I love lists. Word lists, grocery lists, even to-do lists. But my favorite list of all is a to-read list. I keep one in my planner, in the list section, of course. Here is the New York Public Library's list of 2011 children's books to read and share. Find great books to add to your lists: to-read, to-give, to-read to others. And hurray, the list includes The Luck of the Buttons!
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It was a festive New Year's Day on Monterey Bay. We spotted an elephant seal on the beach usually occupied by harbor seals. Dolphins loped alongside us as we walked by the bay, and migrating grey whales breached and spouted. Here's to adventure and discovery in 2012!
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Dear Readers,
We have all three kids home this week, a sweet gift of togetherness we celebrated with a walk on our favorite beach. There aren't many shells here, so it was fun to find that the ocean had delivered this candy cane greeting, which I'll pass along to you. After studying my Sea Shells of the World Golden Nature Guide, I've tentatively identified it as a keyhole limpet, as much fun to say as it is to spot.
Wishing you sweet surprises in the days to come, and delicious hours with family and friends. Thanks for reading along this year!
Cheers from here to there,
Anne
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from Friday's farmers market:
guava persimmon pomegranate
butternut kabocha cauliflower yam
and my favorite:
romanesco
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The library is in the heart of the civic center, surrounded by City Hall, Civic Center Plaza and the UN building. It is a bright, beautiful space humming with activity. A class of school children browsed books in the children's room which currently features an exhibit by artist Jane R Willson called The Shocking Truth of Cinderella. People read quietly in the corner study rooms which are themed, such as the Wallace Stegner room dedicated to the environment. We tried unsuccessfully to take pictures of the building's spirals for Joyce Sidman, who has a new book of poetry called Swirl by Swirl.
Perhaps my favorite feature is the "wallpaper" used on several of the floors. I've tried to capture it in photos here (click for a larger view), but it is worth seeing in person. The walls are covered in cards from the old card catalog and people have written and drawn on their favorites. Thanks, Katherine, for a fantastic afternoon! I can't wait to visit again.
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I realized today that Goodhue County has figured into each of my novels so far. In Dear Papa, Isabelle goes to live with her aunt and uncle in Zumbrota. Little Klein has a fictional setting that was inspired by the area in and around Red Wing, as well as by my great grandfather's stories of being a boy in Red Wing.
And The Luck of the Buttons is set in fictional Goodhue, Iowa. I named the town Goodhue because the family photo that led me to writing the story is taken on a farm in Goodhue County. Look closely at the cover of the book and you'll see a tiny reproduction of this image on the family album Tugs is holding.
While there is an actual town of Goodhue in Minnesota, I brought this fictional Goodhue to Iowa because of my experiences living there when I was beginning to write the story. My inspiration for the main character came from an Iowa cemetery, and I was drawn in by the people and landscapes of Iowa artists Grant Wood and Marvin Cone. Goodhue. I could live in a place called Goodhue.
I get the great pleasure of returning to Goodhue County this weekend for the Celebration of Minnesota Children's Authors and Illustrators at the Anderson Center in Red Wing. Come celebrate books and art on Saturday September 10 from 12-5. Let beautiful Goodhue County inspire you, too!
]]>Another fair treat this year is Katherine Hannigan's new middle grade novel True (...Sort Of). We are introduced to Delly Pattison's penchant for inadvertantly drawing trouble in a delightful scene in the Poultry Pavilion of the county fair. A perfect read for a summer afternoon.
I sometimes wonder what would happen if two characters from different books met. I think Tugs and Delly would have quite a time together. That meeting may not take place but I am fortunate to be appearing with Katherine Hannigan this week. If you can, join us at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Barnes and Noble this Thursday, August 18, at 6pm to hear more about Tugs and Delly and the rest of the gang from The Luck of the Buttons and True (...Sort Of). (Please note, the date listed in Sunday's CR Gazette was incorrect.)
In the meantime, check out this video of Katherine Hannigan talking about her process and the characters of True (...Sort Of).
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It’s hard to believe that it is already mid-summer and Independence Day 2011 is upon us. The Fourth of July is one of my favorite days of summer because all over the country, communities are gathering in celebrations similar to ones I participate in as well as the fictional celebration in Goodhue eighty-two years ago.
The image I had in my head when I first sat down to write a scene of what would become The Luck of the Buttons was of the community Fourth of July event that takes place in the neighborhood where I lived for many years, St. Anthony Park in St. Paul, Minnesota.
There is a parade down Como Avenue. Convertibles carry various local dignitaries and veterans march with flags. When I was a kid, my Grandpa marched with the World War I vets. A vintage fire engine rolls down the avenue followed by a lawn mower brigade, a group that choreographs steps with lawn chairs, clowns of course, school groups, musicians, and more. When all the paraders have passed, children join in on decorated bikes and trikes, then all the spectators follow the parade down the hill to Langford Park. Families claim spots with blankets. Kids wander. Everyone eats. Patriotic essays are read. There are races for all ages, and ribbons.
I dropped Tugs and the Buttons into a Fourth of July like the ones I’ve known and felt immediately at home in Goodhue. Check out the chapters Independence Day, Ribbons, and Click to read about Tugs’s Independence Day.
Enjoy your community celebrations this Fourth of July and may you have many lazy hours for reading this month!
Just a note: I will be away from the internet until late July, but will respond to your comments and emails when I return.
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