6-11 Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth, inspires the crowd with his accidental foray into children's books
The afternoon keynote was by Norton Juster, the author of The Phantom Tollbooth, a brilliant book! Norton Juster said, “Playing with words was my great disease.” He ended his keynote with a reading of “Prinderella,” a hilarious spoonerism story.
Later that afternoon, I went to Verla Kay‘s workshop on promoting yourself using the Internet. Verla was so sweet she included ME in her slideshow!
8-6-11 Dianne de Las Casas & Lisa Rondinelli Albert tear up the stage at the 40 Winks PJ Gala. Photo courtesy of Joyce Wan.
Then, IT WAS TIME… for the 40 Winks Gala!! And it was a pajama party! My stupid camera wasn’t working so I didn’t get any pictures. 
I didn’t see anything scandalous but there were some crazy cool costumes! The Princess and the Pea won first prize. The princess was actually wearing a BED, yes a bed!! There was bunny costume from “A Christmas Story” and Max’s wolf suit from Where the Wild Things Are. I danced on the DJ’s stage the whole night long!! After the party was done, we moved the after-party to the X-Bar, a bar connected to the Hyatt. There, I danced with my roommates, Kat and Joyce, Michelle Parker-Rock, Lisa Rodinelli Albert, Rachel Ann Marks, Cheri Williams, and lots of other FUN people! It was a FABULOUS night!!
Sunday, August 7, 2011 – Day 3
On my third day into the conference, I was burning out (actually, my feet burned from dancing in stilettos all night!). I opted to sleep in. I missed the agents’ panel and Gary Paulsen‘s talk. But the great thing about the SCBWI conference in this digital age is that you can relive the moments through other authors’ tweets and blogs! I’m really sorry I missed Gary Paulsen. I heard that he lived in the Philippines (where I was born and where my mom is from) and can speak Tagalog!
I went to Jon Scieszka‘s workshop on “Experimenting with Multi-Platform Storytellling.” It was very interesting to hear him talk about his new series, Spaceheadz. He is so crazy and genius at the same time. His new series encourages media literacy for kids, highlighting access, analysis, evaluation, and creation. Later that night, I got to talk to Jon at length and I totally fell in love with him (in a writerly way). He’s gracious, witty, and fun. I’m mad that I forgot to take pics!! Ugh.
8-7-11 The incredible dessert to celebrate SCBWI's 40th anniversary at the Golden Kite Awards Luncheon
At noon, it was time for the Golden Kite Awards Luncheon. My friend, Michelle Parker-Rock won 2011 SCBWI Member of the Year. Woo hoo, Michelle!! Tanya Lee Stone was the non-fiction Golden Kite winner for The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie. My good friend, Jenni Holm, was the Golden Kite fiction winner for her Newbery Honor book, Turtle in Paradise. In her speech, Jenni said, “You are my family. You are my people.” Yay, Jenni! Rukhsana Khan won the Golden Kite for picture book text for her book, The Big Red Lollipop. She is an amazing storyteller – she had the audience riveted. The Sid Fleischman Award for humor went to Alan Silberberg for his book, Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze. Alan made me laugh and cry and laugh again. I was sooo moved by his speech! I talked to him in the lobby later that night and he is every bit as warm, caring, and funny as he is on stage. The Golden Kite for picture book illustration went to Salley Mavor for her book, Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Such beautiful bas relief fabric and embroidery!
Then we had a surprise guest! The eloquent Richard Peck embellished the stage with his funny rhetoric. Some golden nuggets and funny quotes from Richard:
“A writer’s secret: A story is always about something that never happened to the author.”
“We do not write what we know. We write what we can find out about.”
“Tweets and texts bomb the ruins of our language.”
“Every book begins in the library with the hope that it will end there.”
So Richard Peck does not like Twitter. Oh well. He’ll never have to revise his words to 140 concise characters. LOL
After the luncheon, I headed over to Emma Dryden and Harold Underdown‘s workshop on social media. I ducked out before it ended because of an oncoming migraine, which caused me to miss LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON! Crud. Anyway, social media? I have a handle on. I am really sorry I missed Laurie’s amazing and inspiring (so I heard) keynote.
8-7-11 Dianne de Las Casas & Nuria Coe, both mommies of daughters named Eliana!!
That evening, I went to dinner the Pink Taco for the Kidlit Drink Night organized (in part) by the fabulous Lee Wind. I LOVE me some Lee!! I went with Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, my roomies. I met another author named Nuria Coe. Like me, she has a daughter named ELIANA! How coincidental is that? Our daughter’s middle names are similar too. It gave us both the chills. I met some fabulous people at the Kidlit Mixer and had the most delicious crispy brisket tacos. Mmmm!
Then it was back to the hotel lobby for my last night of SCBWI schmoozing. I met up with my friends, Jenni Holm and Katie Davis. I talked with the cool Dan Santat and met the amazing Alan Silverberg. I also spoke with Greg Pincus and Jim Averbeck — totally great guys. Then I bumped into my soul sistah, Samantha Berger. I totally missed hangout time with her this conference but at least we got to hang in the lobby for a little bit. To top off this amazing conference, like I said earlier, I talked at length to the phenomenal Jon Scieszka. Although he is a kidlit rockstar, Jon is totally approachable, gracious, and unpretentious.
I met so many amazing writers, illustrators, and authors. I know I didn’t list you all but I hope you know that, in the words of Jenni Holm, “You are my people.” Thank you for being a part of this wonderful tribe called “Kidlit.”
It was an uplifting, inspiring, kidlit star-studded weekend of tears, laughter, and hugs. Thank you, Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser, for creating SCBWI. You have enriched us for 40 years. Here’s looking at 40 more!!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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7-22-11 Kid Chef Eliana in the WWL-TV Studio Kitchen
Friends:
Kid Chef Eliana appeared on WWL-TV Morning News with Sally-Ann Roberts and Eric Paulsen. You can view the video segment of her appearance here.
We arrived at the studio at 5:30am and prepared for the 3 hour show. Eliana had to cook the entire time and feed a crew of 20 people. She made Scotch eggs (hard-boiled eggs encased in homemade turkey sausage, rolled in bread crumbs and baked), garlic cumin potatoes, devil’s food monster muffins, and sparkling pomegranate punch. Everyone loved her food!
The crew, both on and off-camera, were so impressed with Eliana. Sally-Ann Roberts and Eric Paulsen were so sweet to Eliana. Sally-Ann said that Eliana needed her own TV show. Eric tweeted, “You are going to be a rock star in the culinary world!”
Thank you to Liz Williams of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum for appearing on the show with Eliana. Thank you to Producer Dionne Butler for inviting Eliana. Thank you to the camera crew for directing Eliana and being so nice. Finally, thank you to Sally-Ann and Eric for being amazing and sweet to Kid Chef Eliana!
7-22-11 Kid Chef Eliana with Sally-Ann Roberts and Eric Paulsen at WWL-TV
It was a fabulous experience for both of us!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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7-12-11 A panorama of The Mouse's Wedding Kamishibai story, performed by librarians in Athens, TN
Friends:
Last week, I spent the whole week in Tennessee, doing professional development seminars across the state. I was hired by the Tennessee State of School Librarians and it was wonderful. I did “Handmade Tales” in the morning and “Kamishibai Story Theater” in the afternoon. My host, Allison Roberts, drove me all over the gorgeous state of Tennessee. I saw the Smokies, the Appalachian mountains, the plateau, and all the beautiful greenery across the state. We started in Greenevillle, went to Athens, traveled to Murfreesboro, and then ended in Jackson. Unfortunately, I was so tired after my full day of workshops that I neglected to take pictures during our drives.
7-12-11 Allison (far left) and friends become old women in the the story of Bandana Man - Athens, TN
In Greeneville, our host was Mitchell, the librarian of Greeneville High School. He was so kind and helpful! Thank you, Mitchell!
7-11-11 Mitchell makes the cutest old woman - Greenville, TN
All the workshops began with a creativity exercise in which the workshop participants had to create a self-portrait on a paper plate using items from their pocketbooks (Yes, Allison, I learned to use the word “pocketbook” LOL).
7-13-11 A librarian in Murfreesboro, TN creates a self portrait from a checkbook, glasses, 2 pairs of earrings, yarn, and a Mentos cap
And look at this one… how cute!
7-13-11 Amanda creates a cool self-portrait! - Jackson, TN
Then I began with the draw and tell story of Catching a Pest in 7 Steps. It’s a fun story that uses the numbers 1-7 to create the picture.
7-14-11 LeAn draws the story, Catching a Pest in 7 Steps - Jackson, TN
Another draw and tell story followed: The Emperor’s Dragon, a story to represent the country of China. It’s such a cool story with great visuals. I know the librarians will be using this story in school!
7-11-11 The Emperor's Dragon, a draw and tell story - Greeneville, TN
I even showed a story from my new book, A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z.
7-14-11 E is for Elephant from Dianne's new book, A is for Alligator - Jackson, TN
They learned the cut and tell story of “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.”
7-14-11 E is for Elephant from Dianne's new book, A is for Alligator - Jackson, TN
Then I showed them some extras that were not in the handout: Russian nesting dolls made of paper and a “cootie catcher” magic story starter. I showed them how to fold towels to create an ugly duckling and a beautiful swan. So adorable!
7-11-11 The Ugly Duckling and swans made from towels - Greenville, TN
They learned the cut and tell story of “Papa’s Teepee,” which by the end of the story, turns a coffee filter into a snowflake. Then I have all the librarians stand up and create a snow blizzard. Mega cool! 
7-14-11 A snow blizzard in Jackson, TN in the middle of July!
They learned how to make a star with a single snip of the scissors.
7-13-11 Librarians are stars in Murfreesboro, TN
Then it was time for “Bandana Man,” one of my most popular Handmade Tales. Workshop participants turn bandanas into cute little figures. The story is a riff of the classic “Gingerbread Man.”
7-11-11 Librarians in Athens, TN make Bandana Man
They learned a string story, “The Stubborn Turnip,” which has a cool magic trick in it that always wows an audience. It is the most challenging of the Handmade Tales but once you learn the one move, it’s a cinch and always garners the “Oooh and Aaah” factor!
In the afternoon, I taught them the Kamishibai story theater process.
7-11-11 Dianne checks on the progress of the Kamishibai cards in Greenville, TN
The group was assigned a story from Asia. The story was divided amongst the participants in the group and they had to illustrate their portion of the story. In Greeneville, they performed “The Battle Between Wind and Rain,” a story from the Philippines.
7-11-11 Gail performs her part in the Kamishibai story of The Battle Between Wind and Rain, a story from the Philippines - Greenville, TN
In Athens, Murfreesboro, and Jackson, they performed “The Mouse’s Wedding,” a tale from Japan. And the artwork was stunning! Here are some Kamishibai cards from different venues in order of their story sequence.
Father Mouse wants his daughter, Sachiko, to marry the mightiest creature in the world, not Makoto, a poor pauper of a mouse.
7-14-11 McIntee with her Kamishibai card from The Mouse's Wedding - Jackson, TN
So Father Mouse sees Mr. Sun, whom he thinks is the mightiest creature in the world.
7-13-11 Erin performs with her Kamishibai card from the story, The Mouse's Wedding - Murfreesboro, TN
Mr. Sun says he is flattered but Cloud must be the mightiest because Cloud covers Sun.
7-12-11 A Kamishibai card of the sun in the story, The Mouse's Wedding - Athens, TN
So Father Mouse sees Mr. Cloud, who must be the mightiest creature in the world. Mr. Cloud says he is flattered but Wind must be the mightiest because Wind blows Cloud across the sky.
7-13-11 Father Mouse talks to Mr. Wind in this Kamishibai card from The Mouse's Wedding - Murfreesboro, TN
So Father Mouse sees Mr. Wind, who must be the mightiest creature in the world. Mr. Wind says he is flattered but Wall must be the mightiest because Wall stops Wind dead in his tracks.
7-14-11 The Mouse's Wedding Kamishibai story theater - Jackson, TN
Finally, Father Mouse talks to Mr. Wall.
7-14-11 Father Mouse sees the wall in this Kamishibai card from The Mouse's Wedding - Murfreesboro, TN
Mr. Wall tells him that the mightiest creature is the one who chews a hole through him… that is the mouse!
7-13-11 This Kamishibai card from The Mouse's Wedding is so cute! - Murfreesboro, TN
So Father Mouse gives his daughter, Sachiko, permission to marry, Makoto, a mere mouse. Oshimai. The End.
7-14-11 Nancy with her Kamishibai card from The Mouse's Wedding - Jackson, TN
In Jackson, we even had time to make the cool accordion dragon puppet from my book, There’s a Dragon in the Library.
7-14-11 Nancy and Carol make their dragon accordion puppets from There's a Dragon in the Library - Jackson, TN
It was a fabulous week!! Thank you to all the librarians who came to the workshops. Thank you to our wonderful hosts: Mitchell in Greeneville, Beth in Athens (who treated me to a star dinner at her incredible house, where I stayed the night before), Dolores in Murfreesboro, and Tina in Jackson. Finally, a big thank you and hug to Allison Roberts, my hostess with the mostest. We had great (though hot) weather and perfect travel conditions (no traffic!) all the way through. It must have been her good “mojo!” She kept me fed (with chocolate) and watered (with Diet Coke). What more can a girl ask for?
I feel like I really know Tennessee now. What a BEAUTIFUL state! I can’t wait to return!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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7-9-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs her song, Cool Kids Cook
Friends:
Yesterday, my daughter, 11 year old Kid Chef Eliana, had a cooking demonstration and book signing at Cherry Books in Thibodaux, Louisiana. She made her delicious “Fresh from the Garden Salsa” from her cookbook, Eliana Cooks! Recipes for Creative Kids.
7-9-11 Kid Chef Eliana makes her Fresh from the Garden Salsa at Cherry Books in Thibodaux, LA
It was a great crowd – the bookstore was packed! Everyone LOVED Kid Chef Eliana’s salsa and ate both batches of her tasty sauce. Afterward, she signed books. There were lots of kids and we had tons of fun at Cherry Books.
7-9-11 Kid Chef Eliana signs autographs at Cherry Books in Thibodaux, LA
Thank you to all our friends and fans who came!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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7-1-11 Catching a Pest in 7 Steps - Dixie Center, Olla, LA
Friends:
Last Friday, I was at Lasalle Parish Library for my last summer reading program of the year. It was also my last summer reading program tour as I am no longer touring in the summer (more time for writing and spending time with my family). I love Andrea Book, the library director, and Donna Estis, the children’s librarian. They have been such great friends over the years. Thank you, ladies!!
My first show was in Jena, Louisiana. I began with my draw and tell story, The Emperor’s Dragon.
7-1-11 Drawing The Emperor's Dragon at Lasalle Parish Library in Jena, LA
We then had fun with Medio Pollito, a story from Spain.
7-1-11 Telling the story of Medio Pollito at Lasalle Parish Library in Jena, LA
I had just as much fun in Olla, Louisiana at the Dixie Center. Though the crowd was small, the kids were great.
7-1-11 Telling the story of There's A Dragon in the Library at the Dixie Center in Olla, LA
Kid Chef Eliana entertained the crowds in Jena and Olla. Too cute!
7-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs at the Dixie Center in Olla, LA
We loved eating and shopping at The Caboose, one of our favorite places in Louisiana. Lasalle Parish rocks!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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