fortune cookie friday

"He who does not feed his cat will feed rats."
-Chinese Proverb

Florida Sights

And the school visit season has begun!  This is the view I should be seeing more frequently for the next few months:

This particular scene was in Gainesville, Florida where I spent 2 days visiting schools sponsored by the Alachua County Library (thank you!). Even though it was a little challenging on my end (I'm still dragging along the Sasquatch and Rain Dragon with me), the schools were so great and understanding (especially when we got lost and arrived late at one! I'm still very, very sorry!). They welcomed me so beautifully with gorgeous artwork:

and beautiful food! This was homemade Taiwanese cold meat and cucumber salad (just like my mom makes) and the yummiest key lime pie ever. They wanted to do a mix of my books and Florida cuisine. It was delicious:

While in Florida, I also visited some Families with Children from China groups which was truly a touching and lovely experience. I admit that these days I've been feeling a bit discouraged by my work--it's quite heartening and oh-so-encouraging to meet readers who tell me that my books made a difference in their lives.

Plus, I met a real life Ling and Ting!

And they weren't the only pair! At the Families With Children from China group in Jacksonville, I met the Romano twins:

These girls were one of the pair of twins that helped inspire the original Ling and Ting (you can see their names in the dedication of the first book!). But now they're all grown up! Maybe I should think about making Ling and Ting novels...

Jacksonville may have been Rain Dragon's favorite place during our Florida trip. The group made her the sweetest quilt:

Which we both were thrilled by:

But what really made her unwilling to leave Jacksonville was the fact that the group had, as decoration, created a balloon dragon:

which they put in our room afterwards:

She still hasn't forgiven me for not taking it back with us. 

Pocket Pacy in Pisa, Peru and DC!

You may have remembered that during my trip to DC, I ran into an old friend at the Open Book school visit:

Well, this Pocket Pacy was a little faded so I gave her a bit of a touch up:

But she had good reason to be a little worn. This Pocket Pacy belongs to the bloggers of Dim Sum, Bagels and Crawfish (all the photos were taken from their blog) and, they have been taking their Pocket Pacy all around the world!

They took Pocket Pacy to Pisa!

And Peru!

Make sure you click the links to see the other photos. Can I say I'm a bit jealous of this pocket pacy?  But I'm so glad I caught up with her in DC.

Happy Travels, Pocket Pacy! Happy Travels Dim Sum, Bagels and Crawfish bloggers!

on my desk monday

I'm feverishly painting the illustrations for the third Ling and Ting book! There is going to be a third one...if I make the deadline!!

fortune cookie friday

"From the perspective of a dog, everyone looks short."
-Chinese Proverb

This Saturday!

Check out the "I!" It's my friend Anna Alter's art! She'll be in the booth right next to me!

This Saturday, I'll be selling books & prints at the RISD Alumni Sale! This year, I'll be attending both sales--this one  as well as the Holiday Sale in December (have to earn some money to pay for the babysitter!) Come say hello to me, the Sasquatch and Rain Dragon!

Saturday, October 12th
10-4pm
Benefit Street
Between Waterman and Hopkins St in Providence, RI.

NCBLA Literary Lights Readers Theater!

special thanks to Richard Groth for the photos

Even though I had my own performance, the real reason I was at the National Book Festival was because the NCBLA invited me to take part in their  Literary Lights Readers Theater. Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation, kind of like a radio play. This presentation was to feature literary stars like Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Susan Cooper and your truly! Okay, honestly,  I think I was invited because my old (as in former, not as in age) teacher Mary Brigid Barrett is the president of NCBLA and I might bribed her with a visit from Rain Dragon...

But it was worth it! The rehearsal alone was full of hilarity. Rain Dragon couldn't take her eyes off of the 1st Ambassador of Children's Literature, Jon Scieszka. She was star-struck...or, rather, octopus-stricken.

Rain Dragon recognized that the octopus' eyes were really balls (the awesome costume was made byElizabeth Barrett Groth and has made me envious the Halloween outfits she must be able to create) and has since called all octopi, "Ball!" since.

Jon didn't wear the costume for the whole time but Rain Dragon remained in awe of him the rest of the rehearsal.  Which made her behave well enough for the rest of us to practice the performance:

me, Susan Cooper, Carol Rasco from RIF, Linda Robb Johnson, Jon Scieszka, and Katherine Paterson! talk about rubbing elbows!

And though Jon wore the costume at rehearsal, he did not during the performance. That honor went to Carol Rasco, CEO of Reading is Fundamental:

She and Cowboy Linda Robb Johnson, had to fight the paparazzi to the stage:

But they made it and the performance was a great success!

Squeeze me, I'm sitting next to the Susan Cooper! She's so classy, like the Helen Mirren of children's literature.

Which I guess would make Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka the King and Queen of children's literarture, as they were both Ambassadors:

should be crowns instead of medals, then

My imagination fails to make any other analogies, especially as I cannot figure out a place for an octopus in British hierarchy. Needless to say, I was extremely honored to be in the company of ALL the performers and organizers!

Thanks so much NCBLA!

the NCBLA organizers/heroines of the event, Mary Brigid Barrett (my former teacher at RISD), Marilyn Ludolph and Geri Edins

National Book Festival

And we were in DC! Hello Capital!

special thanks to Richard Groth and Lorraine Tong for the photos!

This was my first time at the National Book Festival and I wasn't sure what to expect. Unfortunately, it didn't begin auspiciously as there was a mix-up with the booksales (which I'm pretty sure was my fault, I think there was a form that I never got around to sending...ugh! I need an assistant for my life!) so they didn't have many of my books, and none of the  Ling and Ting books.

Also, my performance was right after Food Network Star's Giada De Laurentiis presented! So the overpacked tent quickly and disheartenedly thinned after she left.

But I persevered:

And things quickly took a turn for the better! The tent repopulated nicely:

And I pulled out my Starry River of the Sky presentation which is always a lot of fun:

and probably went over better than if I had done a Ling and Ting presentation anyway!

And I was whisked away for the book signing which was surprisingly long considering the book sale mix-up. Many readers brought their books from home, which was so nice to see.

though Rain Dragon got bored

And even though there weren't any Ling and Ting books, I did get to meet a real life pair:

So a nice time was had by all! It was great fun, thanks DC and the National Book Festival! I hope we get to come again!

on my desk monday

On my desk are all the packaged up stickers and magnets for the winners of my Name the Books Game from my Ling and Ting online party! 

Thanks so much for entering!  Some book covers I painted very roughly, but that didn't seem to stop any of you--you are all sharp-eyed readers!! Here is a list of all the books I painted in:

1. The Chiru of High Tibet
2. Dim Sum For Everyone!
3. Madeline
4. Disappearing Desmond
5. The Little House
6. Ling and Ting:Not Exactly the Same
7.  Complete Adventures of Curious George
8. The Ugly Vegetables (anniversary edition)
9. Dare to Dream...Change the World
10. Year of the Rat
11. Three Little Kittens (by Anna Alter)
12. A Photo for  Greta
13. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
14. Dumpling Days
15. Pop! The Invention of Bubblegum
16. Year of the Dog
17. Seven Chinese Sisters
18. Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel
19. Little Bee
20. Make way for Ducklings
21. Fortune Cookie Fortunes
22. Goodnight, Gorilla
23. Blow Out the Moon
24. Francine's Day
25. Green Eggs and Ham
26. Runaway Bunny
27. Bringing in the New Year
28. Kite Flying
29. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
30. Starry River of the Sky
31.What Can You do with One Red Shoe?

winners of pocket Ling and Ting!

oops, I forgot to announce the winners of the Pocket Ling and Ting from the online birthday party! The winners, chosen at random, are (drumroll please)....

Pippi Mom
Liz

Yay! Please contact me at gracelin.manager@gmail.com  with your mailing address and pocket Ling & Ting will be moving in with you shortly!