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

Oprah Blog - Life Lift

“Children can have too many toys, but never enough books.” – Jarrett Krosoczka from his Picture Book Month Essay.

I created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, Wendy Martin, and Australian International Liaison, Christopher Cheng, came on board to help me champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. Videos were created by motion graphics designer, Carter Higgins. PictureBookMonth.com features essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay is posted from such notable contributors as Peter Brown, Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Jarrett Krosoczka, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen. Looking ahead, 2012 Picture Book Month Champions include such notables as Doreen Cronin,Toni diTerlizzi, Brett Helquist, Tom Lichtenheld, John Rocco, and Karma Wilson.

Though the website officially opened on November 1, the site saw over 25,000 visitors in the first couple weeks. The initiative became a movement and the movement went viral. Imagine my surprise to find out that Picture Book Month had been featured on the Oprah Blog, Life Lift! Read the post in its entirety: http://www.oprah.com/blogs/November-is-Picture-Book-Month

Now, not even a third of the way through November, a Google search of “Picure Book Month” lists nearly 10 million results. It has been tweeted, Facebooked, Googled, linked, and blogged. Besides Oprah, Picture Book Month has been featured in Huffington Post, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, to name a few. Organizations such as the Children’s Book Council, Reading is Fundamental, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators support the initiative as partners.

The Picture Book Month website also features links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities. Libraries and schools worldwide are holding Picture Book Month celebrations.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com.

“But if you really want more curious, intelligent, creative children in the world, then go ahead and give them picture books.” – Peter Brown from his Picture Book Month Essay

Read * Share * Celebrate!

November is Picture Book Month!

“I have always believed that literature begins in the cradle — the poems we say to the babies, the stories we tell them — prepare them to become part of the great human storytelling community. We humans are the only creatures in the known universe who make and remake our world with story.” – Jane Yolen from her Picture Book Month essay

The New York Times declared, “Picture Books No Longer A Staple for Children” in an article published in October 2010. The controversial article incited a barrage of responses from the children’s book industry, many in defense of the venerable picture book. In addition, the digital age has ushered in an unprecedented amount of ebooks and, with devices like the iPad, the color Nook, and the Kindle Fire, picture books are being converted to the digital format.

Thus, Picture Book Month was born. Founder Dianne de Las Casas decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin came on board to champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. A website (www.picturebookmonth.com) was created to feature essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay will be posted from such notable contributors as Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen.

Better World Books and organizations like Scholastic Book Fairs Philippines are lending their support. The website will also feature links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com. The website officially opens on November 1, 2011. Read * Share * Celebrate!

“Picture books are important because they are with us for life. They are the most important books we’ll ever read because they’re our first. No matter how many books we’ve read since, they will always have a place in our hearts.” – Dan Yaccarino from his Picture Book Month Essay

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

6-2-11 Performing my draw and tell tale, The Emperor's Dragon, at the Webster Parish Library in Minden, LA

Friends:

On Thursday, June 2, I was at the Webster Parish Library in Minden and then their Springhill Branch Library. This summer’s reading theme is “One World, Many Stories.” My program is called “Story Safari,” to coincide with the summer theme.

I began my program with my draw and tell story, The Emperor’s Dragon. The kids love seeing lines transformed into a picture! Then I did “Catching a Pest in 7 Steps,” another draw and tell story.

6-2-11 Performing my draw and tell tale, Catching a Pest in 7 Steps, at the Webster Parish Library in Minden, LA

My middle story was “Medio Pollito,” which in Spanish means “Little Half Chick.” It’s the story of how the weather vane came to be. Then it was time for a song: “My Aunt Came Back.”

6-2-11 With helpers from the audience, Dianne performs My Aunt Came Back, a traditional song at the library in Minden

My last story was from my book, There’s a Dragon in the Library. I had helpers from the audience participate in the story. The little boy who played the main character, Max, was hilarious. His name is Kayus. My rapport with the audience was magical and I had such an amazing time with them!

6-2-11 Cute and kooky Kayus plays Max in There's a Dragon in the Library

Kid Chef Eliana closed out the show with a performance of her new song, “Cool Kids Cook!” She is so adorable! Afterward, we sold and signed tons of books, especially Eliana!

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana talks about her cookbook, Eliana Cooks! at the library in Minden

At the end of the show, I put on some dance music and some kids from the audience showed everyone their moves. Check out Kayus!! He was the most incredible break dancer!

6-2-11 Kayus does a handstand while is he breakdancing to Dianne's music

After the show, it was time for our annual tradition: lunch at Moody’s Place! Moody’s is this “hole in the wall” restaurant that serves stick-to-your-ribs Southern soul food – fried chicken, fried pork chops, country fried steak, turnip greens, purple hull peas (black eyed peas), yams, and pies that will make you dream about them for days!!

6-2-11 Oh me, oh my! Look at those pies!

This is the restaurant that introduced me to “hot water cornbread.” Cornbread that is baked and then fried! But it sure tastes good!

6-2-11 Hot water cornbread at Moody's Place in Minden, LA

Jennifer Heard is the children’s librarian who introduced us to Moody’s. Now we have to eat there every time we go to Minden! Look at the two Jennifers! (Jennifer Heard is on the left.)

6-2-11 Jennifer X 2 from the Webster Parish Library in Minden!

Eliana even got to talk to Ms. Moody for a little bit. Yes, Moody’s Place is one of our favorite Southern cooking restaurants in Louisiana!

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana in front of Moody's Place in Minden, LA

After lunch, it was time to head to Springhill, Louisiana for our second show. Springhill is on the Arkansas border. It’s waay north! Again, I told my draw and tell stories. When I did “My Aunt Came Back,” the audience had a great time getting silly!

6-2-11 The audience at the Springhill Branch Library does My Aunt Came Back

“Medio Pollito” was a hit with the Springhill Crowd. They even learned a little Spanish!

6-2-11 Showing kids a weather vane from the story, Medio Pollito

When I performed There’s a Dragon in the Library, Zach was my little helper that played “Max” in the story. We had a good time!

6-2-11 Performing There's a Dragon in the Library at the Springhill Branch Library

Kid Chef Eliana performed her song, “Cool Kids Cook!” At this show, we sold out of books – both of us!

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs her song, Cool Kids Cook!

Kid Chef Eliana was a big hit and her little fans wanted pictures with her!

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana takes a picture with sweet fans!

Following our show, we headed across the street to AmJenn’s Soups and Scoops restaurant. We both enjoyed cold Coke floats. We even got to sign dollar bills that were placed on the ceiling! Cool!

6-2-11 Kid Chef Eliana and Dianne de Las Casas sign dollar bills for the ceiling at AmJenn's Soups & Scoops restaurant on Main Street in Springhill, LA

Eliana and I had a MARVELOUS time in Webster Parish. Webster Parish is just full of good people – we had such wonderful audiences and the library staff is just out of this world!!! So a world of thanks to our friends in Minden and Springhill! See you down the road…

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

6-1-11 In Leesville, LA performing my draw and tell story, The Emperor's Dragon

Friends:

These past couple of days, I have been touring Louisiana for the library summer reading programs. I visit the library as a special guest, performing my stories and getting kids excited about reading. It’s so much fun. I kicked off the summer at the Vernon Parish Library in Leesville, Louisiana, a good 5 hour drive from New Orleans. I began the program with a couple of draw and tell stories, “The Emperor’s Dragon” and “Catching a Pest in 7 Steps.” The kids loved the stories.

Next, I told a story from Spain called “Medio Pollito.” It is the story of how a weather vane came to be and how a little chick with a lot of attitude learns his lesson! Then it on to a fun song called “My Aunt Came Back.” I ended my program performing the story from my book, There’s a Dragon in the Library, illustrated by Marita Gentry and published by Pelican Publishing Company.

6-1-11 Performing There's a Dragon in the Library at the Vernon Parish Library in Leesville, LA

But the finale of the show was Kid Chef Eliana! She came out in full chef uniform and performed her new song, “Cool Kids Cook!” She was adorable!

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana performs her song, Cool Kids Cook!

Afterward, we both signed books and took pictures with fans. Fun!

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana takes a picture with little Victoria, who looks only slightly amused. LOL

A special thank you and a big hug to Flo, our hostess with the mostest! She was so sweet and accommodating, just a delight to be around!

6-1-11 Kid Chef Eliana and Dianne de Las Casas with Flo, the children's librarian in Leesville

It was a ton of fun in Leesville (although it hit 103 degrees outside! Whew!).

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne