Fighting Crime with Classical Music

Here's one for you classic music lovers out there. Police have discovered that classical music can actually cut down crime. Yes you read that right. Here is the link to the article if don't believe me.

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how-classical-music-can-reduce-crime-benefit-your-mood-and-increase-your-spending.htm

Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, they can make this world a safer place with only the power of their music. Who knew?

Book Signing

For those who might be interested, I will be visiting the Storybook Nook at Gardener Village to have a book signing on December 11th. I will be there 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Those who visit with me can get their name in a drawing to win a one-of-a-kind handmade miniature mermaid necklace. I will also be handing out adorable sea creature shaped lollipops to anyone brave enough to come up and talk to me while I'm out there. Books will be available for purchase, but even if you don't buy the book, come on by and just say hello.

The Storybook Nook's address is:

100 W. 7800 S.
Jordan, UT 84088

Hope to see you all there.

School Library Woes

So many school libraries are in trouble financially these days. Their budgets get smaller and smaller every year so they can't buy the books that kids need to read. Sometimes it feels a little like that even for the bigger public libraries in an economy like ours. Click here to see a hilarious video that gets right to the heart of the subject. At least this school can still have a sense of humor about the situation. Good for them. : )

Small Secrets Now Open for Business on Etsy

For those who might be interested, I now have a shop open on Etsy where I will be selling my miniature sculpture jewelry. There is currently one necklace up for sale and another one will soon be listed in the near future. You can find links to Etsy and more information about the handmade necklaces I create by visiting the official Small Secrets blog. Click here to go there now.

The Royal Gardens--Pure Paradise

My traveling companion suggested that we visit the Royal Botanical Gardens. We had to take a train just outside of London to get there but was it ever worth it! As you can see from the pictures in this post, it was like wandering about inside a Jane Austen film all day. There were hundred year old trees and several beautiful estates located within the grounds. My favorite part was the lily ponds!


We stopped to eat lunch in a little cafe where we ate in a building that reminded me of a greenhouse with giant glass windows overlooking beautiful vistas as far as the eye can see.

The Sights of London

Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and Westminster Abby. I saw them all on my trip--and got pictures too!

The London Eye

So the first thing I did when I arrived in London was to go and ride the London Eye--one of the largest Ferris Wheels in the world. I had read the book The London Eye Mystery (great book, by the way) and knew I had to take a spin on this amazing structure that had been such a big part of that story.

If you look at the complete picture of the London Eye, you will see that it is taller than the sky scraper right next door to it. It is HUGE. Much bigger than this picture makes it seem since I was taking the picture from a bridge on the far side of the river. It takes almost an hour to ride all the way around. The other pictures at the top of this post are what the giant pods look like while riding inside them.

The Many Lamps of London

So one of the things I noticed on my trip to London were the street lights. Each one was more fancy than the next. There were so many varieties I couldn't possibly get pictures of them all--but here are just a few examples I saw scattered about the city.

So how come we don't have lamps as pretty as these in my home town? No imagination, I guess. : )

Crazy Thunderstorm

I'm back from London and what a great vacation it was! I will be posting more about the trip with photos later. The return trip was long--I had to go twenty-eight hours without sleep. I was so exhausted I slept in until really late the next day and was awakened by a horrible thunderstorm. I went outside and discovered that buckets of large hailstones were coming down. Within five minutes our street looked like a river. I pulled out my camera and took this video of the water rushing through the street. You can see the huge pile of hailstones in the lower left-hand corner of the video. What a homecoming.

Taking a Much Deserved Vacation

I'm off to London for the next few weeks! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this trip. Things have been pretty crazy for the last couple months as I've been working like crazy to promote Forbidden Sea. It has been a long time since I've taken a REAL vacation where I can just enjoy myself. Unfortunately, I will have only limited access to the Internet while out of the country and I will not be able to update this blog or answer my emails regularly until I return. So if I'm slow to answer you in the next few weeks, please be patient. I'll catch up when I get back with lots of new stories to tell.

Wish me luck!

Etsy--Uh Oh!

I'm addicted to Etsy. I'll come right out and admit it up front. There are things on Etsy that I never even dreamed I needed before I saw a picture of them just waiting for me to buy them. Once I know they exist, I hear them calling out to me, "You will never see anything like this again. You'll regret not buying this." And they are so right.

Then there are the items that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole but I can't help but sit and stare at them for a while in horrified fascination. I can't help but ask myself if it is really possible that anyone would actually purchase THAT?

Here are just a few items I found last time I was online that are just too cool (or too bizarre) for mere words:


This item is oh so beautiful. Not that I would have any place to actually wear it if I did own it. *Sigh*

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44322846/soft-blue-teardrop-cameo-denim-victorian

I can't imagine myself actually wearing this in public but it's still really neat all the same.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53504435/floating-ring-pancakes-with-syrup

And these as well.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53440345/veggies-pizza-earrings?ref=sr_gallery_18&%3Bga_search_query=miniature+jewelry&%3Bga_search_type=handmade&%3Bga_page=10&%3Border=&%3Bincludes%5B0%5D=tags&%3Bincludes%5B1%5D=title


What practical purpose would these life-size felted animals ever serve anyone? None that I can see. So why do I want one so bad?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SteviT


So adorable and teeny tiny. Must RESIST!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveableTreasures


Okay, this one actually disturbs me a little bit. So why do I feel impelled to keep going back again and again to look at it? It's just too weird for words.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53510230/pea-pod-play-set-three-peas-in-a-pod?ref=sr_gallery_40&%3Bga_search_query=miniature+doll&%3Bga_search_type=handmade&%3Bga_page=11&%3Border=&%3Bincludes%5B0%5D=tags&%3Bincludes%5B1%5D=title


I don't even know what these are, but they are so darn cute!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53515964/digital-pdf-crochet-pattern-8th-mcc?ref=sr_gallery_28&%3Bga_search_query=doll&%3Bga_search_type=handmade&%3Bga_page=16&%3Border=&%3Bincludes%5B0%5D=tags&%3Bincludes%5B1%5D=title


Someone took a lot of time to make this. Someone will probably spend their hard earned money to buy it--but it won't be ME! Way weird.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53433286/zoe-ooak-pink-girl-80s-anime-zebra-plush?ref=sr_gallery_26&%3Bga_search_query=miniature+sculpture&%3Bga_search_type=handmade&%3Bga_page=9&%3Border=&%3Bincludes%5B0%5D=tags&%3Bincludes%5B1%5D=title

If you discover any great finds on your next visit to Etsy--please share them in comments.

Papo and Schleich Figures

Last weekend my nephew got into my toy closet and pulled out a bunch of my Papo and Schleich figures. He put them all into this giant battle together. It took him a great deal of time and he came and got me afterward so he could show me what he had done. I looked down at this huge battle going on between all these tiny plastic figures and thought to myself—how did I get so many of all these? I’ve got, knights, dragons, griffins, skeletons, monsters, pirates, cowboys, Indians, unicorns, fairies, and so many more, I couldn’t possibly write them all here in this post.

I actually do remember how it all started. There were two librarians at work who often had these really cool plastic figures that they would use in their book displays. What ever they needed, Papo or Schleich had a figure to go along with their idea. Their book displays were always the most popular, gathering little fingerprints until the glass doors on the display case were so clouded nobody could see inside anymore. When I asked one of these ladies where they bought the figures she told me about this amazing local toy store that carried them.

Fast forward now to the weekend one of my nephews came to stay with me for three days. I quickly saw that I wasn’t set up for entertaining six year olds for that amount of time. I didn’t have any toys for him to play with in my house. So that first day, I packed him up in the car and we headed down to this fabulous toy store I’d heard so much about. When my librarian friend said they had a lot of these plastic figures, she wasn’t lying. There were literally hundreds of choices to choose from. I bought a castle and told my nephew he could choose five knights and a dragon to go with it. They kept him occupied all weekend. Word quickly spread to the rest of my nieces and nephews and before long they were all begging to come play with my new toys. I got more knights, but quickly hit a snag when my nieces demanded princesses to go with the knights. Then there had to be pirates to fight the knights and monsters fight the pirates—well you get the picture.

Years have passed and my collection has grown, a few figures at a time, into a regular monster of a collection. I have never made a better purchase in my life. I use those figures for everything! They are fabulous for displays at the library. I can also put them in my purse and keep kids entertained when on the road or on camping trips. (Making rock forts and using the figures in them, will keep bored kids going for hours.) It doesn’t matter what age a kid is—even the teenagers in our family can’t help but paw through the collection from time to time and admire their favorite characters.

If you are interested in seeing some of the figures available for purchase these days, all you have to do is put in an online search with the words “Papo Figures” or Schleich figures” and you’ll get a ton of companies who sell the brands. But I must warn you that it is impossible to buy just one.

Jewelry Now On Sale

UPDATE: SHOP IS NOW CLOSED

The first piece of my hand made one of a kind Small Secrets Jewelry is now up for sale on Ebay. For those interested in more particulars on the piece click here. Future pieces will be listed on the Small Secrets blog as they become available.

I WANT One of these!

Wait until you see this adorable little mobile house. Talk about simplifying your life! Just think of all the money you'd save on furniture.You could travel all across the US and never leave the comfort of your own home. Of course, I'd like one of these as more of a camping accessory than as a permanent home. Click the link to see video of the tiniest house you have ever seen.

http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-jay-shafer-20910192

Small Secrets Jewelry Will Soon be Open for Business!

For those many people who have asked me if I ever plan to sell my handmade sculpture jewelry to the public--I now have a blog set up showcasing the pieces that will soon be going up for sale on Etsy and Ebay. Click here, to visit the new blog. These necklaces are one of a kind, hand made works of art. Check the Small Secrets blog for updates about when they will actually be going on sale. New jewelry will be posted there as I finish each piece.

Got Your Adrenalin Rush for the Day?

The links below are videos I found of some very near misses (mostly involving trains) that people managed to survive by sheer dumb luck. Every one of the people in these videos walks away unharmed--but only barely. If watching people ALMOST get killed is a little too stressful on the heart for you, you might want to skip these. : ) But if you love a good adrenalin rush where everyone is happy in the end--live dangerously and click the links!

(As with any link, these will take you to an outside site whose content, beyond the video highlighted, I can not be held responsible for.)

For video 1 click here.

For video 2 click here.

For video 3 click here.

For video 4 click here.

For video 5 click here.

And to see one big ship launch gone awry click here.

My life would be a whole lot nicer if I started it off this way every day.


Click here to see daily affirmations in action.


Affirmations really do work, because after watching this--I feel better already.

My Very First Book Signings--Two of Them!

Can I just tell you how excited I am to attend my very first book signing as a real true published author? Absolutely, positively stoked! If you live in the Utah area and want to come meet me click here for more information on where and when my first book signings with the public will be.

I've Been a Busy Girl

I finished my spring project of making a sculpture of the mermaid character in my book. It took forever but I'm finally done. If you'd like to see the finished product click here for photographs. She is currently on display to the public at the Orem Public Library. I guess this means I need a new project to work on.

Miniature Sculpture Jewelry

I've had lots of people asking me about purchasing some of my miniature sculpture jewelry. If you haven't already seen my handiwork click here to see to photos of some of my work. I have sold a few pieces to friends and family in the past, but I haven't really considered doing it online like a real business. I am pleased to announce that sometime in the near future I will begin selling a few of them from time to time online. Possibly on Etsy or Ebay. I'm still getting organized here and it will take some time to get a few pieces finished and ready for sale but sometime before the end of this year I will begin selling some necklaces for those who are interested. When the time comes I will post an announcement on this blog. So keep checking back for more info.

I could really use the help of all you fantasy buffs out there in Blog Land to help me get started. If you were going to purchase a fantasy necklace--what would you want on it? A Mermaid? A Dragon? A Fairy? A Centaur? A Griffin? A gargoyle? Or something else entirely? I'm probably going to start with three new necklaces and I want to choose a subject for each one that lots of people would be interested in buying. Feel free to put your two cents worth in comments below.

Absolutely Fascinating Part 4

The world can be a strange but fascinating place full of mysteries. Here are just a few of the stories I've collected over the past couple months.

Meteors in All Their Glory

Here are two particularly spectacular meteors which were caught on video tape. Click here for the one in Canada and here for the one in Denver. Cool doesn't even begin to cover it. Especially the one in Denver. So wishing that I could have been there to see it in person!

Demon of Dartmoor

Okay, this one was too bizarre for words, especially when I saw it how it played out in the end. Someone captured a picture of this terrible looking, big, black beast wandering only a few hundred yards from a group of helpless school children. Click here for the original article. Pretty scary, right? I mean look at that thing? Well then I saw this link here and couldn't stop laughing.

He's sooooo adorably cute!

The Doll That Grew Old in the Attic

You have to see this one to believe it. Click here for the original article. As a doll collector, I know how easily dolls can be damaged by the elements. Humidity, extreme temperatures, bright light and even pollution can do some pretty horrible things given enough time. Older dolls are especially bad this way--but DANG--if I found this had happened to one of my dolls--I'd get rid of it as fast as I could too! That's just creepy.

Insanely Small Miniature Sculptures

Click here to see the smallest sculptures you will ever lay eyes on. Most of these fit inside the eye of a needle or on top of the head of a pin. As a person who likes to sculpt in miniature myself, even I can not tell you how the artist did this. At this size, you could accidentally breath in the piece if you are not careful. The beat of your heart could cause your hand to shake and destroy the piece.

For more fun and bizarre facts to blow your mind, click on the links below for past posts:

Absolutely Fascinating Part I

Absolutely Fascinating Part II

Absolutely Fascinating Part III

UK Cover for Forbidden Sea--Vote for Your Favorite

The final UK Cover for Forbidden Sea can now be seen on Amazon UK. Click here to see what it looks like! So let's take a vote. Which one do you like best? The US cover (Click here) or the UK cover? Make sure to list where you are from with your vote--I'm curious if where a person lives really does affect what style of cover they like. Let me know what you think. Be honest now. You won't hurt my feelings. I had no say what so ever in either cover.

Does This Mean I'm Official Now?

I was informed by my editor that I now have a publicist assigned to me. What does a publicist do exactly? Heck if I know--yet. Hopefully, I will soon. And when I find out, I'll let all of you know. : ) But it is exciting all the same to know I now have someone who can help me know what I should do as a new author to get my book out there to the masses. Book launches and book signings here I come! Only two more months until Forbidden Sea is out in stores. I must admit there were times I never thought this day would come.

The Fun Theory

This is a fabulous video about the power of making life more fun. Click here to watch the clip. You must watch this with audio to get the full effect. : )

All in a Day's Work for a Librarian

A father brought his three children to the reference desk today, inquiring after a certain Veggie Tales Christmas movie that said it was checked in, but wasn’t on the shelf. Deciding not to question his off season choice of films, I went into the back room and did an extensive search for the title. Before I was through, half the backroom staff was helping me look for the DVD. Triumphantly one staff member held up the missing DVD and I happily took it back to the father who was still waiting for my return. The father held the DVD out to his son and asked, “Is that the one you wanted?” The kid wrinkled his nose and backed away from the DVD like it had some kind of a bad smell rolling off of it.

They left the library without the DVD.

The Way Things Should Be

Norman Rockwell use to say that he didn't paint the world the way it was, but he painted it the way it should be. Well today I came across this article of some girls who made the world a little more like it should be. I was so touched by their simple act of kindness, I had to post it.

Click here to read the article.

Another Great Viral Video

I was talking to a friend of mine about one of the stories I'm currently working on, with a haunted doll as part of the plot, and she showed me this commercial for USPS. I could not stop laughing. Clowns have alway given me the willies. This was just too good not to share!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKGKB5bc9DU

Fairy Tea 2010

Every year our library puts on a big program called the Fairy Tea. This year there were four teas, each with 200 attendees. That makes 800 guests in all, most of them little girl ages three and up. The little girls dress up like fairies (wings, crown, the whole she-bang) and come to watch ballerinas perform and be introduced to the fairy court as they walk the runway and show off their fairy finery. The girls are always so cute! As part of the program, we librarians are required to dress up as well. I've been doing this for eight years now, so I've got quite a collection of fairy dresses hidden away in my closet by now. This year I wore a dress I sewed myself. (pictured above) I don't know how real fairies can move around freely with wings permantly attached to their back, because I kept hitting people in the head with mine whenever I tried to turn around.

The cream dress is my costume for the second day of Fairy Tea.

Library Wisdom

Listed below is some of the mystic knowledge I've gained from working twelve years as a public librarian.

1) If your toddler goes missing at the library head straight for one of two places, the top floor of the elevator and the parking lot. Yep, there they are.

2) If you are one hundred percent, really, really, really, sure that you returned that overdue book back to the library and it hasn't shown up on the shelf yet, check under the passenger seat in your car. It has never failed for me. Freaky huh?

3) If you get a sudden fabulous idea to take your whole family to the library tonight, you can be certain that every other family in the city has received the exact same brilliant idea and they will all be there standing in the checkout line ahead of you. We call this psychic broadcasting.

4) If you want to make your librarian's day just walk up to the desk and ask them to recommend some good books. (Be fairly warned, however, that you might not be able to get them to shut up before closing time.)

5) Coming to the children's department to read your favorite childhood picture books with your significant other is not the unique date you might think it is. Proposing in a library, though a surprisingly popular method, is NEVER a good way to start out a future marriage commitment. Trust me on this one.

Amazing Animals

Animals are truly amazing. I had a busy day the other day and came home pretty late. I was really tired and just wanted to go right to bed, but still had to put my parrot to bed in his nighttime cage first. I usually play with him before I put him to bed, but that night I was in a hurry. When I tried to put him in the cage, he carefully took a hold of my sweater with one foot and wouldn’t let go. He didn’t fuss or threaten me or anything; he just looked me in the face and hung on—tight. I realized he was telling me he didn’t want to be put to bed yet. He didn’t know where I had been all day and wanted to spend time with me, even if it was late. He missed me all day and he didn’t want to let go. I was really touched by his quiet devotion.

I also recently had a mother and daughter come in to check out some items at the library. They had a service dog with them. When I asked them about it, they said that they bought the dog as a pet but it soon began alerting whenever their teenage daughter was about to have an epileptic seizure. The dog is now a licensed service dog and helps the girl to live a better life. Talk about pets changing their owner’s life!

Here of some examples of other amazing animals. Click on the links below to read their fascinating stories.

Nursing Home Cat:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/doctors-book-profiles-furry-angel-of-death-oscar-the-cat/19339074

The Two Bobbies:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/aug/29/two-animals-of-katrina-inseparable-ever-after/

Dolphin Saves Whales:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp_motddvnQ

Dog Saves the Boy She Loves from Cougar:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/04/boy.cougar.attack/index.html

It makes you just want to go home and hug your pet doesn’t it?

One Lovely Book Award

My dear friend Karlene at Inksplasher has kindly given my blog a lovely award. Karlene has been one of my writer's group friends for years and is quite an author and blogger herself. Now that I have received this award, I am supposed to pass on the joy and nominate some of my own favorite blogs and list them here.

Many of my favorite blogs belong to friends who have personal blogs. Since most of them probably wouldn't want me to link up to those here on my public blog, I have decided to only list book blogs that I visit frequently in my work as a children's librarian. This list is huge, and trying to think of them all at once was very difficult, so I am sure I have forgotten some. I've put together a list of those I could remember--if yours is not on there, don't despair, I probably just ran out of brain power before I got to yours. Those who are listed for the award below, are now supposed to pass on this award to someone else.

Rebecca’s Book Blog: http://rebeccasbookblog.blogspot.com/ (What Rebecca doesn’t know about a book is not worth reading about.)

Two and a Half Book Lovers: http://twoandahalfbooklovers.blogspot.com/ (Blogging for the whole family! Also a great place to keep up with all the contests currently going on in the blogging community. My first official author interview was posted on this site. Check it out!)

Bookworming in the 21^st Century: http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/ (An invaluable resource for any children or teen librarian. Kristen always writes fair and honest reviews with great details. I find I tend to agree with her reviews a lot of the time.)

The Story Siren: http://www.thestorysiren.com/ (I stand in silent awe of The Story Siren’s knowledge of all things juvenile and teen fiction.)

Never Ending Shelf: http://www.theneverendingshelf.com/ (Just plain fabulous. Great reviews, contest info and all things book related. Pure heaven.)

The Blue Castle: http://thebluecastle.wordpress.com/ (If she loves The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery I trust her opinion of other books implicitly.)

Princess Bookie: http://www.princessbookie.com/2009/05/upcoming-books.html (I ADORE the pink cupcake theme. Books truly are as scrumptious as pink cupcakes, don’t you think?)

La Femme Readers: http://lafemmereaders.blogspot.com/ (Love the new layout, Eleni.)

Tales of the Ravenous Reader: http://lushbudgetproduction.blogspot.com/ (Got to love that title! The blog itself is even better.)

Mandy Can Read: http://mandycanread.blogspot.com/ (Mandy brings a fresh teenage perspective to all her reviews. Nice work.)

My Fluttering Heart: http://myflutteringheart.blogspot.com/ (She blogs about great books and about a whole lot of other extremely fascinating things besides. Check out that real Bilbo Baggins house some guy built for his family to live in! And if your next wedding isn’t steampunk you are so missing out.)

Tempting Persephone: http://persephonereads.wordpress.com/ (Just recently discovered this one. Nice header artwork. Wish I knew who the artist was. I want them to design the cover of my next book.)

A Good Addiction: http://agoodaddiction.blogspot.com/ (I love that she always posts pictures of her dog sitting with her books. Toby is so cute.)

Jack of All Trades: http://raincoyote.blogspot.com/

And for the younger crowd:

XOX Casey + Sammy Forever: http://cammylover.blogspot.com/ (Is there anything as delightful as a young fan who has finally discovered the perfect series of books? I think not. Fabulous job, Cammylover. Did you take all those cool photographs yourself?)

I'm sure there are many more but I don't want this post to take up too much space. Thank you to all the hardworking bloggers who provide me with such great blogs to read. I could not do my work as a well informed librarian without all of you.

Congrats to all!

One of My Favorite Authors

In case any of you out there haven’t caught it yet, I love the author, Wendelin Van Draanen’s writing. I’d give anything to be as great a writer as she is. Last year, when a friend and I were reading aloud one of the most recent Sammy Keyes book, we got to this part where Sammy has a fly up her nose and she’s trying to get it out. She describes the whole experience in depth with every last gory detail. My friend and I were laughing so hard, I was crying. I kept thinking to myself, here is a woman who has had a fly up her nose at some point in her life. Only the way Van Draanen writes about this experience, it becomes a comedic adventure worthy of the stage. As a writer, I despair of ever being even the smallest bit as entertaining as Wendelin, but I keep striving anyway.

Wendelin is having her book Flipped (another of my favorite books!) made into a movie this summer. (opening bout the same time my book will be released!) I found this blog entry on her site explaining how a book is transformed into a movie and how much work goes into such an undertaking. It was so fascinating I thought I’d include a link here for anyone who is curious about how these things work.

http://etrtr.blogspot.com/2009/09/thats-what-i-call-cosmic.html

After reading all of that, I'm not sure I'd want any book of mine made into a movie. So much work! If you have not read Flipped, run out and get yourself a copy as soon as possible—it is a fantastic story. And the book is always better than the movie.

And for those who are fans of Sammy Keyes, like I am, I’m including a link that talks about the publishing process an author has to go through in creating a book. If you have ever considered becoming an author, this is a realistic look at how much work goes into the creation of a story.

http://etrtr.blogspot.com/2009/09/thats-what-i-call-cosmic.html

Owl Visits the Library

Since I used to work at this library many years ago, I had to share this story and the amazing photos. Birds used to smack into those huge windows all the time when I worked at Orem Public Library, so I can tell you this is not a hoax. My old boss told me one of their workers noticed it one day when he came into work and it quickly became big news. Even the mayor got on a lift so he could examine it up close. My old boss said they never did find a body so they are hopeful the owl survived his mishap. You've got to see the pictures for yourself to believe it.

http://saltzworks.blogspot.com/2009/04/wowie-owl-imprint.html

Librarian's with Hidden Talents

Anyone who loves books knows that yesterday was the big day when the Caldecott and Newbery award winners were announced. The winner of the Newbery Award was When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and the winner of the Caldecott Award was The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. Every year, when the winner is announced, one of my librarian coworkers likes to create some fun treat to celebrate the winning book and share it with all of us. She's been doing this for years and the whole staff now looks forward to seeing what outrageously fantastic creation she will come up with next. Here is her masterpiece for this year.


















I really feel that my coworker has missed her true calling in life. She should devote her life only to making fantastic artwork out of cheese in the future. Just look at that adorable mouse!

I'm beginning to realize that most librarians harbor amazing secret talents that the world knows nothing about. They are like superheros hiding their greatness beneath a mild mannered librarian facade. But when no one is looking--watch out--their cheese lion and mouse collage will make your jaw drop. It tastes even better than it looks too.

One librarian on our staff recently created a book display featuring only books about monsters under the bed. She not only created a little bed, but sewed all the adorable furry monsters underneath the bed herself. This display is one of the ones we constantly have to wipe little fingerprints off of because it is so popular. And don't even get me started on the display featuring books about the upcoming winter Olympics. All the events in this display are being performed by very detailed little pipe cleaner people created by one of our MLS college student volunteers. Soon she will join the ranks of thousand of other librarian superheros ready to change the world of literature one pipe cleaner person at a time.

How Exciting!

My book has been purchased by the library I work at and today it was entered into the catalog and made available for holds. Best of all, someone actually put a hold on it today! My first hold. *sniff sniff* Excuse me a moment while I grab a tissue.