United Nations International School visit, lovely shout-outs for Marching

I had a blast at the United Nations International School last week, invited by librarian Lisa Moore. Jim Hoover, the Viking designer I've done three books with, appeared with me and we tag-teamed the kids. For the K-2 group I talked about putting together a book, read one of my picture books, then with enthusiastic participation by the kids we wrote a story all together. Jim drew the pictures: fast, furious, and full of character. So much fun. Here are Jim's quick sketches:

Then Jim and I talked to third through fifth graders about putting together Marching for Freedom. We were in the library, with a great book display of my books. That's Lisa Moore in the upper left corner. Isn't that the most book-rich library you've seen in awhile? And in the middle of the kids coming and going and working at tables, Lisa is a calm center at her desk.

I explained how Martin Luther King and President Johnson worked together behind the scenes and got this question: "Was that president black or white?" The student was too young to have been dancing in the streets with the rest of us just over a year ago. Change does happen, in unexpected ways.

The third group, sixth through eight graders, were incredibly savvy. It was wonderful to talk to an international group of kids.

Good news: Marching for Freedom was featured in several book round-ups for Black History Month: USA Today, and The Washington Post. In addition to being on  Best Books for Young Adults and Notable Children's Books lists, Marching made the  International Reading Association 2010 Notable Books for a Global Society. Mitalia Perkins is also on the list for her new book, Secret Keepers, and has an excellent blog post on the award and the twenty-five books which got a shout-out. I'm honored to be in such great company!

Welcome in the new year!

It sure feels like 2009. There is something about that first Monday after the first of the year. We had truly spectacular times with our family this year. Some of the best eating ever -- our boys had a bunch of their very best friends up to Mendocino (thirty, to be exact), and they spent the days collecting mussels from the Pacific and mushrooms from the woods and the last of the apples off the trees. We ate Candy Caps and Cauliflower mushrooms and even a lingering, hidden Boletus. The kitchen was a madhouse of cooks who made steamed mussels in broth and all kinds of mushrooms and apple pie. Lots of reading, resting, playing music by the fire, writing (last go-over on manuscript before editor pulls it from my hands and gets it to the copy editor) and watching the sun set over the ocean. Can you see the God's rays in this photo? Beautiful!

We finished off the celebrations with my husband's birthday party last night. Our son Will jumped in with both feet and showed us how to make a Vietnamese dinner. More madhouse chopping and sauteing and boiling and wrapping and then, finally, the delicious eating.

Couple of really cool articles to check out: Nina Lindsay is doing her mock Newbery discussion at the Oakland Library. This is a fantastic way to discuss books by the Newbery criteria. Nina has chaired the Newbery, is one really smart, well-read woman, and she writes incredible poetry as well. If you can't make it, at least try to check these books out from your library or pick up a copy at the book store. This is a compelling group of books.

Kerry Madden just got her first starred! review on her bio on Harper Lee and gave me a nice shout-out on her blog, Knoxville Girl.

And Roger, over at Read Roger flags a great article on the financial squeeze in the book biz. It's a fascinating, nail-biting-inducing article, Puttin' Off the Ritz: The New Austerity in Publishing in the New York Times.

That brings us back to 2009. Time to put on your work gloves. It may be an austere business, but it's our austere business.