pocket ling and ting in Taiwan!

Pocket Ling and Ting are now traveling the world! Why should Pocket Pacy have all the fun? Two readers (who received Pocket Ling and Ting at the birthday party) have been making Ling and Ting very happy. Pocket Ling and Ting were a little jealous that Pacy traveled to Taiwan in Dumpling Days,   but now they don't have to be! Because they are on a tour of Taiwan, themselves!

Here at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall:

And Taipei 101:

And, of course, at the BEST dumpling restaurant in the world...with Tom Cruise:

Thanks so much, Wu girls! Pocket Ling and Ting are thrilled to have found a home with you!

on my desk monday

 On my desk floor is the quilt Rain Dragon was given in Florida!

It's so lovely! I have to show it off more! The quilt squares were drawn by some awesome young readers from the FCC in Jacksonville:

who also made dumplings because you have to keep your strength up while you are quilting

They also (with help from their equally awesome mothers) pieced the squares and sewed it:

Here's some photos of the quilt close up:

Isn't it great? I have to say, Rain Dragon and I are very quilt-rich! We have her 100 Wishes quilt,  the gorgeous one by Winifred Weng and now this beauty! I think I'm going to have to learn how to quilt myself so I can add to our treasures. 

Because Rain Dragon can't get enough of them:

Thanks so much, FCC Jacksonville!

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