NCRL Summer Reading 2011

Summer Reading 2011!

2011-03-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Great news! I'll be back on the Summer Reading circuit in 2011 and this blog will get a face lift and some more exciting updates! For posterity sake, I'll save the old blog header right here: That way, you'll know with visual certainty where 2009 ended and 2011 begins:

That way, you'll know with visual certainty where 2009 ended and 2011 began. Not that I was worried about that or anything :) Stay tuned for some thoughts on summer programming, and perhaps a book review or two to whet your appetites.

Totem Tale Music!

2009-09-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Another experiment folks! The following esnips.com link is to several "theme" songs for the characters in Totem Tale. The music was written and performed by Terry Hunt at Mountain Sound Digital Media LLC for a 2006 theatrical production by the Methow Valley Community School. With Terry's permission, I'm very excited to try and get this music on the web.

What's this?

2009-09-03T23:38:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, a cover for The Adventures of Super Princess Madam Zorony! Not only that, but I'm trying a Lulu.com self-publishing experiment as well. If you'd like to purchase your very own copy, click on the cover and have at it :)

I've never printed or purchased anything with Lulu before, so no guarantees. If it turns out alright, I'm going to send a few copies over to NCRL headquarters in Wenatchee. Cross your fingers for success!

The End!

2009-08-11T14:57:00.001-07:00

And there you have it folks, the official "end" of the Super Princess Madam Zorony story. True to form, it's action packed, and something of a cliff hanger. It the remaining days of August, perhaps you and a friend or two can write/draw your own continuing adventure and find out what happens next?

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to all of the kids and librarians in the North Central Regional Library system for making my summer reading adventures a ton of fun. Print these pages out as often as you like and color them to your heart's content. You made them as much as I did, and that's why they're here :)

Congratulations, and Happy Reading!

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Boo's Surprise!

2009-08-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 9th, 2009 2:00pm

Join me at Trail's End Bookstore in Winthrop, WA
to celebrate the publication of Boo's Surprise.

This sequel to Boo's Dinosaur (2006) has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its upbeat voice, convincing family relationships, child-centered dialog, and engaging double-page drawings.

Meet the illustrator (yours truly!) and get your photo taken with Boo and her brand new dinosaur. Plus, I'll bring treats and a "surprise" drawing project.

Please, please, please, please, please, stop on by!

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Ah, Summer Reading!

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Summer Reading at its best!

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What Happens Next?

2009-07-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hello there Summer Readers!

A week off from visits didn't mean that I was sleeping in everyday and soaking in the pool (river). No siree, Bob! First of all, it took me a few days to catch up on all of your fantastic story ideas for the notorious Madam Zorony. Pages 1-12 are now posted on the blog and you can print and color them to your heart's content.

I've also been hard at work on some final art for a new book of my own, face painting at the Methow Arts Fest, AND celebrating the arrival of my hardcover author copies for Boo's Suprise! This book's official publication date is August 4th, but they always try to slip us a copy or two on the early side. Its really fun to have worked on my first sequel (to Boo's Dinosaur) and Besty Byars is a terrific storyteller. Kirkus has already given us a nice review, so look for a copy when you get the chance and find out what's new in the world of Boo.

I hit the road for Entiat and Peshastin tomorrow. So... what happens next?

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The Madam Zorony Projects

2009-06-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you missed out on a Madam Zorony bookmark and coloring page, or if you're in need of more...here they be. Click to enlarge, and print away!

Thank You!

2009-06-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, my first extended road trip of the Summer Reading season is over n' done with. A HUGE thank you to all of the kids, parents, and librarians that came out to play along and to help us with the first 11 (12 actually) pages of the "Super Princess Madam Zorony" story.

My VERY capable assistant and I had tons of fun and I can't wait to visit the rest of you very soon!

The action has been fast and furious, so I'm still working on the finals for pages 5-12. However, the sketches and text are posted below for those of you that are anxious to find out "what happened next?"

Pg 5 - Moses Lake: He took her to a hidden cave, and Patrick asked Madam Z about the necklace.
Pg 6 - Warden: "This necklace is called the Heart of Power and Dr. Dexter will stop at nothing to get it!"
Pg 7 - Royal City: "It's the most poweful necklace in the Universe. We should follow it to the Palace of Sam. The light will show us the way.
Pg 8 - Soap Lake: "Patrick, I've got an idea! Bubble me with this Bubble Blaster...""Okay???"
Pg 9 - Soap Lake: "...and climb in when you're done!"
Pg 10 - Ephrata: They floated gently away, but suddenly they spotted Dr. Dexter!
Pg 11 - Quincy: Whizzzzzz... SMACKOOSH! The arrow Alligator flew with incredible speed. But, the bubble didn't pop. "Please take me with you," said Allez the alligator.
Pg 12 - "Okay Allez. Keep wagging your tail. It's working! I can see the Golden Palace of Sam!"

And so it goes :) Stay tuned! I'll have the final, printable pages posted by Monday morning. Have a great weekend, and Happy Reading!

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2009-06-17T17:14:00.001-07:00

Winthrop Rocks! Summer Reading Rolls Out!

2009-06-17T09:11:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to our wonderful librarian, Sally Portman, and to everyone else who stopped by and made the first day of Summer Reading festivity so much fun! Our tiny little library was pretty well packed, and the kids had some great brainstorms for the very first page of our Summer Reading Serial.

Without further ado, I now bring you Super Princess Madam Zorony!

Part husky, part cocker spaniel, part princess. Totally SUPER!

And the opening page packs a wallop as well:

KAPOW! Super Princess Madam Zorony flew in from outer space!

Pateros and Bridgeport, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

PS I'll clean up these sketches and post some printable/coloring page appropriate images soon. Thanks everyone, and happy reading!

The Schedule!

2009-06-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

I've been a little distracted of late by a return to teaching. Lots of great things to be said for spending the last month of the school year as an art teacher at Liberty Bell High School, but it has been very hard for me to focus any extra energies on my Summer Reading Tour... until now!

To wit, here is my schedule of visit for the next couple of months in Eastern Washington. I hope you'll come out and join in the fun :)

June 16 10:30am Winthrop, WA We kick it off in my home town!
June 18 1pm Pateros, WA
3pm Bridgeport, WA
June 24 10:30am Mattawa, WA
1:30pm Moses Lake, WA
4pm Warden, WA
June 25 11am Royal City, WA
2pm Soap Lake, WA
6:30pm Ephrata, WA
June 26 11am Quincy, WA
3pm Grand Coulee, WA
July 8 10am Entiat, WA
2pm Peshastin, WA
July 9 11:30am Cashmere, WA
2pm Wenatchee, WA
July 10 10:30am E. Wenatchee, WA
1pm Leavenworth, WA
July 22 10am Brewster, WA
3pm Omak, WA
July 23 10am Republic, WA
1pm Tonasket, WA
3:30pm Oroville, WA
July 29 11am Manson, WA
3pm Chelan, WA
July 30 11:30am Coulee City, WA
2pm Waterville, WA
August 4 10:30am Okanogan, WA
1pm Twisp, WA And it ends again right back here in the Methow!

Have a GREAT summer of reading and I'll hope to see you soon!

Cat Diaries Cover Art!

2009-05-14T14:37:00.001-07:00

Here is a sneak peak of the CAT DIARIES cover art. I mailed this off to the publisher yesterday. Hooray! The book won't be published until Fall 2010 (maybe spring?) but its one of the many recent projects that I'll be sharing during the summer reading tour... which starts up in just about a month. Saddle up!

Earth Day

2009-04-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

It's not even summer, and already you can get those creative juices flowing! In the spirit of Earth Day, here is a great link to a new children's book on the subject of recycling and reuse.

Check out Anna Alter's new book, What Can you Do With an old Red Shoe?, and you might get inspired to create a summer project or two... if you can put down your books and stop reading :)

I'm in a summer livin' sort of mood already!

Summer Reading 2009!

2009-04-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my home away from home for the 2009 "Be Creative @ your Library" summer visits tour!

In due course, I will post a schedule, but more importantly, this will be the site of our ongoing Summer Serial. Kids from all over North Central Washington state, from Royal City and Mattawa, to Oroville and Winthrop, will help me write a story and draw the pictures.

The adventure begins on June 16th and won't be finished until August 4th. Stay Tuned!