Farmer Nate Chittenden of Dutch Hollow Farm and his family were so helpful as I prepared for our Loren Long Day last week. Since Day 1, Farmer Nate was always going to be involved. I had this crazy idea to bus our youngest learners to the farm and have them go on a tour and a listen to Loren read Otis from a tractor. Ran it by Loren and Farmer Nate back in the fall. Both were game.
Not was all lost. Thanks to 4th grader, Jonathan and 2nd grader, Anna for the virtual tour and a lovely read aloud by 7th grader, Zachary with Raspberry, I was happy to spread the #farmlove last week and always.
Here is Zach reading to Raspberry:
#CheeseLove
You can't make cheese without milk so let's talk some cheese. I love cheese. Hard. Soft. Stinky. Holey. Creamy. Spreadable. Yumminess.
Lately, I can't get enough of local cheese from Four Fat Fowl. (Please tell me you get your milk from Dutch Hollow Farm so I can feel like we are all one family.). But even if they don't, famous Beechers has a cheese named after the farm! Bonus, you can find it at our local Honest Weight Food Co-op. My friend, Elisha, sent us to Murray's Cheese in the West Village when we were down in the city in December. Now that was a cheese lover's heaven. It has a cameo in this RTWJAZ video. When I went vegan this winter, the thing I missed the very most was, you guessed it, cheese.
Speaking of Elisha...Here's his reading of his FARM:
So support your local farmer. Drink some milk. Eat some cheese. Dive into a pint of ice cream. And subscribe to RTWJAZ (Yeah, nothing to do with the dairy but just because it would make a couple of young teens so happy.)
I should be hanging up my gown right about now and thinking about what a successful gala we just had. I might even be talking to friends (Doe?) to debrief the night. Some years I have to draw a bath. Others I scroll through all the photos. My feet are achy from the heels. I'm starving because I didn't eat anything all day. One year our author couldn't sleep from all the adrenaline, she checked out of the hotel and drove the two hours home. I get it.
Today was virtually different, surprisingly mentally exhausting (did I really only cry only twice?) and still pretty great despite the circumstances.
I was getting tree drawings emailed to me before I even finished my first cup of joe. Parent questions trickled in but with a little guidance, all was good. Kids without tractors ran around cars, houses and bushes for PE. They got to know more about a local treasure, Dutch Hollow Farm. Read alouds. Mindful nature walks. Music composing. Research. Science. Something for everyone.
Our finale was a google meet with Loren at the end of the day. He pulled out his ukulele for a rendition of There's a Hole in the Log at the Bottom of the Lake for 130+ unmuted people which equals feedback and delays to sing along. For the older kids, Reds centerfield hopeful, Loren, gave out wise advice on living life while we toured his studio and artwork.
It was a day to remember for sure. When he is able to visit in IRL (next spring?), it will be even more memorable. Perhaps a bit less work on my end? The prep is already done, right? Ha. Check in with me early next spring. Pretty doubtful.
And this my friends, is a my brief but I hope, spectacular, summary of the day. Not as good as IRL but pretty darn good nevertheless. And blister free. I do always look forward to donning the gown, though. Next year.
And that's not even everybody at the meet!
I love this one because it shows her working so hard with the Choice Board handy!
PS-Proof I had ice cream for breakfast and it was delicious!
A styrofoam cooler was delivered on my doorstep yesterday filled with a dozen pints of ice cream straight from Cincinnati. I know. I know. Do you need ANY more proof that I am insane? Yeah, so when I found out that Loren Long painted the famous hippo, Fiona, for one of the pints of Graeter's ice cream I just went a little crazy.
Shhh...don't tell anyone but Loren and I filmed a short bit for the morning announcements right after the box arrived and since it was "morning" I ate the Chunky Chunky Hippo for breakfast. Super Yummy. I can't wait to try Loren's favorite, Black Raspberry Chip.
What else is there to say? Sigh. I wish Loren could come to Castleton IRL but this will definitely do for now. Grade level choice boards are posted and kids have the opportunity to draw trees, visit a local farm, watch read alouds, create music, problem solve a hole in the log, run around a tractor, and so much more!
We'll conclude the day with a visit by Loren himself. Yay! Fingers crossed technology cooperates and all goes according to the best laid plans. A huge thank you to Loren for putting up with all my craziness. Just think--most visitors only have to put up with me once. He will have to twice! How can I make it up to him? A styrofoam box on his doorstep, to start?
And if all goes well, I will look forward to a celebratory pint (no shortage of those in my freezer). Ice cream for breakfast and dinner? Most definitely!
The big notification on my phone this week is "Dinner at Doe's" for tonight. Every time an author or illustrator visits, my fabulous volunteer hosts a delicious and most memorable meal at her home for our guest of honor and others. We've had a chicken BBQ and smores with lots of kids with Sarah Weeks to an intimate table for four with Elisha Cooper and everything in between. Kwame Alexander. Chris Grabenstein. Jewell Parker Rhodes. Emma Virjan. Even an Italian pastry afternoon snack for Adam Gidwitz. No one can come to Castleton without tasting Doe's cuisine.
Why didn't I think of this before today?! I should have had Doe whip something up and ship it out to Loren?! Agh! I was too focused on ME. On selfishly ordering my ice cream from Cincinnati. Sigh. I hope Loren forgives me. Oh dear Doe. Please advise next steps. I hear he loves NY style pizza.
So tomorrow is our day!
Castleton Elementary Families: You will find the Choice Board on my resource page. Try and do any as many activities as you can and know that this is only a small glimpse into Loren's books. Then please join us WITH Loren at the end of the day. Get dressed up! Wear a tie with PJ bottoms! Put on a fancy scarf! Our gala even made it to the Schodack calendar this year--that's how far in advance we have been planning for May 14. But all is not lost and I'm excited to hear what you do and for all of us to meet with Loren LIVE.
Want a taste before the Choice Boards get released?
Here's Matt de la Pena reading his LOVE illustrated by Loren:
How many times have you read Goodnight Moon? Loren illustrated a book by the same author, Margaret Wise Brown, titled, Good Day, Good Night. Here's the book trailer:
What does your day and night look like? How different is it today than from before?
How can anyone not love Otis the Tractor's courage and heroic acts in every book. Otis and the Puppy is no exception. Did you hear? Loren just got a new rescue dog, Charlie. He and Charlie have started to run together. I want a dog so badly...All tips to help me convince my family to get one are encouraged and welcome.
So we have a lot in store for tomorrow! Anyone can join in--Get up early! Paint trees. Eat ice cream in fractions. Share your love. Sing about a hole in a log. Run around a tractor. And don't forget to set a reminder on your phone so you don't miss our party with Loren. You know YOU CAN. xo
I've been craving ice cream. Right at this moment it's a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Sundae from our local soft serve seasonal place, Lickety Split. Ahhh...But I could for anything. Down the shore, I love Peanut Butter Ripple--vanilla ice cream with frozen ripples of peanut butter throughout. Ahhh...Last weekend I treated myself to Brew Ha Ha from Stewarts and it was quite refreshing. And in honor of our upcoming "Loren Long Day" on Thursday, I'll be splurging later today and buying a half dozen pints from his local ice cream shoppe, Graeters.
Monday is Peter Sis's birthday so we'll begin with a read aloud of his book, Ice Cream Summer.
Want to make your own ice cream at home? Follow this recipe or this video:
I can't write a post about ice cream without including a shout out to my friend, Elisha Cooper. Have you checked out his Instagram lately? He posts short, fun videos daily about painting, his cats, the ocean, his cats...https://www.instagram.com/elisha__cooper/ Maybe he'll do one on ice cream for us?
If you weren't craving this treat before, I'd be surprised if you aren't now. For your sake, I hope you have some stashed in your freezer.
Oh, and back to Graeters--Loren Long designed the carton for Chunky Chunky Hippo. I was glad when that flavor appealed to me lol because I knew I had to buy it. So a couple of these pints are in my cart. Anyone want to splurge and go in for a dozen with me ;-) Happy ice cream eating! 🍨🍦
Can you believe tomorrow is May? Where did April go? In normal times, we would be putting the finishing touches on our Gala planning. Fifth graders would be finishing up their artwork. First graders would be sharing the timeline with older students. Third graders would be helping me transform the library into an event space. Kindergartners would be proudly gluing the last pieces onto their research boards. Every day a fact about Loren Long would be mentioned on the morning announcements. All I would be thinking about would be May 14. The only thing I wouldn't be worrying about yet would be my dress. Too soon for last-minute-me. The earliest I would begin my desperate search would be next weekend.
Not all is lost, though. Stay tuned. I have many ideas to make that day still special.
An Old Friend
But speaking of Loren, check this out 👇
Tonight on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, she read Loren's There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake. How cool is that?!
I met Loren back in 2015. Today I "met" well, they didn't really meet me but I fell hard for them via Facebook and Instagram live events.
At 10:30, Raul the Third read his Vamos! Let's Go Eat! He was so much fun and made us all hungry! I took copious notes of the places he recommended in the Boston area since my cousins live out that way. First there was Tenoch and the Painted Burro both in Somerville, MA. There was some other place in Medford, MA that I didn't catch and Bowie Bakery in El Paso, TX. Si! I was paying attention! Oh, you didn't know? Today's post is part restaurant recommendations compliments of Raul the Third lol.
Speaking of the restaurants, check out this mural by Raul at the Painted Burro. Now I want to go there even more. Hmmm...I think Raul needs to come to Castleton and inspire some wall painting like Rafael Lopez did last year....
Raul was so great. He read his book. Played with a tortilla 👉and drew for us. I even followed along and I am not an artist one bit.
This activity guide from Versify is amazing! It has a recipe, coloring page, hand puppet cutouts and even a matching game with Spanish vocabulary. I'm hooked! Will you be my friend, Raul? If you say yes, I'll promise to treat you to a taco of your choice!
Since it's all about the food in this post, here's the recipe for Mexican corn (which I personally love!)
At 11:15 (and this is embarrassing to say), an unfamiliar author, read two of her books aloud on Instagram Live. If you read this in time, maybe you can watch it. She was so sweet and I want her to be my friend asap! She mentioned she has at least one teenager so we can definitely swap stories about that over coffee (or something stronger lol).
Smriti Halls was so genuine and real. First she read her book, Elephant in my Kitchen! Who knew it would be a book we could have read last week to celebrate Earth Day! What a clever surprise at the end! Definite purchase!
Then she read us the best seller, I Love You Night and Day. Good thing she did. Up till then, I hadn't cried yet today. I couldn't help myself. The kids and I all agreed that we want to read more of Smriti's books. I am putting them on my to purchase list.
Next week she is having a book birthday for I'm Sticking with You. This one also sounds perfect for today's times. I wrote in my notes, "Bear wants a bit more space." Period. As much as we love all the people we live with, I think we can all relate.
So I'm ready to get tacos with Raul the Third and coffee (or?) and sweets with Smriti. Wine and dine them so speak so they can't say no to Castleton and of course, tons of leaps. Hey! Loren has taken many leaps and promises he will come to Castleton when it is safe. So, please, Raul and Smriti, won't you come into my world, too! xo
Today a few of us watched Sherri Duskey Rinker read her fun book, How to Put an Octopus to Bed on her Facebook Live. Before she began, she told us about her friend, author Angela DiTerlizzi, who bought a ukulele last month and taught herself how to play. Agh! Why didn't I think of that?! I'm doing it! Then Sherri challenged all of us to learn something new and share it with the hashtag #learningtodosomethingnew. Sherri's thing? Toss a pizza. I hope she shares the video of her success!
My fifth graders were listening! After the read aloud was over, one piped up immediately about wanting to share a song he wrote as part of a music assignment using the Chrome app, songmaker. Of course! It was a synthesized song with a good beat. Then the other two wanted to share their songs, too. I loved dancing around in my chair. The only thing that could have been better was if we were together.
What is my #somethingnew? Honestly, can I steal the ukulele idea? It's the instrument of the century. Rafael Lopez packed his when he visited last year. Loren Long accompanied our rendition of his "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Log" when we Skyped last year. Emily Arrow's ukulele even has a name--Bow!
Lucky strike! I found a short video of Loren playing his ukuele:
Here's Emily Arrow's Little Tree. Any chance you can think of a NEW dance to perform along with this song? (wink-wink). More on that at a later date...
Do you want to make your own ukulele? This video will get you started. Modifications-You could use yarn for the strings and a paper towel holder for the neck.
Currently, I am ISO of a list of "Joyful Books." While looking, I found this Valentine's Day book list from the Today Show. Lots of love and happiness there. So, it got me thinking. Why not plan an un-Valentine's Day party? What a great loving, happy distraction it could be.
You could watch this short video of the Necco company candy heart factory:
How about making your own candy hearts (#learningtodosomethingnew) and send them to your friends? Add a sweet card and maybe some chocolate kisses (or Reeses). And when you make your mailing list, don't forget your favorite leaping librarian ;-) I guarantee your package will bring your Valentines TONS-O-JOY!
Happy Un-Valentine's Day! xoxo
PS-If you are looking for more joy, check out these two videos from my son and his best friend's YouTube channel. Some jokes (haha) and some rainbow cheer.
(Warning: You will need at least 15 minutes to get the most out of this post 💙 but it will be worth it.)
A couple of weeks ago I heard this on the radio:
Just by sharing it on our announcements, a couple of kids wrote poems.
But I wanted more.
So on Monday morning I shared Matt de la Pena and Loren Long's beautiful book, Love, to the whole third grade. I played the last two minutes of the above NPR segment and challenged kids to write their own love poems. WOW.
I recorded each student saying one line from their poems to form a class LOVE poem.
I submitted the class poems to NPR thinking they were awesome and how cool would that be for us to be on the air. Well, little did I know over 2000 entries were received! This was aired today:
Leave it to Kwame--that crowdsourced poem is GOOD.
So even though we didn't make it on the air, I still feel like we are winners all around. Winners for writing beautiful poetry. Winners for listening to beautiful poetry. And winners for loving. love is love. Love is poetry. Love is everything. 💛
PS-Mrs. Fowler, the 7th grade English teacher participated, too. Here are a couple of her entries from students.
Everyone was talking about LOVE. I didn't think I could go wrong by throwing a book birthday party without even turning one page before pub date.
My friend, Alicia, wrote that it will "unequivocally be a classic." Mr. Schu was posting about it.
The New York Times published an article about Loren Long that will make you even more in awe of him than you already are.
Matt de la Pena wrote an inspiring thoughtful article in Time magazine that has already been shared thousands of times.
Yes, the book world was talking and I wanted in on the action. With at least three starred reviews and an author and illustrator that I trusted would create one beautiful book how could LOVE be anything but wonderful. Today was the day I found out I was right.
The bookstore ordered me 30 copies of LOVE. Unbeknownst to them (and me!), I managed to sell all 30 copies! I bet we could have sold more, especially after the fact. It always amazes me when I sell books and the illustrator or author isn't even visiting in person. Imagine if they had been there--I guarantee they would have gone through a couple of pens each.
Six classes came to the party: One first grade, four second and one third, totaling about 150 kids. Sounds like a recipe for rowdy behavior. Nope. You could hear a pin drop when I read the book out loud. Note: I had not read it before and got choked up at the end. Alicia had warned me about that but I really didn't think it could happen and yet there I was with a big ole' frog in my throat. When I finished, I asked the kids to describe how the book made them feel. The very first answer was "calm." Step aside yoga, pick up a copy of LOVE. And I believe her. It was like all 150 of us had just let out a deep breath and begin mindfulness.
But that's not all. And I'm not talking about the heart shaped brownies and chocolate covered marshmallows made on the spot from a chocolate fountain that Mrs. Seres brought in. I'm talking about a virtual visit from Matt and Loren right there in Castleton Elementary's old gym.
Could you please pass me some calming pills? My heart was racing. Next came the sweat. If the technology failed, I just wasted Matt and Loren's time. OR my mighty iPhone 6, could save the day and be my hero.
Ring. Ring. FLASH. There they were. Matt and Loren. Loren and Matt. In our "old gym." With 150 kids. Talking about their new book that EVERYONE is talking about. Pinch me NOW. We sang "Happy Birthday" and a student from each grade asked a question. My principal was amused at my Hollywood reaction when they appeared on the screen. "You would have thought that was Matt Damon and Brad Pitt up there." Funny how he chose those actors. Not my type. And anyway, there they were, Loren and Matt sitting side by side talking with us about their book, deserving every LA scream I had in me.
I'm trying to pinpoint what makes this book so special. The language speaks to all of us, just as love is universal. No matter who you are, you will find at least one page that you can relate to. There were a few for me but the one that hit my heart the hardest was picturing my husband and I under the yellow umbrella. "Your loved ones will stand there like/puddles beneath their umbrellas,/holding you tight and kissing you/and wishing you luck." Say it isn't so that some day soon I will be letting go. Until then, I will wrap my daughter's love all around me like a king sized down comforter. LOVE.
Thank you Matt and Loren for bringing LOVE into Castleton, New York today. Of course, I'm leaping.
Yes, we got back to the land of Great Danes and Saint Bernards on Sunday after living in the Buckeye State (and NOT even tasting a buckeye!) for three nights but, as usual I needed some time to sit back, think about it all and then process the experience.
It was another great conference. After Mrs. Harris came with me in 2013 to Hartford to present about our Newbery project, she hasn't turned down a library conference since and this one was no exception! So there she is picking me up at 5:30 am on Thursday so we could head out for our 8:00 flight to Columbus.
All went smoothly with our travel and we managed to check in, unpack with time for some lunch and ice cream at the North Market
Maria, from Buffalo, and I leaping at Jenis Ice Cream.
Boy was that Oatmeal Cookie ice cream sandwich delicious!
and then to our first event, the IdeaLab. It was there that we met up with a few old friends and already made some new ones. My favorite "booth" was the one about the Elementary Library Centers. Those women are amazing and so creative! Here's a link to the presentation they were sharing from Carolyn Vibbert:
Heidi Hayes Jacobs was the opening keynote. I don't think anyone will argue with you that she wasn't inspiring and motivating.
The exhibits opened that evening and Karen and I had a good time meeting more people, especially some friends from Texas. I am always in awe of their enthusiasm and energy around conferences and their connectedness to one another. Whenever I see tweets from Texas librarians, it makes me want to be a citizen of the Lone Star State. Hey! I'd be proud of any state that Anne Richards hailed from and lead!
Super Librarian with Maria!
In her next life, Karen will be a Super Librarian! For now, "Super Teacher" will do!
We had a fun dinner out that night with Sue Kowalski and the crew from Britannica. Lots of learning going on there, really.
Friday, for me, was literally an authorpalooza. It started out with a huge bang in a front row seat at Shana Corey's facilitated panel that included Shannon Hale, Sara Pennypacker and Troy C.
Just a few stars right here. BTW Sara has a new series coming out, Waylon.
Can't wait! I almost snagged an ARC but missed my opportunity!
Yeah, I got Shannon to leap with me!
I just realized that if I write about every minute detail it will take me days to post. This really must be the highlights. And so...fast forward to some exhibit time meeting Sean Qualls, illustrator extraordinaire and then our last workshop of the day facilitated by Matthew Winner and where some new friendships were made and others strengthened.
I wish we had The Case for Loving around to leap with. I just love that book!
But I love Emmanuel's Dream, too!
Love this picture!
I met Shana for the first time when she came with Chris Grabenstein to CES.
It was so great to hang with her!
And leap with her!
See the woman in the hat? That's Gennifer Choldenko!
With Marc Nobleman
It was here that I learned that I am one of the guilty ones that was fortunate to Skype last year
with Jonathan Auxier of The Night Gardener fame.
The headless leap because Jonathan is so tall!
Karen moved back to get the full leap!
With Matthew Cordell (you must read his new book, Wish, with a tissue by your side)
and my friend, Loren Long
Karen told Loren that Little Tree reminded her of her upcoming retirement. Ahhh....
How lucky am I to get these guys to leap with me?
(from left: Matthew Cordell, me, Loren Long and Matthew Winner)
I am going to have to make this a two parter--Stay tuned for more reflections and of course, more leaps!
I took a break last night from Bat Mitzvah planning and went to a two year old birthday party. And since I was in the mood for breaks, this was the first occasion I didn't give my young friend books as a gift. BUT, fortunately, she managed to get a nice stack of hard cover books to add to her collection from someone else.
The popular The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home were two of them. Then, Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin. That book is so fun! A few years ago the author and illustrator, Daniel Salmieri, were at the Hudson Book Festival. This was before the book made it to the NYT Best Sellers list week after week. They were just a couple of cool 20 something guys having fun signing their books. So, we're at this little get together last night and one woman (not the one who gave the books), said Adam is her cousin. She even went to his Bar Mitzvah! Yes! I have these life events on my mind right now. I don't know if anyone else was impressed. But you know I was.
The final book in the birthday pile was another one I have in my school collection, Rosie Revere: Engineer by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. A great book to encourage our little friend in becoming a strong, confident girl. I don't know if I would have ever thought to give that as a gift, but now I certainly will. Ahhh....I feel a pun coming--Great IDEA! (yes, Rosie likes to invent things!).
I loved meeting Loren Long at ALA and am waiting patiently for The Little Tree to come out at the end of the month (October 27). We went to an event where Loren spoke about his journey in coming up with the idea of the book. It was so moving. A lot of sniffling was heard in the crowd. I wonder, as my daughter approaches a new stage in her life next weekend, if I should give the book another read this week, and how I might look at it differently. We always want to hold on to our leaves but sometimes, we just have to give ourselves permission to let go. I really love this book so much and can't wait till the rest of the world can get their hands on it. (Oh, and did you know I got Loren to jump with me right before the Newbery Caldecott banquet?!)
PRE JUMP with Mary Ann Scheuer!
Coming down?
I just LOVE that little tree!
Loren signed a copy to one of my classroom teacher friends and she read it to her daughter's kindergarten class last week when she went in as a guest reader. She was so excited to share her book with the class.
Mrs. DeMassio happily posing with her copy!
How does this relate to the birthday party you ask? Well, over the summer I gave my little birthday girlfriend a couple of books and a board book of Otis was one of them.
Ok...taking a break was the theme for a few hours on Saturday. Well, the break is way over. Now back to the grind.
