Lois Lowry - St. Louis County Library

https://www.facebook.com/STLCoLibrary

Apparently, the Lois Lowry library visit was a great success. I wanted to attend but had previous family events. I must say I have only read one book of hers, The Giver. However, her style and message will stay with me forever. I will admit I did not always like the message and became a bit "put out" by her ending. Regardless of how it made me feel, it was one of the best books I ever read. I read this as an adult student earning my teaching degree as part of a children's literature class. I was completely swept up by all the surprises and enjoyed them even though my polyanna attitude of life had trouble accepting this story.

I hope those in attendance learned something from her and enjoyed her company.

TFR,

Cindy

Bottled - Illustration Friday

If we only could have "bottled" up Jim Croce's genius. We would truly have time in a bottle. I hear his son is a musician too and his wife runs a restaurant in San Diego in his honor. He is  missed. I also have a fascination for these cobalt blue type bottles. 

Duet - Illustration Friday

The idea of a "duet" conjured up several images for me; music, friendship and symbiotic relationships. (I can thank Star Wars for introducing me to "symbiotic," think Jar Jar Binks.) ;) We all know we need each other to be in harmony but we also need lots of "duets" to survive. The sun and the moon are perfect examples and I wanted to showcase these along with my young musicians to represent "Duet" on these book covers. 

(I also just wanted to play around with designing a book cover. It turned out to be great fun.)

Toy - Illustration Friday

After just returning from Spring Break which involved a lengthy drive to Colorado with 4 children, I have a new perspective for toys that do not need to be charged. The million feet of chargers and earbuds we own are forever tangled. I miss the good old days of kites, jacks and yo-yo's (Of course, these can get tangled too). Regardless, we will be re-introducing these into our household.

Tip: Trees come out of nowhere to stick a root or branch up while you're skiing just for a good laugh. I could see their smug smiles through all the snow and bark. I eventually made it safely to the bottom of each hill anyway.

Stir - Illustration Friday

Stir up a little surprise with your imagination...you never know what you will pull out of your hat.

Doreen Cronin - St. Louis County Library SLCL

We had the opportunity to attend another St. Louis County Library author presentation. This time we listened to Doreen Cronin. She was entertaining for both children and adults. She talked about how she became an author and shared personal aspects of her life. Doreen shared her secrets for choosing character names and how she fashions stories from inspirational people in her life. I was touched by her description of the time she wrote Click Clack Moo Cows That Type. Her father was the main inspiration and continues to be a part of her writing even though he passed away before she wrote this book.

We bought two books and she graciously signed each one. Doreen has a pleasant personality and seems like a very nice person. I look forward to reading her latest release The Trouble With Chickens.

TFR,

Cindy

WARNING - Illustration Friday

This kind of warning beats the mean old storm and tornado warnings we have had here lately.