I've been catching up on other people's blogs

I have to admit, I don't read blogs all that frequently. I really don't like to spend much time at the computer, and I write my own books by hand. I wonder, if computers had been around when I started to write on a regular basis (30 years ago last February), would I have chosen to keep a blog instead of writing a journal? Journals strike me as being different--they are more private, for my eyes only. They are also a lot more portable, even than a laptop, which I don't have. And I like the feel of paper and pen and the different page sizes of my journals, the different papers. I also like that I come to the end of a journal and start a new one--I can see--well, maybe not progress, but I can see books piling up. I have over 150 full journals, I'm sure, to show for the last 30 years. I wish I could find them all! They are scattered all over the house and studio.

Blogs are meant to be read--they are written to an audience, whether it is family, friends, or colleagues. That means blogs are censored more than journals--self-censored. The writer is at least partially aware of how other people may respond, and therefore the blog is shaped to appeal to that audience and to present the writer in a particular light. The writing is more self-conscious than that of a journal. I know I sometimes consider what someone reading my journal might think, but I try to let go of these self-conscious thoughts and write from the gut. I worry a little bit that my family may read my journals and not understand that just because I put something in writing at a given time, when I was in a particular mood, doesn't make that entry true--or true forever. Often just by writing something down, by venting on paper, I alter the way I feel or I write myself into a solution to the problem. The journal is a way to have a conversation with myself. But as I often say in book group, the act of writing something down makes it fiction, not truth. There is a selection process that shapes "the facts" into a story, a particular meaning, which is no longer true to the random real-time unfolding of life.

But I have been reading blogs lately. Here are a few entries that I have enjoyed:

Art of arthurslade wrote an interesting post (4-21-09) about advertising his YA novel on Facebook. He generously shares what it cost, what he learned, and how he did it. Something to think about, but I'm not ready to try this yet. I learned about his post through the SCBWI-Illinois List Serve.

Yolanda LeRoy, editorial director of Charlesbridge had a fun adventure in Italy following the Bologna conference which she posted on the Charlesbridge blog, Unabridged. It's called "Truck Stuck, Italian Style."

And I'm discovering that there is a whole community of stay-at-home parents or home-schooling parents who share book reviews and craft activities and other ideas through blogs. When I was raising my kids I was lucky to be living in a community where I had a whole network of friends with children my kids' ages whom I could visit with almost every day and who gave me a level of support that is becoming hard to find. Blogging provides that connection for many people, I think, particularly if you live in a more rural area. Here are some sites that have been reviewing truck books and have enjoyed reading Truck Stuck. The Almost Librarian reviewed a group of truck books on her blog which is written to celebrate and promote early childhood education, early literacy, and family. Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile gives book reviews from both the mom's and the toddler's point of view--at least the mom describes how the books are received by her toddler. No Time for Flash Cards is full of craft ideas for very young children, but she also reviews related books. In a post titled "We're on a Roll!" she reviewed several books, including Truck Stuck.

How to have a great school visit

The best way to have a great school visit is to have it organized by someone as on-top of things as Sara Shacter. Yesterday I presented Truck Stuck to the four preschool classes at Families Together Cooperative Nursery School. Sara had made all the arrangements, first talking with the teachers to see who was interested, then scheduling a day that worked for all of us, and lastly, arranging for pre-orders of Truck Stuck. Twenty-seven copies were sold! I think that's pretty good for a school with a student body of 72.

I arranged to bring the books, already signed (as specified on the order forms Sara had devised), from the Magic Tree Bookstore. Sara distributed the books in the students' cubbies. In each of the four classes I introduced myself as the person who wrote the words to Truck Stuck. I pulled out my shoebox model of a viaduct and we talked about what a viaduct is, (a tunnel that goes under railroad tracks). I had the children repeat the word viaduct, and then we were ready to read the story.

I love reading this book. It has not grown old for me. I still find new details in the pictures and I love to see the way children respond to Andy Robert Davies' playful, cheerful drawing style. We made faces like the disgruntled drivers in the pictures. The children described the action (or lack thereof) at the lemonade stand--a sub-plot told entirely in the pictures. We counted lemonade cups. We discussed the resolution of the problem (better read the book--I don't want to give anymore of it away). Then it was time to open my suitcase full of trucks.

I handed out a vehicle to each child in the class (explaining that these were my toys which I was sharing, but would need back). Then, as I reread the story, this time without stopping to discuss the action, the children lined up their vehicles behind my big truck, stuck under the shoebox viaduct, recreating the traffic jam of the book. I was surprised at how long our truck parade became. There are a lot of interesting vehicles in this story, and I have managed to find toy versions of almost all of them. I'm still searching for a good exterminator truck with a dead insect on top. At the end, each child got to drive his/her vehicle through the viaduct and park it back in my box so I could pack up my suitcase for the next class. For hand-outs I had coloring sheets for the two younger classes and a word search puzzle for the two older classes, as well as postcards with the book cover image on the front and my website information on the back.

Although I was doing four similar presentations, all in one day, I found that each class responded in different ways, with different questions and observations. To keep my own energy high I focused on really listening to the children and on sharing in their fun. The teachers were wonderful, helping to keep the children focused. And I felt that the classes had been well-prepared for my visit. They knew my name and welcomed me warmly. And there were many truck-oriented activities planned for the rest of the day that tied into the story of the book.

An extra bonus--I got to go to lunch with Sara and her two boys, who are true fans of Truck Stuck and made me feel like a rock star.