12-15-11 Drawing D is for Dalmatian in P.E.

Friends:

Today was Day 9 of my residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. Today, I was in P.E. with Ms. Lombardino, Ms. Tammie, Ms. Kelly, Coach Eric, and Coach Mark. It was such a fun day. I saw all the grades in groups and told draw and tell stories that they had not yet heard.

12-15-11 W is for Whale in P.E.

I love the P.E. staff. They are zany and fun to work with! Check out Coach Eric, who became a part of my story, “A is for Alligator,” literally! hahahaha

12-15-11 Drawing A is for Alligator - the end of the tail ended up on Coach Eric's head!

The students were fun and also had the opportunity to hear stories of my travels around the world, and my life as an author.

12-15-11 An embellished B is for Bear in P.E.

I loved being in P.E. with the P.E. staff. They are fabulous to work with!

12-15-11 We <3 Coach Eric at Bissonet!

It was a great day and I look forward to my last day at Bisonet!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-14-11 T is for Turtle in final by a student in Ms. Penton's Kindergarten class

Friends:

Today was Day 8 of my A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Stories from A-Z residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. It was my last day to work with the students in the classroom and finalize their books for publication.

Because there are so many activities going on in the school during the holidays, my schedule was crazy today. I had to rearrange four classes but everything worked out. My first visit was to Ms. Muller’s and Ms. Joy’s Pre-K babies. I had to combine the classes but the students were amazing. They drew their final “B is for Bear” in markers and the illustrations came out gorgeous! We were all so happy with the results!

12-14-11 Ms. Muller's and Ms. Joy's PK classes create their final pages for B is for Bear

Next, it was on to Ms. Lambert’s third grade class. They worked on the final art and stories for “L is for Lion.” I love how the title page and cover came out! Great job, guys!

12-14-11 L is for Lion final book art for cover and title page in Ms. Lambert's 3rd grade class

Then it was on to Ms. Penton’s Kindergarten class. They did a great job with their words and their “T is for Turtle” illustrations! Yay!

12-14-11 A student in Ms. Penton's Kindergarten writes her T is for Turtle words

My next class was Ms. Vizzini’s second grade classs. The class finalized their art for “R is for Rooster.” These students did a fabulous job and I love their Rockin’ Roosters!

12-14-11 R is for Rooster final book art for cover and title page in Ms. Vizzini's 2nd grade class

For lunch, Ellen Miller, the awesome librarian, treated me to a dine-in lunch of Thai food, our annual tradition. Delish! Thank you, Ms. Miller! After lunch, I visited Ms. Bonanno’s first grade class and they worked on the final illustrations and stories for “X is for X-Ray Fish.” They had so many great artists that I had to choose three: one to illustrate the dedication page, one to illustrate the title page, and one to illustrate the cover. How eXciting!

12-14-11 X is for X-Ray Fish final book art for cover and title page in Ms. Bonanno's 1st grade class

My last class was Ms. Vegas’ 4th grade class. I had to see them during their P.E. period because of all the scheduling challenges. While many of them managed to finish the final art for “Q is for Quail,” the class as a whole was wound up and disruptive. Their stories and illustrations were wonderful, however, their behavior needed work. There were a couple of phenomenal students like Savannah and Logan, and they made me smile!

12-14-11 Q is for Quail final book art for cover and title page in Ms. Vega's 4th grade class

Tomorrow, I hang out with the P.E. gang and see all the students during their P.E. period. I look forward to telling lots of draw and tell stories!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-13-11 E is for Elephant art in Ms. Tonguis' 1st grade class

Friends:

Today was the 7th day of my A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Stories from A-Z residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary School in Metairie, Louisiana. My first class was with Ms. Anchissi’s Kindergarten class. The class worked on the final pages for their book, creating final words and pictures. Ms. Anchissi’s class had “J is for Jackrabbit” and these little ones remembered all the steps of the story!

12-13-11 J is for Jackrabbit book cover in Ms. Anchissi's Kindergarten Class

My next class was Ms. Frechette’s third grade class. These students are so industrious and created wonderful stories and art for “O is for Owl.” I can’t wait to see their final book! I’ll have to come back for a special visit, just to see how amazing their book comes out.

12-13-11 O is for Owl title page in Ms. Frechette's 3rd grade class

After third grade, it was time to head over to Ms. Morrow fourth grade class. Although my time with them was shortened, I was impressed with the amount of work they did. They had some fabulously fanciful stories about unicorns.

12-13-11 U is for Unicorn story and art in Ms. Morrow's 4th grade class

Then it was on to Ms. Chieffo’s second grade students. When I walked into the classroom, the students gave me a rousing cheer. When we were going over the illustration for “I is for Iguana,” I was impressed with how these students recalled all the details of the draw and tell story. They created their own imaginative stories about the iguana and fantastic artwork as well.

12-13-11 I is for Iguana book cover in Ms. Chieffo's 2nd grade class

After lunch, I ambled over to Ms. Tonguis’ class. Ms. Tonguis has a tremendous sense of humor and we are always laughing up a storm. I just love to see that much joy in the classroom. It’s infectious! The students were so excited to show me their work on “E is for Elephant.” I was proud of both their awesome art and their stupendous stories.

12-13-11 E is for Elephant book cover in Ms. Tonguis' 1st grade class

My last class of the day was Ms. Daignault’s 5th grade class. What a talented group of kids. This class has both a mixture of writers and artists. It was so difficult to choose the book’s cover and title page illustrators. The jobs went to Dairon and Bennett, respectively. “M is for Monkey” is absolutely marvelous!

12-13-11 M is for Monkey book cover in Ms. Daignault's 5th grade 6th period class

Wednesday is my last day to work in the classroom with the students. On Thursday and Friday, I see them in P.E. for group work and performances. It goes by so quickly!

I look forward to my traditional Thai lunch with Ms. Miller, the librarian. I also look forward to another day of remarkable classes!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-12-11 D is for Dalmatian book cover in Ms. Arnett's 2nd grade class

Friends:

Today was my 6th day of my two-week A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. My first class was in Ms. Naugle’s 4th grade class. She is such an amazing teacher! Congratulations on graduating with your masters this past weekend, Ms. Naugle! Woo hoo for you!

12-12-11 The ever awesome Ms. Paula Naugle, 4th grade teacher

Ms. Naugle’s fourth graders worked on their final versions of their “Z is for Zebra” stories for the class anthology. Look at these zippy zebras!

12-12-11 Z is for Zebra in Ms. Naugle's 4th grade class

Next, I went to Ms. Fury’s third grade class. They worked on “V is for Vulture” and putting their stories in final form. There were some really great artists and writers in the class!

12-12-11 V is for Vulture art and stories in Ms. Fury's 2nd grade class

Then it was on to Ms. Johnson’s Kindergarten class to work on “G is for Giraffe.” The class is so well-behaved and talented. Just look at the front cover of their book, created by Juliette. G is for GORGEOUS!

12-12-11 G is for Giraffe book cover in Ms. Johnson's Kindergarten class

In Ms. Arnett’s second grade class, there were so many amazing stories and artists. Armin was chosen to embellish the book’s cover and I am in love with Nicholas’ story, “My Dog is a Hero.” I mean, how can you not love a dog in a tuxedo?!

12-12-11 Nicholas' story, My Dog is a Hero, in Ms. Arnett's 2nd grade class

After lunch, it was a whale of a time in Ms. Hadley’s class. This first grade class students with great art skills, fabulous penmanship, and incredible creativity. “W is for Whale” and “W is for Wonderful!”

12-12-11 W is for Whale final book cover in Ms. Hadley's 1st grade class

My final class of the day was Ms. Brumfield’s fifth grade class. My time is so short with fifth grade that it is difficult to really work with them. Nevertheless, I have been impressed with the quality of the stories and the art that has come out of these classes.

12-12-11 Final art in progress for F is for Frog in Ms. Brumfield's 5th grade class

This year at Bissonet has been such a pleasure. The students are well-behaved, considerate, and respectful. And, as usual, it’s been a rewarding experience to work with such fine faculty. All around, it’s been such a joyous time. I look forward to two more days of working with my classes, then it’s working in groups for my last two days this week.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-9-11 Dianne de Las Casas takes a photo with her iPhone of Z is for Zebra in Ms. Naugle's 4th grade class

Friends:

Friday was Day 5 of my Bissonet Plaza Elementary A is for Alligator Draw and Tell Residency. Since most of the school was on a field trip to see The Wizard of Oz play, I spent the morning with fourth grade. My first class was with Ms. Vega, who was a teacher at Strehle Elementary, another school I’ve done residencies with, so we were old friends. The students were assigned “Q is for Quail.” I loved how excited they got when I told them my writer’s secret… That really spurred some creative stories! Want to know the secret? Sshhhh. I can’t tell you… or it wouldn’t be a secret! But the fact that the Bissonet Plaza students are talented is definitely no secret!

12-9-11 Ms. Vega's 4th grade class works on Q is for Quail

My second class was Ms. Morrow’s fourth grade class. They did “U is for Unicorn.” They had so much fun inventing stories about unicorns. “U is for is or Unicorn” is the only story in my A is for Alligator book that is a mythological beast and not a real animal. Only this unicorn is definitely not a beast… so cute!

12-9-11 U is for Unicorn in Ms. Morrow's 4th grade class

Then it was on to Ms. Naugle’s fourth graders. I just love Ms. Naugle and how technologically savvy she is. She creates videos, Skypes with schools around the country, blogs, and Tweets! In fact, we were tweeting each other in class. Ms. Naugle’s group was given “Z is for Zebra.” There are so many great artists in this class!

12-9-11 Z is for Zebra in Ms. Naugle's 4th grade class

After lunch, I went to see the itty bitties in Pre-K. Because of the field trip, Ms. Joy and Ms. Muller had to combine their classes into one. I thought it was going to be more challenging but the kids were AMAZING. They worked on “B is for Bear” and did such a fantastic job! I was astounded by these kids. It just goes to show you… never underestimate the power of imagination!

12-9-11 B is for Bear in Ms. Joy's and Ms. Muller's Pre-K classes

Next it was on to Mr. Boone’s third grade class. They worked on the final copies of “S is for Shark.” I had some really great stories like this one:

12-9-11 S is for Shark story in Mr. Boone's 3rd grade class

There was some equally stunning artwork as well in Mr. Boone’s third grade class.

12-9-11 A final drawing for S is for Shark in Mr. Boone's 3rd grade class

My last class of the day was Ms. McLeod’s 5th grade class. They worked on their final stories and art for “H is for Horse.” This class is definitely a class of writers! I was so impressed by their story writing.

12-9-11 Working on the final story book pages for H is for Horse in Ms. McLeod's 5th grade class

I look forward to my upcoming final week with Bissonet Plaza Elementary!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-8-11 G is for Giraffe in Ms. Johnson's Kindergarten Class

Friends:

Today was Day 4 of my Bissonet Plaza Elementary A is for Alligator Draw and Tell Tales residency. My day began in Ms. Duhe’s class, working on the final of their “C is for Cat” book. This is the beautiful title page created by Melvin, one of Ms. Duhe’s students. He is in gifted and talented art.

12-8-11 Ms. Duhe's C is for Cat book title page by Melvin Avila

I had a break between classes and then visited my second class, Ms. Johnson’s Kindergarten class. They worked on “G is for Giraffe.” Just wow! These kindergarteners did such amazing work and were so well-behaved.

12-8-11 Ms. Johnson's Kindergarten Class Draws a Giraffe out of the letter G

Then it was on to second grade to visit Ms. Vizzini’s class. They did fantastic renditions of “R is for Rooster.” I loved their imaginative story ideas!

12-8-11 R is for Rooster in Ms. Vizzini's 2nd grade class

My last class was Ms. Bonnano’s first grade class. They were assigned “X is for X-Ray Fish.” They had a lot of fun. Not only did they tell fabulous tales, they also eXecuted eXcellent and eXtraordinary X-Ray Fish!

12-8-11 X is for X-Ray Fish in Ms. Bonanno's 1st grade class

My last class was supposed to be Ms. Lambert’s third grade class but they had play practice so I didn’t get to see them. I hope I have time to squeeze them into my already tight schedule! I look forward to working with fourth grade tomorrow!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-7-11 Students in Ms. Penton's Kindergarten class work on T is for Turtle

Friends:

Today was Day 3 of my Bissonet Plaza Elementary A is for Alligator draw and tell residency in which the kids are going to be published authors through a program called Student Treasures. My first class was Ms. Presser’s second grade class. It was my second visit with them and they had to work on finalizing their illustrations and stories for “K is for Kangaroo.” I love the illustration below- look at the detail work! There is a ceiling fan with light bulbs! Fantastic job, students!

12-7-11 A student finalizes K is for Kangaroo for Ms. Presser's 2nd grade book

My second class of the day was Ms. Frechette’s third grade class. Working with Ms. Frechette is like working with sunshine. She is always cheery and happy to see me. Her students did “O is for Owl” and I loved their illustrations and stories!

12-7-11 O is for Owl in Ms. Frechette's 3rd grade class

My third class was Ms. Penton’s kindergarten class. These little sweet peas did a terrific job on “T is for Turtle!” I was so impressed by their drawing skills and ability to sequence. Yay!

12-7-11 T is for Turtle in Ms. Penton's Kindergarten class

My next class was Ms. Chieffo’s second grade class. As soon as I walked in the door, the class simultaneously erupted into cheers and clapping. How sweet! They worked on “I is for Iguana” and did an “INCREDIBLE” job with their illustrations and stories! I loved how the Iguanas came out!

12-7-11 I is for Iguana in Ms. Chieffo's 2nd grade class

After lunch, it was on to Ms. Tongui’s first grade class. The whole class began cheeering, “She’s here! She’s here!” What a reception. I loved doing “E is for Elephant” with these first graders. They were so awestruck by how the letter “E” turned into an animal. They drew “EXTRAORDINARY” elephants and wrote descriptive sentences.

12-7-11 E is for Elephant in Ms. Tongui's 1st grade class

In Ms. Dagnault’s fifth grade class, the students were ready to work. They learned “M is for Monkey” and didn’t guess the monkey until the very end of the drawing. It was so cool! There were some marvelously imaginative students in this class!

12-7-11 M is for Monkey in Ms. Dagnault's 5th grade class

Thursday is going to be another great day filled with magical moments, I am sure. I just love visiting Bissonet Plaza Elementary!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-6-11 Ms. Hadley's 1st grade class works on W is for Whale

Friends:

Today was my second day at Bissonet Plaza Elementary School in Metairie, Louisiana. My first class was my first “repeat.” I went to Ms. Whiteman’s Kindergarten class and they worked on their “P is for Penguin” for their book. I can’t wait to see how these books turns out!!

12-6-11 P is for Penguin in Ms. Whiteman's Kindergarten class

My second class was Ms. Fury’s third grade class. Their letter was “V is for Vulture.” First, I taught them how to draw the vulture. Then they began writing their stories. It was fun to see their stories come to life.

12-6-11 V is for Vulture in Ms. Fury's 3rd grade class

My next stop was Ms. Anchissi’s Kindergarten class. They had “J is for Jackrabbit.” I drew and told the story. Afterwards, I taught them how to draw the jackrabbit. We did it twice to practice. Then they colored their jazzy jackrabbits.

12-6-11 J is for Jackrabbit in Ms. Anchissi's Kindergarten class

After Kindergarten, I skidoodled over to Ms. Arnett’s second grade class. They did “D is for Dalmatian Dog.” Not only did their dogs come out uber cute, but their stories were equally engaging. They had some amazing stories in this second grade class!

12-6-11 D is for Dalmatian Dog in Ms. Arnett's 2nd grade class

After lunch, I went to Ms. Hadley’s first grade class. The students learned how to do “W is for Whale.” The funny thing is that their class was studying the “wh” sound and had “wh” vocabulary words. My story map with “who,” “where,” “when,” “what,” and “why” fit in perfectly! Ms. Hadley was “wholly” excited and “whooping” it up with joy. This class had a “whale of a tale!”

12-6-11 W is for Whale in Ms. Hadley's class

My final class of the day was Ms. Brumfield’s fifth grade class. They had “F is for Frog” and had fun drawing the frog. The last class of the day is always a shorter period so they began work on their stories but didn’t complete a rough draft. I look forward to hearing their stories!

12-6-11 F is for Frog in Ms. Brumfield's 5th grade class

It’s going to be a great day tomorrow and I LOVE how the stories are coming out. These students are going to create some fantastic books!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-7-09 Making Bandana Man with Ms. Morrison's 4th graders

Friends:

Today I began a two-week residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. This is my 9th year at Bissonet, and I look forward to my annual visit. Special thanks to Ellen Miller, Bissonet’s Librarian, for always inviting me back! This year, I am doing Handmade Tales with the students, teaching them the stories. At the end of the residency, students from each class will perform a tale.

My day began in 4th grade with Ms. Morrison’s class. I told them the story “Catching a Pest,” a story I created that uses the numbers 1 through 7 to depict a mouse. They loved it. Then I shared “Bandana Man,” a rendition of “Gingerbread Man,” created with a bandana. The students had so much fun learning how to make Bandana Man, though it was challenging.

12-7-09 Bandana Man in Ms. Morrison's 4th grade class

I then went to Ms. Naugle’s 4th grade class. They were working on a number of holiday projects, including these adorable cards!

12-7-09 Happy Holiday Cards from Ms. Naugle's 4th Grade Class

I told “Catching a Pest” and then taught them “Bandana Man.” They enjoyed the handmade tales and had a great time.

12-7-09 Ms. Naugle's 4th grade class creates Bandana Man

From 4th grade, I traveled downstairs to Ms. Hahn’s kindergarten class. They loved the story of “Catching a Pest” but were REALLY thrilled when I told “Papa’s Teepee,” a story that turn a coffee filter into a Native American teepee and then turns the teepee into a snowflake. I worked with them, helping them turn their coffee filters into snowflakes.

12-7-09 Working w Ms. Hahn's Kindergarten Class

After creating their snowflakes, we created a snow blizzard, turning the classroom into a “winter wonderland.” You should have seen the students’ faces as they floated their snowflakes!

12-7-09 Ms. Hahn's Kindergarten Class makes snowflakes!

After kindergarten, it was on to Ms. Presser’s second grade class. We did “Catching a Pest,” “Papa’s Teepee,” and I even had time to do a draw and tell story, “The Emperor’s Dragon.” All of the stories are from my book, Handmade Tales. The students were so well-behaved. I really enjoyed seeing them make their snowflakes float to the ground!

12-7-09 Ms. Presser's 2nd graders created snowfall

My next class was Ms. Duhe’s first grade class. They were so excited to see me that they cheered. So many of the students remember me from last year’s visit. In many cases, I see the students as they go from kindergarten to 5th grade. The children had fun doing the handmade tales.

12-7-09 A student in Ms. Duhe's 1st grade class creates a mouse using numbers

We hung their snowflakes from their display line. Wintry greetings from Ms. Duhe’s class!

12-7-09 Ms. Duhe's 1st graders' snowflakes

My final class was Ms. McLeod’s 5th grade reading class. The students were so excited to see me. It was such a warm welcome. We worked on “Catching a Pest” and “The Magic Star,” a cut and tell story. The star proved to be very challenging for the students. Consequently, I only took one picture!

12-7-09 A fifth grader creates the numbers mouse

It was a great day and I enjoyed being back at the school. It’s a challenge going up and down the stairs of the school with my sprained ankle still healing but the students helped me tremendously. Tomorrow is another full day! Six classes of joyous students.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

(Note: Students’ faces are obscured to protect their identities.)

10-3-09 Dianne de Las Casas, Johanna Chesser & Marita Gentry

Friends:

My book launch party at Octavia Books in New Orleans was a huge success. We had a nice crowd (even though it was LSU game day) with lots of children. All the children were given hats to wear. The girls received roach antennae tiaras while the boys received cone party hats.

10-3-09 Buggy Girls with Roach Antennae Tiaras

I set up a party table with a gorgeous cake, “bug juice,” bookmarks, and a roach party centerpiece.

10-3-09 The Party Table

To celebrate the release of the book, I performed the story while Marita illustrated live. It was a fantastic combination. All the children were given story shakers and everyone danced and sang along.

10-3-09 Marita draws & Dianne tells

We had so much fun. The whole crowd rocked the book store! We have such sweet little fans! Look at this precious little girl, Jordyn!

10-3-09 Little Jordyn

Tom Lowenburg and Judith Lafitte, the book store owners were absolutely fantastic. They were so sweet, moving and shifting things around to accommodate our party. Their staff was awesome too! Thank you all so much for your help in making our book launch party such a smashing success!

10-3-09 Madame Poulet (Tom Lowenburg) Eating Monsieur Roach (Judith Lafitte)

Fans came from miles around, coming from as far as Baton Rouge! We love our friends, family and fans! Thank you so much for supporting us!

10-3-09 Ms. Hannan and Kaci with The Cajun Cornbread Boy and Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach books

Thank you so much to Holly Stone-Barker and family for coming all the way from Zachary, Louisiana. Holly is the illustrator of my next book, Mama’s Bayou, which will be out in the spring.

Sneak peek of Mama's Bayou (Spring 2010)

I love this picture. Marita Gentry’s mother and grandmother came to the party. Three generations! Beautiful!

10-3-09 (R to L) Marita, her mom & grandmother

Eliana, my 9 year old daughter, had a blast. She and her cousins were also instrumental in helping me set up. Thank you, Eliana and Camrynn for setting up the sound system!

10-3-09 Eliana and her party blower

After the performance, I gave away prizes: a set of creepy crawly cards, my Jump, Jiggle & Jam CD, and a bag of goodies that included my Handmade Tales book. Then it was time for cake and bug juice! The Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach cake was absolutely adorable and delicious! It was almond cake with pineapple filling. Yum!

10-3-09 Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach cake

Marita and I signed a ton of books and we wore the beautiful, handpainted Madame Poulet hats Marita made. So much fun!

10-3-09 Marita Gentry & Dianne de Las Casas sign books

Even my husband, Antonio, got into the spirit, wearing a Monsieur Roach hat that Marita made.

10-3-09 Antonio as Monsieur Roach

Here is a picture of me with Ellen Miller, a school librarian from Bissonet Plaza Elementary. My first book, Story Fest, is dedicated to Ellen.

10-3-09 Dianne de Las Casas & Ellen Miller

Our book launch party was a huge success. It was tons of fun! If you didn’t make this party – don’t worry! Marita and I have many book signings scheduled. Just check the calendar for a location near you http://www.storyconnection.net/?content=calendar or sign up for BookTour.com.

The hallmark of a successful party? Being party pooped out… LOL

10-3-09 After the party - My nieces, Ashlynn & Camrynn

Marita and I have chosen Octavia Books as our official “book launch” independent bookstore. In New Orleans, my books will be launched at Octavia Books.

10-3-09 Judith Lafitte at the Party Table

Thank you to everyone who came to the Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach book launch party! It was an event to remember!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne