Applause for Alison Ashley Formento!!!!!

Former Writing for Children student, Alison Ashley Formento, has announced her first picture book! This Tree Counts! is scheduled for release in March 2010 by Albert Whitman and Company.

Cheers! Cheers! Cheers! (I hope she sends me a signed copy when it's hot off the press!)

Thank You to Circleville Elementary!

Amber Brown and I want to thank the crews from Circleville Elementary School for their wonderful thank you notes and cards. They are currently decorating my office to inspire me as I work on three science fair books for curious students just like you!

THANK YOU!

Carol, Amber Brown =^..^=, and Junie B., too =^..^=

P.S. If you click on the photo, you can read the notes!

Queen Latifah, Jordin Sparks, and Carol Smalley ...

What do these three folks have in common?

We're all part of the centennial celebration at Milton Hershey School. (I'll be the one with the shortest line for autographs!)

Happy 100 Years, Milton Hershey School!

I look forward to my visit with you in just a few weeks.

Playtime for Teachers

Thank you to the Fulton-Montgomery Reading Council for inviting me to spend time with the reading teacher members last night at Canajoharie Elementary School. I presented a program called Touching Nonfiction.

We built structures out of marshmallows and toothpicks and crafted river valleys out of salt dough. (And, of course, we ate some very delicious food.)

I hope to visit some of these teachers and their students in their classrooms later this school year!

For other reading councils and teachers in the area, invite me! I love to play! (You will too!)

What's Peeking from Your Pocket?

Coming soon .... my emergent reader book on hamsters! The final edits are in the house and the book will soon be on the press.

Minds Were Mapped in Herkimer

Thank you to the Herkimer (NY) BOCES for inviting me to spend the day with gifted fourth graders from Herkimer, Ilion, and Poland schools.


We mapped our minds (to collect our thoughts about Henry Hudson) and mapped parts of New York State (from salt dough ingredients we measured and mixed ourselves).









These two maps were a bit different than the rest. They took a jet-eye view of eastern New York.

I had a wonderful time! Thank you, young explorers.

Thank you, Pine Bush Central School District!

Many thanks to the librarians, teachers, parents, principals, dough makers, and young explorers at E.J. Russell Elementary, Pine Bush Elementary, and Circleville Elementary Schools.

I had a wonderful time learning about Henry Hudson and making salt dough relief maps of the Hudson River Valley with you.

Have a fantastic school year, and HAPPY QUADRICENTENNIAL!